DAREDEVIL #166

"TILL DEATH DO US PART!"
Writer/Co-Plotters/Penciler: Roger McKenzie & Frank Miller | Inker: Klaus Janson
Letterer: Joe Rosen | Colorist: Glynis Wein
Editor: Denny O’Neil | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: On the day of Foggy Nelson’s wedding, Daredevil’s old enemy, the Gladiator, holds the Digby Museum of Human History hostage, threatening to execute several visiting children unless a champion is sent to battle him. Matt Murdock changes to Daredevil and heads for the museum, where he challenges and defeats the Gladiator, then makes his way to the church, where he barely arrives in time for the wedding’s conclusion.

Sub-Plots & Continuity Notes: The children’s chaperone happens to be Betsy Beatty, a social worker assigned to the Gladiator himself, a.k.a. Melvin Potter — who believes Betsy is in love with him.

As described above, Foggy is married this issue to his fiancée, Debbie. Matt serves as best man. Foggy’s family shows up for the wedding, including his mother and father, his sister Candice, and his fraternity brother Porkchop Peterson. Candice apparently has a romantic interest in Matt.

This is, according to my internet sources, the first appearance of Foggy's mom, a portly, friendly looking housewife with reddish hair like her son. Several years later, Karl Kesel and Cary Nord would introduce Rosalind Sharpe, a thin, angular brunette attorney as Foggy's mother during their brief run on DAREDEVIL. I'm uncertain whether these two depictions have ever been reconciled.

PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #46

"DEADLY IS THE COBRA!"
Writer: Roger Stern | Penciler: Mike Zeck | Inker: Bruce Patterson
Letterer: Jim Novak | Colorist: Petra Goldberg | Editor: Denny O'Neil
Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: The Cobra escapes from Ryker's Island on a stormy night. The next day, Barney Bushkin of the Daily Globe assigns Peter Parker to get some photos of the villain in action. Uncertain how to track Cobra down, Peter simply changes to Spider-Man and swings across the city that night, and eventually comes across his quarry robbing a jewelry store. The web-slinger and the Cobra duel on the rooftops and Spider-Man emerges victorious. But no sooner does he turn the villain over to the authorities, than Cobra escapes into the night.

The Sub-Plots: This issue features a return to classic Spider-Man sub-plot form. Peter attempts to make amends with Deb Whitman following a failed date in the pages of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, and they agree to dinner the next night at Wesner's Pub. Then, their group one teaching assistant short, Peter is given his own cubicle after sharing one with Steve Hopkins for some time. Soon after, another T.A., Marcy Kane, shows up for work with her hair inexplicably tied up in a scarf, piquing the curiosity of Peter, Steve, and fellow T.A. Phil Chang.

Also, Peter briefly reflects that Barney Bushkin is, in a way, worse than Jonah Jameson as an editor -- and notes that the Daily Globe is a much less reputable newspaper than the Daily Bugle. Both these thoughts are presumably meant as set-up for Peter's impending return to the Bugle in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN.

CAPTAIN AMERICA #249

"DEATH, WHERE IS THEY STING?"
Writer/Co-Plotters/Penciler: Roger Stern & John Byrne
Inker: Josef Rubinstein | Letterer: Jim Novak | Colorist: Bob Sharen
Editor: Jim Salicrup | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Captain America escapes Dragon Man and destroys Machinesmith's airborne pod, which returns the dragon to its normal, docile state. It departs to find Machinesmith, and Cap tags along. Dragon Man leads Cap to a country barn, where Machinesmith has a secret underground complex. Machinesmith subdues Dragon Man before it can attack him, then battles Captain America. Cap realizes that Machinesmith's mind exists in his mainframe computer and destroys it -- but this action kills Machinesmith as well, which was the villain's ultimate goal.

Continuity Notes: Cap references his fight with the Strucker robot "this morning" -- which a footnote informs us was in issue #247. Following the fight between Dragon Man and Cap in Brooklyn last issue, Steve Rogers's neighbors wonder where he disappeared to, and Bernie Rosenthal wonders if she could be falling for a man she just met.

IRON MAN #138

"CHAPTER II: FAÇADES and RUSES"
Writer-Co-Plotters-Penciler: David Michelinie & Bob Layton
Finisher: Tom Palmer | Letterer: John Costanza | Colorist: Ed Hannigan
Editor: Jim Salicrup | Editor-in-Chief: Jim Shooter

The Plot: Tony and Rhodey arrive at the hospital where Ling is still in critical, but stable condition. Tony attempts to send Bethany back to Stark International while he investigates Ling's beating, but Bethany and Rhodey go against orders and accompany Tony. Together they break into the penthouse of Harmon Taylor, the man Ling had been guarding, to find Taylor dead and replaces by Spymaster. With surprise on his side, Spymaster knocks our heroes out with a gas grenade and absconds with Bethany and Tony's briefcase.

When they come to, Tony and Rhodey search for clues. Tony finds a check written to Taylor from a company called Technical Press, which Tony knows to be a front for the Maggia crime family. Tony and Rhodey head to Technical Press's headquarters and infiltrate it, and no sooner are they separated than Tony finds the Director's office and his briefcase. He has just finished donning his armor when the Director, revealed as Madame Masque, arrives with two Dreadnoughts and declares her intention to kill him.