This is a pretty large collection, so you can expect that there will be a lot of plots going on. The first few comics deal with The Torpedo, as he has a job to do. He tries to convince Daredevil that he has a mission that he must fulfill, but Daredevil can’t let him keep on creating so much destruction! More than one person assumes the guise of the Torpedo in this collection because one of them…doesn’t make it out alive!

There is a comic about Death Stalker and Daredevil, but I’m just going to leave it alone because nothing really comes of it. Still, it was an interesting comic. Likewise, I shall also skip over the Man-Beast comics because he wasn’t an interesting villain. He’s tough and he tried to give the law a shot, but it’s just hard to root for him. He comes off as a generic villain who won’t last long against the hammers of justice!

Next up, Bullseye comes to town with a two parter! He’s easily one of the bigger threats that Daredevil has to deal with. In a fair fight, I think it’s fair to say that Daredevil has the edge. That being said, it’s rarely a fair fight with this guy. Bullseye does like to show off his skill with weapons, so he gives Daredevil’s athletics a true test.

After dealing with the Chameleon, Daredevil finally gets to match wits with the Jester. The Jester actually lasted for a long time and his plot continued through the background during the previous arcs. His plan was very ambitious since he made fake TV reports that showed President Reagan was still alive and that the Vietnam War never happened! He made many shocking TV articles and the President gave an announcement that all of the police in Daredevil’s town had gone crazy. It was a very thorough plan, and while it may not have been realistic, it was fun to watch. He’s not a great villain himself and can be considered as a pushover for a man of Daredevil’s ability, but his plan was intriguing.

Daredevil’s next big threat was with Death’s Head, as the villain’s powers are incredible. One touch can mean instant death to whomever is his victim. Daredevil’s not very experienced with the supernatural, so it’s good that Ghost Rider is! With Ghost Rider by his side, things just got a lot better for Daredevil as they face this new threat!

There’s also a two parter in Iron Man’s series that is included in the collection. He must team up with Daredevil to face the Blood Brothers and defeat them before anyone is harmed. This may seem like a tall feat, but not to someone as powerful as Daredevil! The two of them are definitely up against some steep competition!

We also can’t forget the big annual comic where Daredevil, Black Panther, and Sub Mariner come to blows. A scientist wants to build something that will be very beneficial for the people above ground, but it has dire consequences for the water dwellers. Black Panther doesn’t know about this and he prepared to seal the deal while Namor decides to stop this..by force. Daredevil is caught in the middle and now he must make them both see the light. Namor doesn’t actually get to fight Black Panther, but he proceeds to effortlessly defeat Daredevil and I believe that he would have beaten the Panther as well. It was a pretty fun comic and while I usually don’t care for annuals, it was just fun. Since they had to share a comic, I’ll just quickly discuss Black Panther and Namor in this part of the section.

Namor looks pretty good once we find out the reason why he’s doing this. His actions may be drastic, but he’s always been that type of guy. He still ends up saving Daredevil and he continues to pull his punches as well. Black Panther is a good character as well and he realizes that he almost made a big mistake and cancels his deal. Everything turns out well for the heroes and it was fun to see them go at it. Daredevil vs Black Panther is a really good match up!

For the rest of the comics, Daredevil runs into some of the old villains like Bullseye and Man-Bull, while also fighting threats like the Beetle and the Owl. Fighting these guys may be tough for an ordinary superhero, but Daredevil’s been fighting for a long time…and he’s ready to show them just how tough he really is!

Daredevil is the main character of this collection and he’s a very good lead. He may be blind, but that doesn’t stop him from getting the job done. Sure, his radar sense plays a part in that, but one comic deals with him temporarily losing that ability…and he still pulls it off. I’m not sure if it’s completely believable that he could adapt so quickly, but it shows that he is determined. He doesn’t make almost any threats compared to other heroes like the Fantastic Four, but he does make sure to make a lot of puns.

He talks constantly, which was the norm for heroes back in the day. A really minor subplot is that Daredevil wants to have his own catchphrase, but he can’t think of any. In a fight, Daredevil is a very good fighter and he’s not someone that can be defeated easily. He’s a very likable character and basically does what needs to be done. His Matt Murdock plot is also enjoyable and deals with mystery and intrigue. I really wouldn’t mind a comic that just shows his Lawyer skills off. Daredevil has an ongoing subplot where he keeps wondering if he should stop being Daredevil, but there’s no need to go on about it that much. After all, can he really make that decision for long in a comic series called Daredevil?

Foggy Nelson is another one of the main characters and things don’t go so well for him. For one thing, his plot is one of the few that doesn’t finish in this collection. It goes on for quite a while and they’re no closer to finding the assailant than they were at the start. Well….I shouldn’t say that. Daredevil seems to have gotten a name in the final page of the final comic, so he should be ready to take this guy down in the next collection. Foggy is a decent character, but I didn’t like him all that much. He had a good run when he tried to become DA, but he resorts to drinking and gets sad because his friend was kidnapped. It’s definitely okay to feel sad, but he should do something about it! Still, he’s a loyal friend for Daredevil and he’s a good character overall. He’s not someone to be forgotten!

