Man Without Fear: The Death of Daredevil

Man Without Fear #1-5

by Jed MacKay, Danilo Beyruth (Illustrator), Stefano Landini (Artist)

Collects Man Without Fear #1-5.

Daredevil is gone. The former Man Without Fear has succumbed to his grievous injuries suffered in the epic "The Death of Daredevil" storyline. But Hell's Kitchen remains, and the neighborhood Daredevil defended is still a place of heroes…and villains. Now, Matt Murdock's friends, family, allies and enemies will all learn what it means to live in a world without Daredevil! Foggy Nelson, Murdock's best friend and law partner, grieves for his fallen friend — as do the many women who have loved him. Daredevil's street-level allies the Defenders step up to fill the void he left behind — while Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin and current NYC mayor, celebrates his victory. But who is the mysterious Guardian Devil sighted on the rooftops of Hell's Kitchen? Without Daredevil to protect it, has hell come for the city Matt loved?

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Fiction

111 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 14, 2019

Reviews

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hit by a truck and told he’ll never walk again, Matt Murdock resolves to hang up the mask and tights for good – Daredevil is DEAD! What’re you rolling your eyes for? You don’t believe Matt Murdock will remain a cripple – that this is how his story ends? That Marvel would decide to get rid of one of their biggest characters so anticlimactically? Come onnnnnn, it’s f’reals, dawg! It’s… yeah it’s bullshit.

And bullshit is how it reads - man alive is this book a yawner! Matt convalesces while a series of people from his life file through monologuing grimly and a skeleton wearing his yellow Daredevil outfit (“Fear”) taunts him. Yup, there’s no story, just five issues reminding you that Daredevil’s had a lot of girlfriends who’ve deaded, and he’s fought the likes of Kingpin on the reg, hence why his body is in such a bad state even prior to the truck-hitting. Snore bore reading.

That said, it’s kinda inspiring seeing Matt predictably pick himself back up (“What is pain for? Pain keeps us going”), even though we’ve all seen that scene from the movie where the defeated hero pushes himself through physio back to full health. I liked Iban Coello’s art in issue three and Danilo S Beyruth’s pastiche of The Last Supper with Daredevil’s rogues was cute.

Still, I don’t know who’d find a rehash of over-familiar Daredevil themes interesting and I found Book Without Interest: The Death of Daredevil deathly dull.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Matt Murdock died and reborn thrice: when hit by a camion, after Kingpin found out his secret identity and after becoming the leader of the Hand.
Marvel decided it was time for another resurrection after Soule's run and clear the stage for Zdarsky's next one.



The result is this hit and miss 5 issues mini-series, it had a few good moments like the scene from dead Karen's point of view, but the art was not much my cup of tea and the author totally forgot a certain red haired russian spy was among Matt's many lovers... or just not wanted to confuse the MCU/Netflix recent Marvel fans.



Meh :/

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reread: 31/03/2024

This was another good one and I just love rereading Mackay's marvel work so far and this was another great one and this takes place after Soule's run and you can see Matt is in fear and how he is pushing everyone away and like over the course of the series you see him confronting different important people in his life and I love the cameos by Defenders and Kingpin and their flashback stories were awesome, the story with Kristen heartbreaking and then the way the last issue is kinda like a motivating story is awesome, I liked it more this time around, truly wonderful stuff and you will love it and maybe even take inspiration from Matt over how to get over fear and be better!
___________________________________________________________________________________
This was an interesting read.

It starts with Matt having doubts about himself after the Fisk war and his supposed death and so he is confronted by his fear and sees all the things that have happened to him and he tries to push apart his friends and loved one like Sam, Kirsten and even his defender team mates and has an interesting convo with Fisk and some flashback sequences set in the past and we see he is afraid for the first time but he remembers what his Dad taught him and using that he gets ready to be Daredevil again and like regains his focus and that leads to the Zdarsky run.

Its an interesting read and like brings it all together, the entire history of Matt all rolled into one and sure sets up a new status quo and gives him a new mission. But in of itself its about a man whose beaten up and everything but does not give up and is such a great summation of what his father taught him, never give up, focus the pain and hurt and then defeat the fear and all! Its a great summary of his inspiration and what an epic story towards the end, inspirational and everything! Its a good one-time read!

