When it comes to events, the spin-off comics are often of lesser quality. They tend to feel like cash-ins squeezing in characters or just milking the event. Devil’s Reign feels like the exception with the spin-offs often standing on their own without the event and each adding to their characters in some way. It doesn’t feel like side quests as much as it does fully formed storylines by themselves. Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #3 wraps up Elektra’s journey setting up a lot to come and possibly spoiling Devil’s Reign.

It’s Elektra versus Kraven the Hunter as ghosts of Elektra’s past come to haunt her. Through the action, writer Chip Zdarsky delivers a rather haunting tale of a woman dealing with her past. She had a mission when it came to Matt Murdock, she was a tool of an organization. What is she now? What’s the path forward? There’s an interesting mix of reflection, regret, and acceptance. Zdarsky delivers a comic full of fights and action but also one that feels like its true focus is its main character front and center.

The only knock on the storytelling is it possibly spoils Devil’s Reign which comes out the following week and when you get to the end, it feels a bit like it loses its standalone nature. We’ll have to see about that spoiler but it’s the end that makes the comic feel like a piece of the bigger story arc still to come as opposed to a three issue series that can be read on its own. It almost pulls that off.

The art by Rafael De Latorre is fantastic. The fights feel brutal but have a flow about them. Federico Blee‘s colors add to the atmosphere. Clayton Cowles‘ lettering is the cherry on top. Visually the comic is an interesting one as the battle goes from brute strength to something more subtle and “quiet”. That change in fighting styles is nailed down in the art where punches give way to tactical attacks. It also perfectly fits the sadness that permeates the story Zdarsky has spun.

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #3 is a solid finale. It continues an event tie-in that has stood out and is one of the best I’ve read in a long time. It also has me wanting to go back and see what I missed in Elektra’s story but also excited about what’s to come.

Story: Chip Zdarsky Art: Rafael De Latorre
Color: Federico Blee Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 8.25 Art: 8.5 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology/Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW

Event spin-offs are an interesting mix. They often feel like cash grabs, delivering a quality that’s rather… lacking. The current Devil’s Reign feels different though. The main title is excellent so far and the tie-ins have all been really good. It’s the rare event that hasn’t disappointed in any way (so far). A prime example of that is Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #2 which picks up from the fantastic debut and has Elektra facing down Kraven the Hunter.

Written by Chip Zdarsky, what really stands out about Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #2 is his focus on the character. Sure, there’s a lot of solid action and fight scenes, but most of the comic is really Elektra thinking about her current situation and the past that got her there. This is someone that has done horrible things in her past and hasn’t faced them all. She’s unsettled and still debating on her actions.

As someone who has issues getting that sort of reflection out of my own head, this is a comic that just feels like reality. It’s the actions, at least the reflection, of a real person who is thinking about their past. What could they have done differently? How might have things changed? Should they do anything now? It’s that focus on a single event and dissecting it 20 different ways that hits home. It’s a very realistic and human thing to do for some people. It’s something I regularly experience. It’s something a lot of people experience. Zdarsky has taken the real reflection people do and put it all down on paper for our entertainment.

Rafael De Latorre‘s art is fantastic. With color from Federico Blee and lettering by Clayton Cowles, the art and design is top notch. This doesn’t feel like an event cash-in, it feels like the main event. The battle has a brutality in it that’s subtle. You never quite know when either combatant will strike which makes the art deliver a tense aspect about it all. It’s just fantastic to look at.

Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #2 is a tie-in but it’s a comic that can stand on its own. It feels like the event is almost secondary as Elektra reflects on her life. It’s a hell of an issue for a fantastic miniseries that has me begging for more. Even if you’re not reading Devil’s Reign, which you should, this is well worth picking up on its own.

Story: Chip Zdarsky Art: Rafael De Latorre
Color: Federico Blee Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy

Marvel provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics