Daredevil: "The Dismal Dregs of Defeat!"

Daredevil #45 (1968)

By Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Vince Colletta

Background: Framed for murder, Daredevil has been captured by the Jester and about to be handed to the police.

So, What Happens? A groggy Daredevil manages to escape, but the police arrange a manhunt and the hero is forced on the run. Since his past affiliation with Nelson & Murdock is known and he apparently doesn't have a change of clothes, Daredevil is unable to get home or reach his office to switch back to his civilian identity. After a couple of narrow escapes, he steals a coat, takes his mask off and tries the subway, but fate has the Jester being on the very same carriage. Recognizing his boots, the Jester gives the alarm and forces Daredevil to escape again, but at least the hero has a chance to memorize the Jester's voice and aftershave scent. The two of them end up on Liberty Island where DD is about to win the ensuing fight but has to save a falling policeman, who proves his gratitude by injecting him with anaesthetic. The unconscious hero is taken to the prison infirmary, where an inmate tries to unmask him.

Notes: The Jester says he is a champion high-diver and swimmer, explaining how he survived the fall off Washington Bridge last issue. Matt steals a coat but leaves money for it in the owner's pocket. 

Something Silly This Way Comes: Having the Jester and Daredevil on the very same train, in the very same carriage, at the very same time is so silly even Stan has to acknowledge it. Matt has switched identity dozens of times without having to go home first. Given the circumstances, why doesn't Matt simply break into a store and steal a full change of clothes?

Review: The silliest part of the arc yet, with plenty of lazy writing ruining what would be an otherwise interesting premise. With the occasional exception of Spider-Man or the Hulk, most superheroes' activities may not be strictly legal but are tolerated enough to keep the police from actively hunting them down, and it's often implied that they would be in trouble if this were not the case. As such, being a wanted fugitive puts Daredevil in a new and unusual situation. What ruins it is forcing him and the Jester in a one-in-a-million-chance meeting, coupled with the idea that Daredevil all of a sudden doesn't carry a change of clothes but needs to get home every time he needs to switch ID. 

The latter point is actually something of a recurrent problem for Daredevil, who in early stories used to cramp his clothes into a ball and then added a short-living shoulder pouch to his costume to carry them. Eventually, Stan went for the common superhero trope of clothes simply appearing when needed, which is one of those necessary inconsistencies readers have come to accept. Suddenly ignoring it now weakens the entire premise of this story, forcing Matt in a problem he shouldn't have (or should always have) and making an otherwise enjoyable tale feel forced.

Thankfully, the art is rather crisp, especially as Gene Colan experiments a lot with his panel layouts, and, despite the odd confusing scene, for the most part it succeeds in making the story feel dynamic and fast-moving. There is also a quite spectacular bird-eye view of the Statue of Liberty, which is probably the highlight of the book. Speaking of the Statue, the cover uses a black and white photo of it for the background, which at least works in making it look different. 

Final Verdict: A silly story, and not in a good way. 1.5/5