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Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Taunted and tormented by children while growing up, Matt's life was irrevocably altered after he was blinded by radioactive materials while saving the life of an old man. The payoff? An unbreakable will and a keen intelligence, helping focus the super-senses he was blessed with during the accident.
Collecting the mini-series DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #1-5.
Collecting the mini-series DAREDEVIL: THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #1-5.
224 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2010
528 people are currently reading
4953 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 - 20 of 878 reviews
September 4, 2015
Solid reading!
This TPB collects the original miniseries “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear” #1-5
Creative Team:
Writer: Frank Miller
Illustrator: John Romita, Jr.
THE DEVIL YOU DON’T KNOW
There are times when Matt is glad to be blind. People depend on their eyes for almost everything. They miss so much.
I knew about Marvel’s Daredevil. I have read a crossover with The Magdalena. I had watched that mediocre movie, but until I watched that TV masterpiece made on Netflix, it was when I really got to know about Daredevil and his inner world inside of the Marvel Universe.
People say that Marvel lacks of Batman to be complete. Well, that people are wrong. Marvel doesn’t need Batman, Marvel has Daredevil and that’s plenty enough.
Matt Murdock suffered an accident, when he was a kid, with a truck with chemicals, saving the life of a walking blind man. He got blind himself, but those chemicals did something on his body and now all his other senses are enhanced to superhuman levels. He studied laws and now he protects Hell’s Kitchen during the day as a lawyer and on night as the vigilante known as “Daredevil”.
PLAY DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
He remembers the last time he lost control. He remembers shattering window glass. He remembers a pathetic prayer to God…
This TPB, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, tells the origin of Matt Murdock. From his childhood before the fateful accident, his relationship with his dad, how got to be trained in fighting arts, his first encounters with crutial people to his own life like “Foggy” Nelson and Elektra Natchios, and his first mission against Kingpin’s operations.
Matt Murdock has a very special gift and the potential to become something formidable, but he will find out that he always have to be in control, because a miscalculation in a movement while fighting and he will have a too heavy burden for the rest of his life.
He is not perfect, he is not a holy crusader, he is not a saint. Hell’s Kitchen doesn’t need a saint, it needs a devil... a Daredevil. Matt only wants to protect innocent people in all possible ways, with the law on his side as advocate, and against the law as vigilante. He doesn’t like bullies. Bullies must pay...
and they will pay...
HARD.
WHAT THE DEVIL?
Bullies never need a reason
The story is solid, but there were some things that I found kinda odd.
First, Matt when he was a kid, some schoolmates put him a nickname... “Daredevil”.... and he hated it.
Okay, first, being called “Daredevil” is not that bad, in fact I can’t find it bad at all, so I don’t understand why he was so pissed about it. He must be grateful to have such lame bullies on his school that the best “insult” that they’d think of was calling him “Daredevil”.
Also, he returns to Hell’s Kitchen as adult, so I think that it’s must be quite likely that some of those bullies are still around (now as adults too) in the neighborhood. So, taking as your “battle name” the same nickname that you had as a kid is kinda dumb since some of those men can guess who is under the mask.
In other topic, the Kingpin is briefly introduced killing his predecessor in the mob, and the scene indicates that he was some kind of assistant until that moment, but later is mentioned that he “trained” an assassin, but that’s kinda odd, being able to be “training” his own enforcers if he was still a shadowy assistant not long ago yet.
I know that Elektra is really important in Matt’s life but her presence in the story lacks to justify the invested pages on her. If you aren’t previously aware of her importance, you could easily wondering what was the deal of having her in the book.
And certainly, taking in account that that’s an origin’s story, it was a disappointment that Matt’s mother was presented so briefly and without exposing any details about her. I am sure that her own story must be quite good.
Besides all that, definitely this is a great story, well written, with good artwork and a must-be reading to any Daredevil fan and/or anybody interested to know in detail about the comic book character.
This TPB collects the original miniseries “Daredevil: The Man Without Fear” #1-5
Creative Team:
Writer: Frank Miller
Illustrator: John Romita, Jr.
THE DEVIL YOU DON’T KNOW
There are times when Matt is glad to be blind. People depend on their eyes for almost everything. They miss so much.
I knew about Marvel’s Daredevil. I have read a crossover with The Magdalena. I had watched that mediocre movie, but until I watched that TV masterpiece made on Netflix, it was when I really got to know about Daredevil and his inner world inside of the Marvel Universe.
People say that Marvel lacks of Batman to be complete. Well, that people are wrong. Marvel doesn’t need Batman, Marvel has Daredevil and that’s plenty enough.
Matt Murdock suffered an accident, when he was a kid, with a truck with chemicals, saving the life of a walking blind man. He got blind himself, but those chemicals did something on his body and now all his other senses are enhanced to superhuman levels. He studied laws and now he protects Hell’s Kitchen during the day as a lawyer and on night as the vigilante known as “Daredevil”.
