Book of the Year 2012: Marvel's Daredevil

Book of the year for 2012: Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Damn, this is such an awesome comic book. Reading Mark Waid's run on it is what makes me remember why I love comics in the first place. It's been an up and down year for our hero. He's had his head removed from his body and his dead dad's body dug up. He's also had his powers taken from him by Dr. Doom and had his best friend in the whole wide world throw him under the bus. (Foggy, I'm looking at you.)

Well with all the craziness that has befallen him. Daredevil has once again become the title that still has a great deal of quirkiness to it. Reading this body of work never ever once came off as a retelling on the Frank Miller stuff. (D.G. Chichester does it best). It was more of a tip of the hat to the Stan Lee and Gene Colon stuff of the 1960's. That's the Daredevil that I love.

Now, don't get me wrong, I loved the Frank Miller stuff. But to be quite honest it's been done to death. (Hey, Bendis, I'm looking at you.) It just seemed that before Mark Waid got to write this book each year that went by just got more and more depressing for ol' hornhead.

Now for the last year and some change we have been treated to a very fun comic that you could give to anybody and I do mean anybody and they would fall in love with it. It's very hard to create a comic book that would make newcomers and old school (and jaded) Marvel zombies happy. Daredevil is just that book. The writing is tight and is complemented by the artwork.

From the great Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin and Chris Samnee this book has a very light hearted and distinct look. Gone are the uber gritty streets and ninjas. You get Daredevil out and about in the street of New York City. The artists do a great job whenever they bring up the ability that Daredevil has that is his radar sense. They always find some cool, new innovate way to incorporate it into the story that's being told.

So other than Dan Slott's run on the former Amazing Spider-Man this is month in and month out a blast to read and that's why it takes the book of the year for 2012.

-Tash Moore

Past Book of the Year Winners
2011- DC Comics -Tiny Titans
2010- Image Comics- Chew