Marvel 1976.03 - Daredevil #131

Daredevil #131

Title: Watch out for Bullseye!

Writer: Marv Wolfman

Artist: Bob Brown

Villain: Bullseye

Regulars: Foggy Nelson, Heather Glenn, Bert Rose

That's a strange splash page. A costumed villain called Wescott says that he's already shot Daredevil. As you can see, he must have missed, but when did he shoot him? We've never seen Wescott or his gang before. The text in the pink box in the upper left may be intended as an explanation, but I can't be sure.

Daredevil has no trouble defeating this strange gang. They're dressed like super-villains, but they don't have any super powers to justify their appearance. They're just a filler for the first three pages. The new district attorney, Blake Tower, accompanies the police who come to arrest them. Daredevil and the new DA have mutual respect for one another.

Matt Murdock returns to his day job in the Storefront Legal Services. An old woman is complaining about the poor condition of the building where she lives. "No heat, no hot water, the plaster is peeling, and the cockroaches are almost as big as rats". Matt visits the building and finds out that it's just as bad as the woman said. The landlord is a company called Glenn Industries. Heather is shocked. The company is owned by her father, Maxwell Glenn.

There's a news report that the Vietnam War never happened. The US Army was hypnotised and forced to participate in CIA wars in South America and Africa. Can you believe anything the news says?

A company owner is killed by a man who calls himself Bullseye. He's killed with a pen that Bullseye picks up from his desk. Lieutenant Bert Rose of the NYPD is investigating the case when Daredevil swings in through the window. Daredevil offers his help, but Lieutenant Rose prefers the police to work without the interference of costumed clowns.

The reporter Jake Conover from the Daily Bugle invites Daredevil to his office to give him some information. He knows who Bullseye is. He was a soldier in Vietnam who discovered that he had an exceptional skill at throwing objects. In fact, he can use anything as a weapon. Jake was given this information by Bullseye himself, because he's seeking publicity.

Bullseye attacks Daredevil, stunning him by throwing trash cans at him, but he doesn't follow up on his advantage. He walks away, slowly enough for Daredevil to follow him. They arrive in a circus tent.

This is a very well written story, with many subtle nuances. Bullseye is an over-the-top villain, just like the villains invented by Stan Lee in the early Daredevil comics. Did I already say that Marv Wolfman is a brilliant writer?