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Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1
The origin of Daredevil is retold by legends Frank Miller and John Romita Jr.! What led Matt Murdock on the path to becoming the Man Without Fear?
27 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 1993
20 people are currently reading
455 people want to read
About the author
Frank Miller
1,355 books5,346 followersFrank Miller is an American writer, artist and film director best known for his film noir-style comic book stories. He is one of the most widely-recognized and popular creators in comics, and is one of the most influential comics creators of his generation. His most notable works include Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One and 300.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
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January 19, 2022
November 20, 2018
If you’re retelling a characters origin there are so many ways to screw it up, but Frank Miller does it right. It’s a dark and gritty tale enhanced by some brilliant artwork. As a Miller fan, there’s nothing about this that I don’t like and as a newer Daredevil fan it makes me want to explore the entire history of this character. That what I loved about this first issue. If you aren’t a Daredevil or even a Marvel fan, you will be after this first issue.
We all know who this character is, but the draw here is what Miller does with him. Of course there will be people who hate this simply because it’s a new origin for an already established character but in Miller’s hands he becomes far more interesting which is what he set out to do. If I had read Daredevil when I was younger I would have been all over the Miller run, but my intro to the character was during the Mayor Fisk arc which is still a damn good place to start.
As a first issue it sets things up nicely. These are characters that feel real. In comics it’s easy to forget that you can have flawed characters that are a product of something broken. Matt’s story isn’t going to warm your heart but it’s not supposed to. It’s what makes him eventually become Daredevil. This is a character that we all are familiar with so if you tinker around with him too much the core of who he is becomes lost in retcon. Thankfully that doesn’t happen here and we get a strong, well written issue that makes us want to continue reading. This is a true Marvel classic that should be picked up in individual issues just for the covers alone.
We all know who this character is, but the draw here is what Miller does with him. Of course there will be people who hate this simply because it’s a new origin for an already established character but in Miller’s hands he becomes far more interesting which is what he set out to do. If I had read Daredevil when I was younger I would have been all over the Miller run, but my intro to the character was during the Mayor Fisk arc which is still a damn good place to start.
As a first issue it sets things up nicely. These are characters that feel real. In comics it’s easy to forget that you can have flawed characters that are a product of something broken. Matt’s story isn’t going to warm your heart but it’s not supposed to. It’s what makes him eventually become Daredevil. This is a character that we all are familiar with so if you tinker around with him too much the core of who he is becomes lost in retcon. Thankfully that doesn’t happen here and we get a strong, well written issue that makes us want to continue reading. This is a true Marvel classic that should be picked up in individual issues just for the covers alone.
May 16, 2015
The first issue of The Man Without Fear paints a vivid picture of Hell's Kitchen as seen through the eyes of a young Matt Murdock. We are introduced to Matthew, his blind mentor Stick and Matt's father "Battlin'" Jack Murdock who is probably my favorite secondary character. Author Frank Miller does an excellent job characterizing these three especially when it comes to Matt after he is blinded. John Romita Jr.'s artwork works very well with Frank Miller's writing; the writing is very rough, very "down and dirty" which helps immensely with the tone of the comic and Romita Jr.'s artwork is much the same way with a lot of black and heavy shadows. The art tells the story about as well as the writing does and when the writing is this good that says a lot.
January 3, 2017
I have and always will love Frank Miller's writing. There is a reason he's one of the biggest comic book author names there are out there. And this was no exception.
By now most of us already knew Mat Murdocks life story (I hated the movie, but am loving the Netflix series), but this is a wonderful telling of it. The defined voice speaks throughout and consistently. The art is an excellent example of how much motion and emotion in just the inks, and how much more powerful they are when you get drastic blacks and colors contrasting against each other.
I hope to have all of this series soon. Right now (1/2/2017) I only have volume 1 and 5, but I absolutely love this.
