Essential Daredevil - Volume 3 [ペーパーバック]

"Essential Daredevil, Volume 3" collects together episodes #49-74 of "Daredevil: The Man Without Fear!" along with "Iron Man" #35-36, which was a crossover story about the Zodiac gang. This represents a transitional period as Roy Thomas replaced Stan Lee as the writer for the book, although by the end of this collection it is Gerry Gonway who has taken over as scripter. Except for three issues drawn by Barry Windsor-Smith, it is Gene Colan who is DD's artist. In fact, at this point in the history of the comic book Daredevil just did not look right unless Colan was drawing him. We are not yet up to the point when Colan's pencils started being inked by Tom Palmer, so I have a slight preference for Syd Shores as inker over George Klein and Johnny Craig. As for Windsor-Smith, who was still just plain Barry Smith at that point, his art on "Daredevil" was certainly a big improvement over his first work for Marvel, the infamous "X-Men" #53 that he literally drew on park benches in Central Park, but there was still nothing to indicate what he would be doing within a couple of years on "Conan the Barbarian" (although he is already into drawing more panels per page than other comic book artists).

At the beginning of this collection things are not going well for our hero. Now that Foggy is New York City's District Attorney he law firm of Nelson and Murdock has broken up and Matt Murdock no longer wants to be Daredevil. However, Starr Saxon has created a robot to track down Daredevil, even if he is in his civilian identity. But when Saxon discovers that Matt Murdock is Daredevil, that changes everything, especially when radioactive particles in his blood threaten DD's life. In issue #53 Thomas and Colan retell Daredevil's origin, after which our hero decides that the problem in his life is not Daredevil but rather Matthew Murdock, so he proceeds to "kill" Matt off by faking a plane crash. Now Foggy and Karen think Matt is dead while Daredevil has to face Mr. Fear. In #56-57 a well known jeweled Aztec skull becomes the inspiration for Death's Head and at the end of two-part story Daredevil reveals to Karen that not only is Matt Murdoch still alive, he is really Daredevil. So much for keeping his identity secret and for killing off Matt. Now Matt starts working the D.A.'s office as a special assistant and vows that Daredevil's days are over (#58).

Most of these developments are interesting, but we are not even halfway through this collection and all of this has happened, which sort of undercuts any of these decisions (that and the fact that it takes only a couple of issues for our hero to change his mind). Telling the truth is not helping Matt and Karen in their troubled relationship, so there is no benefit there, and at least blind ex-cop Willie Lincoln is around to lend our hero a sympathetic ear. By issue #61 the Jester, one of my favorite DD villains, is back, this time with Mr. Hyde and the Cobra. The Daredevil has to fight Nighthawk (#62), the Gladiator (#63), the Stunt-Master (#64), Brother Brimstone (#65-66), Stilt-Man (#67), and Kragg (#68). The Black Panther returns in issue #69 and then Gary Friedrich comes up with the Tribune (#70-71) as a new villain with a judicial bent that works well with Murdock being a lawyer. Then DD encounters Tagak, the Leopard Lord (#72), before teaming up with Iron Man to take on the Zodiac, a group of super villains where each is based on one of the twelve signs of the Zodiac (duh).

Despite the fact that we start with some hectic times for Daredevil regarding being a superhero and keeping his identity secret, overall these issues represnt something of a lull in the character's history. There are a few storylines that you can say are trying to be classic issues, but none of them really get there. The retelling of DD's origin, the cover of which serves as the cover for this collection as well, is arguably the best issue included and it obviously represents nothing new. If Thomas let the changes he puts DD through last longer (a lot longer), then these issues would cover a more important period in the character's life. But the first half is racing through major changes and the second half is basically back to a different villain each month (and only one appearance by the Jester). Still, there is Colan's artwork and I never get tired of looking at that.

If you've read any of my other reviews of Marvel Essential books on this site, you may come to the conclusion that I dislike Daredevil, and I want to say that that isn't entirely true. I think that Stan Lee's decision to give a superhero the secret identity of a blind man was a masterstroke, as was making him a lawyer. After all, law enforcement is already a hobby for most comic book characters, so why not make it a profession? However, Daredevil is still among my least preferred Essential books because he is clearly the least powerful of Marvel's Dramatis Personae. I'm not saying that it's the superpowers alone that make the superhero. I'm saying that the central conflicts of a comic tale invariably reflect the capability of the main character to overcome them, and during the Silver Age, when everyone was mostly fighting thieves who had brightly-colored costumes and bizarre gimmicks, DD didn't fit in so well. Daredevil's personal Rogues Gallery were just so wimpy that Spider-Man would more likely laugh at them than fight them (Heck, anybody who has a grappling hook and 50 feet of rope could defend all of NYC from the menace of the Stilt-Man). Today's comic fans are likely to say that Frank Miller is their favorite DD writer and I feel that's because he gave him a gritty, grimy Hell's Kitchen setting and put him against exaggerated but believable underworld figures like the Kingpin, Bullseye, and Typhoid Mary. Miller presented Daredevil as a "nicer" counterpoint to the Punisher, and in my opinion that is where he works best.

