'Daredevil: Born Again' is not the only stellar story about the Man Without Fear – here’s another one that also turns 40 years old this year.
With all the hype surrounding the new Daredevil: Born Again TV series on Disney+ Hotstar, many comics fans (yours truly included) have gone back to the “original scriptures” (Daredevil, Vol. 1, #227-#233) to refresh our memory and to do a comparative analysis on just how faithful the TV adaptation is to its comic roots.
While doing so, I came across another Daredevil tale that is equally worthy of a screen adaptation – Daredevil, Vol. 01 #223 – a standalone one-shot tale (and a Secret Wars 2 tie-in) written by Denny O’ Neil and Jim Shooter, with art by David Mazzuchelli.
In this issue, the trillion-dollar question regarding Daredevil is answered: what if Matt Murdock regained his sight?
I don’t recall there ever being a What If? take on this, and thankfully, this issue is not a chapter from that series, but rather a canonical story about Matt getting a “gift” from the Beyonder. At that time, he was doing his tour of duty on Earth.
When I read this tale 40 years ago, Daredevil #223 was (and still is) a standout issue in the superhero’s history, especially in terms of handling a very fundamental aspect to the Man Without Fear. In terms of the lacklustre Secret Wars sequel, this also served as one of its rare bright sparks.
Anyway, re-reading this issue was a trip down memory lane – bringing back memories of how simple (but yet effective) story telling was in the 1980s, how cheap (but yet priceless) comics were then, and how touching this tale actually is.
Don’t let the cover blurb fool you, Daredevil #223 is a lot more complex a story than you think. — Photos: Marvel Comics
For the record, the cover price of this comic is US$0.65, which was around RM1.50 in the 1980s, and about RM3 today!
But that’s not what this sub-heading is about, as it actually refers to the story where Daredevil (Murdock) learns about the “price” of regaining his sight.
If you’re not aware of Daredevil’s past, here’s a refresher. Courtesy of a radioactive canister that hit his eyes while he was saving a child from an accident, Murdock was blinded as a teenager and developed hyper senses that complemented his martial arts skills.
In place of a normal vision, Murdock relied on his “radar sense” to see and navigate his movements.
But what if he regained his sight and still has his radar sense? Would that make him better? This tale doesn’t deal much with the physical aspects but rather the emotional parts.
The story has Beyonder hiring Daredevil’s law firm to handle his ‘purchase’ of planet Earth!
As to how Murdock regained his sight ... it came as a “gift” by the Beyonder, who intended to secure the services of the Nelson & Murdock Law firm to handle the legalities in acquiring Earth. (If this sounds corny, just read the entire Secret Wars 2 series for extra, er, corn.)
As a retainer, the Beyonder pays the firm one million dollars, which he recovered from the safe of a sunken ship (and in the process, even familiarised himself with US Salvage Laws).
As a special “retainer” for Murdock, the Beyonder gifts him his sight. Unfortunately, the timing of the gift could have been better, as it happened right in the middle of Daredevil’s pursuit of a snatch thief.
The sudden ability to see again completely threw off Daredevil while he was swinging mid-air and caused him to plummet into a vat of chemicals instead.
Daredevil regains his sight in the midair, which completely throws him off.
Fortunately, the joy of regaining his sight overwhelms that embarrassment.
Suddenly, the earlier hunt for the thief becomes secondary as Murdock treats himself to some me-time by taking a scenic tour of the city, and seeing his (then) beau – Glorianna O’Breen for the first time.
Being a long time DD-fan, I’d say the man has earned his day off (years in fact) and the two pages of “date time” justifies Murdock taking a break from crime-fighting.
Matt’s date with Glorianna was one of the best parts of the issue.
Alas, all good things must come to an end, as Murdock gradually realises that regaining his sight means so much to him, and he would do anything to keep it.
But at the same time, he also worries that he might even be tempted to sacrifice the dearest thing to him – his profound sense of justice.
Fearing (finally something the Man Without Fear is afraid of) that it might compromise his sense of justice, Murdock “demands” that the Beyonder withdraw his retainer, even threatening to sue him if he does not do as asked.
(As if that would work on an omnipotent being who is able to destroy planets.)
Ignoring the more far-fetched parts (the Beyonder bits) of this standalone tale, I found this issue an enjoyable read – which for me is the raison d’etre of comic books.
The idea of Murdock regaining his sight had not been explored extravagantly at the time, which may also be a blessing in disguise, as this disability happens to be Daredevil’s biggest asset.
I can’t recall whether Murdock eventually explained to Glorianna about his sight and subsequent (re)blindness, but the few panels of them enjoying their date is simply priceless.
Matt eventually gives up the gift of sight in order to preserve his sense of justice.
It would have been even better had Murdock finally seen his eternal buddy Foggy Nelson with his own eyes (yes, he did get a glimpse in #379, but who’s counting), considering he did appear in the same issue.
Behind the scenes, this issue sports a top-notch creative cast. From the John Byrne cover to David Mazzuchelli on the interiors, the art front is well covered by two notable 1980s legends.
As for the late Denny O’Neil, he was a notable regular DD-scribe who bridged Frank Miller’s two stints on the title. He definitely has better accomplishments, including taking on drug issues on Green Lantern/Green Arrow, making Tony Stark an alcoholic, credited for naming Optimus Prime, but this issue should fall into his most sentimental contribution.