[Chad · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most boring Daredevil books I've ever read. Five issues of Matt moping and dreaming about a skeleton in a Daredevil costume tormenting him. There's very little progression of the story from issue to issue. It's the same thing over and over again. "You'll never be Daredevil again. Not only because you were hit by a truck, but because of the lifetime of abuse you've taken as Daredevil." Rinse. Repeat. Ad nauseam. The entire miniseries could have been summed up in one training montage of any movie.

[James DeSantis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daredevil usually never has a bad title and while this one is weaker than some, it's still solid transition chapter for Matt Murdock.

So this takes place between Soule's run and Chips new run. After Matt is hit by a truck he's in rough shape and wondering if he should continue being the hero everyone knows him as. Will he quit? That's the big question.

I really enjoyed some things. The art is solid throughout and the retelling of events is good. I also really enjoyed the Defenders chapter and watching how Matt worked with his friends before and how they didn't give up on him. Also the Kingpin stuff is really solid and shows their relationship well. On the flipside some of this stuff has been done to death with Matt deciding who he wants to be. The whole "Fear no more" storyline has been done a few times. I also thought the last issue was eh...

Overall decent transition and worth it for big Daredevil fans like myself, but Chips run is a hell of a lot better. A 3 out of 5.

[Mitch Kukulka · Rating 4 out of 5]

"What is pain for, Matt?"

As an entry in the underappreciated genre of the transitional miniseries -- that oft-forgot little sub-species of the superhero comic that fills the vacuum left while a new creator prepares to pick up the baton left behind by a previous long-runner, this is about as good of a simultaneous coda to Soule's emotional odyssey and a first step in Zdarsky's descent into Hell as one could hope for, and as good of a primer to everything Daredevil as it is a tribute to what he has, can and will be.

[Shaun Stanley · Rating 1 out of 5]

Man Without Fear: The Death of Daredevil collects issues 1-5 of the Marvel Comics series written by Jed MacKay with art by Danilo S. Beyruth, Stefano Landini, Ivan Coello, and Paulo Villanelli.

Recuperating from a near death experience, Matt Murdock goes through rehab and contemplates life as a vigilante and hero with cameos from many of Daredevil’s allies and even some villains.

A pointless tie in that drags on for five issues that tries to make us wonder what will happen next in the life of Daredevil when it was made very clear at the end of Soule’s run. It is all moody Matt Murdock and extremely boring. Skip this unless you are completionist as it adds absolutely nothing to the story.

[Sem · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reasonably good, if overly dramatic, preparation for a new era of Daredevil. It's hard to say that it's going to really change anything but the way this digs into Matt's psyche and examines his fear and the way his superhero antics influenced people around him is quite good. An exciting start to a new chapter and a good bar to surpass.

[Jaye Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay true true this is literally the same shit all over again, Matt is emo and questioning his future as Daredevil and we see a lot about his past again. Dude has had SO many dead girlfriends and he's fought Fisk a bunch of times. He got hit by a truck but because of his life as Daredevil, his body was already messed tf up. All the while he pushes his friends away, tries to recuperate from his injuries while his fear is personified and taunting him.

This is a miniseries to bridge Soule's run to the next and it's just so funny to me how I read all of these backwards. Like now I know why Matt was injured so bad in Chip's run??? Iconic.

But even though this was the same old same old, it really did it for me. Matt has to pick himself up from despair and pain and fight the fact he even has fear. This is a probably a weird hot take but I really like superhero stories that are so human. Fighting aliens and magic in space? Nah give me some emo dude crying because he got fucked up and feels like a failure. Matt is injured pretty badly and he has to fight to walk again, to fight himself in how he wants to give up because he's been beat down so badly. I'm so trash for a ~fight your inner demons~ storyline tbh.

I liked the art a lot but man my boy looked ROUGH at times.

[Blindzider · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went back and read this after already starting the Zdarsky series. My expectations were low and the book ended up being better than I hoped. Nearly no action scenes, it's a psychological trip into Matt's mind to see what exactly drives him and makes him keep going as Daredevil. The book is almost completely an internal dialogue. It still feels like it was aiming in the right direction but missed the mark slightly, though.

