“Daredevil” Issue 32 Art Reference by Alex Maleev

“Daredevil” Issue 32 Art Reference
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alex Maleev
These are the only original art pages in existence from this iconic Daredevil run, drawn to be scanned and put into panels and pages digitally. This original art is published. These images are from issue 32, Matt’s secret identity has just been exposed in the press and Foggy has rushed over. Matt Murdock and Foggy Nelson’s friendship is hands down one of the best in comics. I have so many fond memories from this run. I had just started college when these were coming out and this run on one of my first steps in seeking out some more mature storytelling in my comic reading. Bendis’ and Maleev turned the grit and crime elements of Daredevil up to 11, and I loved it. The arc of Matt having his identity publicly exposed was both unlike any other comic coming out, but it made complete sense with how careless the character could be. Starting with “Guardian Devil” the entire Marvel Knights era of “Daredevil” is still the highwater mark in comics excellence.
Before reading "Guardian Devil" my only exposure to Daredevil was the PSA comic “Daredevil vs. Vapora” which was given to elementary school students to make them aware of the dangers of gasoline vapors. It was not until 1998 that I was properly was introduced to Matt Murdock, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page and Matt Murdock’s horned alter ego, Daredevil, The Man Without Fear. Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti’s art and Kevin Smith’s words were the gateway to the character of Daredevil and their eight-issue arc “Guardian Devil” in my mind is a classic that define the Marvel Renaissance of the late 1990’s early 2000’s. They wrote it as a love letter to what it means to be a hero.
At the time I was probably too young to be watching Kevin Smith’s View Askew movies but alas, “Chasing Amy” was one of my favorite films. Through the comic magazine “Wizard” I learned that Kevin would be writing a relaunch of the Marvel character Daredevil. I remember being awestruck by the cover image to issue one they released to announce the start of the Marvel Knights Imprint. The cover, which featured a stunning shot of Daredevil leaping midair, throwing his billy club, the New York cityscape below is incredible. The issue was sold out by the time I was able to get to my comic shop but thankfully my best friend who was much wiser than me made sure it was added to his pull list and he let me read his copy and I loved it!!! This opened my world up to an amazing character this is when I went and started reading the past runs. This is where I discovered Frank Miller’s work on the character and this led to Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev’s run which is still my all-time favorite run in an onslaught of great runs by creative teams like Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark, Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin, and Chris Samnee up to the current run by Chip Zdarksy and Marco Checchetto.
When talking about the character I rarely refer to him by his hated childhood nickname “Daredevil” I bonded more with the hero out of costume then in. I remember reading issue six. After Matt’s battle with Bullseye and the murder of Karen page Matt is bandaging himself up overwhelmed with pain and grief Matt grabs a gun from the fight and puts it to his head, for a moment you are genuinely not sure where this is going. Matt drops the gun and violently thrashes out destroying his apartment and collapsing in tears. This was the first time I had ever truly seen a superhero so despondent, in so much pain, so human. He remembers a time where Karen tells him he can never give up, He pulls on his cowl to continue the fight. These moments of strength and grief are what truly solidified the character as my favorite Marvel Character.
When I started really focusing on my hunt for Daredevil examples from my favorite runs. I started rereading “Guardian Devil” which only strengthened my resolve and reminded me how much I loved the character. Thank you for checking out my gallery and writing about a very special part of my collection and my comic fandom.