Fearless and Fearsome

Book: The Man Without Fear
Pen: Frank Miller
Pencil: John Romita Jr.

Daredevil is a hokey character. We can easily believe a man can fly, or travel across realms with a really heavy hammer. We love the boy who got bit by a radioactive spider and can scale walls. But one who loses his sight in an accident (involving a truck carrying radioactive waste) and then has all other senses heightened to the power of d? So much so that he can run across rooftops? Nah, that’s just too silly!

It was left to the great Frank Miller to change things. Once-great, I should say. Frank has become a raving, right-wing lunatic these days. But, I digress. Miller began as an artist on Daredevil and then took over writing duties. He transformed Kingpin from one of Spiderman’s lesser villains to an immovable force in the Marvel Universe. He created Electra, possibly our favourite assassin in comics. And, along the way, he breathed life into Daredevil. A life rooted in gritty reality. 

The Man Without Fear was his last outing with good old Red. Intending it to be one-off story that even people who had never read Daredevil could enjoy, Miller begins with Matt Murdock’s childhood. A mischievous kid always getting into trouble, but rarely getting caught. The beginnings of the legend were there including the taunting nickname his friends gave him – Daredevil. 

The accident happens and then it is the introduction of Stick, the mysterious mentor. The exhilaration of finding out new skills is suddenly tempered by tragedy. Enter Matt the avenger. The brutality within him soon overcomes that around him. 

Matt is in college and he becomes aware of Elektra. Rarely has a name suited a character more. The two are so perfect for each other that it isn’t a surprise that it ends just as abruptly as it started. Matt is alone again, except for his pal Foggy Nelson.

Adult Matt is a lawyer. New York calls. And it is home. The Kingpin is the monarch of all he surveys. And their paths cross. It’s not pretty. Blood is spilt. Bones are broken. Limits are crossed. But out of the shambles something arises. Daredevil.

The Man Without Fear is not the best Miller has written. But second-best Miller is still better than the best of 99% of other writers. Make no mistake, this is a very taut story. The artwork is splendid, and Miller’s sparse dialogues fit the character to a T. The last chapter is entirely action. And it is breath-taking. 

My problem is clearly mentioned in the foreword. Frank Miller planned this as a 64-page standalone story. But the suits loved it so much they asked him to expand it to 144 pages. And that rarely ends well. The whole Electra section running to around 40 pages feels superfluous to the larger story. Of course, it is important to Matt, but not in the context of this story. 

Still, there is no way this book is not a must-have. It reinforces that we comic book lovers were lucky to have experienced the talent of a man called Frank Miller. And a character like Daredevil doesn’t need to be hokey.