Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Marvel launches DAREDEVIL audiobook with visually impaired fans in mind

From The Washington Post's comics blog:

Marvel has just announced that its superhero Daredevil — aka the blind attorney Matt Murdock — is coming to fans in audio form.

The Man Without Fear is now also The Man With an Audiobook.

Daredevil #1 Audio Edition was the brainchild of Marvel senior editor Steve Wacker, who says he and writer Mark Waid wanted to issue the new format so visually impaired fans could appreciate Daredevil’s new adventures in 2011.

Says Marvel: “Up to this point, those deprived of sight themselves have had to rely on friends reading them copies of Daredevil in order to experience Matt Murdock's adventures.”

On the excellent audio, Waid describes the panels and Marvel editor Tom Brennan voices Daredevil.

Daredevil made his debut in 1964, with his creation credited to Bill Everett and Stan Lee (Jack Kirby, whose estate continues to fight over copyrights and compensation, is said to have aided and abetted the character design). Wally Wood, Frank Miller and John Romita Sr. are several of the legends who helped guide Daredevil over the decades.

And to many non-comics fans, of course, the Hells Kitchen superhero is best known as Ben Affleck’s character in 2003’s “Daredevil” film.