by Randy Lander

DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR TP Highly Recommended (9/10) Marvel Comics Writer: Frank Miller Pencils: John Romita Jr. Inks: Al Williamson Colors: Christie Scheele Letters: Joe Rosen Editor: Ralph Macchio Price: $15.95 US/$22.35 CAN Before there was Daredevil: Yellow, there was Daredevil: Man Without Fear, the first chapter in Frank Miller's reinvention of the character, written as his last piece of work on the character. Miller worked backwards from his work on the title that had created and fleshed out Elektra, Matt's mother and the purpose of Daredevil himself to build an origin that had only a slight resemblance to the original. It reads more like a movie treatment than a comic in places, more bloody than you'd expect and conflicting with established continuity in several places, but it's a stunning take on the character with absolutely gorgeous artwork by Romita Jr. and Williamson. With the reprinting of this volume, Born Again and the Miller Visionaries, the complete works of Miller on Daredevil will finally be back in print, rectifying a great comics injustice. It would be interesting to contrast this with the story going on in Daredevil: Yellow, because this book has much the same purpose as that mini-series. But where Yellow has quickly established Matt's dual identity and costume and focuses more on his relationships with Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, this one is almost purely about Matt Murdock, before Daredevil was even created. The book also contains characters that Miller built to add to Daredevil's legend, including a heavy focus on Elektra, his lover and Stick, his mentor. It's a dark story, definitely reflecting that it came at a time after Frank Miller was writing Sin City, and at times it reads like a 70s vigilante movie or a pulp adventure more than a modern super-hero comic. Spider-Man may be the original hard-luck hero, but Daredevil could give him a run for his money. This is a kid who grew up in poverty, lost his beloved father to the mob and was blinded because of selfless heroics. Miller doesn't make his life any easier in this origin story, portraying Matt as a man torn by conflicts between intellect and a wild emotional side. He makes many mistakes, and they always cost him, whether it's in guilt, heartbreak or physical pain. Very few things end well for him throughout this book, as he's rejected by his tutor, cast off by the love of his life and forced to watch his friends threatened in various ways. However, Miller never makes this oppressive life seem like it has broken Matt, and by the end, we see that his difficulties have forged his will into something strong and heroic. His showdown with Larks at the end is incredible, a portrait of power and control by Matt. The story of Matt Murdock is drawn out quite a bit in this story. In a way, this parallels Ultimate Spider-Man, spending several issues establishing the man before messing with the costume and the codename. Matt's childhood and training with Stick is given a fair bit of time, and his showdown with the men who murdered his father is depicted in brutal detail. His college years are also given time, largely to show the formative years of his friendship with Foggy and a dangerous relationship with Elektra. Miller's portrayal of Elektra here is at odds with her prior origins, establishing her not as a girl who lost her innocence when her father was killed but as someone destined for the dark path, and while it fits in well with the tone of the series, it doesn't really fit with the rest of his stories. In fact, a lot of the darkness and the murderous nature of Matt and Elektra lends credence to the rumors that this was a Daredevil movie treatment that was reworked into a mini-series (and then a trade paperback). Visually, the book is simply incredible, some of the best work Romita Jr. has done, up there with his run on Uncanny X-Men or his current work on Amazing Spider-Man. He does breathtaking splash pages, evocative scenes of snowy landscapes and brutal, shocking depictions of violence. Together with masterful work by longtime inker Williamson and longtime colorist Scheele, this is work every bit as beautiful as Sale's work on Daredevil: Yellow, and easily as impressive as the work that Miller himself did on Daredevil at his peak. This probably isn't the strongest Daredevil ever written, and it may in fact be the weakest of Miller's run on the character. But it still remains a masterful chapter in the character's story, and an example of some incredibly talented creators putting together something special. Email Randy Lander comments about this review.