PLAY DEVIL’S ADVOCATE
He remembers the last time he lost control. He remembers shattering window glass. He remembers a pathetic prayer to God…
This TPB, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, tells the origin of Matt Murdock. From his childhood before the fateful accident, his relationship with his dad, how got to be trained in fighting arts, his first encounters with crutial people to his own life like “Foggy” Nelson and Elektra Natchios, and his first mission against Kingpin’s operations.
Matt Murdock has a very special gift and the potential to become something formidable, but he will find out that he always have to be in control, because a miscalculation in a movement while fighting and he will have a too heavy burden for the rest of his life.
He is not perfect, he is not a holy crusader, he is not a saint. Hell’s Kitchen doesn’t need a saint, it needs a devil... a Daredevil. Matt only wants to protect innocent people in all possible ways, with the law on his side as advocate, and against the law as vigilante. He doesn’t like bullies. Bullies must pay...
and they will pay...
HARD.
WHAT THE DEVIL?
Bullies never need a reason
The story is solid, but there were some things that I found kinda odd.
First, Matt when he was a kid, some schoolmates put him a nickname... “Daredevil”.... and he hated it.
Okay, first, being called “Daredevil” is not that bad, in fact I can’t find it bad at all, so I don’t understand why he was so pissed about it. He must be grateful to have such lame bullies on his school that the best “insult” that they’d think of was calling him “Daredevil”.
Also, he returns to Hell’s Kitchen as adult, so I think that it’s must be quite likely that some of those bullies are still around (now as adults too) in the neighborhood. So, taking as your “battle name” the same nickname that you had as a kid is kinda dumb since some of those men can guess who is under the mask.
In other topic, the Kingpin is briefly introduced killing his predecessor in the mob, and the scene indicates that he was some kind of assistant until that moment, but later is mentioned that he “trained” an assassin, but that’s kinda odd, being able to be “training” his own enforcers if he was still a shadowy assistant not long ago yet.
I know that Elektra is really important in Matt’s life but her presence in the story lacks to justify the invested pages on her. If you aren’t previously aware of her importance, you could easily wondering what was the deal of having her in the book.
And certainly, taking in account that that’s an origin’s story, it was a disappointment that Matt’s mother was presented so briefly and without exposing any details about her. I am sure that her own story must be quite good.
Besides all that, definitely this is a great story, well written, with good artwork and a must-be reading to any Daredevil fan and/or anybody interested to know in detail about the comic book character.
August 18, 2015
After enjoying the latest version of the Daredevil story with Netflix's new series it seemed like a good time to revisit this 1993 origin reboot that Frank Miller did for the character. It holds up fairly well although this story is more concerned with expanding the old story rather than making any changes to it. Miller avoids hitting on the major events of DD's life in order to focus on detailing the time between the accident that blinded young Matt Murdock to the first time he puts on a mask to take on criminals as a vigilante.
My big complaint is the art because I'm not a fan of John Romita Jr. who draws everyone so square and blocky that they could be Lego figures. And it isn't really fair to compare a 22 year old comic to a modern TV show, but the Kingpin here seems really one-note and cartoonish compared to the Netflix version. At least he doesn't discipline anyone with a car door here though.
My big complaint is the art because I'm not a fan of John Romita Jr. who draws everyone so square and blocky that they could be Lego figures. And it isn't really fair to compare a 22 year old comic to a modern TV show, but the Kingpin here seems really one-note and cartoonish compared to the Netflix version. At least he doesn't discipline anyone with a car door here though.
June 9, 2019
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.
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.
June 10, 2022
Frank Miller and John Romita Jr retell Daredevil’s origin story once again in Daredevil: The Man Without Fear. Jack Murdock, Stick, Foggy Nelson, Elektra, Kingpin - it’s like Miller’s going through a checklist of the usual suspects, so, if you’ve read the Daredevil origin a few times by now like me, there’s not much here that’ll hold your attention. It’s not the worst retelling of the origin though, so there’s that at least for new readers, but it does have some weird/silly aspects to it that is all Miller unfortunately.
I’ll mention SPOILERS for the rest of the review but I wouldn’t recommend this one even if you’re a Miller fan - Brian Bendis and Mark Waid both wrote stellar Daredevil runs that touched on a lot of the origin stuff; check those books out instead of this one.
Matt’s dad’s boxing nickname was Battlin’ Jack Murdock but Miller rewrites it (or at least this is the first time I’ve seen this appear in a Daredevil origin story) so that his nickname is Jack “The Devil” Murdock and he’s dressed up in a cheesy devil costume as if this was WWE and not professional boxing! It’s contrived this way so the kids who bully Matt in school call him “Daredevil” because of his dad, sorta, and that’s how he got his hero name - oof, that’s not good, Frank!
