"DUEL WITH DAREDEVIL"
Writer: Stan Lee/Penciller: Steve Ditko/Inker: Steve Ditko/Letterer: Sam Rosen/Editor: Stan Lee/Cover Art: Steve Ditko
Synopsis: The Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime arrive in New York to hypnotise their audience and rob them of their valuables, but the villains have reckoned without the combined power of Spider-Man and Daredevil, the Man Without Fear...
Review: The cover warns us that if we don't claim this is one of our favourite issues, then the folks at Marvel may never talk to us again. Well, it looks like I'm off their Christmas card list, because this has never been one of my favourites, nor do I think it ever will be. It's far from a bad instalment, but it's a rare blip in the Lee and Ditko pantheon, a story that's just sort of alright. It definitely has a lot going for it, not least the pairing up of two of Marvel's most popular characters (although Daredevil was a very new creation at this point in time), but the whole thing lacks spark.
Daredevil himself is a character that I have a lot of love for, even though I've never read that many of his comics. I've not even read Frank Miller's seminal run - this will be rectified, rest assured - but there's always been something about Daredevil that I've liked. The concept of a blind superhero is absolutely ingenious, and is used to great effect in this issue, as Daredevil is able to detect when an enemy is about to leap at him based on their heart-rate, or can deduce that there is a nearby trapeze for him to use as an escape route, based on the fact that he sense an "aluminium object ten feet off the ground." Ditko also draws Daredevil exceptionally well, even if DD is still donning his original yellow and black suit and not the iconic red outfit designed by Wallace Wood. It makes sense that Ditko is able to render a great Daredevil, as in the early days of of the character, he was little more than a Spider-Man rip-off; an acrobatic hero based largely in New York who has a super-powerful extra sense? Yeah, never heard that before. The big shame with this issue is that Daredevil doesn't really do very much; he has a brief tangle with Spider-Man whilst the web-head has been hypnotised by the Ringmaster, and once Spidey's conditioning has been broken, DD just runs off. It feels like a bit of a waste of the character.
Of course, we did come for Spider-Man, and we certainly get a lot of great Spidey action; he fits perfectly in the circus setting, using his acrobatic skill with the trapeze and high wire to battle the Circus of Crime. These battle scenes are definitely the highlight of the issue; you can never go wrong with a Ditko fight scene, but there's not a lot else going on. There are a few pages of build-up to make sure that both Peter Parker and Matt Murdock will be at the circus, and once the Ringmaster hypnotises the audience, it's pretty much just one big royal rumble for the rest of the issue. That may please some people, but I come to Spider-Man for the balance of action and drama; there's barely any of Peter's personal life here, other than a few scant scenes of Aunt May nagging him to date Mary-Jane Watson, and another misunderstanding with Betty at the Bugle. I wouldn't mind this emphasis on action over characterisation if the villains were any good, but the truth is that the Ringmaster has never been one of Marvel's best bad guys, and the Circus of Crime itself lacks exciting characters with personalities of their own.
There really isn't all that much to say about ASM #16. As said, it's never been one of my favourites, and unfortunately, it didn't improve on this revisit. It boasts the typically wonderful Ditko touch, but that's a given at this point in time, and the story - if you can call it that - lacks intrigue. Daredevil fans might get something out of it, to see another early appearance of the Man Without Fear, but seeing as he doesn't do that much in the issue even they'll probably come away disappointed.
Rating: 2.5/5
Next time, the Green Goblin returns, and Spider-Man suffers his most crushing defeat of all...
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