Heather is another one of the main characters and her first appearance is definitely not the typical first meeting that you would expect. She goes into Daredevil’s home because she used to have the keys since she knew the previous owner of that room. She gets along with Matt Murdock, but you can’t help but think that she’s an enemy agent for the first few comics. She hasn’t turned traitor yet, so I guess that my hunch was completely off base for once. She’s a decent character and she definitely has to put up with a lot since Matt is always having to abruptly leave for his heroic duties. She makes things a little difficult for Matt since her father is a suspect in one of the cases, but that’s life. She’s an all right heroine, so we’ll see where things go from here.

Bullseye is easily Daredevil’s most popular villain and it’s easy to see why. In these appearances, he’s definitely the most interesting villain for Daredevil. Death Stalker and Death’s Head are cool as well, but Bullseye is just a better match for Daredevil. They’re both good martial artists, but Daredevil is far superior in that regard while Bullseye is unrivaled with a gun. He appears quite a few times and even comes out on top when he shot Daredevil away. Daredevil had to deal with other opponents and they couldn’t have a rematch for a few comics. Bullseye was definitely written well and I gained some respect for him. I don’t really care for him in the newer comics, but he was pretty fun to see in action back in the day.

Peter Parker appears and it’s a pretty intense cameo. When Daredevil is arrested, Spidey asks if he wants to make a statement to the Bugle, but Daredevil declines to comment. That was likely something that he regretted as the day went by, but it was intense to see Parker there. I may have mentioned already that Peter Parker is one of the greatest Marvel Superheroes when written at his best, but it should be noted that he’s not just great at fights. He’s also a really good journalist and he could have helped DD over in court. Aw well, maybe next time!

Ghost Rider is a guest star for the team up against Death’s Head. In this era, Johnny Cage is in complete control so it’s still his personality when in human and demon forms. He tries to act mysterious while in Ghost Rider form, but nobody seems to believe him. He also seems to be significantly weaker and he just doesn’t know how to use this degree of power. Well, that may be a little disappointing, but he’s still fun to see in action and Daredevil would have been doomed without his help.

Iron Man is the other big guest star of the collection and the Blood Brothers are a pretty big threat. Iron Man barely survives their first encounter and it was good thinking to bring in DD. (Although, the risk was pretty great and Daredevil really could have died) Iron Man figures out the weakness of the Blood Brothers pretty quickly and exploits it. His plot seemed pretty interesting as well since Happy is currently injured and Pepper has decided to leave the company. The danger must have been immense and things weren’t looking good for him. Still, it was a good armor design and it was nice to see one of the Avengers around to help!

Lieutenant Rose is a police officer that is always after Daredevil. He’s against Vigilantes and Daredevil in particular. He’s less extreme than the usual stereotype for his character and he doesn’t try to arrest Daredevil for no reason. He doesn’t like Daredevil, but he doesn’t let it affect his professional assessment of the current situation. They reluctantly team up several times and he’s a pretty likable character. I wonder if he’s appeared in any of the newer comics!

The Torpedo is an intriguing villain and as I mentioned, two people used it in the collection. The first one didn’t have much character, but he was all right. The second one was pretty cool and he had a nice plot going. He used to be a Quarterback, but now he’s rich and wants to see some action again. He decides to don the costume to help innocents and also feel the rush that he wanted too. He and Daredevil are usually at odds in the beginning, but they eventually start to see eye to eye. I would like to see him again in the future as well.

Death’s Head is a really powerful villain who feels a little out of place in the Daredevil series. A single touch can terminate any living being as long as one is mortal. How Daredevil can fight him and hope to win is beyond me. It’s a good thing that Ghost Rider was around, but he won’t always be here to help. That being said, he would be a great character to see in another series like Thor or Ghost Rider. Ghost Rider mentioned that his physical abilities are very high, so he would possibly give those guys a run for their money. Once again, Daredevil has created a solid villain!

The Art for the comic is pretty a solid. A different artist takes over near the end, but he’s pretty good as well. They both do a good job of keeping the art clear and easy to decipher while in black and white. Nothing beats the classics right!? This essential has more romance than most and I think that they probably could have cut some of it out, but it’s all right I suppose. It’s handled better than it would be if this were a current comic. (Batman and Catwoman from New 52 is an example of how modern comics have died)

Overall, this is a pretty fun collection! It may not be quite as great as Fantastic Four, but it does give it a great shot. Daredevil can be a great character, but not all authors can really give him the appearance that he deserves. Daredevil may not be a science genius like Parker or Richards, but he is likely the most knowledgeable character on the law in Marvel and that definitely helps him a lot where villains are concerned. He has a pretty good supporting cast to back him up and I can safely say that Marvel has hit it out of the park with another solid comic. The villain cast is also pretty great for the most part and I like just about all of them. I hope to see Death’s Head appear in a comic again someday. I definitely miss these good ole days of comics and hope that I get to read another Daredevil essential at some point. I highly recommend this collection if you like action, comedy, suspense, good writing, or are a Marvel fan. There’s really no reason not to like this comic.

Overall 7/10