Chip Zdarsky’s overrated recent Daredevil run centres around Matt accidentally killing someone for the first time, which sends him into a spiral. In Miller’s origin, Matt kills at least four guys, only three of them criminals, on purpose, before accidentally killing another person, and, besides making a few obligatory sad faces, carries on with his life unaffected. Not that I thought in Zdarsky’s run Daredevil had never killed anyone before, but at least it’s acknowledged there that it’s not a heroic thing to do, whereas here it’s the opposite - the only death Matt regrets is the innocent bystander. Hmm. Not terribly heroic of the character.
Miller uses a lot of lazy tropes in this book. Foggy gets bullied in law school and Matt helps him out and that’s how they become friends. Ok - let’s stop with this bully bullshit, please. Kids get bullied around 11-12 years old - by high school, 14 years on, that doesn’t happen nearly as often, and by the time people are in university? Ridiculous. And to show how badass Elektra is, generic street punks straight out of Central Casting corner her in an alley off Times Square (the book’s showing its age here, back when Times Square wasn’t the Disney-fied tourist trap it is today).
I don’t dislike John Romita Jr’s art but he doesn’t do much in showing the reader how Matt uses his senses to defeat his opponents. With Chris Samnee’s art in his run with Mark Waid, you got a great idea of how Matt “sees” with radar - Romita doesn’t do anything like that. His Daredevil simply concentrates - really hard - ie. stares blankly, and then fights. It’s not very imaginative visually. I’m not a huge Daredevil fan so I don’t know if this is the first time Matt dons the black ninja outfit that’s appeared numerous times over the years but it looks pretty good here.
If Miller’s writing up to this point has been lazy, he tries even less with that borderline comedic ending. Matt saves Some Girl from Some Bad Guy by thwacking bullets back at the Bad Guy with his stick like they were baseballs and he was holding a bat! It’s SO dumb.
The first third of the book is fine - it’s about as good as any retelling of Daredevil’s origins as you’ll find out there - but things really turn rotten from Foggy’s entrance onwards and the feeble Kingpin story leading to Matt putting on the tights is nonsensical slop. I’m not sure I’d point people towards Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale’s Daredevil: Yellow as an alternative, because it’s about the same as this crap, but rather the Bendis/Waid runs instead for a better understanding of Matt’s origin.
Some origin stories don’t need to take centre stage and can be told more effectively in pieces as part of a larger, better storyline - Daredevil’s origins are one such example. Maybe I’d think differently if this was my first exposure to Daredevil’s origin, but knowing it as well as I do, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear was a very underwhelming read that hasn’t aged well.
I’ll mention SPOILERS for the rest of the review but I wouldn’t recommend this one even if you’re a Miller fan - Brian Bendis and Mark Waid both wrote stellar Daredevil runs that touched on a lot of the origin stuff; check those books out instead of this one.
Matt’s dad’s boxing nickname was Battlin’ Jack Murdock but Miller rewrites it (or at least this is the first time I’ve seen this appear in a Daredevil origin story) so that his nickname is Jack “The Devil” Murdock and he’s dressed up in a cheesy devil costume as if this was WWE and not professional boxing! It’s contrived this way so the kids who bully Matt in school call him “Daredevil” because of his dad, sorta, and that’s how he got his hero name - oof, that’s not good, Frank!
Chip Zdarsky’s overrated recent Daredevil run centres around Matt accidentally killing someone for the first time, which sends him into a spiral. In Miller’s origin, Matt kills at least four guys, only three of them criminals, on purpose, before accidentally killing another person, and, besides making a few obligatory sad faces, carries on with his life unaffected. Not that I thought in Zdarsky’s run Daredevil had never killed anyone before, but at least it’s acknowledged there that it’s not a heroic thing to do, whereas here it’s the opposite - the only death Matt regrets is the innocent bystander. Hmm. Not terribly heroic of the character.
Miller uses a lot of lazy tropes in this book. Foggy gets bullied in law school and Matt helps him out and that’s how they become friends. Ok - let’s stop with this bully bullshit, please. Kids get bullied around 11-12 years old - by high school, 14 years on, that doesn’t happen nearly as often, and by the time people are in university? Ridiculous. And to show how badass Elektra is, generic street punks straight out of Central Casting corner her in an alley off Times Square (the book’s showing its age here, back when Times Square wasn’t the Disney-fied tourist trap it is today).
I don’t dislike John Romita Jr’s art but he doesn’t do much in showing the reader how Matt uses his senses to defeat his opponents. With Chris Samnee’s art in his run with Mark Waid, you got a great idea of how Matt “sees” with radar - Romita doesn’t do anything like that. His Daredevil simply concentrates - really hard - ie. stares blankly, and then fights. It’s not very imaginative visually. I’m not a huge Daredevil fan so I don’t know if this is the first time Matt dons the black ninja outfit that’s appeared numerous times over the years but it looks pretty good here.