Is it a necessary read for the next series? Not really? But if you are a fan of the character it approaches the character's mentality from a slightly different angle.

[Frédéric · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not indecently done but Matt's inner questioning about his future as Daredevil has been done time and again.
Since we all know the answer before even starting, the book would have to be near perfect to raise any interest. It's one issue too long and the art is way too bland to even hope coming close.

For hardcore fans and completists only.

[Guilherme Smee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quem diria, amigos marvetes, que chegaríamos ao número 21 de um encadernado trimestral do Demolidor? Um número que se aproxima cada vez mais dos 35 que o defensor chifrudo da Cozinha do Inferno teve com sua revista mensal uma década atrás. Pois é, mas a minissérie que compõe esse numero vinte e um de Demolidor não é lá essas coisas. Aliás o que ela parece mesmo é tapa-buraco. Até agora não entendi qual foi a intenção da Marvel em fazer uma "Morte do Demolidor". Essa iniciativa lembra mais a terrível saga Terra das Sombras do que uma saga clássica de morte como foi com a sua precursora e modelo para todas as mortes de heróis desde então, que foi a. "Morte do Superman". Neste encadernado vemos uma sucessão de visitas de amigos de Matt Murdock à sua cama no hospital, inclusive de seu arquiinimigo, Wilson Fisk, o Rei do Crime, mas que não fazem sentido nenhum para a tal história da "morte", porque ninguém morre. Não faz sentido o luto dos personagens, não faz sentido aquilo que eles falam com Matt como se ele estivesse enterrado num túmulo. Enfim, um quadrinho bastante dispensável a não ser pela arte do brasileiro Danilo Beyruth, emulando John Romita Jr. e se saindo muito bem!

[Emmett Spain · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jed Mackay does a good job with a filler story to bridge the Soule & Zdarsky runs. For fans.

[Matthew Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Ryan Stewart · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of the most boring Daredevil stories I've ever read. The writing isn't bad, it's just not engaging in the least.

[R. Archer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t think this was filler at all, I think this is a really important step for Matt. I think not only is the art good, but tbh this is kind of what I expected Matt’s mind to look like: a graveyard of people he blames himself for, and himself at the center of that graveyard.
Kind of sucks that Zdarsky’s first run erased the development made here—in my opinion, Matt completely reverting and not challenging his fear erases so much of what he’s worked so hard to open up against. But hey, change isn’t linear, I of all people know that. And Zdarsky isn’t done yet, I wouldn’t be shocked if he confronts this in the second part of his run.
Anyways, enough about the following run, here’s my personal take:
As someone who sees themself in Matt, I found this short story cathartic. I think what’s so great about stories like these is that heroes, despite their fictitious world, inspire us to be fearless. Of rather, confronting that fear in spite of it. I’ve had issues all of my life, and I won’t lie when I say there’s been a few times I’ve given up. Chronic fear and pain slows us down, makes everything harder, make it all feel so futile. But learning to accept your faults is so much harder than simply ignoring them—and that much more rewarding.

Anyways, bring back Blindspot. Goddamnit

[Terry Mcginnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Following the events of "Death of Daredevil," "Man Without Fear:..." bridges the gap between Daredevil's "death" and the new series by Chip Zdarsky. If you are a Daredevil fan, or new to the game, you won't be disappointed by this current series of events in Daredevil's journey.

I have absolutely nothing critical to say about this book. It was an emotional thrill-ride following a broken man (both physically and mentally) while he had to overcome the metaphorical death of his alter ego. The story ties past and present together, including cameos of both friends and enemies and flashbacks of important moments, all while setting the stage for what is to become of Matt Murdock/Daredevil.

With fitting art, realistic dialogue, and emotional panels on every page, this title does not disappoint. Find out what happens when the Man Without Fear finally succumbs to it. And, can he find his way back to being the person (and hero) he once was? Very highly recommended.

