Featuring: Daredevil
Release: June 1, 1965
Cover: August 1965
12 cents
Fundamental plot and script by Smilin’ Stan Lee
Basic layouts and delineation by Wondrous Wally Wood
Comprehensive pencilled graphics by Bouncy Bobby Powell
Balloons, orders and blurbs by Sammy Rosen
20 pages
| Previous | #375 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| INTERLUDE | Two-Gun Kid #77 | |
| Fantastic Four #43 | Reading order | Journey Into Mystery Annual 1 |
| Daredevil #8 | Daredevil | Daredevil #10 |
I can’t let them shoot me at sunrise! I hate getting up so early!
Wally Wood took over as artist on Daredevil with issue 5. In the coming issues, he introduced Daredevil’s iconic costume, some of his trademark weapons and moves, and told one of the greatest Marvel stories ever as Daredevil fought Sub-Mariner.
Now his short but impactful run is wrapping up. Because he did not get along with Stan Lee.
He was an industry veteran. He knew what the breakdown of responsibilities between artist and writer was. He knew he was doing a writer’s work on this comic, but only being paid as an artist.
The credits claim Stan Lee plotted this issue. Wally Wood would disagree. He admitted he and Stan did get together for plotting sessions to work out the stories together, but he described these sessions as them staring at each other in silence until Wood would suggest a plot. Which Stan then took credit for.
He’s not quitting just yet. We’ll see next issue he’ll get the credit and the pay for writing the issue, but that won’t become a regular practice. Wood will leave instead.
In some sense, Wood’s proper run on Daredevil is over, as this issue is really drawn by Bob Powell. Powell is a veteran artist as well, but one of the non-superstar artists we’ve been seeing on the weaker titles. Wood is credited with layouts and delineations, sketching out the story and character positions, but leaving it to Powell to draw the details.
Wood will be associated with the title for 2 more issues, but last issue was the final time we’ll really see Wood’s full artwork on Daredevil.
A short, but memorable run. His greatest contribution to early Marvel is probably to walk out the door. Marvel’s other superstar artists will do the same soon enough.
Wood begins this issue as he begins the last one, mid-action with a small vignette only loosely related to the main plot.
This has the effect of Daredevil getting shot in the arm. I would expect that to impact the main plot, but it doesn’t particularly. Daredevil does mention the arm injury but doesn’t seem especially held back by it.
This story was teased last issue when Karen found a doctor who could possibly cure Matt’s blindness. Matt doesn’t want the treatment because he fears it might cost him his enhanced senses, but Karen thinks he’s a coward for not trying it.
With his super enhanced senses, Matt is able to detect that Karen might have feelings for him, but decides he’s wrong.
With his super enhanced senses, Matt is able to detect a politician is lying.
No recourse to a dishonest politician except to travel to a sovereign nation and overthrow the government.
The Fantastic Four tip-toe around Dr. Doom because of his status as the leader of a sovereign nation, insisting they can never harm or imprison him.
But Daredevil and the Avengers are happy to go around deposing rulers with way less cause. Giant-Man and Thor as well.
Klaus Kruger is something of a poor man’s Dr. Doom. A scientist with an affectation for medieval trappings who tyrannically rules a small Balkan nation who went to university with our hero and controls a small army of robots. Lichtenbad seems explicitly modeled on Lichtenstein, which is what I think also inspired Latveria.
Kruger’s plan is to capture the smartest people in the world and have them help him conquer the world. So far, he’s tallied up a mildly famous lawyer and a renowned eye surgeon. I imagine the nations of the world surrendering imminently.
This reminds us of the plans of Kulla and the Living Eraser, both of whom were capturing smart scientists to take to their home dimension.
Daredevil is quippier than Spider-Man this issue.
Putting on your Daredevil costume in a foreign nation people know Matt Murdock has just traveled to seems like a bad idea. Especially a tiny nation that gets very few visitors.
Only Dr. Van Eyck makes the connection. Unfortunately for Van Eyck, we know what happens to people who learn our heroes’ identities.
Having killed a nation’s sovereign ruler and destroyed its entire government, Daredevil heads back to America. The rebels can take it from here, I guess.
Melodramatic much, Foggy?
We’ve reached June 1965. Let’s take a walk around the newsstand with the help of Mike’s Amazing World and the Grand Comics Database.
- Betty and Me #1, Archie
- Special War Series #1, Charlton
- Teen-Age Love #43, Charlton
- The Fox and the Crow #93, DC
- Hawkman #9, DC
- Our Army at War #157, DC
- Walter Lantz Woody Woodpecker #86, Gold Key
- Richie Rich #37, Harvey
We’ll be taking a bit of a pause from our normal reading to explore some other corners of Marvel Comics. We’ve been reading the Marvel superhero comics, but skipping the romance and western titles. However, this month’s Two-Gun Kid looks interesting enough to check out. We’ll call this an “INTERLUDE” post. For comics that come out concurrently with our reading but aren’t directly connected to our main reading.
And then Hercules and Zeus will be making their first appearances in the Marvel Universe. So before that, I’d like to look at older Marvel comics that feature these characters, as well as a couple classic Marvel characters for whom Hercules is a namesake.
Significance: ★★★☆☆
I read this story in Daredevil Epic Collection vol. 1: The Man Without Fear.
Characters:
- Daredevil/Matt Murdock
- Karen Page
- Foggy Nelson
- Klaus Kruger
- Dr. Van Eyck
Story notes:
- Daredevil shot in arm.
- Ben Casey reference.
- Van Eyck moved from America to Lichtenbad.
- Foggy thinks he can hide that he’s playing golf in the office.
- Klaus Kruger hereditary ruler of Principality of Lichtenbad.
- Kruger foreign exchange student in class with Matt and Foggy in final year of law school.
- Kruger was brilliant and athletic. Kruger appears to be a scientist, but he was in law school.
- Kruger acts like Matt has recently lost his sight, when he actually was blind when they met.
- Matt can tell by pulse rate that Kruger is lying.
- Lichtenbad a walled city, like a medieval fortress or modern prison.
- Assassin tries to kill Kruger, but Kruger disarms him.
- Matt and Kruger fly Eldrina Airlines
- Daredevil overhears lots of talk of revolt.
- Palace Guard is robots in medieval armor.
- Ed Sullivan reference.
- Castle full of complex electronic equipment and power to blow up half a continent.
- Dr. Van Eyck recognizes Daredevil is Matt… the first to learn his secret.
- Before being defeated, Kruger will set off cobalt bomb.
- Van Eyck sacrifices himself to stop bomb.
- Kruger falls to death.
| Previous | #375 | Next |
|---|---|---|
| INTERLUDE | Two-Gun Kid #77 | |
| Fantastic Four #43 | Reading order | Journey Into Mystery Annual 1 |
| Daredevil #8 | Daredevil | Daredevil #10 |
