The Peerless Power of Comics!: For Daredevil Comes... Death!

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

For Daredevil Comes... Death!

Welcome to the middle of a week-long roundup of those remaining large-format books from late 1971 which the PPC has yet to cover in depth. Starting us off this week was a look at the 34-page Sub-Mariner story, scripted by Gerry Conway and pencilled by Gene Colan, that sees Namor continuing his search for both his human father who is reported to still be alive, and the woman who murdered his bride--in that order, which appears to be proof that even former monarchs can use some help in getting their priorities straight.

But now, we come to Daredevil #81, also by Conway and Colan, which finds our Man Without Fear in dire straits following a battle with his nemesis, the Owl, after being abandoned in a damaged helicopter high in the sky. What doesn't stay up, must come down, of course--and from the looks of the issue's cover as well as its splash page, Daredevil has plummeted way, way down, along with the 'copter wreckage. But it appears that help is on the way.

As was noted in the Sub-Mariner review, Colan has caught a break in this story in that he was required only to turn in work for a standard 19-page job, rather than submit an extra fifteen pages to conform to the new (and, as it turned out, blink-and-you-missed-it brief) oversized book format; the rest of the issue was padded with a reprint of a Strange Tales story from 1965. If we're to believe the Bullpen Bulletins page, that filler was in accordance with planned changes for both Daredevil and Iron Man:

"...[A] couple of our monthly mags will contain a minimal amount of reprint material... Two of 'em--DAREDEVIL and IRON MAN--will be combining into one bombshell title starting next month, to make room for new ideas and new concepts. Because of this impending change, these two mags--as well as ASTONISHING TALES ... will showcase a carefully-chosen selection of classic superhero goodies penned in days past by some of our mightiest masters--Johnny Romita, Wild Bill Everett, Long John Severin, the whole magilla."

Redundant wording which, boiled down to filter out the spin and the hard sell, translates to "Yes, the Daredevil and Iron Man issues for November had reprints added." (The Iron Man book contained a Tales To Astonish story featuring Giant-Man's battle with the Black Knight.)

But let's pivot to Daredevil himself, since the man is drowning, after all--a possibility that also occurs to the woman who hurries to his aid.

The Black Widow, as we know in hindsight, would begin to settle in for an extended stay in the mag, though she wouldn't formally share the book's masthead for another eleven issues. At this point in time, she's had concerns about bringing death to those who either cross her path or those she grows to care about (or, put another way, a "curse of the Black Widow" pall that hangs over her). In Daredevil's case, if we were predisposed to paranoia, we might wonder if their two paths crossing here has already resulted in disaster.

Thanks to the Widow, it looks like DD will live to fight another day--though she'll later discover she was mistaken about his reason for leaving so abruptly.

As for the Owl, both Conway and Colan provide him with a number of scene-chewing panels throughout this story--including a scene featuring a recurring villain who has been manipulating events in the lives of both Daredevil and Iron Man (those two certainly seem to be joined at the hip lately, don't they), the nefarous Mister Kline. In this segment, we learn there is more to Kline than has thus far met the eye--or less, depending on one's point of view.

Thanks in part to his rather recalcitrant meeting with Kline, the Owl decides to make a hit on the Treasury building--and since he and his hirelings aren't exactly gentle in their methods, the noise reaches the ears of the nearby Widow, who decides to take a hand in stopping them. And guess who also shows up, having caught wind of all the police sirens heading in that direction?