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Daredevil #11 (1965)
I really wish we could have seen Wally Wood’s ending to this Organizer story. Instead, San Lee bogs this issue down in lengthy exposition, a lack of action, and an ending that comes out of nowhere. More on that in a minute.
While Lee’s story is very straightforward, his characters still make illogical and frustrating conclusions. The Organizer’s ring was the clue Wood left in the last issue for readers to determine his identity. Daredevil points out that his radar sense picked up the ring, so one might think there was some mystery around the ring: was it a radio for the Organizer to coordinate attacks while out in the public eye? No. The linchpin to this mystery is the Organizer wears the same ring Abner Harris wears. Therefore, he’s the Organizer. That’s right, he’s outed because he forgot to take off his ring before the broadcast. There’s no discussion about whether the ring is a one of a kind or if there was some kind of marker or pattern to indicate the ring’s uniqueness. Not to mention Abner’s pathetic confession when confronted about the ring, “Blast it! I forgot!” – it reads like this were a Scooby Doo mystery. Abner doesn’t put up much of a fight as he’s hauled off to jail.
A lot of the action here is rehashed from the previous issue except shorter and somehow less exhilarating. Action sequences that would’ve spanned several panels, if not a couple pages, are reduced to four to five panels on less than a page.
The story takes place amidst a political campaign which should have allowed for both Matt and his Daredevil alter ego to do what the other couldn’t, but 95% of this is handled by Daredevil. Foggy Nelson and Karen Paige’s involvement in this mystery prevents Matt from changing into our hero, but there’s nothing that highlights Matt’s power of deduction or his savvy in handling political social affairs.
Speaking of the love triangle, when the group is back at the office, they receive word from their landlord that the rent is overdue and throughout this whole ordeal, Nelson and Murdock haven’t had a single client or case. Matt concludes that Foggy and Karen need a smaller, more affordable office, so he takes a leave of absence. Talk about an ending that just gives up. In 15 panels, Lee tries to convey that each member in this love triangle is being torn apart but it’s clearly rushed. Most of two pages are white from word and thought bubbles. It’s all telling and not showing.
It’s a pathetic ending to a story that had so much potential.
Rating: 1.5/5.
Daredevil #659 (2023)
It is my sincere hope that Chip Zdarsky kills off Daredevil by the end of his run. Not because Zdarsky has gone off the deep end or anything negative like that, but this issue ends with a dangerous Daredevil. Matt Murdock isn’t playing games anymore, and his next move sounds like it could be a suicide mission.
This issue starts out rather weakly. It takes place three weeks after the Stromwyns and the Avengers attacked Daredevil’s island. Cole North quits the force in pursuit of having to handle criminal activity outside the confines of the law. Cole is also housing Matt. Unfortunately, we’re not shown how Cole found Matt or even how the two of them got back to the states without setting off any red flags. Cole gives Matt some tough love and kicks him out telling him that he needs to help his friends.
Matt takes the afternoon and strolls down memory lane reminded of his past failures. He goes back to an apartment and reads the Fist’s prophecies. With every turn of the page, the book begins to burn up. The panel showing the pages burning all around Matt is reminiscent of Wanda Maximoff reading from the Darkhold. Armed with knowledge of the future events and renewed vigor, Daredevil confronts the Stromwyns.
This is where the book really exemplifies Matt’s rage and frustration. Daredevil offers himself to the Stromwyns as their personal inside agent in exchange for a full pardon for Elektra Natchios. Daredevil gouges his eyes out as a symbol of his loyalty, and I love how gruesome of an act is considering the Stromwyns have no idea that Daredevil is blind. Daredevil takes things one step further and threatens Una Stromwyn to fully pardon the rest of his army otherwise he’ll kill her brother Quinn Stromwyn, and Daredevil gives Quinn the beating of a lifetime. It’s a quick and brutal exchange that had me as surprised as the Stromwyns. Before Daredevil leaves their office/stronghold, he slams Quinn’s head against a desk and removes Quinn’s right eye and replaces it with whatever red-eye prosthetic Matt has had since the loss of his eye.
The issue closes with Daredevil perched on the edge of a rooftop saying, “All I have left to do… is die.” It’s an epic end to the story and sets Daredevil on a warpath. Plus, the idea that underneath Daredevil’s cowl are just rivers of blood from where his eyes have been.
Editor Devin Lewis said that issue 12 is possibly one of the greatest stories they’ve told at Marvel in the last 20 years, so the bar is set. I’ll temper my expectations, but at this point, I have no idea where this story is headed. I’m excited to see what comes next.
Rating: 4/5.
The issue also has a backup story featuring Iron Fist (Lin Lie) written by Jason Loo and illustrated by Lynne Yoshii. Lin comes to Daredevil in need of training to be able to fight through pain. A water demon is on Iron Fist’s heels seeking an ancestral sword. The problem is the shards of said sword are imbedded under Iron Fist’s skin. The lighter tone and villain of the week is a welcome change of pace for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen. I’m hoping these backups continue as a fun way to have various characters crossover with Daredevil or possibly give us a glimpse of what to expect from Saladin Ahmed & Aaron Kuder’s upcoming Daredevil run.
The writer of this piece is: Laurence Almalvez
Laurence tweets from @IL1511
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