BATMAN #348

Yes, we skipped BATMAN #347. It was a fill-in written by Roger Slifer and is
not reprinted in DC's TALES OF THE BATMAN: GERRY CONWAY volumes.

"SHADOW PLAY"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Alfred unpack in the original Batcave beneath Wayne Manor, under the secret observation of Man-Bat. When the doorbell rings, Alfred goes upstairs to answer it and finds an angry Francine Langstrom, with her daughter Rebecca, waiting. Francine raves that Bruce had promised to help find her husband, Kirk, but has not done so. When Bruce appears, Francine berates him and then passes out. After putting Francine to bed in the mansion, Bruce, Dick, and Alfred head down to the Batcave with a blindfolded Rebecca. Bruce changes to Batman, dons some infrared contact lenses, and takes Rebecca into the subterranean caverns in search of Man-Bat. But as soon as they depart, Man-Bat shows himself, swooping past Dick and Alfred to follow.

After some time searching, Batman decides to give up for the night. But as he and Rebecca are about to turn around, Man-Bat appears and attacks, knocking Batman down a cliff. The Caped Crusader climbs back up a few minutes later to find Man-Bat and Rebecca gone. Batman follows the sound of Rebecca's screams to find that Man-Bat has taken her to "his" Bat-cave; a cavern filled with bats. Man-Bat attacks Batman, but the hero appeals to his humanity by way of Rebecca. Suddenly, Kirk Langstrom's personality returns, and Batman overdoses him with the Man-Bat antidote. Soon after, Kirk is reunited with his wife and daughter in Wayne Manor.

DETECTIVE COMICS #512

"THE FATAL PRESCRIPTION OF DOCTOR DEATH!"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Don Newton & Dan Adkins
Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Doctor Death reveals to Batman that everyone in Gotham was dosed with his dust, and that the city must pay him one billion dollars for the antitode. He then departs, leaving Batman and the unconscious Robin hanging by their wrists from the bridge. Later, Mayor Hill takes a call from Doctor Death and refuses to negotiate with him. At dawn, following three hours of hanging, Batman takes a desperate chance and manages to free both himself and Robin. He then spends the day at the overwhelmed Gotham General hospital by Robin's bedside and helping doctors in their search for an antidote. Elsewhere, a Gotham SWAT team reaches Relief Island, but finds Doctor Death is gone. Batman then heads to the estate of Death's alter ego, Doctor Karl Hellfern, and finds the doctor there. Death sprays Batman with a concentrated dose of his dust, then attempts escape, but Batman takes down his helicopter and captures the doctor.

Death himself is dosed with the dust, and Batman takes him to the hospital. The next morning, the city is sprayed with the antidote to Death's formula, saving the lives of everyone in Gotham.

Continuity Notes: Vicki Vale develops her photos from the party in the prior issue of BATMAN, and finds that Dala's image is curiously blurred beside a perfectly in-focus Dick Grayson.

BATMAN #345

"CALLING DOCTOR DEATH"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: In a location unknown, a stoolpigeon named Keswick is brought before a mystery man in a wheelchair. The man chastizes Keswick for attempting to betry him to the police, then sprays Keswick with some dust. Later, Batman arrives at the Gotham waterfront, where Commissioner Gordon presides over the recovery of Keswick's body. Batman requests the autopsy, and then departs to rejoin a party in progress downtown as Bruce Wayne. There, he notes several revelers engaged with a wheelchair-bound man named Doctor Karl Hellfern. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson exits the party with his date, Dala, and they spot a cloud of dust raining down on Gotham. Dick is struck on the hand by some of the dust. Later, Bruce joins Robin in the Batcave, where the Teen Wonder is analyzing the dust. The Batcomputer comes up with a prognosis of death for anyone sprinkled with it.

