Issue(s): Daredevil #255
Cover Date: Jun 88
Title: "Temptation!"
Credits:
Ann Nocenti - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Al Williamson - Inker
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
This is just a dream:

Considering it's Nocenti, i thought it was worth clarifying that.

This issue is largely about the boy Tyrone that was blinded in Daredevil #248 due to pollution from the company Kelco, which is owned by the Kingpin. From the Kingpin's perspective, this is all about crushing Matt Murdock's faith in the legal system.

But thanks to his agent Typhoid Mary keeping Matt distracted, poor Tyrone might not even make it to court.

It's ok. Tyrone doesn't wind up setting himself on fire or anything. But Matt and Mary go right on kissing even when Karen Page calls home and leaves a message on the answering machine.

Later, Matt is talking to Tyrone's lawyer about the Kelco case (Matt is still disbarred and is just providing legal advice, "ghost lawyering"), and makes the pretty radical statement that we should be judging everyone that doesn't break the law when it comes to stopping polluting corporations.

Matt is late to the actual opening of the court case for unspecified reasons, but he's further waylaid by Mary, who appears in her Typhoid Mary persona. This is their first meeting with her "in costume".

They fight...

...but then it kinda turns into not fighting...

...and then she disappears.

At the court case, Foggy Nelson (who is unwittingly acting as Kingpin's lawyer) sees Karen with Tyrone, and also recognizes the legal reasoning behind Tyrone's lawyer as Matt's, and realizes that he is up against his own partner. Because of that, his handling of the case isn't great, and he's further distracted when Matt enters the courtroom during closing. I often complain that comics don't do court cases too well, but this issue actually does a good job with that. I mean, it's like an episode of Law and Order, not necessarily a real legal court proceeding. But comics often don't even manage a good fictionalized court case.

We won't hear the verdict from the jury until next issue.

Nocenti and Romita continue to do nicely with Typhoid Mary and the way it converges with the Kingpin/Kelco/Foggy plot. There's still the argument that we're tearing down poor Matt Murdock and his love life and pitting him against the Kingpin yet again, but it's still a good story.

Quality Rating: B

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: I'm keeping the Daredevil timeline relatively compressed to make room for the DD #257/Punisher #10 crossover and then his appearance in Thor #392.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A