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Daredevil Epic Collection
Daredevil Epic Collection, Vol. 17: Into the Fire
Collects Daredevil (1964) #312-318, Daredevil Annual (1967) #9, Daredevil/Black Abattoir (1993), The Man Without Fear (1993) #1-5. The Man Without Fear's painful past! Matt Murdock has an incendiary mystery to solve, but he might end up getting his fingers burned! Then, terror has a new name as Daredevil faces the daughter of Mister the emotion-controlling Shock! And when criminals including Taskmaster and Stilt-Man go to war after a small fortune, it's up to Daredevil to keep the slippery legacy out of the wrong hands! Black Widow enlists DD's help to investigate a murder, placing both of them at the mercy of a sadistic, telepathic killer! And legendary writer Frank Miller returns to Hell's Kitchen, teaming with fellow DD alum John Romita Jr. to explore Matt's early days in one of the greatest Daredevil stories ever told!
504 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 8, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
October 3, 2023
The first half is insanely bad. Half a dozen fillers ranging from dumb to uninteresting at best. And here Chichester's tendency to overwrite stresses the mediocrity of the issues even more.
Art is so shabby I feel insulted some editor thought this shit was good enough for the readers. McDaniel (pencils) and Larosa (inks) give the expression "pile of crap" a whole new meaning.
Annual 9 is insanely shitty too.
Then we have "Abattoir" from Starlin and Chiodo. Like the title suggests it’s a rather grim and bloody graphic novel where DD is peripheral, the book being centered on Black Widow.
This one’s good. Starlin does a very decent job with the plot. It’s not mind-blowing but after the crap we’ve been fed with before it feels like a Pulitzer.
Joec Chiodo paints the book. I tend to be be a sucker for painted art so it’s all good as far as I’m concerned. Again, the comparison with the demonic duo of the first issues makes it shine even more.
The book concludes with the Frank Miller/JR Jr "Man without fear" mini-series, their DD Year One.
I hadn’t read this one since its original released and it still holds. It’s not Miller’s best but a good upgrade of DD’s origins. Some additions are interesting- Elektra is clearly shown suffering from mental problems- while some much less- Matt kills at least 4 people (one being an accident)- when not counter-productive- Jack Murdock’s old Pro-Wrestler kind of costume and nickname are dead giveaways of who DD might actually be. This last one’s rather dumb actually.
Still, it’s well done with the star team JR Jr (pencils) and Al Williamson (inks) doing one hell of a job.
In concluson: I spent 28 bucks on the kindle version of this book and it’s clearly not worth it. Better grab "Man without fear" and "Abattoir" (though this one might be hard to find) individually. It’ll cost you less and will spare you the ignominy of the first issues.
Art is so shabby I feel insulted some editor thought this shit was good enough for the readers. McDaniel (pencils) and Larosa (inks) give the expression "pile of crap" a whole new meaning.
Annual 9 is insanely shitty too.
Then we have "Abattoir" from Starlin and Chiodo. Like the title suggests it’s a rather grim and bloody graphic novel where DD is peripheral, the book being centered on Black Widow.
This one’s good. Starlin does a very decent job with the plot. It’s not mind-blowing but after the crap we’ve been fed with before it feels like a Pulitzer.
Joec Chiodo paints the book. I tend to be be a sucker for painted art so it’s all good as far as I’m concerned. Again, the comparison with the demonic duo of the first issues makes it shine even more.
The book concludes with the Frank Miller/JR Jr "Man without fear" mini-series, their DD Year One.
I hadn’t read this one since its original released and it still holds. It’s not Miller’s best but a good upgrade of DD’s origins. Some additions are interesting- Elektra is clearly shown suffering from mental problems- while some much less- Matt kills at least 4 people (one being an accident)- when not counter-productive- Jack Murdock’s old Pro-Wrestler kind of costume and nickname are dead giveaways of who DD might actually be. This last one’s rather dumb actually.
Still, it’s well done with the star team JR Jr (pencils) and Al Williamson (inks) doing one hell of a job.
In concluson: I spent 28 bucks on the kindle version of this book and it’s clearly not worth it. Better grab "Man without fear" and "Abattoir" (though this one might be hard to find) individually. It’ll cost you less and will spare you the ignominy of the first issues.
January 9, 2025
3.75 stars.
September 10, 2025
This book is the definition of front-loaded and then making up for it towards the end.
The main ongoing issues are… not great. They’re not awful, but they’re not great. They feel like a bunch of fill-in stories that have almost no flow or connective tissue whatsoever, with no major character development for pretty much anyone.
