• Written by: Saladin Ahmed
• Art by: Aaron Kuder, Farid Karami, Cam Smith,
• Colors by: Jesus Aburtov
• Letters by: VC’s Clayton Cowles
• Cover art by: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz
• Cover price: $4.99
• Release date: November 15, 2023

Daredevil #3 brings the heat to The Heat, a new gang in town whose gear and tactics suggest a big player is itching to wipe out the gangland competition in New York.

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Is Daredevil #3 Good?

Daredevil #3 continues to pause the demonic attacks on Matt Murdock to pursue a new gang in town with the weapons and the muscle to take over the criminal streets of New York. Saladin Ahmed delivers plenty of extra-sensory action and a fair bit of emotional conflict when Matt’s work/life balance is tested like never before, but the seeds planted in the first issue have yet to bear fruit.

When last we left Matt Murdock, aka Daredevil, Matt found his attentions divided by a new and well-armed street gang, nasty online rumors about his orphanage from a surprising source, and his struggle to recall who he was before he died and was resurrected. Now, Matt aggressively works his way through The Heat’s members to find their headquarters in an attempt to sus out their leadership and motivations. The trail leads to a familiar voice from Dardevil’s past.

Of the four threads started, Saladin Ahmed focuses the most attention in this issue on the new gang in town, The Heat. Ben Urich’s part in the online rumors gets a little page time, but not much. The demon attacks are barely acknowledged, and the mystery behind Matt’s resurrection is flat-out ignored. As noted in other reviews for other titles, mysteries only work if the writer drops little clues to allow the readers to play along and stay engaged with the mystery. When the writer doesn’t drop clues or waits too long between drops, the mystery devolves first to frustration, and then apathy. Ask Zeb Wells how well that turned out in ASM (hint: not well).

What’s great about Daredevil #3? This is the first issue in Ahmed’s run where you get plenty of Daredevil action. Plus, the interpersonal drama involving Matt Murdock’s conflicting priorities between St. Nick’s and fighting crime is a refreshing change of pace for the perennial loner.

What’s not so great about Daredevil #3? After the big swings Chip Zdarsky took on his way off the title, Ahmed’s run is tepid by comparison. The demon attack was interesting, but little more than a blip without a proper follow-up, so Ahmed is taking a constipated road toward a more meaningful story because a run-of-the-mill gang war won’t cut it.

How’s the art? It’s great, which is a surprise considering the number of artists working on this book. It’s unclear why so many pencilers and inkers were needed to get issue #3 across the finish line, but the final comic looks clean and polished.

About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces

Daredevil #3 cranks up Daredevil’s fight against a new gang in town and saddles Matt with new challenges when his priority for caretaking St. Nick’s is tested. In isolation, Ahmed is delivering a classic Daredevil story, but too many questions from the first issue are ignored.

6.5/10