Elsewhere, Commissioner Gordon meets with Gotham's new mayor, Hamilton Hill. As Gordon expected, Hill demands Gordon's resignation and gives him twenty-four hours to comply before he will proceed with an impeachment effort. Later, Gordon meets with Batman and Robin, revealing that Keswick died of an extreme allergic reaction to the same dust which hit Robin and countless other Gothamites. The Dynamic Duo go in search of Keswick's killer, and are referred by a stoolpigeon to Gotham's long-abandoned Relief Island. The heroes take the Batboat to the island and are ambushed upon arrival by a group of martial artists. Robin, weakened by his reaction to the dust, is knocked out. And when Batman is distracted by his partner's defeat, he too is beaten. Batman awakens later, hanging with Robin from a bridge passing over the island. Below, Doctor Hellfern -- a.k.a. Doctor Death -- gloats over his prisoners.

Continuity Notes: Batman notes in the opening pages that Gordon is distracted, and chalks it up (correctly, as we see a couple pages later) to the commissioner's problems with Mayor Hill. A footnote informs readers that Hill was elected "Last month" in the prior issues of BATMAN and DETECTIVE COMICS.

BATMAN #344

"MONSTER, MY SWEET!"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: At Dawn the day before Gotham's mayoral election, Batman arrives in the Batcave and discusses with Alfred Arthur Reeves' plan to expose his identity. Meanwhile, Poison Ivy meets with mob boss "Big Jack" Johnson and tells him that she's now in charge of his gang. Later that morning, Reeves announced that he will reveal Batman's identity at a press conference that night. And later still, Poison Ivy meets the Wayne Foundation board of directors at Gotham National Bank, and collects her check for the full sum of the Foundation's assets. Subsequently, Batman begins stalking Posion Ivy, appearing everywhere she goes throughout the afternoon until she returns to her hideout.

That night, Batman meets Commissioner Gordon at City Hall for Reeves' press conference. The city councilman reveals photos which appear to show that Batman is actually "Big Jack" Johnson. Meanwhile, Dick Grayson returns to the Wayne penthouse. Later, Batman arrives at Poison Ivy's rooftop greenhouse and smashes in, to find Ivy waiting for him. She reveals that she has mutated her valet, Ivor, into a plant-man, and orders the creature to kill Batman. Their fight carries them outside and Batman is injured during the battle. Meanwhile, ace TV reporter Olivia Ortega receives an envelope from a mystery source and opens it in shock. Back at the greenhouse, Robin arrives and takes out Poison Ivy, while Batman defeats Ivor. In the aftermath, Ivor reveals Ivy's plan to loot the Wayne Foundation, as Commissioner Gordon listens.

Later, the Dynamic Duo return to the Batcave in time to view a special news report with Alfred, in which Olivia Ortega reveals that Reeve's photos were doctored fakes, thus sealing the councilman's fate the night before the election.

DETECTIVE COMICS #510

"HEAD-HUNT BY A MAD HATTER!"
Writer Gerry Conway | Artists: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson
Letterer: Ben Oda | Colorist: Klaus Janson | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Batman watches a mayoral debate between Hamilton Hill and Arthur Reeves, then stops a robbery. Meanwhile, Lucius Fox is working late at Wayne Enterprises when the company computer goes haywire and knocks him out, and he is subsequently kidnapped by the Mad Hatter. The next morning Bruce Wayne takes a call from Commissioner Gordon, informing him of the incident. Bruce meets the commissioner in the Wayne offices, where his secretary presents him with a business card from Head Hunters, Inc., which she found on her desk. At Gordon's order, Bruce calls the number. The Mad Hatter answers and tells Bruce he will return Lucius for two million dollars.

Gordon orders Bruce to pay the ransom so the police can track it. But before doing so, Bruce does some investigating of a component which was added to his company computer. Afterward, Bruce pays the ransom and when the Hatter confirms it has been done, he drains all of Lucius's business knowledge with a special computer, then perpares to erase the executive's memory -- but Batman appears, having traced the electronic component to the Hatter's hideout. Batman takes out the Hatter's goons, then volunteers to take Lucius's place in his machine. The Hatter agrees, but his device fails to erase Batman's memory. Later, as the police take the Hatter and his men away, Batman explains that he wore a special rubberized headpiece under his cowl, which prevented his brain from being drained.

BATMAN #343

"A DAGGER SO DEADLY..."
Writer Gerry Conway | Artist: Gene Colan | Embellisher: Klaus Janson
Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Adrienne Roy | Editor: Dick Giordano

The Plot: Batman ends a fruitless search for Man-Bat near Wayne Manor, and drives back to Gotham City. Inside city limits, he spots a knife-thrower on a motorcycle who takes out a semi-truck with a well-placed dagger. Batman drives after the villain, who calls himself Dagger, but another hurled knife takes the Batmobile out of commission and Batman is forced to drive it off Gotham bridge to prevent it from exploding near civilians.

The next day, Dagger continues his spree, attacking a jewelry shop to extort protection money. He eludes the police and escapes. That night, Batman dives for the crashed Batmobile and retrieves Dagger's knife, which leads him to the weapon's manufacturer: the Rennington Steel company in New York. Batman speaks with Mister Rennington, who leaves him momentarily and then returns in the costume of Dagger. Rennington attacks Batman, but the Caped Crusader proves more than his match, using a dummy to distract Dagger and then knocking him out with a massive novelty dagger. Batman turns Dagger over to the police and then drives back to Gotham.

Continuity Notes: Narration states that Batman has been searching for Man-Bat for a week, with a footnote pointing to the prior issue for their last encounter. However Batman also thinks to himself that he traveled to Egypt during that week (footnoted to DETECTIVE COMICS #508), and wonders if the trail went cold because of that little side-quest.

AVENGERS #382

"OFFERINGS"
Writer: Bob Harras | Breakdowns: Mike Deodato | Finishes & Colors: Tom Palmer
Letterer: Bill Oakley | Editor: Ralph Macchio | Chiefs: Tom DeFalco/Mark Gruenwald

Note: AVENGERS #379 - 382 were published as "Double Features" with a GIANT-MAN limited series included as a "flipbook" within those issues. I will cover the GIANT-MAN serial in one post after issue 382.

The Plot: Crystal, Quicksilver, Bova, and the High Evolutionary emerge from the wreckage of Bova's cabin as some of the Evolutionary's New Men approach. But the mutated Fydor, now calling himself Rakkus, kills the New Men. The Avengers and the Evolutionary battle Rakkus, who continues to evolve. Bova tries to reason with the beast, but it grabs her -- so the Evolutionary blasts its chest, killing it. Rakkus, who was actually a mutant inhabiting and changing Fydor's body, retreats, and Fydor reverts to normal, dying in Bova's arms.

Continuity Notes: At Avengers Mansion, Black Widow finds Captain America asleep in an easy chair and notes how unusual that is for him. She recalls meeting him during World War II in Madripoor (and note the little jab Ralph Macchio takes at the UNCANNY X-MEN issue which featured that meeting in his editorial note, indirectly calling out the fact that Widow was presented as a child in that story, which circa 1994 -- or even 1990, when the UNCANNY issue was published, would've been pretty hard to reconcile.

The Widow also suddenly finds herself attracted to Cap and reaches out to touch him as he sleeps, but is interrupted when Jarvis wanders into the room. In the aftermath of this moment, the Widow thinks to herself that she's entertaining some "very dangerous thoughts" about Cap. (Notably, in the backup story, covered below, when Cap radios the Widow at one point, she replies by calling him "Handsome.")

DAREDEVIL #191

"ROULETTE”
Writer/Penciler : Frank Miller | Inker : Terry Austin
Colorist: Lynn Varley | Letterer: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil

The Plot: Daredevil visits Bullseye in the hospital and plays a round of Russian Roulette with him while his inner monolgooue reflects on a boy who recently shot a schoolmate after seeing DD beat up his father, and on his own father as well.

In the end, DD reveals that there are no bullets in the gun.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: For the most part there are none. This is the final issue of Frank Miller’s DAREDEVIL run and is a stand-alone installment. However we do learn that Matt’s dad once hit him after he got into a fight with some classmates.

