Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Spider-Man: Blue has gone on to become a must-read for fans of the character. The story sees Peter Parker dealing with loss as he looks back on his relationship with Gwen Stacy following her death. Its title reflects Peter's feelings as he reminisces on his past love, with the color blue being associated with sadness. However, before it saw the light of day, Loeb and Sale tackled another Marvel hero with a distinct color theme as they dealt with the loss of a loved one.
The first in the pair's "Colors" series, Daredevil: Yellow (by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale) was a six-issue miniseries that saw Matt Murdock in mourning following the death of Karen Page at the hands of Bullseye. The story's unorthodox delivery was a precursor to Spider-Man: Blue, with Matt writing a letter to Karen, in which he confessed that for the first time in years he felt afraid. He hoped that by writing to Karen he would be able to rediscover the Man Without Fear within himself.
Yellow looks back at Matt's past, starting with the events that led him to don the mantle of Daredevil. While attending university, Matt's father, the boxer Jack Murdock, was killed after refusing to throw a fight. The events left Matt's heart shattered as he never got to express his gratitude to his dad, who had always supported him. Matt and Foggy attend the trial of Jack's killer, however, are met with disappointment when the case is closed with no conviction.
Infuriated by the result, Matt decides to take justice into his own hands, by not only becoming a lawyer but also becoming the vigilante Daredevil, constructing his red and yellow suit using his father's boxing robe. He tracked down his father's killer and brought him to justice, thinking it would bring him closure, however, he was left feeling just as empty as before. While this was happening, Foggy was conducting a search for a secretary for his and Matt's newly opened law firm, Nelson and Murdock. After an extensive search, he would find Karen Page, and Matt's life would change from that moment onwards.
Daredevil soon began to gain notoriety after taking down a number of obscure villains before eventually coming face to face with Electro, traditionally an antagonist for Spider-Man. One individual who took notice throughout all of this was Karen, who came face to face with the hero multiple times after becoming the hostage of both the Owl and the Purple Man. The book built Karen's relationship with both Matt and Daredevil, establishing that she was drawn to the mystery of both individuals, not knowing that they were one and the same.
The two shared an innocent love, however, Matt's narration maintained an ever-present feeling of gloom as Karen's fate remained inevitable. In his final memory, Matt recalls Karen asking Daredevil on a date, to which he agrees, promising Karen that they would paint the town red, her favorite color. Despite being central to the story, the book never shows Karen's death, instead choosing to show how Matt remembered her while she was alive and the bond they shared.
In a way, this is a tale of acceptance, with the story closing finding Matt accepting closure for the deaths of both his father and Karen. As he began writing his letter, Matt had felt as if he lost something, but by the end he felt as if he had found something -- forgiveness. He tells Karen that he has bought and rebuilt his father's gym, giving him a way to honor his memory beyond wearing his colors. As he concludes his letter, Matt is hopeful, vowing to cherish the past and embrace the future, seeming to have rediscovered the Man Without Fear.
Daredevil: Yellow's title is not only a reference to the suit Matt wore early in his career, but is symbolic of something bigger. Yellow is a color that is associated with optimism, which is fitting for Matt's journey through the book as he finds himself once again. The story is a fitting eulogy for Karen Page, whose death is now over 20 years old, being one of the longest lasting deaths in Marvel comic books. The charming tales told in the book give one hope that there could be a different ending to this tragic romance, however, their fate never changes, and their love remains a distant memory.