Daredevil #3
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Lee Garbett
Colorist: Frank Martin
I'm a huge Spider-Man fan, but I haven't been interested in his own title in a long time.
Weird way to start out a Daredevil review, right?
Sensory Overload
Daredevil has been fortunate to have a veritable Murderers' Row of talent on his title for an incredibly long time. Starting with Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli, through to the present day, there are very few misses. We're only three issues in, but I think Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett's run is going to get added to the "hit" column.
His senses completely overwhelmed while he searches for the mysterious Omen, Matt Murdock almost steps in front of a bus. Thankfully, he's saved by the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, who takes his friend out for a swing around town. The Web-Head teaches Daredevil how to shut down all of his senses but one, so it can be focused in on without overwhelming the others. Plus he drops some patented Spidey quips.
Showing up to work, Matt is greeted by the police. They have some questions for him that he's not very interested in answering. Lawyers have to be one of the worst types to question if you're a cop. Matt does get an idea from his surprise visitors, though. Soon the trap is set, and Daredevil finds himself face-to-face with the Omen once more…
Friendly Neighborhood
I really like how this series has handled Matt Murdock so far. He's stubborn, hypocritical, obsessive, and self-destructive, but he's also damn good at what he does. And one of the things he does is inspire trust and loyalty in the people around him.
Speaking of those people, I mentioned earlier that I'm not a fan of Spider-Man's own title recently. I have multiple issues with how Peter Parker is being portrayed lately, as they lean into his insecurities and immaturity to make him almost unlikable. Here, though, we get the Peter Parker I grew up with. He's competent, funny, worried about his friend, and showed up just when Matt needed him the most. It's wild that the Spider-Man showing up in someone else's book feels more recognizable than the one headlining his own.
There's part of me that thinks Spidey's intervention was completely unnecessary—Matt should have learned how to focus only one sense long ago—but given his obsessive and self-destructive nature I mentioned earlier, I can buy that he "forgot" in the moment he started searching for Omen.
Speaking of Omen… he's still largely a menacing cipher at this point, and that's fine, we're still early in the run. I actually love that we don't actually know what his name is, but we're calling him that because Spidey thought it sounded like "oh man." It reminds me of Cisco Ramon naming all the baddies on the CW Flash TV series.
Even though I've largely focused on the part with the special guest star, I think the creative team has done a good job of balancing the Daredevil parts with the Matt Murdock ones. I wouldn't mind a little more attention being given to Matt's students, and I'm fuzzy on just how important the detective is supposed to be overall, but their names aren't real big on the cover of the book, so they just have to deal.
The Devil's in the Details
We may get to see the duo of Spider-Man and Daredevil in action together this issue, but the powerhouse team of Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett is with us each and every month.
Phillips has a strong grasp of Matt Murdock's character and what makes him such a compelling character. She handles the lawyer-speak very well, which I think is absolutely necessary for this character. Without that authentic feel, he would come across as just arrogant and smarmy in the scene with the police, which would completely change the feel of it entirely. I wish there was a little more to Omen at this point, he's a bit of a riddle wrapped in an enigma who has a thing for eyes. But as I said earlier, there's still time to fill him in better.
Garbett's art is the perfect complement to the scripting. It is vibrant and detailed, but can get dirty and gritty when needed. He has a great sense of motion, the scenes where Spidey leads Daredevil on a chase across town have a grace and fluidity to them that shows just how long these two have been at the hero game. The fight scene with Omen at the end of the issue is another great example of his work, as Matt uses what he learned from his friend to actually score a hit on the wily foe. And the reveal of the villain's true face is a disturbing moment that leads to even more questions.
Just as Daredevil himself is a mass of contradictions, the color work of Frank Martin needs to be the same. The fact that Matt chooses to wear bright red means that he's going to stand out no matter what the surroundings, but the color work here always makes him look right at home. Whether it's the daytime rooftop chase with Spider-Man or the nighttime showdown with Omen, Daredevil is always front and center but never stands out as "wrong." That's not easy to pull off, but Martin does it here with ease. When you can go from Daredevil standing in Ben Urich's office during the day on one page, then on the next he's skulking in the shadows waiting for his prey, and he looks like he belongs in both, it's safe to say you've nailed it.
Leap of Faith
Daredevil #3 features some of the best Spider-Man content I've seen in some time, but even without the Web-Head it's still another terrific issue from this creative team. The mystery around Omen and his fixation with Matt Murdock continues to slowly reveal itself, and we're treated to some dynamic action scenes in the meantime. I wish a bit more time could be given to Matt's new job and his students, but I'm hopeful they'll get their time in the sun. As long as the creative team keeps up this level of quality, I'll keep coming back for more.