So the book kicks off with this two-parter in Issues #312-313 where DD has to deal with an arsonist problem and it’s so by-the-numbers and just not much fun to read. Same with the next two-parter across Issues #314-315, it involves the daughter of one of the Mr. Fears turning into this mutated thing and it’s, again, just very bland with almost no meat on its bones.
Funnily enough, Issue #316 is by far my favorite here, it’s a fill-in issue but one that uses a very awesome concept that is very similar to the one from #304, focusing on the different aspects of life around NYC and how it has this symbiotic relationship with Matt/Daredevil, it’s pretty fun.
And the last two-parter is one taking place across Issues #317-318, this one involves a bunch of gangsters (including Stilt Man of all people) trying to steal a stash of grease to try and make themselves rich. It’s not bad in theory, but it’s so poorly executed and feels like a nothing burger.
The biggest issue is still Chichester's writing, he insists so much on being so overly verbose and descriptive with stuff that doesn’t need any of that, like I said in my review of the previous Volume, he feels like he wants to be Frank Miller without understanding what made Miller's writing style work and be so endearing and engaging to read. Chichester's ideas aren’t bad, but he simultaneously doesn’t give them enough room to breathe, while also insisting on giving too much spotlight to innocuous details that aren’t necessary to know.
The Annual is fine, it’s nothing like… super engaging or crazy, especially being one of the 1993 Annuals that Marvel put out to introduce new characters no one cared about outside of their introduction.
Now though, we start getting to the good stuff: first off, the Daredevil/Black Widow Abattoir graphic novel, it’s so good. It definitely is more of a Black Widow story than a Daredevil one, but I am glad it was included here cause it’s just a beautifully drawn and brutal story that delves into Natasha's psyche in a very interesting way.
And then we hit the mother lode: The Man Without Fear miniseries. What can I say about it that hasn’t been said about it for literal decades? It’s the perfect origin for Daredevil and Frank Miller's last hurrah before writing Sin City and going insane.
Scott McDaniel's art is pretty decent throughout the book as well, there are a few off putting facial expressions here and there and it can be a bit hard to tell what’s going on sometimes, but it’s still decent and distinctive enough from what was popular in the 90s. Now the art for the Abattoir graphic novel? Sublime. And Romita Jr.'s art in Man Without Fear? Absolutely amazing and the peak of that man's career, I loved it.
Overall, while it starts slow and with a lot of pointless stuff, it’s worth it for the stuff at the end, which is peak DD.
The main ongoing issues are… not great. They’re not awful, but they’re not great. They feel like a bunch of fill-in stories that have almost no flow or connective tissue whatsoever, with no major character development for pretty much anyone.
So the book kicks off with this two-parter in Issues #312-313 where DD has to deal with an arsonist problem and it’s so by-the-numbers and just not much fun to read. Same with the next two-parter across Issues #314-315, it involves the daughter of one of the Mr. Fears turning into this mutated thing and it’s, again, just very bland with almost no meat on its bones.
Funnily enough, Issue #316 is by far my favorite here, it’s a fill-in issue but one that uses a very awesome concept that is very similar to the one from #304, focusing on the different aspects of life around NYC and how it has this symbiotic relationship with Matt/Daredevil, it’s pretty fun.
And the last two-parter is one taking place across Issues #317-318, this one involves a bunch of gangsters (including Stilt Man of all people) trying to steal a stash of grease to try and make themselves rich. It’s not bad in theory, but it’s so poorly executed and feels like a nothing burger.
The biggest issue is still Chichester's writing, he insists so much on being so overly verbose and descriptive with stuff that doesn’t need any of that, like I said in my review of the previous Volume, he feels like he wants to be Frank Miller without understanding what made Miller's writing style work and be so endearing and engaging to read. Chichester's ideas aren’t bad, but he simultaneously doesn’t give them enough room to breathe, while also insisting on giving too much spotlight to innocuous details that aren’t necessary to know.
The Annual is fine, it’s nothing like… super engaging or crazy, especially being one of the 1993 Annuals that Marvel put out to introduce new characters no one cared about outside of their introduction.
Now though, we start getting to the good stuff: first off, the Daredevil/Black Widow Abattoir graphic novel, it’s so good. It definitely is more of a Black Widow story than a Daredevil one, but I am glad it was included here cause it’s just a beautifully drawn and brutal story that delves into Natasha's psyche in a very interesting way.
And then we hit the mother lode: The Man Without Fear miniseries. What can I say about it that hasn’t been said about it for literal decades? It’s the perfect origin for Daredevil and Frank Miller's last hurrah before writing Sin City and going insane.
Scott McDaniel's art is pretty decent throughout the book as well, there are a few off putting facial expressions here and there and it can be a bit hard to tell what’s going on sometimes, but it’s still decent and distinctive enough from what was popular in the 90s. Now the art for the Abattoir graphic novel? Sublime. And Romita Jr.'s art in Man Without Fear? Absolutely amazing and the peak of that man's career, I loved it.
