Level 4 - Spotlight on Daredevil: Born Again

To my readers, we at The Next Level are great fans of both gaming and comic books. But once in a while, a game or book is so good that it deserves some special recognition. If you would like to nominate a book or a game for the Spotlight, please send an email to nextlevelstaff@gmail.com with a brief explanation of why the book or game deserves its own segment. This week, we will be shining the Spotlight on Daredevil - Born Again.



Frank Miller had already completed his legendary run on Daredevil in 1983. However, in 1985, he began work on what we at the Next Level consider to be his best piece of work with the character. The story of Born Again is wonderfully simple, yet intricate at the same time. Karen Page, former secretary and girlfriend to Matt Murdock (Daredevil), had become a heroin addict and was the star of several pornographic movies. Her addiction to heroin drives her to sell the information that Matt Murdock is Daredevil for some drugs. This information eventually reaches the Kingpin. Kingpin gives the order to kill everyone who ever touched the envelope the information was in (hey, 1985 remember? no e-mail), while he vows to test the information.

Through his connections, Kingpin is able to get the bank to foreclose on Murdock's house, freeze his assets, and render him effectively homeless. This unbalances the already-nigh-unbalanced Daredevil as he thinks all forces in his life are out to get him. At that moment, his home is firebombed, and he realizes who is really responsible...

Unfortunately, in his unbalanced state, Daredevil is handily defeated at the hands of the Kingpin, who orders his men to kill him. Murdock does survive, but is wounded severely and falls under the care of Sister Maggie, a nun working a church nearby. It is revealed that Maggie is in fact Murdock's lost mother.

All throughout the book, there is a subplot of Karen trying to avoid the Kingpin's assassins whilst trying to find her way back to Matt. During this portion of the book, Daredevil is confronted with several trials, but I personally found it lacking. This portion of the book is saved only by the Ben Urich subplot, as he tries to expose the Kingpin, but is tortured into silence. Eventually, near the same time that Karen finds Matt, Ben finds his own inner courage to tell the story that needs to be told.

Sidenote: There is a rare scene of J. Jonah Jameson talking to Urich in this section which is EASILY one of the best I've ever read.



With all of our lead characters in place, we are finally heading toward the climax of the story




At this point, Kingpin hires Nuke, a soldier with the American Flag tattooed across his face. Kingpin appeals to Nuke's malformed sense of Patriotism and turns him loose on Hell's Kitchen. As Nuke destroys and kills, a billy club strikes him, and we see...



Wow. That image sends chills down my spine every time. And when you read this book, it'll send chills down your spine too. This is the first time since the opening pages we see Matt Murdock in costume, and by god, it was worth the wait!

Daredevil manages to take down Nuke, and the Avengers step in to lend a hand. This battle is amazing, and I will do no good in trying to describe it. All I can do, I implore you to read it. At the conclusion of the battle, Daredevil and Captain America discuss the ramifications of Nuke's identity (which I revealed in Level 3), as Nuke escapes military custody and goes on another rampage. Though Nuke is killed (later retconned to be merely seriously wounded) by a Military Aircraft, Daredevil takes the Body to Ben Urich, who now has irrefutable proof of the Kingpin's widespread influence in the military.

In the end, Wilson Fisk's respectable image in the media is shattered, and Matt Murdock begins to enjoy his life again.

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This is Frank Miller's BEST WORK!

I cannot say this enough: BUY THIS BOOK! Or at the very least, READ IT! You don't even need to know Daredevil to enjoy this work.

If you liked this book, I'd recommend continuing with "Guardian Devil" or jumping directly into Brian Michael Bendis' run on Daredevil, which is amazing. If you have any comments about the spotlight, please send an email to nextlevelstaff@gmail.com . Your comment may be addressed on next week’s post.