Issue(s): Daredevil annual #10
Cover Date: 1994
Title: "Vendettas / Dead end"
Credits:
Gregory Wright / Mindy Newell - Writer
Kris Renkewitz / Sergio Cariello - Penciler
Charles Barnett III / Richard Ranki - Inker
Matt Idelson - Assistant Editor
Ralph Macchio - Editor

Review/plot:
If nothing else, the Master of Kung Fu series was a good source for villains. We've already seen the return of Razorfist, Shockwave, and Zaran, and in this issue we get Ghostmaker. Ghostmaker appeared relatively late in the series (Master of Kung Fu #110) and personally i'd have gone with Shadow-Stalker (aka Flail-Head), but he'll come back eventually too.

For this story, the Snakeroot faction of the Hand resurrect Ghostmaker and send him after Daredevil and Elektra.

But it just so happens that Shang-Chi is in town, providing some training lessons for Nick Fury and a very off-model Jimmy Woo.

SHIELD is alerted about Ghostmaker's presence, and Shang-Chi agrees to deal with him. And since Ghostmaker has history with Shang-Chi, he allows that to take precedence over going after Daredevil and Elektra.

Eventually Ghostmaker is forced to face off against Daredevil, Elektra, and Shang-Chi, and that's a bit much to ask of him.

If i wasn't aware that the annuals this year were focused on villains, it wouldn't have occurred to me from reading this issue. Some of the narration is from Ghostmaker's perspective, but that's not that unusual and we also see things from Shang-Chi's perspective and there's the ongoing question of what's going on with Elektra. So it just feels like a regular story. And in that regard, the art isn't so good and it's hard to take anything seriously while Daredevil is wearing that outfit, but it's kind of fun for Shang-Chi and one of his villains to show up.

A back-up story has Black Widow doing some work for Nick Fury in the aftermath of Matt Murdock's supposed death. She encounters the Snakeroot member named Osaku, who it turns out is a former Soviet colleague of hers named Karla.

Osaku/Karla escapes, but the Widow learns from her that Matt is still alive.

Quality Rating: C-

Historical Significance Rating: 1

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP place this between Daredevil #325-326.

References:

• Shang-Chi prevented Ghostmaker from assassinating the Queen of England in Master of Kung Fu #110 (no footnote).
  
• Elektra is using a modified Sai that she took from Erynys, who died in Daredevil #325. Matt Murdock also supposedly died in that arc.

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A