If Miller’s writing up to this point has been lazy, he tries even less with that borderline comedic ending. Matt saves Some Girl from Some Bad Guy by thwacking bullets back at the Bad Guy with his stick like they were baseballs and he was holding a bat! It’s SO dumb.
The first third of the book is fine - it’s about as good as any retelling of Daredevil’s origins as you’ll find out there - but things really turn rotten from Foggy’s entrance onwards and the feeble Kingpin story leading to Matt putting on the tights is nonsensical slop. I’m not sure I’d point people towards Jeph Loeb/Tim Sale’s Daredevil: Yellow as an alternative, because it’s about the same as this crap, but rather the Bendis/Waid runs instead for a better understanding of Matt’s origin.
Some origin stories don’t need to take centre stage and can be told more effectively in pieces as part of a larger, better storyline - Daredevil’s origins are one such example. Maybe I’d think differently if this was my first exposure to Daredevil’s origin, but knowing it as well as I do, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear was a very underwhelming read that hasn’t aged well.
December 18, 2024
A joy to read.
I had a subscription to DD back in the 80s, during Frank Miller’s historic, iconic run on the series. I’d anxiously check the mailbox every month to find out what happened between Elektra and Bullseye and followed the title for some time even after Miller went on to other things.
This series came out a few years later, and this retelling of the Daredevil origin story was compiled in 1993.
While Miller’s writing is always spot on and provocative, Romita���s art was the standout here, simply amazing. The senior illustrator brilliantly captured the scenes with verve and emotion. And the whole production is cool as hell.
We get to see Stick and Kingpin and a wealth of Matt Murdock backstory.
Highly recommended.
I had a subscription to DD back in the 80s, during Frank Miller’s historic, iconic run on the series. I’d anxiously check the mailbox every month to find out what happened between Elektra and Bullseye and followed the title for some time even after Miller went on to other things.
This series came out a few years later, and this retelling of the Daredevil origin story was compiled in 1993.
While Miller’s writing is always spot on and provocative, Romita���s art was the standout here, simply amazing. The senior illustrator brilliantly captured the scenes with verve and emotion. And the whole production is cool as hell.
We get to see Stick and Kingpin and a wealth of Matt Murdock backstory.
Highly recommended.
February 27, 2023
hellllllll yeahhhhh
July 12, 2017
Βαθμολογία: 9/10
Μόλις τελείωσα την ανάγνωση του συγκεκριμένου graphic novel και δηλώνω ενθουσιασμένος. Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου επαφή με τον κόσμο του Daredevil, μιας και δεν είχα ξαναδιαβάσει κανένα κόμικ με τον ήρωα αυτό μέχρι σήμερα, ούτε φυσικά έτυχε να δω την σειρά του Netflix (που ειρήσθω εν παρόδω ��ναμένεται να δω στο άμεσο μέλλον). Καλύτερη γνωριμία δεν θα μπορούσε να γίνει.
Χάρη στην προσφορά των Public αγόρασα τον τόμο μισοτιμής και χαίρομαι ιδιαίτερα γι'αυτό, γιατί απόλαυσα μια πραγματικά ενδιαφέρουσα, συναρπαστική και καλογραμμένη ιστορία, μ'έναν αρκετά ενδιαφέροντα σούπερ ήρωα. Νομίζω ότι είναι και η πλέον κατάλληλη ιστορία για να γνωρίσει κανείς τον Daredevil, μιας και βλέπουμε από την αρχή την μετατροπή ενός μικρού παιδιού σε έναν τυφλό εκδικητή. Η πλοκή έχει τον σωστό ρυθμό και προσφέρει δράση, βία και ένταση, ενώ και η σκιαγράφηση του ��εντρικού χαρακτήρα είναι εξαιρετική. Όσον αφορά το σχέδιο, θα το χαρακτήριζα πολύ καλό και λειτουργικό, με μετέφερε με ευκολία στον σκοτεινό και βίαιο κόσμο του Daredevil. Επίσης μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ τα χρώματα.
Γενικά έχουμε να κάνουμε μ'ένα άψογο κόμικ, απ'όλες τις απόψεις: Ιστορία, γραφή, χαρακτήρες, σχέδιο, χρώματα. Και η έκδοση του Οξύ είναι σε υψηλό επίπεδο ποιότητας - ακόμα και σε κανονική τιμή να αγόραζα τον τόμο, δεν θα το μετάνιωνα ούτε στιγμή! Ελπίζω να κυκλοφορήσουν και άλλα κόμικς του Daredevil στα ελληνικά, μιας και τον συμπάθησα πάρα πολύ και μου φάνηκε λιγάκι διαφορετικός από άλλους σούπερ ήρωες.
