Daredevil Message Board

[JoeWithoutFear]

Hi all,

I've recently discovered and fallen in love with Daredevil thanks to what I believe is known as "the Waid run" (starting w/ issue 1 from 2011). I've been a comics fan since the 1980s and always thought DD was fine but was never motivated to actually read his books. Fast forward to today and he's my favorite costumed hero! ... well, tied for first.

So, since I'm new to this whole fiction and trying to soak it in best I can, I had some questions that I was hoping you all could help me answer. I'm a stickler for chronology, so, most of my questions deal with proper read order. In other words, "[Story X] falls between which two issues of the Waid run?" That kind of thing.

Question #1: Where do the 3(?) story arcs from Dark Nights fall in the Waid run?

#2A: What about DD annual #1?
#2B: Is there a DD annual #2?

#3: What about DD's guest appearance in Indestructible Hulk?

#4: I know it is there internet, but I've seen a lot of negative fan reaction regarding the Waid run (not on this site really). But, I've also seen a lot of positive reaction. Some articles mention the awards Waid and his crew have won. Some articles imply that the Waid run is DD's most successful in a long time. Yet, the sales data on this very site seems to indicate that DD was more successful pre-Waid.

So, I guess my question is, as I surrender my heart to this period of the DD character, how risky is that? Is this all gonna be retconned or undone in the next year or two? Or is Vol 3 going to run for years and years? What is your guess, DD experts???

Thanks in advance! Glad to be here! Seems like a cool place!

[Dimetre]

1. The third Dark Nights story hasn't come out yet. Lee Weeks' story, in my opinion, can fall anywhere in Daredevil continuity. It reminded my of a Legends of the Dark Knight Batman story, in which writers and artists can simply tell a good Batman story without worrying about continuity. The Lapham story is much more tied to current continuity, although I am away from my comics right now, so I'm not sure if Kristen MacDuffie was still working in the D.A.'s office. If so, it would take place a few issues ago in the regular series.

2.A. Hard to say. The story focussed much more on ClanDestine than Daredevil. I suppose I would have to echo my answer about Lee Weeks' story. It's not hampered by continuity.
2.B. Not so far.

3. The Indestructible Hulk appearances definitely come after the Omega Effect, given the references to Agence Byzantine.

4. I'm loving the Waid run. After more than a decade of Volume 2, which was dominated by noir takes on the character (often descending into extreme noir), I was ready for a brighter take. That's not to say Waid's run is all sunshine and lollipops. The two-parter with Mole Man had very dark moments. So did the story with Ikari, and the Coyote story. However, you have to make up your own mind. Around ten years ago Brian Michael Bendis started his run on Daredevil, and online commentators were trumpeting it as the greatest run on Daredevil since Frank Miller -- and I just wasn't enjoying it at all. It seemed everyone loved it but me. There are regular visitors to this board who can't stand Waid's current run. You can't please everyone. A lot of people hated Shadowland, and understandably so. But Waid, along with the rest of Marvel, aren't pretending that it didn't happen. During his most recent encounter with Bullseye, Daredevil referenced it, and made some of us uncomfortable.

I think Waid is making Marvel quite happy, not just because of awards, and I'm not sure how sales are, but because he's acting like a team player. He'll do mini events tying into other Marvel series, something I know writers like Ed Brubaker refuse to do. He'll do an issue with Spider-Octopus, something a lot of writers would hate to do.

I hope Volume 3 goes on for a long time. I don't know if it will go on after Waid leaves the book. I hope so. But I don't think it's going to be something Marvel retcons away once Waid is done.

[Sewersaint]

Actually it looks like Volume 3 might be finishing up soon.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/10/23/daredevil-to-end-with-36-according-to-chris-samnee/

We'll probably get a new #1 as part of All-New Marvel NOW! with a new creative team right after this one wraps up. I wouldn't worry too much about retconning though because nothing has really happened that has changed Daredevil from the start of the series. Whether it will keep the same tone as the current volume is anybody's guess at the moment.