[Evey Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

"¿Para qué es el dolor? El dolor nos hace seguir" Un tomo entretenido pero que no contiene nada especialmente reseñable. Un encuentro con Fisk algo forzado y una unica grapa donde Murdock le habla de tu a tu al miedo en el peor momento de su vida donde no sabe quién puede llegar a ser sin ser Daredevil.
Entretenido sin más.

[Matěj Komiksumec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jed MacKay chápe Daredevila, chápe jak ho srazit na dno aby jej z něj dostal, klidně bych se nebránil kdyby v budoucnu dostal delší sérii s Ďáblem z Hell's Kitchen. Místy možná až moc jde na ruku MCU fanouškům a místy je hloupější, jako celek mě to ale velmi překvapilo.

[FortressOfBookitude · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

This doesn't have any plot but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Probably because it gives closure to some plotlines Charles Soule abandoned in his run.

[Max Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'll be honest, when I finished the first four issues of this mini-series, I wasn't a huge fan. With little action, this plot-driven arc focused on characters I didn't really know, and seemed to be a predictable story.

But the final issue really brought it together. This transitional series was a perfect introduction to the new Comic Daredevil, who is usually branded as the Man Without Fear. After a tragic accident, he's paralyzed by fear and must come to terms with the fact that he has to keep fighting enemies while also fighting a new enemy- his own self doubt.

Visually interesting, a bit cheesy but that's good for a comic book. Great imagery and writing.

[Bill Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Before the book starts, Matthew Murdock is hit by a truck as he rescues someone in a crosswalk. This event lands Matt in a hospital bed, his body broken beyond repair. The entire focus of the piece is Matt's struggle with physical therapy and emotional demons.

SPOILER- He gets it done in time for the next relaunch.

The comic takes a long time to get to the point and will be easy to forget.

[John Maddox · Rating 3 out of 5]

The weakest parts of the story is when Matt is interacting with side characters. The book shines when he is alone and with Fisk. The last issue is by far the best. Looking forward to diving into the on going series. The art is kinda hit and miss for me.

[Beelzefuzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ever want to see a writer tread water while another writer gets their book ready?
None of this matters or is interesting.

[Rolando Marono · Rating 4 out of 5]

He escuchado cosas muy buenas sobre el run de Daredevil de Zdarsky y había leído que este tomo era el preámbulo para esa historia, pero me sorprendí al ver que no lo escribía Zdarsky y además no tenía muy buenas reseñas en good reads.
Disfruté bastante este tomo, cuando lo terminé me dieron ganas de volver a leerlo una vez más inmediatamente. Es una historia emotiva y muy psicológica sobre el personaje. Últimamente estoy disfrutando mucho esas historias que desarman a los personajes hasta su esencia y nos muestran por qué son tan icónicos. Aquí Mckay se pregunta si el miedo y el dolor son lo que define a Matt y si verdaderamente es el hombre sin miedo, ¿Qué sería de él asustado?
La estructura de la historia también me pareció interesante, me recordó mucho a "A christmas carol" de Dickens, tenemos a Matt postrado en una cama de hospital, y mientras decide renunciar a ser Daredevil, recibe la visita de las personas más importantes para él, tanto amigos como villanos, y todos le hacen cuestionar su decisión de distintas maneras.
Lo más cuestionable sobre la historia es que al final el status del personaje regresó a lo mismo, le tocará a Zdarsky explorar la faceta del personaje ahora que ya no es más el hombre sin miedo, pero realmente ésta serie no afectó de manera radical al personaje, o al menos para el final del tomo no piensas eso. El tomo empezó con Matt siendo daredevil y aunque renuncia, termina con Matt siendo daredevil. Algunos aspectos cambiaron, pero en este tomo no se exploran así que el lector puede pensar que nada cambió. Lo interesante es que Mckay si explotó el aspecto psicológico del personaje y si leíste con atención la obra sabes que aunque Matt termina siendo Daredevil, muchas cosas importantes cambiaron.
Quedé muy sorprendido por este breve tomo y ahora me enoja más que Marvel México no haya traído el nuevo tomo de Daredevil por Zdarsky.

[José Ignacio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I NEED a full Jed MacKay Daredevil run.

I knew going in that this would be a damn solid book because I love MacKay's Moon Knight run and that character shares a lot of similarities with DD, so I knew what to expect in terms of how he’d handle the character's inner turmoil and psychological but this blew my socks off, holy crap!

Each issue is individually focused on different aspects of what make up the whole "Man Without Fear" idea, with Issue #1 focusing on Foggy's friendship and support, Issue #2 on Matt's love interests, Issue #3 on his street level superhero friends, Issue #4 on Kingpin and Issue #5 on Matt's dad and his influence and advice over him.

It’s super well structured and paced, showing Matt's self-destructive tendencies and how he’s been pushed to his limits after the ending to Soule's run and it’s done masterfully, it’s a very cerebral and insane plot that analyzes what it means to be afraid and why Daredevil's monicker of "Man Without Fear" is so significant and I loved every page of it.

I knew MacKay would get deep into Matt's psychology and break him down into his essentials and say why that’s important, the same way he’s done with Marc Spector in his rather excellent Moon Knight run, but this is on a completely new level, I’d even argue it’s even better than his MK run in some regards.

All the artists involved are superb and each one really fit the type of story being told in their respective issues, it’s just all around a fantastic book.

Overall a great little stop gap between Soule and Zdarsky, but it makes me want a full MacKay DD run in the future cause this is way too good and I want to see what he can do with the character in the long term.

[Michael J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE MAN WITHOUT FEAR #1-5 (Marvel, 2019) Matt Murdock nearly dies, and has plenty of time to reflect while recuperating in the hospital. He's seriously thinking about hanging up his Daredevil clothes and just being Matt Murdock. Friends, ex-lovers, and associates all try to talk him out of it, and in an unusual twist the least likely person convinces him to stay in the game. Masterful. 5 STARS.
Writer Jed MacKay bridges the gap between the Charles Soule version of Daredevil and the more recent Chip Zadarsky version of Daredevil in a story that serves as an appropriate prequel. MacKay puts Matt Murdock through his paces as he struggles internally with his decision. His memories serve as a quick reminder of some key moments in the long history of Daredevil while his inner thoughts confront his doubts and fears. A very well-done storyline. Each single issue was illustrated by a different artist but the overall style is consistent which helps with the cohesion of the story. You have to study each issue to pick up the differences. My favorite of the bunch is Paolo Villanelli, who illustrated Issue #4 along with colorist Andres Mossa.

[Kahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What better a pallet cleanser after the stodgy awfulness that was Shredded than a quick bit of Daredevil goodness?
More broken than usual, we find Matt Murdoch in hospital as he attempts to come back from a lost fight with a truck.
From his hospital bed, Murdoch must face his toughest battle yet - with himself.
Pushing everyone away, he resolves to no longer be the saviour of Hell's Kitchen, to hang up his mask and finally stop punishing himself and his body.
What could simply be a look at one man's self pity turns into a dark, twisted fight with fear, brought beautifully to life by an excellent team of artists.
Standing out in particular is Danilo S. Beyruth, whose depictions of Fear are awe inspiring and leave one hankering for a new tattoo...

[Travis Duke · Rating 3 out of 5]

generous 3 star... Death of Daredevil you say? O.k. I was intrigued but that was short lived. DD is hit by a truck and is in a hospital never to walk again. He says all the corny shit people say " no I am serious, I am done!" that type of talk. Anyways we get a somewhat deep look into what is Matt is going through as he fights for his life and livelihood. The one element I did like was the personification of fear and pain, that was rad.

I was really hoping for a big moment or reveal... I dont read much Daredevil so I was hoping for something juicy I didnt know about....nope not really. The art is fine but not amazing.

[Matthew Lagerloef · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of the worst comics I’ve read in a while. They continued the dream sequence nonsense from volume 8, which had already waaaay overstayed it’s welcome. The story could have been handled in half an issue, and didn’t need to be a multi-issue arc. The “conflict” didn’t make much sense, in execution or lead up, and it was just an all-around mess. As for the art, I lost count of the number of artist changes in this storyline, and the artwork was middling at best.

The worst thing about this volume, though? The story is completely inconsequential and they could have just skipped over it entirely with no story consequences. I regret the money I spent on this.