Issue(s): Daredevil #2
Cover Date: Jun 64
Title: "The evil menace of Electro!"
Credits:
Stan Lee - Writer
Joe Orlando - Penciler
Vincent Colletta - Inker

Review/plot:
You are not off to a good start from the perspective of developing a nice Rogue's Gallery for yourself when your first super-villain is a hand-me-down. But it's nice from the perspective of someone who's interested in the development of a shared Marvel Universe, so it works for me!

Another nice aspect is the Thing showing up to hire the services of Nelson & Murdock to review a lease renewal agreement for the Baxter Building.

Of course, that doesn't make much sense: why would you need a lawyer to inspect your building to ensure that it matches the terms of your lease. First of all, you've been living there for a year already; it's not like the landlord went and changed things around on you. Second of all, shouldn't you get a building inspector, not a lawyer? And then, why would you send the blind guy to inspect your building?

Anyway, earlier Daredevil busted up Electro's car stealing crew while Electro was out, and he runs into Electro again at the Baxter Building. Electro is looking to steal secrets from Reed Richards while the FF are out on a mission. Because of his unique powers he is able to bypass the security system, and he turns the defenses on Daredevil, subduing him. Showing true 60s super-villain intelligence, instead of killing him or just tying him up and getting out of there, he launches DD into space in the FF's ICBM, figuring that the FF will return and blame Daredevil. Using the powers of blindness, Daredevil manages to pilot the rocket and crash land it in Central Park.

He returns to the Baxter Building and defeats Electro, despite the fact that he seems super-charged, flying around in waves of electricity.

The FF return and are upset that Murdock hasn't submitted a report on their lease, saying they'll find another lawyer. However, this issue will later be referenced as the issue when Matt Murdock became the Fantastic Four's lawyer. I guess he smoothed things out behind the scenes.

Quality Rating: D

Historical Significance Rating: 2 - Matt Murdock became the Fantastic Four's lawyer.

Chronological Placement Considerations: N/A

References:

• Electro "almost defeated" Spider-Man in Amazing Spider-Man #9.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: Marvel Super Heroes #22

Electro might be the biggest underachiver in the MU. He should be taking on heavyweights (maybe not Thor) like the Hulk or Iron man. In fact he should be Stark's worst nightmare if he controls electrical systems. but instead he gets his butt kicked by the lowest guy on the totem, DD.

he uses a tire as a slingshot!!!!

"There! I've plunged the room into darkness!"
Are you sure?

Where's DD #1? Also while I'm at it, what does ICBM stand for?

He hasn't reviewed Daredevil #1 yet; for the moment he uses the equivalent written by Frank Miller: the "Man Without Fear" mini. (which ret-cons a few aspects from Miller's run from the start, such as Elektra and the Kingpin)

Right. You'll see DD #1 listed on the What's Missing page. And an ICBM is an intercontinental ballistic missile. Which, of course, the FF have one in their building. ;-)

http://www.supermegamonkey.net/chronocomic/entries/fantastic_four_110.shtml#3

Thanks, ICBM was driving me nuts because I knew I would know what it was if not for the acronym. I'll wait patiently for it.

Is Matt Murdock the only lawyer in the Marvel Universe? I love how it's only the second issue of Daredevil and already he's being called on by other heroes.

But, yeah, it would take years before DD would have any worthwhile villains.

Only practicing superhero lawyer for the moment. I'm assuming Jennifer Walters is just staying out of the limelight with her cousin on the run at this point...(yeah 16 years before Shulkie but that's what I've got)

he uses a tire as a slingshot!!!!

This scene min refers to is one of the dumbest things I've seen in a long time (and I've been reading a lot of Silver Age lately). He thinks to himself that he doesn't have room to jump out of the way of the truck, but he does have room (and time?) to lay down on the ground with a tire and a frigging engine and use it as a slingshot. The accompanying poor art makes it unclear if the truck is a distance away or right at the end of Matt's feet. Another stupid scene is the one you do show, which has Thing "instant welding" a door by force. I don't know if the door is made of wood or metal but either way it's ridiculous. Honestly I can only imagine what Stan was thinking when he got the pages back and had to figure out what the hell Joe Orlando was doing in some panels so he could script something out of it.

Actually DD was not first lawyer superhero. DC's Air Wave in the 40's was an assistant DA. Later on DC's Earth 2 Robin and the original version of the Huntress were both lawyers as was Barbara Gordon/Batgirl but DD was the first one in the Silver Age.

Ben is clearly high this issue. He shows up in a manic state with pupils dilated, smashes a door and crazily thinks he can fix it, goes a mile a minute about how he needs a lawyer for insane reasons, then climbs out the window. Looking at his list of appearances, I see this can be explained by those pills he was popping in FF 27. In fact, that also explains why Reed is insistent that Johnny shouldn't be driving!

Great point about not developing a rogues' gallery for DD, and quite prescient. After all, Daredevil seemingly went through the roster of Spider-Man foes three times. Of course, his principal antagonist, the Kingpin, was what I'd call a "hand-me-over" from Spidey. Not that creators haven't developed quality original villains for Hornhead to tangle with (Death-Stalker, Echo, etc.), but there have been some real stinkers like Stilt-Man and the Matador.