Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s “Born Again” is the definitive Daredevil story, and it begins with one of the most devastating single issues Marvel ever published.

In Daredevil #227, “Apocalypse” (1986), Karen Page sells Matt Murdock’s secret identity, and the Kingpin uses it to take Matt’s life apart piece by piece: his money, his law license, his friends, his home.

Jason Sacks of Classic Comics Cavalcade walks through how Miller and Mazzucchelli break a hero down to nothing in a single chapter, and why that destruction is the first step toward redemption. Featuring quotes from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli.

Watch the video version, with the art, on YouTube: Classic Comics Cavalcade.
Music: “Take Off and Shoot a Zero” by Chris Zabriskie (CC BY 4.0).

0:00 Intro0:23 Title0:28 Born Again2:35 A Deal with the Devil4:10 All This Before Coffee6:38 The Dominoes Fall11:26 The Spider’s Web13:17 You Shouldn’t Have Signed It14:42 From Apocalypse to Hope17:34 Credits

Frank Miller and Klaus Janson's Daredevil #181 gave Marvel one of its most shocking deaths and one of its greatest single comics.

"Bullseye vs. Elektra. One wins. One dies." In 1982, Daredevil #181 delivered on that cover blurb with a story readers never forgot. Here's how a young cartoonist steeped in Will Eisner and Raymond Chandler built to that moment over 16 months, and why the issue still works on nearly every level. (Marvel's own 2001 poll of the 100 Greatest Marvels of All Time ranked it #21.)

If you enjoy it, please like and subscribe, and leave a comment letting me know what you think. Where were you when Elektra died?

0:00 Intro

0:30 Chapter 1: The Legend Is True

1:34 Chapter 2: From Colan to Miller

4:40 Chapter 3: Bullseye in the Cage

6:24 Chapter 4: The Net Tightens

7:50 Chapter 5: One Wins. One Dies.

9:08 Chapter 6: The High Wire

11:26 Chapter 7: Why It Still Matters

13:12 Credits

Story discussed:

Daredevil #181, "Last Hand" (Marvel, April 1982). Story: Frank Miller. Finished art: Klaus Janson. Letters: Joe Rosen. Editor: Denny O'Neil.

Also discussed:

Daredevil #158 (May 1979), #164 (May 1980, written by the late Roger McKenzie), #168 (Jan. 1981), #169 (March 1981), #227 (Feb. 1986)

Ronin #1 (DC, July 1983)

Will Eisner's The Spirit ("Life Below"; Sand Saref; The Spirit #52, Kitchen Sink)

Raymond Chandler, Farewell, My Lovely (Pocket Books edition)

Frank Miller fan art from Fan's Zine (#1, March 1972) and "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" (Dec. 1974)

Excerpts from Frank Miller, Push the Wall: My Life, Writing, Drawing and the Art of Storytelling.

Music: "Take Off and Shoot a Zero" by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/stuntisland/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

Comic art © Marvel and respective rights holders. Used for commentary and criticism.

#Daredevil #FrankMiller #Marvel #Elektra #Bullseye #KlausJanson #ComicBooks #BronzeAgeComics #ComicHistory #ClassicComics #ClassicComicsCavalcade

Valiant Comics didn't just fade away — it imploded. In this follow-up to their Unity crossover deep-dive, the hosts trace the fall: Eternal Warrior's forgettable solo run, Archer & Armstrong's comedic genius, and the insane speculator boom that made Wizard Magazine practically a Valiant mouthpiece (allegedly paid for).

Then it gets dark — Jim Shooter's shocking ouster right as the company hit $2 million/month in profit, the Deathmate crossover disaster with Image Comics that nearly killed the industry, and the 75% comic shop shutdown that followed. A wild, cautionary tale of 90s comic excess and collapse.

TIMESTAMPS

00:00 - Recap: Unity crossover & intro to Valiant's fall

00:31 - Eternal Warrior & Archer and Armstrong spin off from Unity

07:40 - Turok's slow-burn debut and the hollow foil cover boom

11:03 - Wizard Magazine's cozy (and allegedly paid-for) Valiant coverage

15:36 - The speculator bubble, variant covers, and gold label chase

20:57 - Jim Shooter's ouster, told in his own words

30:12 - Deathmate: the crossover disaster that helped tank the comic industry

HASHTAGS

#ValiantComics #ComicBookHistory #90sComics #JimShooter #Bloodshot #XOManowar #Turok #ArcherAndArmstrong #ComicBookPodcast #ImageComics #Deathmate #ComicSpeculatorBoom #WizardMagazine #ComicBookCollecting