Μόλις τελείωσα την ανάγνωση του συγκεκριμένου graphic novel και δηλώνω ενθουσιασμένος. Αυτή είναι η πρώτη μου επαφή με τον κόσμο του Daredevil, μιας και δεν είχα ξαναδιαβάσει κανένα κόμικ με τον ήρωα αυτό μέχρι σήμερα, ούτε φυσικά έτυχε να δω την σειρά του Netflix (που ειρήσθω εν παρόδω ��ναμένεται να δω στο άμεσο μέλλον). Καλύτερη γνωριμία δεν θα μπορούσε να γίνει.
Χάρη στην προσφορά των Public αγόρασα τον τόμο μισοτιμής και χαίρομαι ιδιαίτερα γι'αυτό, γιατί απόλαυσα μια πραγματικά ενδιαφέρουσα, συναρπαστική και καλογραμμένη ιστορία, μ'έναν αρκετά ενδιαφέροντα σούπερ ήρωα. Νομίζω ότι είναι και η πλέον κατάλληλη ιστορία για να γνωρίσει κανείς τον Daredevil, μιας και βλέπουμε από την αρχή την μετατροπή ενός μικρού παιδιού σε έναν τυφλό εκδικητή. Η πλοκή έχει τον σωστό ρυθμό και προσφέρει δράση, βία και ένταση, ενώ και η σκιαγράφηση του ��εντρικού χαρακτήρα είναι εξαιρετική. Όσον αφορά το σχέδιο, θα το χαρακτήριζα πολύ καλό και λειτουργικό, με μετέφερε με ευκολία στον σκοτεινό και βίαιο κόσμο του Daredevil. Επίσης μου άρεσαν πάρα πολύ τα χρώματα.
Γενικά έχουμε να κάνουμε μ'ένα άψογο κόμικ, απ'όλες τις απόψεις: Ιστορία, γραφή, χαρακτήρες, σχέδιο, χρώματα. Και η έκδοση του Οξύ είναι σε υψηλό επίπεδο ποιότητας - ακόμα και σε κανονική τιμή να αγόραζα τον τόμο, δεν θα το μετάνιωνα ούτε στιγμή! Ελπίζω να κυκλοφορήσουν και άλλα κόμικς του Daredevil στα ελληνικά, μιας και τον συμπάθησα πάρα πολύ και μου φάνηκε λιγάκι διαφορετικός από άλλους σούπερ ήρωες.
August 25, 2021
The Man Without Fear is THE definitive Daredevil comic book series. I say this as a huge Frank Miller fan, I am fond of his storytelling and his characterisation of Matt Murdock.
These five issues build upon Daredevil’s origin story; from when he first loses his sight, to his father’s untimely death. The Man Without Fear begins with us readers learning Matt’s morals, as a kid he studies law after his father hits him. He doesn’t want to become a bad person, like everybody else around him seems to be. He wants to learn laws and rules rigidly. Everything that shapes him into the hero he is to become is covered.
It ends with him donning the Daredevil suit for the first time.
Regarding Romita JR’s art style, the best drawn character in my opinion is Elektra. His style with the other characters is quite blocky/square-looking, which works well for the main villain The Kingpin, but not so much for some of the others. The art-style was a contributing factor to me rating this 4 stars instead of 5.
"Let all the bullies know - all of them - the kind that use knives and guns and the kind that use money - they have an enemy. Daredevil."
These five issues build upon Daredevil’s origin story; from when he first loses his sight, to his father’s untimely death. The Man Without Fear begins with us readers learning Matt’s morals, as a kid he studies law after his father hits him. He doesn’t want to become a bad person, like everybody else around him seems to be. He wants to learn laws and rules rigidly. Everything that shapes him into the hero he is to become is covered.
It ends with him donning the Daredevil suit for the first time.
Regarding Romita JR’s art style, the best drawn character in my opinion is Elektra. His style with the other characters is quite blocky/square-looking, which works well for the main villain The Kingpin, but not so much for some of the others. The art-style was a contributing factor to me rating this 4 stars instead of 5.
"Let all the bullies know - all of them - the kind that use knives and guns and the kind that use money - they have an enemy. Daredevil."
April 27, 2016
El origen de Daredevil tal y como nos lo contaron en la serie de Netflix arranca aquí.
Una historia oscura y más "callejera" que superheróica. Mi parte preferida, por supuesto, en la que sale Elektra.
Una historia oscura y más "callejera" que superheróica. Mi parte preferida, por supuesto, en la que sale Elektra.
August 6, 2019
The definitive place to start reading Daredevil, if you're interested in starting with his origin. Despite the datedness, this is a solidly crafted origin book featuring one of the best superheroes in comics and sporting some great imagery by John Romita Jr. While this artist is notorious for drawing crappy looking, blocky faces, he's got a good eye for iconic images. If you're a fan of the Netflix series, the first season took most of it's cues from this book: such as Stick, the Kingpin, and the iconic, early-career blindfold mask. Think of it as "Daredevil: Year One!"
May 17, 2025
I had high expectations of this and I’m glad it hit them. Haven’t read a huge amount of daredevil so getting this crash course of his origin and setting up characters in this universe was interesting. I liked how this was told and the art I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. Overall I thought this an excellent origin and an enjoyable story.
