"Daredevil: Yellow" is a 6-part Marvel mini-series written by Jeph Loeb with art by Tim Sale ("Spider Man Blue"; "Batman: The Long Halloween"), that was originally published in 2001. The story concerns the origin and early days of Daredevil as told by The Man Without Fear himself through letters to his murdered former lover Karen Page (similar to how Peter Parker talked to his former lover in "Spider Man: Blue").

The series begins with the death of Matt Murdock’s father, skipping the origin of Daredevil’s powers and blindness. It focuses on the emotional trauma that led him to his heroic destiny. The story then follows Matt as he witnesses the miscarriage of justice at his father’s killer’s trial, along with his graduation from college, the starting of his own law firm, and his early adventures and battles as the yellow-and-red-costume-wearing Daredevil. The main focus of the story, beyond Matt dealing with the death of his father, are the relationships that develop between Karen Page, Matt Murdock, Franklin Nelson, and Daredevil. "Daredevil: Yellow" concerns itself with the death of Karen Page, but this is not an event actively explored within this story itself. While there’s still plenty of action, "Daredevil: Yellow" is deep down a love story, between Karen and Matt and also Matt and Daredevil. "Daredevil: Yellow" focuses on the early days of Daredevil where he’s having fun being a hero. Importantly, the whole story is told from Matt’s perspective as he looks back at these early, happier times through rose-tinted glasses.

It’s the emotional underpinnings that truly makes "Daredevil: Yellow" superb. There’s enough action to keep things interesting, but ultimately these moments take a back-seat to the emotional story being told. It’s more than just a love story or a re-telling of Daredevil’s beginnings. "Daredevil: Yellow" is a story about Matt Murdock coming to terms with his father’s death and forgiving himself for Karen’s murder.

"Daredevil: Yellow" has to be considered in the wider Marvel Universe context though; the death of Karen is referenced throughout the comic and is the reason for the letters through which this story is told. However, her death is never shown in this book. It’s clear as well that the “Yellow” of the book's title not only refers to Daredevil’s original costume but also to the emotions explored within the book; mainly fear. Although Daredevil is The Man Without Fear, it’s clear in this book that Matt has to overcome his own fears and grief, in order to finally come to terms with what happened to his father and Karen. As a whole, "Daredevil: Yellow" is an emotional ride, that ends on a hopeful note as Daredevil, complete with red costume, finds a way both to forgive himself for Karen’s death and honor his father.

The artwork is as wonderful as the text and supports the emotional content of the book wonderfully. There’s a truly retro feel to the book, both in the love-story innocence and the artwork. There are plenty of bright and vibrant colors, and the artwork depicts an age where heroes were heroes, villains were villains and this distinction was quite clear-cut. Despite this, there’s still an element of modern comic book writing and artwork sneaking through, with both the writer and artist unafraid to hint at darker things to come for Daredevil and painting Karen not as the damsel in distress, but rather as a strong woman who just happens to get kidnapped and captured. Color is also used cleverly throughout the book. The main characters are always brightly and vibrantly colored and detailed, but backgrounds are often greyed-out and underwhelming. This heightens the emotional relationships between characters, while also helping create a dream-like quality that is congruent with the fact these events are being lived out through Matt Murdock’s memories as he re-tells this story in his letters.

The 2011 collected book also contains a foreword by Stan Lee (no introduction needed to explain who this guy is), as well a narrated sketchbook that examines the creation of "Daredevil: Yellow"’s themes and characters. Both are excellent additions, with Stan Lee’s passion for Daredevil and the Universe he helped create dripping from every word written on the page. Additionally these emotional and introspective examinations of the book cleverly mimic the emotional and introspective nature of the way the story of "Daredevil: Yellow" is told. Furthermore, "Daredevil: Yellow" acts as a perfect introduction point for people new to Daredevil or Marvel (or fans of the Marvel films). There’s a retro feel that mimics the early days of Marvel, while not being too old-fashioned and possibly off-putting to younger or newer readers (Or fans of the Marvel films). It also tells the story of the key emotional moments that made Daredevil into the hero seen in the Marvel Universe today.

"Daredevil: Yellow" is a brilliantly written, and excellently drawn comic book, that’s a worthy addition to any Marvel collection. So, if you're at your local Barnes and Nobles, why not find out why Daredevil is yellow, and see for yourself what makes this blind lawyer a fan favorite.