Perhaps the most famous comic book writer who has crossed ponds and worked with Marvel and DC Comics, Frank Miller’s take on Daredevil’s origin shares many similarities with “Batman: Year One.” “The Man Without Fear” came out after Miller redefined the Batman’s origin story, the time between when he put on the cowl and watched his parents get gunned down in crime alley. Miller’s run on Daredevil remains a staple of the comic book character having been adapted into and starting Marvel Netflix’s “Defenders” crossover with three seasons with the blind lawyer and a continuation/reboot of the show in “Born Again.” A show streaming on Disney+ that just aired its season finale last week.

Of course, with any adaptation comes changes that people may not like. Charlie Cox has become Daredevil/Matt Murdock, much like how Kevin Conroy is for the voice of Batman for a generation. Graphic Audio’s adaptation of one of Miller’s seminal works on the Daredevil character doesn’t have the aid of visuals to fall back on, but neither does Matt.

A Born Again Daredevil

There’s something special about having a description of something be as impactful as the thing it’s describing. When I was first reading “Mistborn: The Final Empire,” I could imagine the action scenes. The scenes played out more like a dynamic slideshow than a movie in my head. Something a bit more advanced than a Ken Burns documentary can do. A motion comic is perhaps the best comparison one can make. The key moments in “Mistborn” while reading were so vivid that it surpassed the Graphic Audio’s version as far as how they depicted the action. It’s one of the benefits of reading and listening or just reading itself. For some people, their first time being able to see the action clearly in their heads is an unforgettable experience.

If there’s one thing Graphic Audio does well with its bigger titles like Stormlight Archive and Mistborn books, it’s the music. The score used in the “honor is dead” scene from “Words of Radiance” amplified an already standout moment in the book for a lot of people. Of course there are a lot more stories on Graphic Audio’s website that don’t get that same treatment. Most of Brandon Sanderson’s works for full-cast audiobooks adapted by Graphic Audio are the exception rather than the rule. Comic book adaptations in particular have a rocky track record. Most of the titles you can’t get anymore unless you find it used or at a truck stop. Thankfully, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear (affiliate link) can still be found on Audible. Though for how long is unknown.

Blind as a Bat

That sense of visualization unfortunately does not last through the entire production. in some ways it’s the problem of an opening chapter being more interesting than the rest of the story. 2022’s “The Batman” does this. Robert Pattinson’s monologue after Riddlers first victim is a thesis statement for the story’s theme. That theme being it’s better to have people who trust you than criminals who fear you. It takes a while to for Batman to get that point in terms of runtime, but Batman’s introduction acts a short film for the larger story being told.

“The Man Without Fear” also takes some creative liberties with the source material. I borrowed the graphic novel electronically from my local library and there’s a lot of elements included in the adaptation that are extrapolations of the words and images on the page. For example, we don’t get to see Jack Murdock assisting the mafia with their criminal activities. A scene glosses over in the book, but given plenty of time in the adaptation. It makes the outburst toward his son more potent as you see why he doesn’t want Matt to solve problems with his fists.

The weakest link is Wilson Fisk. We see his manipulation behind the scenes, but never quite get the season three twist having do to with him and the FBI. A scene that will live in my head rent free for years to come. In “The Man Without Fear,” Fisk’s screen time is negligible. There are probably less than five scenes with him as the focal character. Most of the villainous work is done by a sociopath named Larks who works for Fisk.

While this version of Fisk is clearly starting his journey to become the Kingpin, he doesn’t hold a candle to Marvel Television versions (Netflix and Disney+) who pulled the strings and basically started at a 10 in terms of threat in Daredevil season one. It’s an interesting problem having the villain play such a tertiary role. This came out before Netflix’s version and the closest adaptation of Fisk before then was Spider-Man the Animated Series which I never found threatening even as a kid. When you consider the joke that the name Daredevil is more accurately applied to Batman and vice versa, the whole villain problem where rogues galleries are more interesting than the heroes becomes a lot more grey.

Rating: Low Internally Consistent (7.5+/10 Stars)