Published: August, 1964
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Joe Orlando
Inks: Vince Colletta
Letters: Sam Rosen
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!!
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“The Grotesque Adventure of the Green Goblin!”
“The Mighty Avengers Meet the Masters of Evil!”
“No One Escapes the Mandarin!”
The Sun-Stealer!
“On the Trail of the Amazing Spider-Man!”
“A Voice In the Dark!”
“The Thunder God Strikes Back!”
WHERE’S WALDO? Decades before the advent of the “
“We Have to Fight the X-Men!”
Now, this opens a whole can of worms. Who’s on this staff, and how much do they know about what really goes on in Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters? Are these average homo sapiens who think they’re simply tending a bunch of smart kids? What goes through their mind when they see the students walking around in those crazy yellow and blue uniforms? Have they ever seen Angel’s wings? Beast’s feet? 
Professor felt he could trust implicitly. Maybe “the cook” is the same cook who cut little Charlie’s peanut butter and jelly sandwiches when he was a wee one, growing up in the Xavier mansion.
THEY’VE GOT A MISSION
Magneto’s living in a dreamworld, where both his minions and his enemies quake and cower at the mere mention of his name. The funny part is that early in the story Magneto has to admit that X-Men have foiled him at every turn. The X-Men. A bunch of teenagers. How sad is that? Magneto is the neighborhood curmudgeon, plotting his revenge against the adolescent hooligans who keep running across his lawn. When he decides he needs Sub-Mariner to help him defeat the X-Men, that’s the saddest moment of all. Basically, he’s admitting, “I can’t handle these kids on my own, I need help.”
IS THERE NO END TO THESE SUPERPOWERS?
TIMING IS EVERYTHING
The X-Men sail in a wooden ship, yet Magneto’s magnet is able to tear it to shreds. Well, it IS “the largest magnet on earth.” Does that explain its incredible power?
But then, in the penultimate panel, Magneto takes back Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch by means of a mental command. So disappointed! I was really hoping this story would be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back. These two so clearly do not belong with the Evil League of Evil. Their alliance is first of all to each other, and then to “What Is Right.” 
Which brings up one of my pet peeves about entertainment. Why is it that sometimes you’ll watch a movie or TV show where all the characters look basically the same (lookin’ at you, WB)? You’re new to this particular universe, just trying to get your bearings, and every guy 
in his late twenties has short, dirty blonde hair. Every shapely woman is a brunette. Every black guy is bald. Look, we’re new here. A little courtesy, please! How about some red curly hair? How about dreads? I wouldn’t even mind the token blonde bimbo now and then, if it helps me keep track of who’s who. 
They choose to go after Johnny first, deducing that because he’s the youngest, he’ll be the easiest to capture. And for a while, it looks like they might be right. Young Johnny displays an incredible naiveté when Handsome Harry shows up claiming to be a reporter from a hot rod magazine. Okay, I know Johnny’s young, but he’s certainly no sheltered wallflower, and he needs to stop acting like one. A guy in his position, as superhero, has to stop being so gullible, trusting every person who shows up at his doorstep with some incredible story or offer. Especially if they’re wearing sunglasses, which is apparently all it takes in this universe to make someone completely unrecognizable. What’s more, later in the story, Johnny also falls for the old Three Stooges “Hey! Who’s that behind you?” trick that allows Handsome Harry to soak him with a high-powered water gun. 
Once captured by Yogi’s asbestos rope, wrapped in an asbestos blanket, and taken to an asbestos-lined trailer (is it just my imagination, or does everything in the Marvel Universe come in “Asbestos” as well as “Non-Asbestos”?) Johnny finally does apply some smarts, and fills the trailer with smoke, which attracts the fire department, and he’s set free. Immediately, he runs home, where he dries off in a “Quick-Drying” Shower, that Reed has built behind the garage. If you’re a guy like Johnny, I guess it’s a good idea to have a Quicky Drying room, though I’m not sure how this works. I’m no scientist, but I have to wonder how “thin streams of concentrated STEAM heat” help you dry off. Isn’t steam simply really, really hot water? How does anything composed of water help you dry off? 
Doctor Doom possibly carry out his evil schemes without the assistance of three such criminal masterminds? 
“The World Beyond”
But Strange hypnotizes Nightmare into believing the sleepless Gulgol is about to attack, and Nightmare frantically agrees to return Strange’s powers to him, if only he will get rid of that gosh-darned Gulgol. 
We get a clearer picture of Nightmare in this outing. Previously he was in shadows, undefined, but now we can see the pattern of his outfit, and every messy hair on his head. He does indeed seem a formidable foe for Dr. Strange, one I certainly would not wish to meet in my dreams. 
Everything here is odd and upside down, and I do not like it. I do not like it here or there, I do not like it anywhere!
Incidentally, Strange’s nightmare begins with a visit from “a mysterious figure, cloaked in darkness…covered with an aura of evil!” When the figure’s face is finally revealed, we seem to be looking at a mutated version of Dicken’s third ghost from “A Christmas Carol” or…could it be?…Doctor Doom!! 
