gladiator – Coke ⊕ Comics

Daredevil #23

DD Goes Wild!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: October 11, 1966
Cover: December 1966
12 cents
Story: Stan (The Man) Lee
Art: Gentleman Gene Colan
Inks: Fearless Frank Giacoia
Lettering: Swingin’ Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#630	Next
	INTERLUDE	Captain Atom #83, Story B
Daredevil #22	Reading order	Sgt. Fury #36
Daredevil #22	Daredevil	Daredevil #24

Surrender, Daredevil… or suffer the fatal consequences!

We seem to have two very similar opening splash pages.

Stan explains that Gene had drawn both, and they liked both, so they used both. I think Gene just likes his splash pages because it’s less pictures to draw.

As part of a brilliant plan to protect his secret identity, Matt told Karen he was going to pretend to be Daredevil. And he put on a Daredevil costume in front of her. They then went to the arena, where the real Daredevil showed up. And then she couldn’t find Matt in his Daredevil costume.

Daredevil #22

The Tri-Man Lives!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: September 1, 1966
Cover: November 1966
12 cents
Written with rapture by: Stan Lee
Drawn with drama by: Gene Colan
Delineated with delight by: Giacoia & Ayers
Lettered with the ball game on by: Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#629	Next
Avengers #35	Reading order	Daredevil #23
Daredevil #21	Daredevil	Daredevil #23

I know it’s utterly insane, but I can’t help thinking of Daredevil every time I look at Matt! I know a blind attorney can’t possibly be a costumed super-hero… and yet…!

We checked in with Daredevil at the start of the Secret Empire mess because his story was entangled with Spider-Man’s battle against the Rhino. We paused, but now need to look back and remind ourselves where we were some.

Matt Murdock was wanted for Rhino’s defense council, but he couldn’t be found, because he was a prisoner of the Owl. When the Rhino broke out of prison, we saw that Matt had returned safely from the Owl’s island, and considered going after the Rhino, but decided to let Spider-Man handle it.

We now go back in time a bit as this issue opens with Daredevil just escaping from Owl’s island.

But by page 3, we are back in the present, in a scene set after his appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #43. So, the first two pages took place a few days back. But it’s been quite the few days in the lives of the Marvel heroes. And starting on page 3, a longer saga begins.

I hope this is the last time I refer to the continuity of the Secret Empire saga.

Daredevil #19

Alone– Against the Underworld!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: June 2, 1966
Cover: August 1966
12 cents
Script: Masterful Stan Lee
Art: Magnificent Johnny Romita
Inks: Melodramatic Frank Giacoia
Lettering: Melancholy Sam Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#548	Next
Thor #136, Story B	Reading order	Sgt. Fury Annual 2
Daredevil #18	Daredevil	Daredevil #20

“You’ve got to confess that it was a hoax!”
“But then I’ll never have a chance with Karen!”

Hello. Happy new year. Welcome to this blog. We will be reading along with Daredevil #19, the 548th comic in the story that is the Marvel Universe, by our reckoning.

We’ve had a busy few months and found some complications in the Marvel Universe, which unfortunately delayed this latest entry. I thank the readers for their patience.

Without further ado, let’s try to recall that Foggy has recently been pretending he was Daredevil in order to impress Karen. The ruse led to Foggy finding himself in a Daredevil costume, battling a new super-villain called the Gladiator. This all began when Spider-Man mistook Foggy for Daredevil while searching for the Masked Marauder. The Masked Marauder remains at large.

Foggy does not seem to have learned a lesson from last issue’s shenanigans.

Daredevil #18

There Shall Come a Gladiator!

Featuring: Daredevil
Release: May 5, 1966
Cover: July 1966
12 cents
Story by: Smilin’ Stan Lee
Art by: Jazzy Johnny Romita
Inks by: Fearless Frank Giacoia
Lettering by: Swingin’ Sammy Rosen
20 pages

Previous	#530	Next
Marvels #3	POSTLUDE
X-Men #23	Reading order	Fantastic Four #52
Daredevil #17	Daredevil	Daredevil #19

Karen is about 99% convinced that I’m really Daredevil! But, she still hasn’t said she’ll marry me!

Next to the credits, we learn Stan had scripted 7 pages before taking a vacation, and that Denny O’Neil finished the script.

We met Dennis O’Neil on the final two issues Ditko’s Dr. Strange, his first comics work. He won’t be at Marvel long. He’ll go on to pretty good things at the Distinguished Competition.

Foggy enters a costume shop featuring various superheroes and villains. Recall how we saw a lot of superhero sculptures from Wally Wood to show off his takes on the characters; this is Romita’s chance to show he’s qualified for a variety of titles. Unfortunately Wood left before trying his hand at other Marvel characters.

Romita will be with Marvel for the rest of his days, and have generally more positive things to say about Stan and their relationship than the artists we’ve been seeing up until now. And Romita will get plenty of chances in the future to draw the characters he’s depicting here.