By now most of us already knew Mat Murdocks life story (I hated the movie, but am loving the Netflix series), but this is a wonderful telling of it. The defined voice speaks throughout and consistently. The art is an excellent example of how much motion and emotion in just the inks, and how much more powerful they are when you get drastic blacks and colors contrasting against each other.
I hope to have all of this series soon. Right now (1/2/2017) I only have volume 1 and 5, but I absolutely love this.
September 3, 2016
Frank Miller desen zaten konuşmaya gerek kalmaz ama bu çizgi romanda daha da öne çıkan şey kesinlikle çizimler ve renklendirme. Harikaydı. Puan kırmamın tek sebebi Stan Lee'nin orijin hikayesinde olduğu gibi bu hikayede Jack ve Matt arasındaki baba-oğul ilişkisi detaylı işlenememişti. Onunla kıyasladım 4 verdim ^_^
December 24, 2020
The Writing. Amazing. The Art. Iconic.
March 24, 2023
My first experience with a whole Daredevil story was reading the impressively efficient original #1 from 1964. Since then, I've watched the movie (ugh) and the TV show (no thanks) tinker with the tone and details of his origins and personality in ways that I found pretty off-putting.
I'm not a Daredevil expert by any means (outside of the Born Again run, almost all of my Daredevil experience is written in the previous paragraph), but when there's this 1964 origin that is far from broken, I've gotten annoyed when new people come in and try to fix it.
And that was how I felt at first about this, until... I realized it's actually a pretty solid iteration on the original material. It's different and certainly more cynical, but I think it's a well-crafted kind of different (as opposed to the movie and TV show).
It helps that the art is very strong, too.
I'm not a Daredevil expert by any means (outside of the Born Again run, almost all of my Daredevil experience is written in the previous paragraph), but when there's this 1964 origin that is far from broken, I've gotten annoyed when new people come in and try to fix it.
And that was how I felt at first about this, until... I realized it's actually a pretty solid iteration on the original material. It's different and certainly more cynical, but I think it's a well-crafted kind of different (as opposed to the movie and TV show).
It helps that the art is very strong, too.
March 14, 2024
THE addition of "Stick" is both interesting and annoying. Annoying because if he is just a dude born blind [which is all I know at this point} it doesn't make sense the things he knows and can do. Interesting because it expedites the story in interesting ways. Daredevil has his abilities in part because of the radioactivity involved [a false premise we accept in comics that radioactivity is helpful in these situations] but Stick has none of that.
April 4, 2025
I have no clue how Frank Miller's brain works. How did he write Elektra: Assassin and then this? He definitely has range. Daredevil is him at his best, though.
May as well listen to the Netflix show's theme song before reading because almost all the flashbacks from S1 are straight from this issue. Pretty epic stuff.
May as well listen to the Netflix show's theme song before reading because almost all the flashbacks from S1 are straight from this issue. Pretty epic stuff.
October 14, 2019
This was my first exposure to mature comics, at the age of 9. I had read marvel before, but this blew my mind and I would like to personally thank frank miller for helping me be exposed to this genre.
April 22, 2022
4.5 stars. yeah, no wonder this is considered the best run. it's fucking amazing. my only complaint is elektra's design, i prefer her look on the show but otherwise what a stellar beginning to daredevil.
March 11, 2025
one of the darkest comics i’ve ever read. a fantastic retelling of Daredevils origins start with the young life of Matt Murdock and specifically focuses on his relationship with Battlin’ Jack Murdock, Stick, and how he became blind.
March 25, 2020
Thanks to Miller after reading just this single I can for the first time finally sympathize with Daredevil's lawyer/vigilante duality.
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January 26, 202201/2022
March 16, 2022
A pretty good start. You can see how this influenced the movie and the TV series.
April 30, 2022
i never would've thought that one day i would actually give reading comics a try??? this is an achievement. (i am also back on my daredevil bullshit)
February 18, 2023
that was really good, I've been trying to find Matt's origin story so it was really cool finally reading it.
