Welcome to 52 in 52, one man’s look at the vast world of Marvel Unlimited. I will be reading and sharing my thoughts each week regarding a different single arc or event from somewhere within the world of Marvel Unlimited, trying to find things I haven’t read that are relevant to the current comic or cinematic landscape, or completely irrelevant and just fun to read.

One year. 52 tales. One per week. Marvel Unlimited.

Let’s do this.

On the docket this week: Daredevil: Yellow *Warning, there be spoilers ahead*

DAREDEVIL: YELLOW #1-6
Written by Jeph Loeb
Art by Tim Sale
Publication Date: August 2001 – Jan 2002

Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale break down who Daredevil is and why he does what he does in Daredevil: Yellow, part of a colour based series that, to this day, is not yet complete. Loeb and Sale tell much of this tale through a series of letters, Matt Murdock chronicling his own early days as Daredevil and his motivations as a crime fighter. This is an excellent introduction to the character for any reader who is looking to get a quick glimpse as to who Daredevil is, and Sale’s artwork has a great nostalgic tone to it. While there are details that are alluded to that seasoned DD readers will get more out of than newbies, this is a very new-reader-friendly story. I’d argue that this is what the Season One books should have been, and they may have been a lot more effective if they were more like this. Loeb and Sale have a great chemistry, one that is arguably legendary, and they work very well to tell this story. Sale captures the emotions of Loeb’s words very well, and the two drive home the turbulent times of Matt Murdock’s first days as Daredevil very well. The original Red/Yellow costume gets its explanation in an interesting way, and when Murdock goes “full red”, it’s a powerful thing.

While being an “origin story” in a sense, Daredevil: Yellow is not just that. This isn’t the typical rehash of how DD got his powers, etc. etc. etc. – this is the emotional journey. Sale sells that emotion and Loeb writes some fantastic banter between Matt and Foggy, showing the best parts of their relationship in a very organic way. This is one of the great bromances of comics, and it is always nice to see it portrayed well. This is really just a solid Daredevil 6 issue arc, capturing the best qualities of DD in a nice package. It’s a very solid read, and I highly recommend it. I’ll leave you with this page, knowing full well it will make you have to read this…

Next week: WORLD WAR HULK (2007)