DAREDEVIL #3: Love is Owl You Need?

Published: August, 1964

I have mixed emotions about this story. There’s so much about it that’s terribly good…but at the same time, there’s so much that’s terribly—well, just terrible. As the title slows down to almost a complete stop, I’m throwing up my hands in frustration, thinking, “I guess Daredevil will have to go on the back burner.” I’m almost ready to exile him to the Marvelous Zone’s wasteland, along with Sgt. Fury and his wartime buddies. I don’t know how much more of this I can take. But at the same time, we have massive soap opera development, which interests me very much.

Oh! What should I do??

I’ll start by ranting about my concerns. Maybe that will make me feel better.

WORDS, WORDS AND MORE WORDS!
I’ve seen some of the more recent Marvel comics, and I’m amazed by how image-intensive they are, with fabulous artwork and a minimum of word balloons and narration. In other words: the complete opposite of what I’m reading now. Of course, I have no objections to words, they certainly help tell a story, but there comes a time when the narrator needs to get out of the way and just let the action happen. There also comes a time when the characters need to get over themselves and stop gloating about how wonderful they are. If they’re wonderful, their actions will prove it.

Daredevil, I’m looking at you.

I’ll bet if this Daredevil story were presented today, it would be told with less than half the words and more than twice the excitement. The action necessarily slows down every time Daredevil fills half a panel with a word balloon explaining how he’s able to accomplish his amazing feats. (“The sound her breathing, coupled with her heartbeat, tell me where she is just as unerringly as a radar signal guides a pilot in the thickest fog!”)

At one point, Owl says (yes, he actually says) “See how EASY it is…for ME!!” It sounds like Daredevil’s going through the same self-absorbed egotistical contemplations.

Daredevil’s falling into the spider’s web of excessive chattiness, but whereas Parker does it for humorous effect, it doesn’t fly for the super-serious Daredevil. We’ve already established that Daredevil can sense things ordinary people can’t. Stopping for a thirty-second explanation of every two-second deed is not a good use of his time…or ours. Are we reading a treatise on the Handi-Capable, or an action-packed comic book?

Now, having said all that, I do of course realize what’s going on. The title is young, and some readers may be showing up late for the party. Stan’s simply making sure that everybody’s on the same page regarding the virtues of our new superhero—even if it takes ten minutes to read that page!! I hope that in future issues, the chatter will subside, and we’ll have more show than tell.

So, that’s the annoying part, but I recognize there’s hope for improvement. What’s improved already is that the female lead is center stage, as both the Love Interest, AND the Damsel in Distress.

IT’S A GIRL!!
It’s amusing that Matt Murdock, as Daredevil, can determine the distance of a gun and the trajectory of the bullet simply by hearing the click of the trigger, but he hasn’t got a CLUE that Karen Page is interested in him. He can hear her heartbeat speeding up when he’s near, but doesn’t know what it could possibly mean. So he says to himself… “I wonder…” but doesn’t dare to believe it might be so.

Oh, the soap opera! Right? The “Man Without Fear” willingly undertakes any danger, yet dare not begin to believe that the girl he’s interested in is also interested in him.

I like that Daredevil and Karen have now met, though I’m not exactly sure what Murdock is doing with this new development. Sure, he momentarily forgets himself and cries out her name when the Owl threatens, but that’s a “heat of the moment” reaction that can be forgiven. Here’s what can’t be forgiven: When Karen wonders how Daredevil knows her, he flirts, “Oh, that’s easy! I’ve seen you in my dreams since I can remember!”

Doh!

First, it’s a lie. Second, it’s a tremendously corny pickup line. Next thing we know, he’ll ask if it hurt when she fell from Heaven. Jeez! He beats himself up for shouting her name, and later for neglecting to disguise his voice, so why is he not knocking himself upside the head with a cloudy word balloon of “You idiot! Really?? Is that the best you could come up with?”

Most perplexing, though, is why he decides to encourage Karen’s interest in his masked persona. Daredevil is supposed to be a big secret, right? Surely a smart guy like Murdock knows that no good can possibly come from piquing her interest. By the end of this story, Karen’s already subconsciously suspicious of the eerie similarities between her boss and her hero. I say Murdock’s a smart guy, because his bookwormish childhood, law degree, and ability to deftly handle a needle and thread mean he’s no dummy, but…boy! He sure does act like one when it comes to girls.

Speaking of girls, there’s a funny moment involving an inopportune appearance. You know how much I love a marvelous “announcement,” so when Karen blunders into the office, and the Owl exclaims, “A GIRL!!” that strikes me as hysterical.

I don’t think either hero or villain has had much experience with girls. When Owl sees one, he shrieks in surprise, using two exclamation points. And Murdock doesn’t dare trust his otherwise reliable senses, when it appears the girl he likes reciprocates his feelings.

He knows that if he pursues Karen as Matt Murdock, blind attorney, he risks rejection. But as Daredevil, he has no fear. Not because Daredevil is “The Man Without Fear,” but because Daredevil is not in the romance biz. He hides behind a mask and spouts romantic drivel, knowing there’s no hope of a real relationship between a pretty young secretary and a costumed superhero.

If you don’t play, you can’t lose.

IS THAT OWL YOU’VE GOT?
So “not losing” is the name of the game. Murdock goes through some fancy psychological gymnastics to avoid a loss, but his alter-ego has a much easier time. It’s only the third issue, but so far, against whom have we seen Daredevil pit his devilishly superior skills? Some gangsters, thugs, and oh yes…Electro. Electro shows promise for future issues, but if Owl is supposed to be a step up, I’m disappointed.

Owl is not a particularly impressive villain. Sure, he’s ugly, even described as “gross,” but a lot of Marvel villains are ugly and gross. The Owl is simply a mean, bad person who happens to have an aerodynamic coat. The cloak is cool, I’ll give him that—but is it enough to classify him as a “super villain”? No. He’s a gliding creep who happens to look somewhat like a bird.

A Man Without Fear DESERVES a better villain than this, or else where’s the glory in having no fear?

So. Can you understand why I’m disenchanted with the Daredevil title? At this point, if you’re keeping track, more things are going wrong than right. Of course, the thing that’s going right, the soap opera, will keep me hooked, at least for a while. But is it enough for the long run? I’m no Daredevil. I love a good love story as much as the next gal, but I fear without the beneficial buoyancy of a strong villain mojo, I may drown in this sea of TOO MANY WORDS!!