Wednesday, February 25, 2015

The Classics - Daredevil #6

   It's certainly possible to love a comic too much.

   The picture at right is not my copy of Daredevil #6 - mine is tattered and marked up - I was afraid the heat of the scanner might cause it to crumble into powder.

   When you hold it, it's like getting a grip on a rag - it's rubbery. My pal James refers to the condition of such comics as "BTH" - "Beat to Hell."

   The reason for the condition is easy to see - it's a terrific comic!

   Written by Stan Lee and drawn by Wally Wood, it pits "The Man Without Fear" against a new villain - Mr. Fear, who discovers a gas that induces intense fear - even in Daredevil's heart!.

   Mr. Fear teams up with two other second-rate (but entertaining) heavies - The Ox and The Eel - and the three form The Fellowship of Fear.

   This may be the only appearance of that team, but it's a dandy, showing off the amazing talent of Wood, who loads the issue with creative, entertaining fights, and Lee's gift for dialogue, as he keeps things moving with fast and funny patter.

   The issue is a heck of a lot of fun - which is why I read it over and over.

   The copy I own is one I picked up 51 years ago - in 1964 I traded for it, scoring it off my childhood friend Bruce (whose name is scrawled on the cover - he did that to all his comics. Some people).

   It may have virtually no resale value, but as a reading copy of a classic adventure, it's priceless.

   To me.

Grade: A+

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2 comments:

Cephas said...

The next issue, with Stiltman, was my first issue of DD bought off the stand at Nick's News in Huntington. Blew my mind! So cool.

Anonymous said...

Lee/Kirby and Lee/Ditko were the foundation of the Marvel Age of Comics. Can you imagine if Lee/Wood would have lasted much longer than it did? It would have meant a titanic trio of Marvel artistry overseen by Lee the Ringmaster! Imagine the great 60's Marvel comics...even BETTER!

Sam Kujava