September 29, 2024
Romanian review: Acest volum mi-a plăcut mai mult decât ,,Daredevil: Born Again". Nu a avut o poveste foarte complexă, dar a fost un origin story foarte interesant. Am văzut suficiente episoade din serial ca să observ că acesta se inspiră din volumul de față, iar, dacă am înțeles bine, este parțial un reboot al originii lui Daredevil.
Mi-a plăcut evoluția personajului, mi-a plăcut faptul că Frank Miller a prezentat primele lui acte de curaj, prima confruntare cu oamenii lui Wilson Fisk, dar și zbuciumurile sale interioare. A fost destul de întunecat (printre afacerile lui Fisk se numără prostituția cu minori), dar nu sugestiv sau grafic, ceea ce este un lucru bun, având în vedere că este un volum de benzi desenate.
Într-unul dintre numere se prezintă și relația dintre Matt Murdock și Elektra. Apropo, până acum am crezut că Elektra este un alter-ego, este prima dată când întâlnesc personajul, deși mai auzisem de ea. Ce fel de nume este Elektra? Cine își numește copilul Elektra?. Mă bucur că am ales să îl citesc în timpul vizionării serialului, pe care intenționez să-l termin cât mai repede.
English review: I liked this volume more than "Daredevil: Born Again". It didn’t have a very complex story, but it was a very interesting origin story. I’ve seen enough episodes of the series to notice that it draws inspiration from this volume, and if I understood correctly, it’s partially a reboot of Daredevil’s origin.
I liked the character's development, and I liked how Frank Miller presented his first acts of bravery, his first confrontation with Wilson Fisk’s men, as well as his inner struggles. It was quite dark (Fisk's dealings include child prostitution), but not suggestive or graphic, which is a good thing considering it’s a comic book volume.
One of the issues also depicts the relationship between Matt Murdock and Elektra. By the way, until now, I thought Elektra was an alter-ego; this is the first time I’ve encountered the character, although I had heard of her before. What kind of name is Elektra? Who names their child Elektra?
I’m glad I chose to read this while watching the tv series, which I plan to finish as soon as possible.
July 3, 2016
Franky Franky Franky;....this is your best work so far that I've read. Which isn't saying much haha.
So the things I disliked, let's get it out of the way. The art and the Elektra storyline. Both are meh. The art isn't bad but feels outdated but everyone feels oddly shaped, almost dream-like. Then the Elektra storyline was both boring and silly and her character is so over the top it's moronic.
On the good side though I always did love to see how Matt became the hero he is. It goes through different parts of his life. I also love the final brawl, Daredevil at his finest. Never backing down, pushing himself to the brink. Fucking fantastic.
Good Origin story. Not amazing but solid, and you get the early years of Matt, so that's good.
So the things I disliked, let's get it out of the way. The art and the Elektra storyline. Both are meh. The art isn't bad but feels outdated but everyone feels oddly shaped, almost dream-like. Then the Elektra storyline was both boring and silly and her character is so over the top it's moronic.
On the good side though I always did love to see how Matt became the hero he is. It goes through different parts of his life. I also love the final brawl, Daredevil at his finest. Never backing down, pushing himself to the brink. Fucking fantastic.
Good Origin story. Not amazing but solid, and you get the early years of Matt, so that's good.
November 14, 2021
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100519: i can see where frank miller made his name. story is sort of superhero template, but. images tell story. very well. i have never read daredevil before, but this has some beautiful, intense, sharp, images. i can also wonder who could have thought ben affleck and jennifer garner for him and elektra... just forget the movie. i have. read the book...
100519: i can see where frank miller made his name. story is sort of superhero template, but. images tell story. very well. i have never read daredevil before, but this has some beautiful, intense, sharp, images. i can also wonder who could have thought ben affleck and jennifer garner for him and elektra... just forget the movie. i have. read the book...
May 15, 2017
Missed this one the first time around (I was in college at the time), and it probably had a little more effectiveness when debuting almost twenty-five years ago. Still, this is one gritty and fairly intense crime saga that helped raise the bar for the comic book industry.
August 11, 2022
Daredevil: El Hombre sin Miedo by Frank Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Creo que cuando se decide contar lo orígenes de un personaje, se corre un gran riesgo. Por una parte, el de defraudar a los fans genuinos y desde luego, el de no crear una historia consistente para el que quiera iniciarse en el personaje, ya que, inevitablemente, se dan muchas cosas por supuestas. Si es tu primer acercamiento a Daredevil, los saltos que da la historia deben resultar frustrantes, aunque ciertamente la narración de como X llegó a ser X puede decorar algún punto ¿confuso, relevante, misterioso? a los muy seguidores. Asumiendo que también puede que les aburra. Sin embargo, para ser justa, a pesar de "los dados por supuesto" -perfectos para los fans- que ya he mencionado, la historia es buena, se sigue bien, entendemos un poco mejor la psicología inicial de Matt Murdock y de lo supondrá para él, como definitorio, el peso de la culpa en lucha constante con una soberbia justiciera muy poco cristiana. De hecho, es la primera parte, la que narra la infancia y adolescencia de Matt, la que más me ha gustado. Y no puedo simpatizar más con su odio visceral a los matones.