However, way back when I covered issue 169, Miller's second issue as writer, I noted that he had provided a nice monologue from Daredevil on why, no matter how bad things got, he could never actually kill Bullseye. This issue gives us a very nice bookend to that speech as we see that, sure enough, even at his darkest, Daredevil will hew to his beliefs and Bullseye will live.

My Thoughts: So Matt’s dad once hit him while in a drunken stupor. Because heaven forbid our hero’s idolization of his father be completely earnest. There just has to be some kind of darkness under the surface, doesn’t there? Miller tries to sell this as the moment Matt decided he would become a lawyer, when he recognized that his father had lost control and that laws exist to punish people for doing such things — but why? Isn’t it just possible that a guy could become an attorney and a superhero simply because he was instilled with good values by a father he looked up to? Isn’t that enough?

Apparently not.

DAREDEVIL #190

"RESURRECTION”
Writer/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Daredevil, Black Widow, and Stone fight the Hand at a cemetery, but are unable to stop the ninjas from stealing Elektra’s corpse. Meanwhile, the Kingpin fends off an assassin sent by one of his underlings, Injun Joe. Daredevil visits the Kingpin for help in finding the Hand, and Kingpin asks DD to take out Injun Joe instead. Daredevil does so and is rewarded with the Hand’s location.

Daredevil, Black Widow, and Stone confront the Hand in an abandoned church as they attempt to resurrect Elektra. DD senses a heartbeat and attempts to use mystical arts to resurrect her, as he saw Stone do to Black Widow, but he fails. The Kingpin’s men burst into the burning church and finish off the Hand. Daredevil and Black Widow go outside, leaving Stone to finish Elektra. But before he can do the deed, he senses DD managed to purify her with his attempt to bring her back to life.

Daredevil and Black Widow enter the church once more to find Stone and Elektra’s body gone, with only Stone’s gi left behind. Later, Elektra scales a cliff in the snow, reborn thanks to Daredevil and Stone.

DAREDEVIL #189

"SIEGE”
Writer/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Stone uses his ninja abilities to restore Black Widow’s health. The Hand attack Matt’s brownstone, outmatching the combined forces of Daredevil, Black Widow, Stick, Stone, Claw, and Shaft. Claw is killed during the fight, then Stick and Shaft sacrifice their lives to drain the Hand’s life forces, defeating them.

Stone meditates to determine the Hand’s next move, while Daredevil and Black Widow split up to search for the ninjas. Eventually they return to Matt’s home empty-handed, and Stone reveals that he believes the Hand will attempt to resurrect Elektra to replace the late Kirigi as their ultimate warrior.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: It's revealed that, rather than being his peers as the previous issue made it seem, Claw, Stone, and Shaft are Stick’s protégés.

Heather shows up at Matt's apartment, drunk and submissive. Later, Black Widow visits Foggy (clarifying that apparently the superheroine/superspy publicly dated Matt Murdock while she was Daredevil’s partner) and a Foggy tells her what Matt did to force Heather into marrying him. The pair decide that breaking up Matt and Heather would be best for both, so the Widow forges notes from one to the other facilitating this.

DAREDEVIL #188

"THE WIDOW’S BITE”
Writer/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Black Widow fights her way out of S.H.I.E.L.D. medical custody and goes in search of Daredevil, but doesn't find him at either his brownstone or Heather’s apartment. Meanwhile, Stick speaks with Matt, who is in a sensory deprivation tank hidden in his basement, while Kirigi is given an assignment to kill Stick.

Widow is also unable to locate Matt at his office and continues her search. As Matt and Stick continue their conversation, Black Widow enters the Kingpin’s office but he, too, is unaware of where Daredevil could be. As the Widow fights Kingpin’s goons, he notices that she appears to be dissolving somehow.

