Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank MillerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When Matt Murdock was rendered blind by radioactive material, it heightened his remaining senses to superhuman levels. But what happened between then and when Matt become Daredevil years later...?
On the heels of reading the rest of Frank Miller's fantastic work on Daredevil, this was the one Frank Miller Daredevil book left.
The Man Without Fear fills in the gaps between Matt's accident and his becoming Daredevil. Sure, there are some retcons, like the complete lack of the yellow costume and the relationship between Matt and his father and even Matt's behavior as a child. All things considered, it's great stuff, covering Matt's tutelage under Stick and his relationship with Elektra in college. It also details his very first run-in with the Kingpin, another retcon.
Frank Miller weaves together a lot of elements that were only hinted at in his earlier Daredevil runs and turns them into an epic. A lot of what went into the Netflix Daredevil series came from this volume. One thing I didn't like is that Miller made young Matt a little too capable. In my mind, he's supposed to be an underdog most of the time. In Frank's hands, he's an ass-kicking machine the caliber of Batman.
John Romita's gritty style works were for Daredevil, not surprising since he was artist on Daredevil for some time prior to this miniseries. He's no David Mazzucchelli but his Hell's Kitchen is no place I'd like to visit. His Elekra is the right combination of sexy and insane.
While it's far from my favorite Frank Miller Daredevil, The Man Without Fear is a gritty look at Daredevil's earliest days and a great read. Four out of five stars.
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