Issue(s): Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #64
Cover Date: Mar 82
Title: "Cloak and Dagger!"
Credits:
Bill Mantlo - Writer
Ed Hannigan - Penciler
Al Milgrom - Inker
Mark Gruenwald - Assistant Editor
Tom DeFalco - Editor

Review/plot:
Jim Mooney is credited with inks for this issue, but a correction in the lettercol for issue #68 says it was really Al Milgrom.

This issue introduces Cloak & Dagger, who would go on to become fairly popular secondary characters.

They are runaway children that were experimented upon by the mob, who were looking for a new synthetic type of drug.

All of the other runaways died, but Cloak & Dagger received strange powers instead.

Dagger shoots beams of light that make her victims feel cold. And Cloak can catch people in his cloak which surrounds them in total darkness and again makes them feel cold. He can also use the cloak to teleport himself and Dagger.

Cloak & Dagger are depicted as much more vengeful and ruthless than their later appearances.

They are hunting down the members of the mob that experimented on them, and they have every intention of killing, and they eventually do despite Spider-Man's mixed efforts.

The true heartless vigilantism of Cloak & Dagger elevates Mantlo's typical writing style, and i can see why these characters became popular so quickly, even if they were ultimately softened quite a bit.

Quality Rating: B-

Historical Significance Rating: 5 - first Cloak & Dagger

Chronological Placement Considerations: The MCP places this between Amazing Spider-Man #225-226.

References: N/A

Crossover: N/A

Continuity Insert? N

My Reprint: N/A

i dont like C & D but i have to admit Mantlo brought his "A" game to this first appearance.

Great introduction of these characters, and I am a big fan of Hannigan's artwork. As super-powered people, they are vigilantes who much better fit Spider-Man than the Punisher as an opponent. And by making their main targets drug dealers and other criminals who exploit children, it lessens potential moral objections to their actions because their foes really are utter slime.

One can see the appeal of these characters from the beginning, but Mantlo and subsequent writers really screwed up when writing their ongoing series by moving away from this setting.

I never really followed C&D back in the day, but reading this story shows they were pretty cool characters with a lot of potential. Perhaps murdering the bad guys who almost killed them initially satisfied their bloodlust so they weren’t quite as vengeful later on. In spite of the comments above, I’m quite curious to check out more of their stories now.

Cloak and Dagger......this time period in America was just before the crack era. Also more things were being brought to attention such as homelessness, runaways, child protective services, etc. This appearance was key with the underworld in Marvel (Punisher, Daredevil (Frank Miller). Now C & D have a TV show?! These were the times. Mantlo was terrific