Meanwhile, Kirigi enters Matt’s basement but he is defeated by Stick and his associates, Shaft, Claw, and Stone. As Matt emerges from the sensory deprivation tank, Black Widow arrives and collapses.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Black Widow visits with her friend and father figure, Ivan, before setting out on her quest. She notes that “…he's been through a lot lately,” but there's no footnote explaining the comment.

(However, stay tuned to this very site and we'll find out what she means in another month or so!)

DAREDEVIL #187

"OVERKILL”
Writer/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: While Daredevil deals with his increasingly erratic hypersenses, the Black Widow fights a contingent of Hand ninjas in the New York City Morgue, but they escape with a corpse. Meanwhile, Daredevil begins a search for Stick in order to get help managing his senses. But the Hand find Stick first and attack him, though he manages to fight them off.

Daredevil is assaulted by a group of thugs looking to take advantage of his weakened state, but a cab driver rescues him and chauffeurs him to Josie’s. There, he learns Stick failed to show up for a pool game. Finally, DD staggers home to find Stick and three shadowy men conferring inside his brownstone.

Elsewhere, the Hand ninjas return to their lair with the corpse they recovered, and perform a ceremony to bring it back to life. The process is a success and Kirigi lives once more.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: After two issues featuring a new corner box (which seems to show Daredevil stumbling like he just tripped over the ottoman), this issue returns to the old one. The stumbly corner box will be back next month.

DAREDEVIL #186

"STILTS”
Scripter/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Daredevil shows up at Glenn Industries during a board meeting to inform Heather and the board that evidence is en route to the assistant district attorney which will shut the company down. But after he and Heather have both departed, the board’s chairman, Mr. Spindle, reveals that he's hired Stilt Man to deal with the ADA. However Stilt Man loses one of his gloves while counting Spindle’s payment, and goes to Melvin Potter’s costume shop for a new one, where he's noticed by Turk, who tails him home.

Meanwhile, Matt Murdock prepares evidence of Glenn Industries’ wrongdoings, then, as Daredevil, drops it off with ADA Maxine Lavender. Elsewhere, Turk knocks out Stilt Man and take his battlesuit, then offers his services to the Kingpin. When Kingpin turns him away, Turk decides to fulfill Stilt Man’s mission and kidnap the ADA.

While dropping off further evidence with the police, Daredevil finds Stilt Man’s alter ego, Wilbur Day, reporting the theft of his armor. Soon, when Turk kidnaps Lavender, DD shows up to save her and easily defeat the new Stilt Man.

In the aftermath of Matt's legal assault on Glenn Industries, he tells Heather that they will need to prepare her defense. Believing this has all been a ploy to leave her with no choice but to marry him, Heather accepts Matt’s proposal.

DAREDEVIL #185

"GUTS”
Scripter/Storyteller: Frank Miller | Penciler/Inker/Colorist: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Heather comes to Foggy for help in getting to the bottom of her company’s apparent illicit dealings. They go together to Glenn Industries but are informed that Heather’s signature is already on all the paperwork, so if anything untoward is going on, she’s complicit. Foggy sends Heather home so he can pursue further action, unaware he's being followed by Daredevil.

Eventually Foggy’s path leads him to the Kingpin, who has purchased explosives from Glenn Industries to use in a waterfront heist. While Foggy verbally spars with the Kingpin, Daredevil thwarts the Kingpin’s operation and then warns the crime boss not to mess with “Guts” Nelson.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: “Guts” was apparently Foggy’s fraternity nickname, which he has adopted as a street name for the duration of this tale.

During his adventures, Foggy crosses paths with Eric Slaughter and Turk, with the latter accompanying him for the remainder of the story until Foggy ditches him by putting him on a plane to Chicago. The Kingpin’s right-hand man, Flint, also pops up.

DAREDEVIL #184

"GOOD GUYS WEAR RED!”
Story & Art : Frank Miller | Finished Art & Colors: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Daredevil stops the Punisher from assassinating Hogman, then, the next day while defending Hogman in court as Matt Murdock, he runs a bluff which leads to a phone call from Coach Donahue of the local high school. The coach requests a meeting in the school gym, but when Matt shows up, Donahue is high on angel dust and attacks him. Matt subdues Donahue and considers that, although he is Hogman’s dealer to the school’s students, he doesn't seem like a user.

