Hey there, everybody! Excited for Daredevil Season 2? I sure as heck am! In preparation, I've been re-reading some of my favorite Daredevil stories. But why stop there? Why not read through the best stories about each and every one of Marvel's Netflix locked down characters? Oh, wait, I did that. But allow me to give you your to-read list. A couple of books per character, and only the best for my readers. So here we go!
Source: Comicsalliance.com
10. Luke Cage: Hero for Hire #9
(Luke Cage)
Let's start off with easily the goofiest comic I'm gonna recommend here. This issue's from back when Cage was running around in the yellow shirt and tiara, doing hero jobs for money.
I love this era of Luke Cage.
In this issue, Cage, upset that Dr. Doom stiffed him on a job, decides to break into the Baxter Building to steal a Fantasticar. The Fantastic Four just decide to give him the Fantasticar because why not? Cage lands in Latveria and punches his way into Doom's castle. He rips open the door, looks Doom square in the eyes and delivers the immortal line: "Where's my money, honey?"
Cage angrily demands that Doom give him the two hundred dollars he's owed, which confuses the good Doctor a great deal. I adore the fact that Doom literally couldn't give less of a crap about 200 dollars. It's just beneath his notice. Eventually, Cage punches Doom a bunch and Doom just agrees to pay him. And then Luke leaves. This concludes the greatest Marvel comic Luke Cage has ever appeared in, and you can buy it digitally via the Marvel app.
Source: comicrack.cyolito.com
9. Daredevil: Born Again
(Daredevil)
I've already extolled the virtues of Born Again, and I thought that article was "a nice piece of work" but maybe I "shouldn't've signed it".
If you'd read Born Again by now, you would've gotten that joke. You still wouldn't've found it funny, but you'd've gotten it.
Daredevil: Born Again is a fantastic story following the collapse and rebirth of Daredevil's life. After the Kingpin systematically destroys Matt Murdock, it becomes a true battle, with everything on the line.
Plus, we get a great appearance by Nuke of Jessica Jones fame and Captain America of "being Captain America" fame. Born Again is one of those stories that is so well regarded and excellent, there's nothing new to say about it. Plus it was made by Frank Miller before Frank Miller became a racist, sexist psycho whose comics make me sad. This is good Frank Miller, much like Batman: Year One or any of his Daredevil run.
Born Again: Please just go read it so I can stop talking about it.
Source: Comicvine.com
8. Deadpool #13-14
(Luke Cage and Iron Fist)
Yeah, for our next story about Luke Cage and Iron fist, I'm actually gonna pick one that I think flew under the radar.
Their guest appearance in the Marvel NOW Deadpool run is a great one to pick up. The first part, written as if it's a comic from the 1970s, features a ’70s Deadpool teaming up with the heroes for hire to battle an albino pimp calling himself "The White Man". And yes, that is exactly as delightful as it sounds.
In part two, The White Man reawakens in the present, and Power Man, Iron Fist, and Deadpool – who Power Man and Iron Fist hate with a burning passion – have to deal with him. In the story, Iron Fist winds up bringing the martial arts class he's teaching with him on the adventure.
I love this.
Danny is my fave. I do love me some Luke Cage, but poor Danny Rand's good-hearted confusion makes him always relatable to me. Plus, Deadpool, so if that's your bag, you'll have a good time with this two-parter.
Source: Marvel.com
7. Daredevil: Yellow
(Daredevil)
And now back to DD, because there are a lot of great stories. And I figured that the story that served as an influence for the first season of the critically acclaimed show would be a great one to recommend.
Daredevil: Yellow was the first of Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's "Color Series", and while follow-ups Hulk: Grey and Spider-Man: Blue are both very good, today we're talking about Hornhead's edition.
Yellow follows Daredevil's early days, back when he was still wearing the yellow outfit, which I love a lot. It also examines the early relationship between Matt Murdock and Karen Page. So if you liked the Karen/Matt/Foggy dynamic on the show, you'll love it here.
Ooh, and you also get appearances by The Purple Man and Electro, and those are pretty cool.
Source: Marvel.wikia.com
6. Alias Vol.1
(Jessica Jones)
And now, on to Jessica Jones comics!
Fortunately for me, there are really only two to choose from, and I haven't read The Pulse. So I'm stickin' to Alias, which served as the inspiration for the first season of Jessica Jones.
First up, let's talk about the opening volume of the series that introduced her.
Jessica Jones used to be a superhero. Then something really bad happened and she quit. Now she's a hard bitten, hard drinking private investigator.
In the first collection, Jessica meets Luke Cage, works as Matt Murdock's bodyguard, accidentally discovers Captain America's secret identity (back when he still HAD a secret identity), and hunts down Avengers mainstay Rick Jones. Of course, Alias was a Marvel MAX title so it's allowed a fair share more cursin' than Jessica Jones was allowed on Netflix. Which is a plus for me.