Overall, while it starts slow and with a lot of pointless stuff, it’s worth it for the stuff at the end, which is peak DD.
October 20, 2025
I was on a serious Daredevil binge when I purchased Into the Fire and honestly it was the first time I really hit a brick wall with the character. I had high hopes that I'd enjoy D.G Chichester's work even with all the criticism I'd heard over the years and that would justify the purchase despite the fact I already own a copy of The Man Without Fear (also part of this collection)...hoo boy was I wrong. I'm not sure exactly what happened that caused Mr Chichester's to go from writing one of the best DD stories in the form of Last Rites to this dreck but it was a fall from grace indeed (sorry couldn't resist). That being said I know nineties comic art always get's a lot of crap but I did enjoy Scott McDaniel's pencils on the overtly quirky Stilt Man/ Task Master issues, now if only the story itself had been half ways intelligible.
Meanwhile the 1993 Annual also featured here is the absolute pit's, the very worst of brainless nineties comic book slurry...
Thank goodness then for the inclusion of the Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir because otherwise this collection would have been nothing more than an epic failure for me. Bit of a hidden gem this one, written by Jim Starlin with awesome art by Joe Chiodo this dark serial killer themed story features Black Window more prominently than DD, but just plain kicks butt compared to anything else in the collection with the exception of Miller and Romita Jr's masterpiece of course.
So a very mixed bag, an overall disappointing purchase for me but one that would have been a lot more justified had I not already owned a copy of Man Without Fear.
DD # 312-318 ★★
DD Annual # 9 ★
Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir ★★★★
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear # 1-5 ★★★★★
Meanwhile the 1993 Annual also featured here is the absolute pit's, the very worst of brainless nineties comic book slurry...
Thank goodness then for the inclusion of the Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir because otherwise this collection would have been nothing more than an epic failure for me. Bit of a hidden gem this one, written by Jim Starlin with awesome art by Joe Chiodo this dark serial killer themed story features Black Window more prominently than DD, but just plain kicks butt compared to anything else in the collection with the exception of Miller and Romita Jr's masterpiece of course.
So a very mixed bag, an overall disappointing purchase for me but one that would have been a lot more justified had I not already owned a copy of Man Without Fear.
DD # 312-318 ★★
DD Annual # 9 ★
Daredevil/Black Widow: Abattoir ★★★★
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear # 1-5 ★★★★★
January 17, 2024
In my review for the Dead Man’s Hand collection I noted that Chichester doesn’t get a lot of recognition for his run which is a real shame. Here we see some really good single Daredevil issues that highlight why this character is so appealing to myself and others.
This picks up straight after the Dead Man’s Hand event and see’s DD back in in the concrete jungle of Hell’s Kitchen. Again, Chichester doesn’t get a lot of credit for some really good stories.
Early on in the collection is a story with Matt, out of the costume, still performing acts of heroism. Again, there’s nothing astonishing or character defining, but just some enjoyable stories of Daredevil taking on crime and villainy. The collection also features a crossover with Black Widow written by Jim Starlin which is dark and cerebral and the incredible origin retelling ‘The Man Without Fear’ by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr which is one of the quintessential superhero origin stories. A great run for DD fans.
Daredevil: Into the Fire (epic collection) - 7/10
This picks up straight after the Dead Man’s Hand event and see’s DD back in in the concrete jungle of Hell’s Kitchen. Again, Chichester doesn’t get a lot of credit for some really good stories.
Early on in the collection is a story with Matt, out of the costume, still performing acts of heroism. Again, there’s nothing astonishing or character defining, but just some enjoyable stories of Daredevil taking on crime and villainy. The collection also features a crossover with Black Widow written by Jim Starlin which is dark and cerebral and the incredible origin retelling ‘The Man Without Fear’ by Frank Miller and John Romita Jr which is one of the quintessential superhero origin stories. A great run for DD fans.
Daredevil: Into the Fire (epic collection) - 7/10
August 10, 2023
The origin part is A++++++++ the remainder is F-
October 7, 2023
Just the "The man without fear" story is worth the whole book!
October 11, 2023
Man Without Fear is fantastic, Abattoir is great, but the actual Daredevil issues are a bit meh.
February 19, 2024
9/10
This collection contains Frank Millers "the man without fear" which has fantastic art by John Romita Jr. I would consider this origin one of the best comic book stories of all time and is a true highlight of millers great career.
This collection contains Frank Millers "the man without fear" which has fantastic art by John Romita Jr. I would consider this origin one of the best comic book stories of all time and is a true highlight of millers great career.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews