Issue(s): Daredevil #256
Cover Date: Jul 88
Title: "Blindspots"
Credits:
Ann Nocenti - Writer
John Romita Jr. - Penciler
Al Williamson - Inker
Marc Siry - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
With this, we conclude the story of Tyrone, who was blinded by the Kingpin's Kelco chemical company. Last issue had the court case against Kelco, with Foggy Nelson unwittingly working for the Kingpin, while the disbarred Matt Murdock was advising Tyrone's lawyer. It ended during the jury deliberation, with the Kingpin telling the Arranger to buy off the jury. Kingpin's interest in the case is more about the personal than the profits; he wants to see Matt Murdock's faith in the legal system destroyed. And he's hired Typhoid Mary to attack Matt as Daredevil, too, although she's mostly been seducing Matt and causing him to be unfaithful to Karen Page.

This issue begins with Daredevil stopping a Three-Card Monte swindler. The guys wants to know why Daredevil is bothering someone that even the police wouldn't bother with, and Daredevil thinks to himself that it's because he has to enforce every law, big and small, or else there would be anarchy.

Merging this with Daredevil's thoughts from last issue about how people should basically disregard the law when it suits their political views, it's a really complicated ethos that Nocenti is building for DD.

Matt then senses the perfume of Typhoid Mary in her "Mary" persona, and heads over there and tells her that he's living with and in love with Karen. They are interrupted when Matt has to go help a guy having a heart attack, and then he's back to kissing her again.

When Mary gets home, her Typhoid persona becomes dominant again.

Matt, meanwhile, goes to Foggy and tells him who he's been working for.

Foggy's girlfriend Glorianna chews him out because she says Matt should know that Foggy is "like a child -- easily amused, but just as easily crushed", and accuses Matt of wielding his morality like a club. Glorianna has known all along that Foggy is on the wrong side - even if she didn't know that he was working for the Kingpin - and she even has photos that prove Kelco's guilt. But even while she's been upset with Foggy for taking Kelco's case, she hasn't released the photos and she obviously comes to his defense here (even if it's a little patronizing!). She thinks that the fact that Matt used to date Glorianna is also a possible factor in Matt's attitude. Matt says he doesn't need the photos because they've already won the case, but Glorianna reminds him that the jury is still out, and says that it's out on him, too.

Typhoid Mary goes to one of the jurors - chosen by the Kingpin as the weakest one - and attempts to bribe her. Daredevil has assigned the Bratpack/Fatboy kids to stake out the jurors, and Eightball (i think) observes Mary.

Typhoid is still leading around the guy she picked up in her first appearance. He's given the name "Rip" here. But it seems like the Kingpin is falling under Typhoid's sway as well.

Daredevil later goes to the juror's apartment, but Typhoid Mary is guarding it. Since he doesn't know the full extent of her powers yet, he leads her into the sewers where he thinks he'll have an advantage.

But Typhoid Mary is formidable even in the sewer.

She even seems to have Daredevil beat, but then the Mary persona takes control and makes her run away. Daredevil then talks to the juror, but we don't get to see the conversation. When he gets home, he goes right to the shower, feeling dirty (so does Mary). Matt barely talks to Karen, and she recognizes that she's losing him, but doesn't understand why. At court, Murdock gives Kingpin the money they tried to bribe the juror with, and then Foggy shows up and tells the Kingpin that he's quitting his job. And then the jury comes back and says Kelco is guilty.

But Kingpin goes the "beating me now will only make my eventual victory all the more sweet" route, and in any event Matt is still under the thrall of Mary.

My opinion of Ann Nocenti's run grows by leaps and bounds. JRJR's art is surely a factor, but there's more to it than that. Nocenti is doing better than most using the legal setting that should be a core part of the Daredevil book, for one thing. And it's also that Nocenti's surrealistic scripting style is perfect for a story where characters are either literally crazy or under the influence of a crazy person. So i don't know if this keeps up (i didn't read most of her run until this project), but for now, with Typhoid Mary, Nocenti is hitting a sweet spot.

Statement of Ownership Total Paid Circulation: Average of Past 12 months = 168,642. Single issue closest to filing date = 172,928.

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:

• There's no footnote for it, but the Tyrone/Kelco story goes back to Daredevil #248.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A