> Daredevil Visionaries Volume 1
 
 

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From the Mouths of the Marvels:

"I'm not a child you can frighten or bully, Gladiator. I play for keeps."

-- Daredevil, p. 12


Frank Miller can't resist putting on a good super-villains museum exhibit.

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Daredevil #166
September 1980 • 17 pages

Script: Roger McKenzie • Letters: Joe Rosen
Pencils/Co-Plot: Frank Miller • Inks: Klaus Janson


Title: “Till Death Do Us Part!”

First Appearance: Candice Nelson, Mr & Mrs. Nelson, Porkchop Peterson, Betsy Beatty

Villain: Gladiator

Guest Appearance: Heather Glenn, Foggy Nelson, Candice Nelson, Mr & Mrs. Nelson, Porkchop Peterson, Betsy Beatty, Debbie Harris

Cameo: Stilt-Man, the Beetle, Death-Stalker, AIM Agent, Mysterio, Frog-Man, Masked Marauder, Scorpion, the Melter (statues in museum exhibit)

Innovations: Disney Museum of Human History, Foggy and Debbie get married

Letters Page: Page One


Synopsis: Heather has to rush Matt out of his gymnasium, where he is working off the nervous tension of being Foggy's best man, so they can be in time for the wedding. Across town, a group of young children is being given a tour of an art museum, where the exhibit is dedicated to "Man And His Weaponry Throughout The Ages." They come upon a statue of the Gladiator, aka Melvin Potter, who the woman leading the kids through the show recognizes. "Miss Betsy", as she is called by her kids, helped Melvin as a social worker after he got out of jail on parole. Ironically, Potter has shown up to the art exhibit to reclaim his costume. He knocks out the security guard and once again dons the uniform of the Gladiator.

He then turns to Betsy and tells her he followed her there, because he is sure that she loves him. Betsy realizes how disturbed Potter is, and as a man tries to run to get help, Potter sends one of his razor sharp blades flying out at him, ripping him across the back, almost killing him.

While Foggy gets dressed in his absurdly colored tuxedo, his family pours in the dressing room. His parents show up and dote all over him, and his younger sister Candice starts pawing all over the "hunky" Matt Murdock. Foggy's college buddy Porkchop Peterson arrives and the two start going nuts reliving their old college memories. Suddenly, Foggy realizes he has lost the wedding ring!

At the museum, Potter sends a kid out to announce that he wishes to face a champion, so he can prove his love for Betsy in the field of battle. Betsy tries to reason with him, but he's too far gone. He tries to kiss her, but she slaps him, furthering his resolve to prove his love.

While Matt and Porkchop share a taxi back to the law office to find Foggy's ring, they are stuck in traffic. Over the taxi cab's radio, they hear news reports of Potter's takeover of the museum. Matt takes off and changes into Daredevil, bounding across the rooftops to the museum. He lowers himself into the art gallery and hides amongst the statues of villains. Thus, able to launch a surprise attack against the Gladiator, the two duke it out, knocking down statues and laying blows against each other. Gladiator continues his mania as they fall out a window and into the exhibits main area- a replica of a Roman arena. Potter looks up over Daredevil's body to the statue of the emperor, who has a thumb pointed down, and takes it as a sign that he must kill Daredevil.

While he distracts himself with this insanity, DD kicks his helmet off, then bats him around the head with a long pole. Before Gladiator can fire a razor blade at him, DD gives him a swift kick to the jaw, knocking him out. Betsy races up to Melvin, telling him he needs serious help, and she can help him get it.

Matt races to the church, where the wedding is about to get to the ring part. Matt tells him he couldn't find it at the law office, and Foggy raises his hands to his forehead, wondering what he will do without the ring, when he realizes it's been on his pinky finger the whole time. Despite this gaffe, Debbie Harris decides to go along with the marriage to the endearingly clumsy Foggy Nelson.

--synopsis by Gormuu

--panel images provided by Avengers Assemble

--letter pages provided by Aussie Stu


Issues Reprinted
Daredevil #158-161, 163-167

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.

 
DD #158 DD #159 DD #160 DD #161 DD #163
DD #164 DD #165 DD #166 DD #167

 

All cover images are courtesy of the Silver Age Marvel Comics Cover Gallery.

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