The series is a breath of fresh air: It's not flippant , but neither is it geekily earnest; it's moody and dark, yet never self-indulgent; it has strong characterization without resorting to caricature. (Sadly, I am not qualified to judge whether it stays true to the comic book.)

Daredevil is set in the same universe that Marvel has developed over the last half-decade through various films and TV series, including Captain America and Agent Carter. It's a world where superheroes are very much in the public eye - the struggle between various masked men and women has nearly destroyed New York City.

Hell's Kitchen is a purgatory of abandoned buildings infested with drug dealers and pimps - the perfect place for a budding superhero to ply his trade.

Cox is quite good as Matt, a complicated man burning with rage who occupies a gray area: He serves the side of the good and the just, but he's happy to visit crushing violence on his enemies.

Thing is, Matt has no superpowers - and he's blind. Yet he has nurtured his remaining four senses into powerful tools, and, like the mythical Japanese blind swordsman Zatoichi, he has honed his martial arts skills so perfectly he could kill a roomful of sighted people without breaking a sweat.

Solid performance from the actors across the board, especially Charlie Cox and Vincent D'Onofrio, who plays a fantastic villain.