En conclusión, es éste un tomo para fans y de lucimiento para Miller. Y Romita tiene momento brillantes.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Creo que cuando se decide contar lo orígenes de un personaje, se corre un gran riesgo. Por una parte, el de defraudar a los fans genuinos y desde luego, el de no crear una historia consistente para el que quiera iniciarse en el personaje, ya que, inevitablemente, se dan muchas cosas por supuestas. Si es tu primer acercamiento a Daredevil, los saltos que da la historia deben resultar frustrantes, aunque ciertamente la narración de como X llegó a ser X puede decorar algún punto ¿confuso, relevante, misterioso? a los muy seguidores. Asumiendo que también puede que les aburra. Sin embargo, para ser justa, a pesar de "los dados por supuesto" -perfectos para los fans- que ya he mencionado, la historia es buena, se sigue bien, entendemos un poco mejor la psicología inicial de Matt Murdock y de lo supondrá para él, como definitorio, el peso de la culpa en lucha constante con una soberbia justiciera muy poco cristiana. De hecho, es la primera parte, la que narra la infancia y adolescencia de Matt, la que más me ha gustado. Y no puedo simpatizar más con su odio visceral a los matones.
En conclusión, es éste un tomo para fans y de lucimiento para Miller. Y Romita tiene momento brillantes.
May 4, 2015
Like many reviewers who are appearing, I read Frank Miller's The Man Without Fear because I liked the recent Netflix Daredevil series. Although I read and enjoy graphic novels periodically, Daredevil was my first superhero graphic novel, as well as my first Frank Miller. I'm providing this brief background snippet so you can judge how much weight you want to give my review. Because:
The Man Without Fear was awful. Really, truly execrable. I was embarrassed reading it in public on the train, which almost never happens to me, no matter how trashy the book is.
I knew what I was getting into with Miller: drugs, prostitutes, misogyny, etc. I'd prepared myself for all this, determined to soldier through, no matter how grim things became. But I needn't have worried. The writing was so atrocious that I couldn't take anything seriously, not even prostitutes getting thrown out of windows. Particularly not prostitutes getting thrown out of windows. That's just too goofy.
Honestly. Whatever merit this book may have, it's completely outweighed by how bad the writing is. The story is mostly told via this odd, overwrought narration, which makes everything sound like a soap opera. Dialogue is limited, which makes me think Miller doesn't know how to talk to people. I read a few lines to The Mister one night. I made it halfway through before he started begging me to stop. As it was, I couldn't read more anyway because I was laughing too hard. If you're interested, here's what they were:
"Yes, it had to be a dream. How could Elektra be evil?…No. That's impossible. She's an angel. She's the perfect mate for him. His laughing, dancing playmate. His wild, reckless passionate lover. But when he hints at their future together, her laugh is dark and terribly sad…"
YIKES. Yes, certain words are bolded like that in the text. I think it's a standard technique for comics, but just struck me as particularly ridiculous here. Typing that out, I didn't know whether to laugh or shudder. That prose is just so awful.
As I said, the writing is bad enough to easily make this review one star. But I should say that I actually liked the artwork, with the exception of Elektra, who was drawn like a socialite Bride of Frankenstein.
Miller's work may have been groundbreaking at one time, and I can see why he's influential. But if you're not interested in the evolution of comics, or in burnishing your superhero credibility, avoid The Man Without Fear: it has nothing to offer you. As far as I'm concerned, my only benefit from reading it is that now I can say I've read Miller, so I'll never have to do so again.
TL/DR: You know how some readers sneer at comic books, even though they've never read them? Yeah, The Man Without Fear is exactly the type of bad comic book that those people think all comic books are: violent, misogynistic, and with little (if any) literary merit.
The Man Without Fear was awful. Really, truly execrable. I was embarrassed reading it in public on the train, which almost never happens to me, no matter how trashy the book is.
I knew what I was getting into with Miller: drugs, prostitutes, misogyny, etc. I'd prepared myself for all this, determined to soldier through, no matter how grim things became. But I needn't have worried. The writing was so atrocious that I couldn't take anything seriously, not even prostitutes getting thrown out of windows. Particularly not prostitutes getting thrown out of windows. That's just too goofy.
