Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson, Vol. 3

Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson, Vol. 3 by Frank Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Daredevil by Frank MIller & Klaus Janson Volume 3 collects Daredevil #185-191, 219, Daredevil: Love & War, and What If #28.

Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's groundbreaking run on Daredevil concludes in this volume. Daredevil tangles with the Hand, a new Stiltman, and the Kingpin. His relationship with Heather ends and Elektra is resurrected by The Hand. As with the last volume, these are more character driven stories, exploring the inner workings of Matt Murdock.

Frank Miller hands off most of the art chores to Klaus Janson in this volume but the transition is almost seamless. Miller's Batman work is more well-regarded than what he's done on Daredevil but I think his Daredevil stuff is better. It's more powerful, more raw, and it doesn't feel like he's working with a safety net.

The final three issues in this collection don't feature Klaus Janson at all. Were they included for filler? Anyway, the What If is okay but the others are great. The John Buscema penciled tale feels like a western. Matt Murdock wanders into a New Jersey town and settles some shit, reminiscent o f Red Harvest. Love and Death, the Bill Sienkewicz illustrated tale, is primarily about the Kingpin's obsession with his mute wife.

For better or worse, Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's run is responsible for the Daredevil we have now. It holds up well by today's standards and is a must for any Daredevil fan. 4.5 out of five stars.

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