How the heck did Daredevil sneak up on everyone like it did. I know I saw a ton of announcements for Netflix's new Daredevil series, but it's as if no one was paying attention to possible comic book investment opportunities. I told several co-workers about it and the first thing out their mouths was blah blah blah, Ben Affleck, blah blah blah, Crap! I've seen several of the new episodes and I can't tell you how much I dig this show. No matter how bad of a taste Ben left in our mouths with the Daredevil movie, this show is amazing. The filmography and overall feel of the show feels like the gritty cousin of the CW's Arrow. The writing is great, as are the actors.
Since everyone is playing catch up, I thought I would throw together a quick list of potential Daredevil Key issues from the series. I'll do my best not to spoil anything, so you may have to dig a bit deeper if you want to know more details.
Daredevil 131
This is the First Appearance of Bullseye and much like the way Affleck ruined Daredevil, Bullseye is ready to be redeemed from that awful performance of Collin Farrel. Based on what I've seen so far, I really think the Netflix series could take Bullseye and do something stellar. This is pricey at the top end, but it might be worth picking up a cheaper raw copy and sticking it back for season 2. Just keep in mind that nothing I've seen say's Bullseye will be in the series. I just can't imagine Daredevil without him.
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Daredevil 158
With the resurgence of Daredevil, Frank Miller's work is starting to heat back up. I've read several times that Daredevil was undervalued and was due for an upswing. Even though this isn't a key appearance of a character, it is the very first issue that Frank Miller did for Daredevil. It's already starting to move back up and I think it has room to grow. If you find a good deal on this one, I'd snag it and hold on for a while. I don't think this ride is going to be over for a few years.
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Speaking of Frank Miller, the series seems to be honing in on his work and style. There is this weird Dark Knight feel to it that I can only attribute to Miller. If I'm right, the next set of very affordable Miller issues are going to be the shining stars down the road.
Daredevil 170
I'll be honest, I'm not seeing a lot of talk about this issue online. Still I feel it's significant for several reasons. It's the first time Kingpin appears in Daredevil. It's an iconic cover that puts The Kingpin front and center. It's the first time that Frank Miller writes The Kingpin and Frank made him something really, really special. On top of all of that, The Kingpin's identity is revealed in this issue.
Best of all, it's still really affordable in mid-grade and has a lot of upside to it. I've picked up several copies and put them back for season 2.
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Daredevil 176
This Stick! I Love THIS STICK! Yes, I really, really love this issue because it is the first appearance of the man who trained Daredevil how to be “Bruce Lee”. I just know this guy is going to be important in this series. I haven't seen him yet, but the way it's playing out, he's gotta be there. I'm seeing CGC 9.8's running about $179, but that was before the show was released. I picked up a CGC 9.4 myself for a very decent price. I paid the full going rate, but for me it was cheap enough to take a risk.
An interesting side note about Stick. In the Marvel Ultimate Universe, Stick trained Blade, the vampire known as the Daywalker. Could Marvel leverage this connection to bring Blade into the MCU? I haven't heard anything that says this is going to happen, but it would be freaking awesome if they did.
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Daredevil 188
Now, appearing for the 1st time! Put your hands together for Stone, Shaft & Claw! Wait, what? They aren't a 70's rock and roll band? Dang. I'm not going to say a whole lot about these guys and if you watch the series you'll think I'm nuts, but this issue is super cheap right now. I bought 3 9.6's and 4 raw's to stick back for a while because someone I like to follow said to watch out for these guys. Remember, Netflix has 4 more Marvel shows coming. Something about these guys make me think they are a part of the bigger picture. Knowing the way Marvel works, there is definitely a bigger picture. Keep in mind that it's pure speculation on my part that this issue will become important. If nothing, it's cheap, even at higher grade.
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Daredevil 189
This is a significant issue, but I'm not going to tell you why. If I had my choice, I would go with Daredevil 176. But having a few 176's, I wanted to pair it with this issue.
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Daredevil 197
Here's another take a chance issue for me. A character named Yuriko, aka Deathstrike has her 1st appearance in this issue. With all the Asian ninja influence Frank Miller brought to Daredevil, I decided to take a risk of a few nice, cheap copies of this issue. Besides look at that cool Asian influenced cover!
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Daredevil 153
The 1st Appearance of Ben Urich is Daredevil 153. Let's just say Ben is an important character in the Marvel universe and especially in Daredevil.
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Daredevil 174
The Hand & Kirigi show up for the 1st time in this issue. There is only one word you need to know about them, Ninja! Nuff Said!
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Daredevil 3
I put this one all the way at the end for a few reasons. When it comes to speculating on a villians first appearance, I look for someone so large that they could carry their own comic book. The Owl is not one of those characters. With that said, I also look at other reasons to buy a comic for flipping and this one hits a few of the right marks. It's a very early issue in a character that is heating up. It's silver age, but it's still rather affordable. In the Daredevil series, there is an actor playing a character that I believe will eventually become The Owl. That actors presence makes this character very intriguing to watch on TV. Take all of these things, then look at how undervalued this issue is and I think it's worth the risk simply because of all the things I just mentioned.
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Amazing Spider-Man 50
This is the First Appearance of the Kingpin. We already know he plays a huge part in Matt Murdock's life. It was already a bit pricey before the premiere of Daredevil, but I have a feeling this one is going to keep going up. The real question is how high, how fast and is it worth it to risk that much money.
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Amazing Spider-Man 70
This is the First Appearance of Vanessa Fisk. For those of you that recognize the name, yes she is married to that guy. This one seems quite a bit riskier to me than anything else on this list. It's already rather pricey with a CGC 9.8 averaging about $550. At the least, I wanted to point it out because I think there will be a role for her in the series.
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Luke Cage, Hero for Hire 2
Claire Temple is an oddity for me from an investment standpoint. I can't say if this issue has an upside. It's already hovering near $200 for a 9.6 and over $300 for a 9.8. But I've already seen this character is in the show. I know that a character with this name is the ex-wife of Luke Cage and that Netflix already has a Luke Cage show lined up. If you already have it, I think you'll get a chance to make a bit of money, but unless I find a really nice, cheap copy, I'm just going to enjoy looking at it online.
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If you haven't checked out Daredevil on Netflix yet, I highly encourage you too. If you are as hooked as I am, take a peek at a few of the issues I listed above. If you have some thoughts on the Daredevil Netflix series or if you feel there is a key issue I should have included in this list, please take a moment to comment below.
