Man Without Fear #5
Recap
***WARNING: This review contains major spoilers!***
Matt is soloing a physical rehab session, feeling the resurgence of a lifetime’s worth of repressed fear that’s eating him alive. However, the pain brings out the voice of Matt’s inner titan, and finally, Battling Jack Murdock smashes through to the surface. Matt remembers that Jack taught him fear is useless, and pain keeps “us” going. Matt disagrees that fear is useless, and sees it is a tool for him to use against evil, and a constant opponent to be fought relentlessly by attrition. Time passes, and Matt’s recovery seems certain. Foggy shows up for a visit, but is greeted by an empty room and an open window; Man Without Fear no more, the Devil of Hell’s kitchen is BACK.
Review
Art: Beyruth’s return shows some improvement from issue #1, much of his anime-influence was toned down to match the presentation of books 2-4, and I really appreciated it! The cover is cool, but not my favorite of the mini.
Writing: I could once again glow over this mini and sing MacKay’s praises, but I’d like to analyze this story a bit. First, having issue 4 and 5 feature the two greatest titans in Matt’s life was genius. This arc was never about whether Matt would don the horns again, but rather it was a story about who The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen truly is, and what Matt truly is capable of. It’s a reminder of why we love Matt Murdock so much, and also why he reminds us of who we are. There isn’t anything more universal to the human condition than pain and fear, and delving into this material the way MacKay has, made this story more than just another generic superhero comic. These themes are at the heart of why superheroes and comics matter, and this mini is an example of how and why comics can be (are) a valid form of literature. Oops, I sung his praises again, oh well.
Final Thoughts
This Man Without Fear mini has made me more excited about reading Daredevil than I have been in a long while (I’ve also been converting my friends!).
Man Without Fear #5: The True Measure of a Man Without Fear
- Writing - 10/1010/10
- Storyline - 10/1010/10
- Art - 6/106/10
- Color - 8.5/108.5/10
- Cover Art - 8/108/10
