The highlight for this week was Daredevil #6. A new villain, Mr. Fear, enlists the Eel and Ox on a crime spree, but are thwarted by the Man Without Fear, Daredevil. I really liked this issue, for a couple of reasons. First, it introduced a new villain to the Daredevil's rogue's gallery, Mr. Fear. I think Mr. Fear is a good introduction to DD's rogue's gallery for a couple of reasons: a villain who causes fear is a good counterpoint for hero who's tagline is 'The Man Without Fear', and while it could be claimed he's a variation on the Scarecrow, a villain whose power is delivered through a gas is actually a powerful foe for a hero who relies on smell and hearing to replace sight. On a few podcasts its been noted that in the beginning Daredevil didn't have a strong villain line-up, and that's true especially in comparison with some his contemporaries: six villains in and Daredevil has only 3 had 3 villains of note -- The Owl, The Purple Man, and now, Mr. Fear (no, the Matador does not count). Wally Wood continues to deliver strong, consistent art, and rather than putting Karen Page in danger as has been the case with the past two issues, Stan makes good use of Foggy being the supporting character in danger. The issue only had two niggles for me: Daredevil basically beats the 'Fellowship of Fear' by luck and a couple of contrivances: I could by an exhaust fan in the workroom where the wax figures or made, but not in the showroom. The second is that some of the wax figures that appear in the wax museum really shouldn't be there. Diablo, for example. The FF encountered him in the Balkans and left him imprisoned. How would Drago know what he looked like to make a waxwork? As you can see I'm grasping for criticisms, which makes me happy. I've been a little tough on the Daredevil issues so far in some correspondence with some of my friends on Facebook, so I'm glad to be able to spotlight one in a positive light.
I can't be so charitable to Avengers #13. In this issue, Maggia head Count Nefaria comes to the states and frames the Avengers for treason. On the one-hand this is something of a nice change of pace for the Avengers: they've basically had three stories: Find/Fight the Hulk (#1-3, 5), fight the Masters of Evil (#6-7, 9), and time travelers (#8, 10-11). I wanted to highlight it for two reasons: it is many ways a DC Silver Age story from a plot/character perspective and its really hampered by the Comics Code.
Why does it feel like a DC story? The focus on organized crime. Organized crime and thugs have appeared in Marvel comics before, but they are normally a rarity unless fodder or a quick action piece for a page. Most of the Marvel stable of heroes have a quickly growing roster of super villains in the mold of the Silver Age Flash with the few diversions into alien menaces. Contrast that with DC where mainstays like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman were still tangling with gangsters and normal criminals 6-8 issues out of every 12. The weaker antagonists forces Captain America in the spotlight again. The heavy hitters get camera-time when confronted by the heavy artillery of the US Army, but the bulk of the pages making up the assault on Castle Nefaria go to Cap.
However, this could have been a stronger story I think, if not for the Comic Code. Stan and Heck try to paint Nefaria as a menacing mastermind, but it completely fails. A subordinate whose crime was foiled by the Avengers has the equivalent of a hologramatic Skype call with Nefaria and his punishment for failure is basically being hung up on. Its obvious that he should have been shot and killed, but they couldn't convey that. The climax is hampered in the same manner. The Wasp is seriously injured by being shot during the fight. However, we have to be told this We aren't shown the fight because we can't see them actually shoot her, and they don't even show her injured after the fact. My assumption is this is because of the Comic Code's rules about realistic violence and gunplay at the time. It's an okay story, but the lack of menace, threat, and consequences being shown really hurt it.
Interesting observations! I don't disagree. However, you make a good point regarding the early Avengers stories. Basically just Hunt the Hulk, Masters of Evil, and Time Travelers. Since so many of the adventures deal with time travelers, I think there's a good story waiting to be written that Kang or someone has sent emissaries to disrupt the Avengers and prevent the discovery of Cap, but keep missing the target, and so, have sent repeated missions to try... and the early Marvel history we know is the result of multiple attempts that HAVE altered the fabric of the MU. What a major storyline this could be, with a long format like Avengers Forever, it would be a killer!
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