Featuring: Daredevil
Release: January 10, 1967
Cover: March 1967
12 cents
Pulse-pounding presentation by: Smilin’ Stan Lee and Genial Gene Colan
Lots of little lettering by: Artie Simek
20 pages
| Previous | #666 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deadpool #11 | POSTLUDE | |
| Amazing Spider-Man #46 | Reading order | Daredevil #27 |
| Daredevil #25 | Daredevil | Daredevil #27 |
“Oh! Another superhero!”
“In this town, you can’t turn around without tripping over one of ’em!”
We come to story #666 in our Marvel reading. Daredevil seems an appropriate character for the occasion.
The title is Stilt-Man Strikes Again. We’ve already discussed at some length that I think “Hero fights ___ again” is one of the weakest possible premises for a comic. So hopefully there’s more going on here.
Unfortunately there is more going on, and it involves Mike Murdock.
Last issue, to protect his secret identity, Matt invented an imaginary twin brother whom he could pretend to be, to convince Foggy and Karen that this guy, Mike, and not he, was Daredevil.
At some point it seems easier to just tell them the truth.
The only reason not to tell them the truth is it puts them in danger. But Daredevil being so connected to the office puts them in danger anyway.
In fact, in this very issue, the Masked Marauder is suspicious of Daredevil’s connection to Nelson & Murdock.
So, whatever. Last issue Foggy and Karen met “Mike”, and now think he is Daredevil, and Matt’s brother. They didn’t find it odd that they never saw Mike and Matt at the same time.
But now Daredevil is adopting the Mike persona again. Why? Because it amuses him.
To be Mike, he messes up his hair and puts on shades. Very Superman-inspired disguise.
He must really like Mike Murdock since we get two pages of him talking about how cool it is to be Mike.
Foggy does not like Mike. The correct response.
Mike says, “Mmm… you dirty rat”, which Karen somehow recognizes as a James Cagney quote, even though it isn’t.
Matt’s even going to have Mike show up to watch the next day’s trial. Which of course means Matt can’t be there. The more Mike is around, the more someone is going to ask why they’ve never seen him and Matt together.
And now his appearance at the trial might make the existence of Mike publicly known. Which seems like more trouble.
I do like the idea that we get to see these super-villains on trial. That is something that could be explored. That Daredevil could help arrest a super-villain one day and Matt Murdock could defend him the next.
Of course, it’s absurdly unethical for Murdock to take such a case that he was so closely involved with.
On the stand, Leap-Frog denies his crimes. The prosecutor wants Leap-Frog to try on the fancy shoes to demonstrate they fit. I think Christopher Darden read this comic and took notes.
Foggy needs to yell, “If the shoe doesn’t fit, you must acquit!”
But the shoe does fit, and Leap-Frog uses the shoes to, well, leap away.
Outside, he meets Stilt-Man.
Daredevil fears what might happen if two such powerful villains teamed up. Sigh. I’ve complained at length about our heroes exaggerating how powerful their villains are.
One of them can jump high. The other can grow tall. Their powers almost seem redundant off each other.
Now, when last we saw Stilt-Man, he shrunk into nothingness. Not something I expect a villain to come back from. Except that Dr. Doom did. And Porcupine. But it’s not something I expected any other villains to come back from.
Leap-Frog, Stilt-Man, and now the Masked Marauder! That’s three villains in one issue! And all for 12 cents!
The Masked Marauder is unmasked! Did you guess his identity?
Let’s do a quick review of his history. We met him in Daredevil #16. In issue 18, we met the building manager where Nelson & Murdock is located. His name was Mr. Dunn. In issue 22, we learned the building manager’s name is actually Mr. Farnum. No idea why they’d been calling him Dunn. Foggy liked having clients like Mr. Farnum, who weren’t dangerous super-villains. Well, Foggy, I hate to break it to you…
It’s a time for unmaskings as next month the Supreme Hydra gets unmasked. I’ve teased out that reveal more than I have this one, as I find it more interesting.
Daredevil references Snow White wishing upon a star. Not sure she actually did. She sung a song about wishing into a well. Jiminy Cricket sung a song to Pinocchio about wishing upon a star. I wonder if Daredevil is mixing up his Disney movies. Perhaps it’s a bit unfair to ask a blind man to appreciate animated cinema.
Daredevil calls Farnum by name. That’s an oopsie. Now Farnum knows that Daredevil is someone he knows. An important clue. Daredevil will have to start being more careful with his secret identity. How many more twin brothers can he invent?
Next issue: “Mike Murdock Must Die!”
I agree with that sentiment so much.
Let’s Level With Daredevil.
We haven’t seen too many letters from Hawaiʻi.
Rating: ★★½, 46/100
Significance: ★★★☆☆
Characters:
- Daredevil/Matt Murdock/Mike Murdock
- Karen Page
- Foggy Nelson
- Frank Farnum/Masked Marauder
- Leap-Frog/Leapfrog
- Stilt-Man/Wilbur Day
Story notes:
- Nelson & Murdock to defend Leap-Frog in court tomorrow. Mike asks to be present, since he’s the one who defeated Leap-Frog.
- Mr. Farnum is displeased they are defending someone as disreputable as Leap-Frog.
- Leap-Frog denies the shoes are his and claims to be scared of heights. The prosecutor has Leap-Frog try them on. The shoes fit, and he escapes.
- But the DA removed the fasteners, so they couldn’t be tightly fastened to his feet, and he fell.
- Police arrest Leap-Frog.
- Stilt-Man has modified armor to double his strength.
- Wilbur Day shrunk into some form of timeless limbo, until the effects wore off and he returned to our reality. He decided to improve his suit and then return to crime.
- With hydraulic lift from armored truck, Masked Marauder gets into Nelson & Murdock through the window, believing they have some connection with Daredevil. Marauder knows Daredevil can’t be the soft and flabby Foggy, or the blind Murdock. But there may be a clue.
- The Masked Marauder unmasked as Frank Farnum.
- Farnum rescues Stilt-Man.
| Previous | #666 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| Deadpool #11 | POSTLUDE | |
| Amazing Spider-Man #46 | Reading order | Daredevil #27 |
| Daredevil #25 | Daredevil | Daredevil #27 |
