I am a comics nerd. I think I have already established that, but just a note up front in case there’s any confusion. So naturally I have already worked my way through the new Netflix Daredevil series. I’m glad there were only 13 episodes, because I do have to do other work this weekend. I am greatly impressed (even the opening titles were amazing) and very much looking forward to the Jessica Jones and Luke Cage series – and Iron Fist to an extent, but he was never my favorite (couldn’t get past the collar and the slippers).

As for Daredevil, I am thrilled. I like the character and I think there are some great stories to be told with him. The 2003 film did not do him justice. It was not the low point of the recent spate of comics movies (I think that’s a dead heat between Catwoman and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance), but I would put it in the bottom half. I won’t spend much time pulling that one apart because that’s been done before. From annoying missed opportunities (Bullseye specifically says he wants a costume – why doesn’t he get one?) to spots that seem problematic for the plot (why is Matt displaying his fighting skills out in public for a random woman? A blind guy fighting like that is pretty memorable), the film had plenty of problems. However, it also had Michael Clark Duncan, who could make reading a shopping list sound good.

This Daredevil is played by Charlie Cox (wonderful in Stardust), who gives an impressive performance. His scenes with the priest, talking about his responsibilities and the devil inside him, are very well done. I don’t know how much of the physical performance is his – I would presume at least some. But he manages to convey a fair amount with a tilt of his head and body posture when he’s in the black outfit. And I absolutely love the fight scene in the second episode – where he proves that Murdocks don’t go down. It’s a refreshing approach to show the hero having trouble, struggling to do what he needs to do, all the way through the fight. (If you’re a Steven Seagal fan, well, I can’t explain it to you. But it adds depth. Again, if you’re a Steven Seagal fan, I can’t explain that to you.) We assume Matt will make it because he’s the hero – but we admire him more because despite his enhanced senses, he’s so clearly human. And we respond to his humanity, both the good and the bad.

The serial nature of comics can lend itself very well to the equally serial medium of television. While I love many of the big screen versions of comics, the constraints of the medium are just different. And I’m thinking more along the lines of story than effects. For a film, one page of script is roughly equal to one minute of screen time. So even a two hour film might be only 120 pages. That’s shorter than most novels.

13 episodes of about 60 minutes each comes out to around 780 pages. Of course the show can do much more with that! And having the whole series at once relieves the creative team of certain pressures associated with shows these days. Shows used to get a whole season; if they weren’t popular, they wouldn’t be renewed. But now, shows have maybe two or three episodes to deliver ratings. And that’s just not enough time. Not enough time to build characters or even word of mouth.

A complete season at once is like a 13 hour long movie. The writers on Daredevil did not feel the need to give the whole backstory in the first episode because they knew they could reveal it slowly. They knew they had time to develop the characters, build tension, use moments that would be cut for time in a film. The whole episode between Foggy and Matt would have been a single scene in a film – and that would be a shame.

Comics readers love the characters. That’s why we keep reading. A television series can often treat the characters better (I said often – there are no absolutes – don’t bring up Birds of Prey – I’m still upset about that one).   I’m excited to see what else Netflix can do with these characters. If only the seasons could be made faster!

I do have to add one complaint, though. I can understand the reluctance to put him in bright red spandex. Muted or dark red is fine with me. But did the black splotches on his final costume remind anyone else of Deadpool?