Source: mashnew.com
5. Power Man and Iron Fist (2016)
(Luke Cage and Iron Fist)
When I make recommendation lists, I try to recommend at least one thing you can just get into right now. So I'd like to recommend the brand new, started-two-weeks ago series by David Walker and Sanford Greene.
It's only one issue in so far, but I'd really encourage you to check it out.
The series follows the iconic duo’s temporary reunion, even though Danny might want a little more out of the team-up. Also, there appears to be a background conspiracy that is out to get the former heroes for hire.
Walker absolutely nails the characters’ voices, something many writers struggle to do. In addition, the book is funny and charming. I'll admit I was initially thrown by preview images of Greene's art, but in the book itself it works incredibly well. It looks unlike anything else on the stands, and in a good way.
It's great, so check it out.
Source: ca.complex.com
4. The Punisher: Welcome Back Frank
(The Punisher)
Well, since ol' Frank Castle's gonna be popping up in the new season of Daredevil, I thought I'd throw a few stories about him onto this list.
And I thought I'd cut right to the chase, and just put my favorite Punisher story of all time right here. Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon of Preacher fame began their work on Castle with a truly fantastic dark comedy.
Read More: The Best Garth Ennis Comics
This was the back-to-basics Punisher take that came after that short time period during which he was an angel (I'll talk about that someday).
The story follows Castle's battle with Ma Gnucci and her crime family among others. Every side and supporting character, from Mr. Bumpo and Joan to Soap and The Elite, are all immediately identifiable and likable. Plus, Welcome Back Frank is really funny. In a dark, violent, horrible way, sure, but it's really funny, nonetheless.
If you even think you like The Punisher as an abstract concept, this is most assuredly the story to check out. Plus, the Punisher punches a bear in the face. And that's fantastic.
3. Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson
(Daredevil)
Again, we come to Frank Miller comics that aren't absolutely the worst things ever (Seriously, one of these days I'll do "10 Terrible Moments from Holy Terror" and spend a week crying in recovery). But, goshdarn, did young Frank Miller know how to write Daredevil.
And his Daredevil run written and drawn with Klaus "the one who DIDN'T go absolutely NutterButters around the turn of the millennium" Janson is absolutely incredible in every single way.
Elektra? Introduced in Miller and Janson's run. Bullseye? Made into a serious real-deal villain in the run. Kingpin? Truly came into his own. Stick? The Hand? The Punisher? All either introduced or made significantly better in the run.
It's inarguably the most influential run in the history of the character. And while I'll honorable mention THE HELL out of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee's Daredevil run, if I gotta pick one DD run to put on this list, I gotta go with the Miller run.
source: plus.google.com
2. Alias Vol. 4
(Jessica Jones)
We previously talked about the beginning of the Jessica Jones-starring Alias but now let's talk about the ending, which is where 90 percent of the source material for the Netflix series can be found.
This volume starts by delving into Jessica's backstory, from her high school years to her early superhero-ing, to the day when it all went to hell. And that day is when she met Zebidiah Killgrave, aka The Purple Man.
And he"¦ is"¦ UN-settling…
…in a vastly different way from the Netflix version. This Killgrave (HUGE SPOILER ALERT) pulls a Deadpool and breaks the fourth wall, but with terrifying results.
Killgrave begins to deconstruct the flaws in the plot, and with Jessica's actions in the book, vilifying her for her portrayal in front of the readers. It's a dense psychological confrontation that still makes me squirm in my seat when I read it.
Plus, this volume contains the second most cathartic punch in comic book history since Cap socked Hitler.
Source: ca.complex.com
1. Born
(The Punisher)
Garth Ennis writes about war like Kurt Busiek writes about superheroes. That is to say, very, very well. And Born is basically a breathtakingly good Vietnam war story that happens to feature a pre-Punisher Frank Castle.
Firebase Valley Forge was a bad place during the war. Undersupplied, staffed by screw-ups, and run by incompetents, Valley Forge only had one saving grace: Captain Frank Castle. As the last few days of the firebase's existence play out, the voice in the back of Castle's head starts to grow louder.
Born is dark and vile and unpleasant, because it's supposed to be. It's a tale of Vietnam, and it’s about what kind of person was designed to survive that situation. Also, Darick Robertson of Transmetropolitan does an amazing job on this mini. There are one or two images that send chills down to the base of my spine every time I see them.
In addition to that, Born also features a shudderingly good ending that changes the way you'll see the character of Frank Castle forever. Welcome Back Frank was a dark comedy. This, however? This is a tragedy. A tragedy about the horrors of war.
But do read it. It's really, really good.