Honestly. Whatever merit this book may have, it's completely outweighed by how bad the writing is. The story is mostly told via this odd, overwrought narration, which makes everything sound like a soap opera. Dialogue is limited, which makes me think Miller doesn't know how to talk to people. I read a few lines to The Mister one night. I made it halfway through before he started begging me to stop. As it was, I couldn't read more anyway because I was laughing too hard. If you're interested, here's what they were:
"Yes, it had to be a dream. How could Elektra be evil?…No. That's impossible. She's an angel. She's the perfect mate for him. His laughing, dancing playmate. His wild, reckless passionate lover. But when he hints at their future together, her laugh is dark and terribly sad…"
YIKES. Yes, certain words are bolded like that in the text. I think it's a standard technique for comics, but just struck me as particularly ridiculous here. Typing that out, I didn't know whether to laugh or shudder. That prose is just so awful.
As I said, the writing is bad enough to easily make this review one star. But I should say that I actually liked the artwork, with the exception of Elektra, who was drawn like a socialite Bride of Frankenstein.
Miller's work may have been groundbreaking at one time, and I can see why he's influential. But if you're not interested in the evolution of comics, or in burnishing your superhero credibility, avoid The Man Without Fear: it has nothing to offer you. As far as I'm concerned, my only benefit from reading it is that now I can say I've read Miller, so I'll never have to do so again.
TL/DR: You know how some readers sneer at comic books, even though they've never read them? Yeah, The Man Without Fear is exactly the type of bad comic book that those people think all comic books are: violent, misogynistic, and with little (if any) literary merit.
June 25, 2017
Esta es una historia pensada en principio para el guión de una adaptación cinematográfica de Daredevil que se materializó en cómic gracias a la insistencia de John Romita Jr en trabajar con Frank miller en una colaboración análoga a las que éste hiciera anteriormente con Mazzuchelli o Sienkiewicz en grandes obras del personaje como Born Again o Electra Assassin. Habían pasado años en los que Miller se había dedicado principalmente a batman y a su serie sin city, pero a Miller le quedaba la espina clavada de no haber dejado su sello en el origen de Daredevil durante el largo tiempo que permaneció en su colección, así que esta fue la oportunidad perfecta para hacerlo colaborando con un dibujante que por entonces estaba en su mejor momento.
Y así surgió Daredevil: el hombre sin miedo, una reinterpretación del origen del superhéroe que no se aleja demasiado del canon y que pasados los años ha quedado como la mejor forma de introducirse en los cómics del diablo guardián... aquí se nos habla de la difícil infancia de Matt Murdock, victima de un Bullying del que su padre no le permitía defenderse, de los tratos de Jack Murdock con la mafia y su muerte al negarse a amañar un combate de boxeo, de su decisión de estudiar derecho, de su entrenamiento con el misterioso maestro stick, de su paso por la universidad donde conoció a Elektra y de los inicios de la ascensión al poder de Kingpin.
A la gran historia de Miller se suma uno de los trabajos clave, quizás el punto álgido, de la carrera John Romita Jr, que borda los escenarios urbanos de la cocina del infierno y representa la acción de forma ejemplar, en conjunto es un gran cómic que quizá no esté entre las más grandes obras de Frank Miller, pero en todo caso es imprescindible para entender la concepción moderna del superhéroe de los cuernecitos.
Y así surgió Daredevil: el hombre sin miedo, una reinterpretación del origen del superhéroe que no se aleja demasiado del canon y que pasados los años ha quedado como la mejor forma de introducirse en los cómics del diablo guardián... aquí se nos habla de la difícil infancia de Matt Murdock, victima de un Bullying del que su padre no le permitía defenderse, de los tratos de Jack Murdock con la mafia y su muerte al negarse a amañar un combate de boxeo, de su decisión de estudiar derecho, de su entrenamiento con el misterioso maestro stick, de su paso por la universidad donde conoció a Elektra y de los inicios de la ascensión al poder de Kingpin.
A la gran historia de Miller se suma uno de los trabajos clave, quizás el punto álgido, de la carrera John Romita Jr, que borda los escenarios urbanos de la cocina del infierno y representa la acción de forma ejemplar, en conjunto es un gran cómic que quizá no esté entre las más grandes obras de Frank Miller, pero en todo caso es imprescindible para entender la concepción moderna del superhéroe de los cuernecitos.
January 10, 2021
Má to svoje místo. JRjr byl nějaký čas stylem k nepoznání od papá Romiho, pak přišel přelom osmdesátek a devadesátek a Junior se začal od zlobivýho strejdy Frankího učit zakázané techniky pencil-jutsu. Teď spolu dali kolab a dopadlo to fakt dobře. JRjr je tu na vrcholu sil, příběh je takový špinavý a jednoduchý. Trochu to násilně skočilo v čase a nepůsobí to moc soběstačně, ale je to fakt příjemná jednohubka. Zasloužené čtyři.
December 10, 2021
El origen del personaje redefinido bajo los códigos del hard boiled y un sentido narrativo prestado del manga. Frank Miller y John Romita Jr. perfilan la que para muchos es la historia definitiva de Daredevil
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