Issue(s): Daredevil #270
Cover Date: Sep 89
Title: "Blackheart!"
Credits:
Ann Nocenti - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Al Williamson - Inker
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This issue introduces Blackheart, a character that has outsized importance for me because he weirdly appeared in Capcom's first Marvel Super Heroes video game (along with Shuma-Gorath, another very odd choice for a Street Fighter style fighting game). The character is very much an Ann Nocenti character. He was born on a hill where a murder was once committed and then various other crimes, and soon it was covered in thorn bushes. "Had something been created on this spot? Or was it just that humans began to regard the spot as evil, and in doing so endowed it with false power?" In the present day, one final date rape attempt tips the scales and causes Blackheart to emerge.

He immediately kills both raper and rapee, and then when his father Mephisto shows up to congratulate him, he attacks him too.

Mephisto gives him the ground rules: try to be a little more subtle, and don't let too many eyes see your true form.

Meanwhile, Daredevil is feeling good. A big grin on his face, and he's thinking to himself that now that his body is back in shape, maybe his mind will follow.

It's certainly something to hope for. The past few weeks have apparently been a dim dream for him, but now he's at an abandoned amusement park getting in some exercise, and he attracts the attention of Blackheart.

Peter Parker happens to be near by...

...so he joins in as Spider-Man.

I think Nocenti's scripting works well for Spider-Man. He's running off at the mouth a bit, but that's not unusual.

Spider-Man notices something reckless about Daredevil's actions.

And then Daredevil suggests trying to kill Blackheart ("You see what I could do?").

But Spider-Man, already uncomfortable with the idea, realizes it's exactly what Blackheart wants, so he stops Daredevil.

And they agree to just try to knock him out.

Failing in his attempt at being subtle, and realizing that the eyes of a crowd are on him, he disappears.

In the aftermath, Daredevil notices Mephisto in the crowd, but doesn't recognize him until he's gone.

From this issue alone you might never realize that Blackheart was going to be a repeat character as opposed to just the latest bit of madness and symbolism from Nocenti. But even in that regard it's a good story; i like how the rules are set up from the start, including Mephisto's suggestion that Blackheart should have made the near-rape victim try to kill him, which is what he ends up doing to Daredevil. As an ongoing character, Blackheart has a cool, very JRJR, design, and it's a much better introduction/origin than what we're given for Mephisto's daughter Mephista in Doctor Strange #5-8.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 3 - first Blackheart

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Daredevil mentions a bunch of things that happened to him recently. The most specific is the attack from all of his old foes in Daredevil #260-261, but there's also being manipulated by Typhoid Mary beginning in Daredevil #254, the fires of Inferno circa Daredevil #263, and letting his old life burn to ashes in Daredevil #267, after which he wandered the country in a daze for a while. No footnotes.
  
• Peter is back from visiting Jeff Wainright, who he met in Web of Spider-Man #46. Again no footnote.
  
• Daredevil recognizes Mephisto from Daredevil #266. No footnote.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

It's funny seeing Spider-Man holding back Daredevil. During the Sin-Eater arc, the situations were reversed.

It definitely is interesting to see the roles reversed from the Sin-Eater story. Peter David clearly had his reasons, but I always thought Spidey was behaving very un-Spidey-like in that arc, and his morals in this issue give weight to that. I was glad to see Spidey and DD fighting together again, though, and not bickering like they had been in their most recent encounters.

Spider-Man was letting his emotions get the better of him with the Sin-Eater. It seemed like he cared very much for Jean Dewolff.

I haven't read this but geez do Mephisto and Blackheart look really creepy.

I originally 1st knew about Blackheart from the Video Game, too.

Sorry, I'm not sure if it's because you've may have missed out a few scans or my misreading but did DD attack Blackheart unprovoked?

Blackheart first shows up and attacks Daredevil unprovoked in his "true" form. Then later Daredevil considers trying to kill Blackheart but Spider-Man stops him. So DD never does anything "wrong" in this story.

I really like JRJR's way of drawing Mephisto. His classic humanoid form with anime hair is cool but he really captures the evilness by depicting him as a truly demonic creature. At times he looks like a snake to me, I guess we can see some "original sin" symbolism in there. And Blackheart goes a step further by being a walking mass of dark thorns and having difficulties hiding it. That's just amazing.