Matt-Murdock

We’ve entered a period where every year there will be major comic anniversaries. All of the iconic characters that were created during the 1960s—including most of Marvel’s most notable characters—have fiftieth anniversaries on the horizon. This year one of the most notable birthdays is Daredevil who turned fifty this month. Daredevil, created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, has been a popular character since his inception and has had an ongoing for most of that time. He’s been a swashbuckling hero full of joy and a gritty hero living in the darkness. He’s a disabled hero in a world of superhuman perfection. He’s been blessed with some of the best creative teams in the business and has the awards to prove it. He even made it to the big screen in an admittedly lackluster movie and next year is getting his own—hopefully much better—television show on Netflix.

Daredevil is a title that has been blessed with many excellent writers over the years. There are so many exceptional stories that it can be hard to pick favorites, but today I thought I would revisit one of mine. The five issue Decalogue arc written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Alex Maleev is one of my favorite Daredevil stories because it shows us how Daredevil fits into the lives of ordinary Hell’s Kitchen citizens. Decalogue is different than most comic stories because it shows us Daredevil through the eyes of the people whose lives he’s touched. The story opens in a church basement where a community support group is meeting. The people have convened there to discuss Daredevil (aka Matt Murdock) and his impact on their lives. The idea of a support group to deal with super hero encounters is a brilliant idea and an interesting look at how ordinary people might actually react to living in an extraordinary world.

Should a superhero kill? What happens if he does? Those are questions that are constantly being asked by creators and fans of superhero comics. Every character approaches that question differently: Batman never kills, but Superman has under extreme circumstances even though he has a strict moral code against it. Part of Wolverine’s popularity centers on the fact that he is a warrior who will do what he deems necessary, which includes killing. Then you have characters like the Punisher, who are popular because they feed into our id by killing criminals without hesitation and with great prejudice, the way we know we never can. ...