The fun of Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett’s Daredevil run is in how they’ve managed to take a lot of unexpected turns with Matt Murdock’s life. Instead of defending people in the courtroom, he teaches law at college. His usual collection of supporting characters isn’t around. And now he must deal with a new threat in the form of the immensely haunting Omen, who’s been carrying out a series of serial killings that involve plucking the eyes from victims’ corpses. Yet there are still some Daredevil staples that even this creative team couldn’t ignore, and those staples rear their head in Daredevil #4.
First up is Matt’s very rocky relationship with God, which more often than not puts him into conflict with his duties as Daredevil. Throughout the book, Phillips flashes back to key moments in Matt’s youth, including shortly after he lost his father; when he expresses doubt about his life now that he’s blind and without family, a priest offers him words on facing the future: “Only God sees the road ahead of us, Matthew. All we can do is walk it one step at a time…in faith.” It’s a moment that not only sums up Matt’s drive to continue as Daredevil, but also parallels Omen’s creepy claims about how he can see the future.
More parallels can be found with the storyline involving detectives Dominic and Callahan, especially as the former feels a need to prove himself following the NYPD’s restructuring after the Kingpin left power. It’s here that said storyline feels less like an afterthought and more like a critical part of the story, since Dominic and Callahan are on the hunt for Omen. Phillips also does a great job of turning the “one good cop” trope on its head, showcasing that while Dominic might be morally upstanding he’s still a man in a world of mutants, monsters and marvels and their rules differ from his.
Marvel
Another issue of this run means that readers will get more incredible artwork from Garbett, which runs throughout Daredevil #4. Omen’s face gets more of a closeup and it’s even more disturbing than you’d think; it feels like he’s slowly withering away, yet he has enough strength to choke out Daredevil. As for the Man Without Fear himself, he gets an epic moment where he gets the drop on the Owl, ripping through a pipe he’s chained up to. Thanks to the color work by Frank Martin, which utilizes a great mix of black and red, Daredevil looks every bit as demonic as his namesake.
Martin’s work doesn’t stop there; he shades flashbacks in a sepia-themed hue that separates past from present and shows just how much Matt Murdock has grown. The same can be said for Ariana Maher’s lettering, which takes on a red and white hue whenever Matt’s inner thoughts take over the narrative. It’s here that we get another great line that could define Daredevil: “I’m not ready to fight Omen, but he will not break me.” If Matt could survive the Kingpin, Bullseye, and the Hand, he will definitely survive this.
Daredevil #4 takes the classic staple of the Man Without Fear wrestling with his faith and flips it on its ear, showcasing his incredible perseverance. It’s a reminder that Matt Murdock’s greatest power isn’t his fighting skills or his hyper-senses, but his unbreakable will.
You must be logged in to post a comment.