Meanwhile, Hogman kills a witness who saw him shoot his partner, Flapper. The next day, Hogman is acquitted of Flapper’s murder and he subsequently gloats over his guilt to Matt. Soon, Daredevil confronts Hogman and learns he has a pacemaker which kept his heartbeat even when he initially proclaimed his innocence, thus fooling DD's hypersenses.

That night, young Billy calls Hogman and requests a meeting. The boy prepares to shoot Hogman, but the Punisher intervenes. He takes out Hogman’s bodyguard and wings Hogman, but Daredevil arrives and stops him from killing the drug lord. DD shoots the Punisher with Billy’s gun and convinces Billy to let Hogman live. Soon, Hogman is indicted for the other murders on his hands, but Billy remains unconvinced justice will prevail.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: The Glenn Industries board of directors continues to manipulate Heather — or so they believe. But she investigates some of their activities and learns her company is in business with a manufacturer of plastic explosives for some unknown reason.

DAREDEVIL #183

"CHILD’S PLAY”
Writers: Roger McKenzie & Frank Miller | Artists: Frank Miller & Klaus Janson
Colors: Klaus Janson | Letters: Joe Rosen
Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: As Matt Murdock gives a talk at a local high school, a girl named Mary O’Koran goes into a drug-induced panic and leaps out the classroom’s second story window. Matt changes to Daredevil and rushes the girl to the hospital, but she dies. Her brother, Billy, swears vengeance on the drug pushers, “Hogman” and “Flapper”.

That night, Daredevil locates Flapper but during a skirmish with the Punisher, is unable to save him from being gunned down by someone on a nearby rooftop. DD ascends and finds Billy holding a gun, but the boy swears he shot high and missed. The next day, Matt volunteers to handle Billy’s defense.

While searching for evidence of Billy’s innocence, Daredevil runs afoul of the Punisher again. He then confronts Hogman, who he believes killed Flapper for skimming profits. Two weeks later, Matt gets Billy exonerated, but when Hogman protests that he didn't fire the gun either, his heartbeat remains even. Matt next declares he will defend Hogman.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: A doctor at the hospital fills Daredevil in on angel dust, the drug found in Mary’s system.

DAREDEVIL #182

"SHE’S ALIVE”
Story & Art : Frank Miller | Finished Art & Colors: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Matt awakes in the middle of the night, convinced Elektra is still alive, and goes out in search of her. Meanwhile, in prison, the Punisher kills three of his fellow inmates and is soon approached by a government agent who will arrange to break him out so he can intercept a drug shipment entering the country via Long Island.

After learning that the Kingpin has a big underworld summit upcoming, Matt spends the day at Nelson & Murdock obsessing over the coroner’s report on Elektra. That night, the Punisher escapes from Ryker’s Island Penitentiary while Daredevil questions the Kingpin about Elektra. After the hero leaves, Kingpin assures the other mob bosses that DD will be busy chasing Elektra's ghost and will not interfere with their drug shipment.

Late at night, after learning Matt attempted to get Elektra's remains exhumed, Foggy goes searching for his partner. Meanwhile, the Punisher thwarts the drug-running operation and KOs his government benefactor before the man can re-arrest him. At the cemetary, Matt digs up Elektra's coffin and is horrified to realize that it actually is her body that was buried and that she is truly dead. Foggy arrives to take him home.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Glenn Industries’ board of directors, who we haven't seen since way back in issue 165, is still plotting to steal the company from Heather. I guess they work very deliberately.

DAREDEVIL #181

"LAST HAND”
Story & Art : Frank Miller | Finished Art & Colors: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Supervisor : Jim Shooter

The Plot: In prison, Bullseye fantasizes about revenge on Daredevil. Upon learning that Elektra has replaced him as the Kingpin’s assassin, Bullseye accepts an offer for a TV interview and uses the event to stage a daring escape. He learns from Eric Slaughter that Elektra has been assigned the task of killing Foggy Nelson, so Bullseye tails Nelson the next day until Elektra makes her move. When she ultimately lets Foggy go, Bullseye attacks and kills her.

