Daredevil [2022] #3 - Marvel Comics

DAREDEVIL No. 3, November 2022

Whilst “Marvel Worldwide” may well have tried to sell this particular publication’s plot to its readers as Daredevil “putting together a team” with which to lead the Fist, Chip Zdarsky’s script is arguably much more about providing an intriguing insight into Luke Cage’s mayorship of New York City. In fact, the former New Avenger probably steals the show from Matt Murdock’s alter-ego, despite never actually throwing a punch in anger at his holier than thou opponents; “I’m not Fisk. I’m actual power. And I have friends with magic hammers. You’ll find my proposal in what’s left of your table. Talk soon.”

Much of this ‘hook’ has to do with how underplayed the human mutate appears in his initial dealings with the Stromwyns. Having been ‘summoned’ at four in the morning to the nefarious socialites’ skyscraper, it would have been so easy for a lesser writer to pen Power Man angrily striding into their office and grumpily making his concerns clear about their housing applications. Instead, the Canadian author merely has Cage politely converse with the criminals until they start to threaten his daughter and son. Only then does he show a flash of temper, and that is limited to him simply pulverising the huge table between them.

Far more adrenalin-fuelled however, is the epic fist-fight between Daredevil and “the woman who trained Elektra.” Impressively putting the Man without Fear on the back foot straight from the start, this skirmish is incredibly well-paced, thanks largely to the pair engaging in a running battle across the Big Apple’s night-time skyline. Furthermore, it seems clear that in his current befuddled condition, Murdock is hopelessly outclassed by Aka – something which probably does not bode well for Cage considering that the martial artist is also apparently the Stromwyn’s personal assistant/body guard.

Working some mesmeric magic on this twenty-page periodical’s layouts is artist Rafael De Latorre, whose ability to pencil both Luke’s internal rage and Matt’s evident physical fatigue adds enormously to the scenes in which these characters appear. Furthermore, the graceful movement of Aka is wonderful to behold, and depicts a warrior at the very peak of her profession, as opposed to a somewhat hapless Hornhead, who seems slow and cumbersome in comparison.

Writer: Chip Zdarsky, Artist: Rafael De Latorre, and Color Artist: Matthew Wilson