ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Daredevil: Woman Without Fear,’ Issue #1

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 is written by Chip Zdarsky, illustrated by Rafael de Latorre, colored by Federico Blee, and lettered by VC’s Clayton Cowles. It’s published by Marvel Comics. In the wake of Devil’s Reign, the Kingpin has used his power as mayor of New York to crack down on superhero activity. Elektra Natchios joins the battle against Fisk after learning he gave a file on her secrets to another supervillain. This leads to a hunt through New York and an encounter with a figure from her past.

Zdarksy’s work on Daredevil has been one of the most engaging Marvel titles of the past few years, and one of the boldest changes in his run saw Elektra becoming Daredevil after Matt Murdock was briefly imprisoned. What makes this so interesting is that Elektra has sworn off killing; the opening sequence has her contemplating whether or not to go back on this vow and murder Fisk. “He’s a monster,” her inner monologue reads. “And you slay monsters. It’s what you do.” Her complicated relationship with Murdock also takes center focus; he’s confident that they can beat Fisk along with their fellow heroes, but she feels it will go badly. Zdarsky excels in this type of character work, and I look forward to seeing how Elektra’s story intertwines with the events of Devil’s Reign.

Zdarsky is joined by De Latorre and Blee, who turn in some amazingly gorgeous artwork. De Latorre isn’t a stranger to illustrating a female protagonist with vicious fighting skills, having previously illustrated issues of Kelly Thompson’s run on Black Widow. He draws hard-hitting and violent fight scenes that stretch back into Elektra’s past, including her training with Murdock’s mentor Stick and the ninja cult known as the Hand. Another scene featuring Elektra and Murdock sharing a passionate moment is quieter, but readers will feel the heat rising off the page as the two lock lips and remove their clothing.

Blee’s color art often takes on different hues throughout the book, depending on the time and setting. For example, darkness falls over everything as Elektra and Fisk face off in the opening sequence. The past sequences feature Elektra sparring with Stick on a snowy mountain and dueling with Hand ninjas in an underground dojo and a lighter, more faded look. Elektra stands out due to her red and black Daredevil costume and her long curly black hair, and piercing blue eyes. Thanks to Blee and Cowles, even her narrative captions have a red and black color scheme.

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 turns the spotlight on Elektra Natchios, exploring her past and present and throwing her into the thick of Devil’s Reign. With the next issue pitting her against a classic supervillain, this miniseries is looking to be an essential part of Chip Zdarsky’s run on Daredevil.

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 is available wherever comics are sold on January 12, 2021.