As he spies on Nelson & Murdock identifying Elektra's body in the morgue, Bullseye suspects Matt Murdock is actually his arch-enemy. He goes to Matt’s brownstone and attacks, but Daredevil appears to fight him off. Ultimately DD wins, and this time, rather than saving Bullseye’s life, he lets the assassin drop several stories, crippling him.

Later, as Bullseye lays in traction, unable to move or speak, he fantasizes about revenge on Daredevil.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Bullseye is incarcerated under the name Benjamin Pondexter, which dates back to the Roger McKenzie days, though here he identifies it as one of many aliases he's used and refuses to disclose his true name.

Bullseye recalls Daredevil saving his life in issue 172, though there is no footnote. Also, even though his tumor was removed in issue 169, he still suffers agonizing headaches as a side effect. He feigns one of these headaches to facilitate his escape.

DAREDEVIL #180

"THE DAMNED”
Story & Art : Frank Miller | Finished Art & Colors: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Daredevil beats up Turk, Grotto, and an associate of theirs. Meanwhile, Ben Urich develops the photos he took of the Kingpin’s meeting with Randolph Cherryh and realizes that the vagrant woman he saw may be Kingpin’s wife, Vanessa. He informs Daredevil and together they descend beneath the city in search of her. Eventually DD goes on alone, ordering Ben home, but Ben is immediately kidnapped by a group of vagrants.

At the same time, election results come rolling in Cherryh wins the mayorship of New York in a landslide. Underground, Daredevil is brought before the vagrants’ King, who has taken Vanessa as his queen. The King attempts to feed DD and Ben to his alligator, but the man without fear frees himself and defeats the beast, then the King as well.

Later, Daredevil brings Vanessa’s wedding ring to the Kingpin and offers a trade: Vanessa for Cherryh. Kingpin agrees and Cherryh withdraws from the mayoral race, admitting the Daily Bugle’s allegations against him were true. Kingpin wants someone to pay for this, and orders Elektra to kill Foggy Nelson.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Two weeks have passed since last issue, during which Daredevil has had his ankle in a cast thanks to Elektra’s bear trap, while Ben has recovered from her sai attack. In that time, Ben has taken Elektra's advice and spiked his story on Cherryh’s mob ties, forcing Jonah Jameson to publicly retract the Daily Bugle’s prior articles to that effect.

DAREDEVIL #179

"SPIKED!"
Story & Art : Frank Miller | Finished Art & Colors: Klaus Janson
Letters: Joe Rosen | Editor: Denny O’Neil | Editor-in-Chief : Jim Shooter

The Plot: Ben Urich meets with an informant in a movie theater, but the informant is killed by Elektra, who warns Urich to back off of the Kingpin. Ben returns to the Daily Bugle and calls Matt Murdock. Soon Daredevil arrives and upon learning of Elektra’s involvement, he heads out to find her.

The next day, Ben meets with mayoral candidate Randolph Cherryh at the gym, and Cherryh’s men rough Ben up. Daredevil arrives and escorts him to safety, then listens in as Cherryh phones the Kingpin and sets up a meeting for the next day in Little Italy -- but DD is unable to attend due to a court date. Against the scarlet swashbuckler’s wishes, Ben spies on the meet, taking photos.

That night, Ben meets with another informant who directs him to a nearby building to find Cherryh’s mistress. But Daredevil shows up and, believing this a trap, goes in instead. As Ben watches, DD emerges from the building battling Elektra. She gets the better of him with the help of a bear trap* and knocks a brick wall down on him. Then, hearing Ben’s telltale cough nearby, she hurls a sai at him, stabbing him in the back.

* Yes, you read that right.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: Cherryh observes that Ben is only around forty years old here. He's always seemed older to me; usually somewhere in his fifties.