Marvel Officially Unveils Iconic Villain’s Redesign For Daredevil’s New Appearance
Daredevil’s new comic book run and relaunch began last month with issue #1—legacy issue #688—and recently released issue #2. It is simultaneously a hot and cold start, capable of keeping its storytelling threads intimate and full of high stakes, with most of its tension unironically coming from the Empire State University classroom where Matthew Murdock teaches as a law professor. As any #1 should, the first issue of Stephanie Phillips and Lee Garbett’s Daredevil run is reintroducing avid readers to characters who are embroiled in the Man Without Fear’s grimy corner of New York City and the overall Earth-616 Marvel Comics universe, while also introducing new readers to them. In issue #2, a character appears who has had a rich Marvel Comics history, as Daredevil himself acknowledges, but they look a little bit different than fans may remember.
New Daredevil Comic Reveals Eerie Owl Redesign
Page from Daredevil #2.
Leland Owlsley’s Owl appears in Daredevil #2 and, while he largely looks the same, the character now has blood-red, beady eyes that match his hair color, as well as eyebrows that stretch indistinguishably to his hairline and a moustache connecting his mutton chops. The eyes, in particular, pair excellently with the book and Daredevil’s signature red theme, soaking the few pages that Owl graces in it. Leland bears the same pointy, Wolverine-esque hair and nacho chip-shaped teeth. His look is relatively docile otherwise, with him wearing an ordinary fur-lined coat. The character Daredevil shakes down for information on Daredevil’s mysterious Omen probably could have been a random criminal due to how fleeting Owl’s cameo is, but it is neat nonetheless that Phillips chose to fold Owl into the story so early by reiterating that “if there’s anyone in this city with more information about all things corrupt, illegal and sinister… I’ve yet to find them.”
Phillips And Garbett’s Daredevil Has Familiar And Unfamiliar Faces
Page from Daredevil #2.
Daredevil reflects on Leland Owlsley as a sense of “familiarity” in Hell’s Kitchen, and that is poignant, seeing as how the run deals with a lot of unfamiliarity in Matthew Murdock’s life. For example, Matt is grappling with “a new job, new bar, new man in a mask.” Perhaps the only unfamiliarity that Matt is warmly welcoming is fellow teacher and potential love interest Sari Ellison, though it will be interesting to see if that thread unravels, too.
Meanwhile, issue #2 gave readers a large dose of familiarity with the appearance of Spider-Man, establishing the foundation for the Daredevil and Spider-Man team-up that we will be treated to in Daredevil #3. If Owl does return sometime soon in this run, it will likely only be when Daredevil needs to meet with someone shady in order to get the answers he would not get anywhere else. Daredevil #2 is out now.
