The ‘Daredevil’ Web TV Series is Simply Batmanly

Just finished watching Daredevil’s first season.  And I have one word for it:  “Batmanly.”  It’s a word I kind of invented (though it’s very much likely that I’m not the only one who was able to “invent” this word; it’s not that hard to think of, really) to describe something that has the same kind of badassery, angst, and/or awesomeness – or any other quality for that matter – as Batman.  In the past I’ve made use of “Batman-like” or “Batman-esque”, but “Batmanly” certainly has a better ring to it.  (Which is understandable, really, for Daredevil has always had the same tone as Batman – or, rather, Frank Miller’s respective runs on both comic book characters have put the same distinctively grim and gritty tone on their characters.  Hence, providing Daredevil a “Batmanly” adjective is simply appropriate.)     

The first season of Daredevil served as a slow-paced, 13-episode origin story.  Heck, Daredevil was only officially born – name and costume and all – in the second half of the last episode!  It would have been tedious if it had not been so well-written, and so well-directed, and so well-acted – so well-everything.  The fight scenes were brilliant, the themes were thoughtful, and there were a lot of great character developments.  It was simply too engaging to find something complaining about.  Though I would have loved for it to have shown more concrete connections to the Marvel Cinematic Universe than the subtle ones featured, and to see Matt ditch the crude ninja outfit for the Daredevil costume sooner, and to see Matt’s walking stick being converted into Daredevil’s trademark billy club, and for Ben Urich to have not been killed off (because he’s an important character in the Daredevil/Spider-Man universe, and could still have been probably used in future MCU stories), but those are mere preferences rather than actual complains.    

    

Others are already saying that Daredevil is the greatest superhero TV series now.  Now, I wouldn’t go that far.  I still think The Flash and Arrow are better.  And, again, the first season has merely been an origin story for Daredevil.   We’ll only really know once we get to see some actual superheroing being done, which we’ll have to wait until the next season.  However, if this fantastic first season is any indication, I think that it has a good chance of getting there.  Daredevil is Marvel’s real first step into taking TV dominance from DC.