October 17, 2023
Historia de origen de Daredevil. Linda edición con Miller y Romita Jr en estado de gracia
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December 31, 2023
Great start. Love the illustration and the storytelling is also good so far with fleshing out our main protagonist. Can’t wait to read what happens next in future Issues.
January 18, 2025
Legendary stuff, absolutely amazing read and perfect visuals. Perfect introductory read for Daredevil. Highly recommended! Must read!
March 7, 2025
Amazing! Decided to read some daredevil comics after finishing daredevil born again tv show after really loving it…daredevil is one of my favs
Read
March 22, 2025just a quick read, didnt mind this actually. good writing
June 27, 2025
Stick honestly pisses me off the attitude is just so mean, I wished they had changed so that stick wasn’t a person other than that, great origin story
October 30, 2025
4/5
lowkey tuff but the narrator dialogue is kinda ahhhh
lowkey tuff but the narrator dialogue is kinda ahhhh
January 22, 2022
i feel like this is the beginning of my comics phase
June 7, 2015
Full review at http://atg-reviews.com/books-and-comi...
Frank Miller’s Daredevil: The Man Without Fear begins the origin story of Matt Murdock, the man who would eventually become known as the Daredevil. I’m not the biggest fan of the Daredevil character, especially since my introduction to him was the 2003 Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck. But this is a pretty strong comic, even though the plot was used for the first half of the before-mentioned movie. A lot of the little things that didn’t make it into the film really make a difference, and that’s why this version of the Daredevil story is successful and the other was not. Also the comic doesn’t have Ben Affleck in it.
Frank Miller’s Daredevil: The Man Without Fear begins the origin story of Matt Murdock, the man who would eventually become known as the Daredevil. I’m not the biggest fan of the Daredevil character, especially since my introduction to him was the 2003 Daredevil movie starring Ben Affleck. But this is a pretty strong comic, even though the plot was used for the first half of the before-mentioned movie. A lot of the little things that didn’t make it into the film really make a difference, and that’s why this version of the Daredevil story is successful and the other was not. Also the comic doesn’t have Ben Affleck in it.
March 28, 2017
Spoilers!!!
So... I actually read the entire series? It was a comic book collection... Okay, there is a lot of action in this, which in itself kept me reading. But, I must say, this story is very different from what you will see if you watch the Netflix series, which is amazing by the way. I found many of the characters to be one-dimensional, and I didn't understand a lot of the motivation for their actions... Like, why does Matt break into Electra's house, other than that he liked how she smelled (creepy). And, why does Electra hear voices, or much more importantly listen to those voices/inevitably kill people?? I don't understannnnndddd.... Ugh.
So... I actually read the entire series? It was a comic book collection... Okay, there is a lot of action in this, which in itself kept me reading. But, I must say, this story is very different from what you will see if you watch the Netflix series, which is amazing by the way. I found many of the characters to be one-dimensional, and I didn't understand a lot of the motivation for their actions... Like, why does Matt break into Electra's house, other than that he liked how she smelled (creepy). And, why does Electra hear voices, or much more importantly listen to those voices/inevitably kill people?? I don't understannnnndddd.... Ugh.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 19, 2016
Nothing not to like about this tale of young Matt Murdocks life growing up in Hells Kitchen.The artwork is exceptional.The struggle of Matt as a young child blinded in a horrible accident is told in a very heartfelt way.This first volume is a strong reminder in why i hold Daredevil comics in such high regard.
August 27, 2016
Frank Miller has written some of my favourite stories in comics, and this is definitely one of them. The novel takes us from young Matt Murdock, pre accident and up and into his first meeting with Electra, his first adventures as a hero and the first time he crosses the Kingpin. This book would be a great read for fans of the Netflix TV series. Fantastic artwork compliments a masterful story.
May 24, 2015
Up there with Superman: Birthright and Batman: Year One as definitive, thorough origin stories that vividly rebuild the character from the ground up. A particularly good read for new fans of the Netflix series(which is heavily inspired by this specific book) who aren't big into comics otherwise.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews