Daredevil Annual 1989

A Friend in Need by Gerry Conway and Mark Bagley

One Sentence Overview:  Daredevil is persuaded by Dr Strange to investigate a drug rehabilitation unit which is the front for a much darker purpose

A mere thirteen years after its last one, here's another annual.  I'm not sure what the term is for something turning up once every thirteen years, but 'annual' seems somewhat inadequate.  Still, there is now a run of annuals each year for the next little while anyway.  This is actually the fifth Daredevil annual, though it's incorrectly numbered '4' on its cover.  I have only reviewed two of the four that preceded this one, as the other two are comprised of reprints.   This annual, however, is a veritable feast of original material and includes - count 'em - a wopping five stories.  However, quantity does not necessarily equate to quality...

The main event is 'A Friend in Need', a tale that picks up on the current Daredevil chronology, with Matt wandering around in cowboy hat and long coat a la the man with no man.  Two things of significance here.  Firstly, this story is part of larger meta narrative streamed across the annuals of Marvel comics in this year called 'Atlantis Attacks'.  I'll not say much more than that as, honestly, I don't have much interest in the other 13 (yup, thirteen!!!) episodes, other than to say that it shoehorns in the usual supects, such as Spidey, Fantastic Four, Avengers et al.  Secondly, the tale is a curious bringing together of the old guard and new bright sparks, with the return of Gerry Conway, no longer the wunderkind he was taking on scripting DD in the late 60s, and young Mark Bagley, later to find fame with his record breaking run on Ultimate Spider-man.

I remember Gerry's writing as being very much influenced by the counter revolution movement of his youth.  Here, he sets things up by having Daredevil overhear a conversation griping about a group called 'Save our Society', at first glance appearing to hint at the prejudices of small town folk opposing outsiders bringing a drug rehabilitation facility into the area. 

This would have been in tune with some of Gerry's writing back in the day.  However, these views are undermined when we find out that 'Save our Society' is actually a front for the Serpent Society and the drug dependent are merely pawns of one Dr Tyrone, who creepily feeds off their emotional dependence.

Well, frankly, that just sounds bloomin' unethical.  Though perhaps not quite as unethical as when Tyrone reveals himself to be classical 60s villain, Tyrannus, and that he's invited the rather fetching Madame Viper for dinner... or rather, Madame Viper is dinner, being primed to be served up to the god Set.

Madame Viper's not the only patsy here, though.  In the previous episode in the Spectacular Spider-man Annual, Spidey was captured by Tyrannus.  Indeed, the subterranean ruler appears to have turned him into some kind of... well, lap dog. 

Naturally, when Daredevil comes calling, Tyrannus sends his hound to see the hero off, setting off one of those old style hero battles we know and love.  The notion of this occuring gives the reader a sense that we are really into some old school story telling here - Ann Nocenti's socialism realism be damned! 

However, Gerry doesn't completely abandon how the likes of Ann, Frank Miller and Denny O'Neil have transformed Matt's character.  There is a nice scene in the battle of the two superheroes, where the unwitting Spidey is holding Daredevil underwater.  Instead of fighting back, DD's happy to go with the 'flow', as it were, and drown - after all, what's worth living for now given his recent history of letting everyone down?

But, of course, Matt comes to his senses just in time to rescue the hoodwinked drug addled SOS patients.  Which brings us to the title of the story and the strongest piece of writing in the episode.  Daredevil is initially encouraged to tackle Dr Tyrone and the Save Our Society folk by a guy called Leo Baxter.  Leo's something of a redneck, angry that SOS have 'kidnapped' his friend Wally, who, he insistently tells anyone unfortunate enough to be within earshot, hasn't got a drink or drug problem.  There's a fine piece of flashback storytelling, where Leo tells DD that his old friend, Wally had married a girl, who was "a big mouthed broad" and was "killin' the guy".  This is accompanied by a picture of Leo, looking on admiringly whilst Wally smacks his wife around.  The unreliable narrator personified. 

Despite this, Leo is treated fairly sympathetically, even being rescued by Dr Strange at one point.  By the end, Leo is shocked to find that the rescued Wally does believe he has a problem that he wants to address.  Leo can't face up to this truth and we have another lovely example of Zen Daredevil, wisely pontificating like a modern day Confucius that he who does not accept the truth of a situation is broken by it. 

Oh, such wisdom!

This part of the story is the most successful and most in keeping with the Daredevil oeuvre. The wider narrative isn't terrible, but there is a slight feeling of cynicism, of Daredevil being coerced into a bigger story that's been created to pull more readers into other books.

Cast
Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Spider-man/Peter Parker
Dr Steven Strange
Tyrannus/Dr Tyrone
Madame Viper
Leo Baxter
Wally Jordan
Clarisse Jordan
The Punisher/Frank Castle
Moon Knight/Marc Spector

Rating: 5 out of 10

Of the other four stories, one, 'Saga of the Serpent Crown', has nothing to do with Daredevil and appears to be part of an ongoing story in the 'Atlantis Attacks' narrative.  The other three feature members of the Daredevil supporting cast in their own little yarns from the time when Matt was still hanging out in Hell's Kitchen.  First up, we have:

Role Reversal by Gregory Wright and Jim Lee

All three of the back up tales are written by Gregory Wright, who was also a colourist for Marvel.  Gregory was introduced to Marvel by a certain DG Chichester, who at this time, was writing for Marvel's more mature wing, Epic.  Role Reversal is drawn by the highly regarded Jim Lee and features two of the most obscure DD cast members - Spit and Jet, aka the Wildboys. 

These were the guys who basically beat up an already near comotose Daredevil back in DD260.  The story follows the two villains as they accidentally take down a criminal the NYPD had been chasing.  Not a terribly original concept, Jim Lee's energetic artwork probably the most interesting aspect of the story.  It does, however, feature a cameo from Eightball from the Fatboys and helps to set up the next story, that takes place at the same time as this one...

Cast
Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Eightball
Jet
Spit

Rating: 3 out of 10

The Rescue by Gregory Wright and John Romita Jr

Featuring the Fatboys!  Hurrah! 

Here, lone female Faboy, Darla is kidnapped and her brother, Butch, along with alumni, Eightball and Ralf, decide to rescue her.  And, er, that's about it.  Darla's captors are the kind of guys we saw previously in DD259, men preying on vulnerable girls with the implication of sexual exploitation of some kind.  Whilst DD259 was well told, this is more knockabout and, as such, the tone doesn't feel quite right.  There's a bizarre Disney-esque ending with Daredevil telling the Fatboys off for intervening, which feels a little like storytelling from another era and not at all in character with the streetwise kids in Ann's writing.

Cast
Daredevil/Matt Murdock

Butch
Darla
Eightball
Ralf
Guice
Williams

Rating: 5 out of 10

The Redeemed and the Condemned by Gregory Wright and Whilce Portacio

This little tale, featuring Ben Urich, is drawn by Image Comics co-founder, Whilce Portacio, who does a fine job.  Here, a seemingly slightly out of character, Ben Urich, is putting the squeeze on a low level drug dealer to shop his supplier.   At first, I was uncomfortable with the way Gregory was writing the character but, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that Ben recognises his attitude in chasing the story is not only obnoxious but endangering his informant's life. 

It's a pretty well told little morality tale and is actually the best thing in the annual.

Cast
Daredevil/Matt Murdock
Ben Urich

J Jonah Jameson
Butch
Darla
Eightball
Bushwacker
Patrick Nidetz
Nick Lambert
Amy Nidetz
Reynolds

Rating: 7 out of 10

Overall rating (for the annual): 5 out of 10