The three essential Daredevil runs: Frank Miller (1979-1983) for the invention of the modern Daredevil, Brian Michael Bendis (2001-2006) for the psychological deconstruction, and Chip Zdarsky (2019-2024) for the most ambitious saga of the character in the 21st century.
Daredevil is the Marvel title that attracts top authors. Something in Matt Murdock — the blind lawyer from Hell's Kitchen, the tortured Catholic, the masochistic vigilante — inspires works of rare intensity. No other Marvel title boasts such an impressive succession of legendary runs.
For the collector, Daredevil is a safe investment: the consistent quality of the title guarantees stable demand, and the keys to each major run are clearly identified. This ranking covers forty-five years of masterpieces — seven runs that alone justify the existence of the medium.
Top 1 — Frank Miller (Daredevil #158-191 + #219 + Born Again #227-233, 1979-1986)
Writer/Draughtsman:Frank Miller |Inker:Klaus Janson
Miller invented everything: Elektra, the Hand, Bullseye as a mortal enemy, Kingpin as a tragic figure, the dark and urban tone. Each issue is a masterclass in storytelling. “Born Again” (#227-233) is simply one of the greatest stories ever written in comics — the destruction and resurrection of Matt Murdock. The run that changed the industry.
Key numbers:#158 (early Miller), #168 (1st Elektra), #181 (dead Elektra), #227 (Born Again).Current rating:#168 in NM: €300-600, #181 in NM: €80-150, #227 in NM: €40-70.
Top 2 — Brian Michael Bendis & Alex Maleev (Daredevil vol. 2 #26-81, 2001-2006)
Screenwriter:Brian Michael Bendis |Designer:Alex Maleev
Bendis shatters the status quo: Matt Murdock's identity is publicly revealed, and the run explores the consequences with relentless rigor. Maleev composes photo-referenced pages of hypnotic darkness. Kingpin destroyed, rebuilt, re-destroyed. A run that leaves no respite — five years of continuous tension. Masterful.
Key numbers:#26 (beginning of Bendis/Maleev), #32 (Kingpin dethroned), #81 (final).Current rating:#26 in NM: €20-35, full run: €150-250.
Top 3 — Chip Zdarsky (Daredevil vol. 6 #1-36 + vol. 7 #1-14, 2019-2024)
Screenwriter:Chip Zdarsky |Designers:Marco Checchetto, Rafael De Latorre
Zdarsky is building the most ambitious Daredevil saga of the modern era. Matt Murdock in prison, Elektra taking on the costume, the return of the Hand on a cosmic scale — each arc surpasses the last. Checchetto delivers breathtaking action scenes. A run that will be cited alongside Miller and Bendis in twenty years.
Key numbers:flight. 6 #1 (early Zdarsky), #25 (Elektra Daredevil), vol. 7 #1.Current rating:flight. 6 #1 in NM: €15-25, #25: €10-18.
Top 4 — Mark Waid & Chris Samnee (Daredevil vol. 3-4, #1-36 + #1-18, 2011-2015)
Screenwriter:Mark Waid |Designers:Paolo Rivera, Chris Samnee
Waid takes the radical opposite: a luminous, adventurous Daredevil, who refuses to sink into depression. Rivera and then Samnee innovate visually — Matt's radar graphically represented, brilliant page layouts. Eisner Award for best current title. Proof that you can reinvent a tone without betraying a character.
Key numbers:flight. 3 #1 (relaunch), #7 (acclaimed outcome).Current rating:flight. 3 #1 in NM: €15-25.
Top 5 — Ed Brubaker & Michael Lark (Daredevil vol. 2 #82-119, 2006-2009)
Screenwriter:Ed Brubaker |Designer:Michael Lark
Brubaker inherits the Bendis bomb (public identity, prison) and pushes Matt Murdock into an even darker spiral. The arc “The Devil in Cell Block D” is an intense prison session. Lark brings perfect gritty realism. The ideal transition run between Bendis and Waid — often underestimated but exemplarily solid.
Key numbers:#82 (early Brubaker), #100 (anniversary issue).Current rating:#82 in NM: €8-12, #100: €10-15.
Top 6 — Ann Nocenti & John Romita Jr. (Daredevil #236-291, 1986-1991)
Screenwriter:Ann Nocenti |Designer:John Romita Jr.
Nocenti writes a politically engaged Daredevil confronting social inequality and demons—literally, with the introduction of Typhoid Mary and arcs involving Mephisto. JRJR in full stylistic evolution delivers angular and dynamic pages. A long undervalued run which has undergone a fair critical re-evaluation in recent years.
Key numbers:#254 (1st Typhoid Mary), #270 (Blackheart).Current rating:#254 in NM: €30-50, #270: €10-15.
Top 7 — Kevin Smith (Daredevil vol. 2 #1-8 "Guardian Devil", 1998-1999)
Screenwriter:Kevin Smith |Designer:Joe Quesada
The run that revived Daredevil and ushered in the Marvel Knights era. Smith writes a Matt Murdock facing a crisis of faith around a potentially messianic baby. The death of Karen Page is a bolt from the blue. Quesada delivers sumptuous pages that redefined the Marvel aesthetic at the dawn of the 2000s. Short but historically crucial.
Key numbers:#1 (Marvel Knights relaunch), #5 (Karen Page death).Current rating:#1 in NM: €25-40, #1 varying: €40-70.
Complete your Daredevil collection run by run with ourcollection management application. From Miller to Zdarsky, every key number identified and tracked for you.