Comic Review: Man Without Fear #1

Man Without Fear #1

Marvel Comics

Writer: Jed MacKay

Artist: Danilo S. Beyruth

It wasn’t too long ago that we were finishing Charles Soule’s “Death of Daredevil” story. In it, Daredevil did die, technically. He was hit by a truck and flatlined on an operating table. Before we start the next chapter of Daredevil’s life though, we have this five issue interlude.

Man Without Fear #1 shows us Foggy Nelson visiting his friend in the hospital. Foggy is talking to Matt, about his time as Daredevil and the nature of fear and pain. At the same time, Matt is going through a battle in his mind, fighting and confronting his own pain and fears.

I had to re-read this issue twice. And I’ll probably read it at least one more time. It just took me a bit to put together the whole “fear and pain” thing that’s going on throughout the issue. I mean, it’s in the title. Daredevil is the “Man Without Fear,” but now his fear is finally catching up with him. I appreciate what this might mean for the character; Daredevil’s been through some stuff. His fear catching up with him makes sense, but we’ll have to see how it plays out in this miniseries.

Going by the descriptions of each issue in this miniseries, we’ll see a “world without Daredevil.” It sounds very “It’s A Wonderful Life”-ish, but that really takes a backseat to the mental battle in Daredevil’s mind. And while I like the mental battle in his mind, I would like to see more of the “It’s A Wonderful Life” stuff. As it is, Foggy is just sitting in a dark hospital room talking to his comatose friend. It just feels a little lacking considering that within a few months time, Daredevil will probably be his regular self. I like the direction the story seems to be going, but it feels like something that could (and probably will) be explored when Daredevil relaunches in a month.

The art in this issue is really good, and my favorite part. I like Danilo Beyruth’s art, and we get to see most, if not all, of Daredevil’s costumes. The highlights though are the classic yellow and red costumes, and how they represent fear and pain, respectively. The yellow is being worn by a skeleton representing fear. While the red costume is Daredevil, but with no skin, only showing muscle and tissue, representing pain. There are other costumes, and we also get to take a road trip through Daredevil’s mind and his mental battle against pain and fear. The art is just a win, in this issue.

I like this issue. My biggest problem is that the idea of this miniseries feels a bit like a cash grab. But that’s a whole different thing that shouldn’t add or detract from the quality of a comic. As far as this issue goes, again, I do like it. The story and theme of pain and fear and self-preservation are good. I think the art and costumes are top-notch. This is a comic worth reading.