Anyway, I'm here today to review the Essential Daredevil 3 (which collects DD's appearances in the early 70's). I thought that it had its moments but it's still exemplary of the personal grievances that I have against the character in the time period.

I was in a very good mood shortly after cracking open this book because the first story is simply excellent. Our hero, who was earlier considering abandoning his Daredevil identity, has reluctantly taken up pursuit of the murderous Samuel "Starr" Saxon (the most effeminate mad scientist since Dr. Smith from Lost and Space). After a tense four-issue chase, not only does Saxon learn that Matt Murdock is Daredevil, he also informs DD that there is no evidence that links Saxon to any misdeeds and gets off scot-free. This development caught me totally off guard as I was so used to the supervillain being handed over cleanly to the police just on the superhero's word in previous tales; I had to check back over the earlier issues to make sure he was right. Realizing that blackmail would be imminent, the morose Matt Murdock is forced to fake his own death and pull triple-shifts as Daredevil (Ironic, isn't it?) in order to flush out the culprit. That tale is a fabulous entry into the sweeping epic storylines of Marvel's "Grandiose" period and ranks as my favorite pre-Miller Daredevil story arc.

It's a shame that the best story had to be this collection's opening number, but there was still some enjoyment to be had. Daredevil defeats the unscrupulous glory-hound Nighthawk, forcing him to get his act together and join the Defenders later. I found the team-up with Black Panther where they saved a young boy from the perils of gangland to be very down-to-earth and poignant. The McCarthy-esque, pinko-hunting Tribune made for a top-notch stage villain (He claimed that, in a pure democracy, the people would never question the decisions of their government. Did he miss a Freshman Civics class or something?). Also, in a truly cathartic moment, Matt Murdock reveals his alter ego to his love Karen Page who leaves him because she doesn't want a man who needlessly puts himself in danger. It makes me appreciate the final scene in the second Spider-Man movie even more.

Unfortunately, a good half of the issues just fell completely flat, and the Essential Daredevil 3 is a pretty big book. The mob boss Crime-Wave was unmasked and he was somebody that Nelson and Murdock knew, although there were no actual clues leading up to his capture and no real reason to get involved in the mystery (yawn). There were some so-so rematches with DD's old so-so foes, like Cobra, Mr. Hyde, Jester, Mr. Fear, and the Gladiator (who was allegedly amnesiac so Foggy Nelson decided to give him his weapons and armor back to jog his memory. Guess what happened next). Many plots were needlessly convoluted (Why was Mr. Kragg's group Phoenix constantly called an extreme left-wing political faction when all they did was fix boxing matches and beat up the District Attorney? Why did Daredevil and his sometime-friend/sometime-would-be-assassin the Stunt-Master swap outfits to catch those thieves when the plan would have worked fine in their own regular clothes?) and some just made no sense whatsoever (like the Iron Man crossover vs. Zodiac, and, to a lesser extent, the one about the leopard people who can walk through mirrors). Also, I am really getting tired of the foes that use optic nerve-paralysis beams or corneal irritant gas or blindness potions against DD and are shocked into surrender when they somehow don't work. If only those guys had debuted in Captain America's or the Fantastic Four's magazines first, then they might be ruling the world right now (unless of course it was an issue that was guest starring Daredevil, like in the Essential Spectacular Spider-Man). Last and most certainly least, issue #67 features the lamest Stilt-Man fight that I have ever seen (although I will probably say that about every subsequent Stilt-Man fight that I see. Check back later).

In short, I liked some stories in this Essential volume, but I couldn't get excited about it as a whole. The foundation has always been good as Murdock's character is unique, introspective, and interesting, and I've always felt that the stark realism and deep shadows of Gene Colan's artwork were ideal for the magazine (If only the plots could match the pictures). Although, from the research and discussions that I've made in the local comic book scene, the 70's put the Man without Fear through a long and taxing slump (except perhaps for some of the Black Widow team-ups) and so I wonder if the fourth Essential is due to arrive any time soon. I'm going to say that this Essential is a good choice for fans, although the casual reader would have a better time with the Marvel Visionaries: Frank Miller books or the most recent series started by Brian Michael Bendis because this book is a real mixed bag.

Oh, and I wanted to apologize for comparing Daredevil to Jimmy Olsen in my review of Essential Thor 2. Ol' Hornhead deserves better than that.

If you love the old Marvel Comics like I do, give yourself a treat and try this volume. Stan Lee and Gene Colan were in "the groove" with ol' DD. Matt Murdock has to juggle super villains, his law practice and a second secret identity! Cool stories, great art and the real '60's feel.