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| Images copyright MARVEL COMICS |
A comic I well-remember buying back in the late '60s (and which I re-acquired many, many years ago) is DAREDEVIL #53, entitled "AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING..." As you can likely tell by the title (and if you can't, take two two demerits), it's a retelling of Hornhead's origin, drawn by Genial GENE COLAN & Gallopin' GEORGE KLEIN, with a fair bit of Smilin' STAN LEE's original dashing dialogue (or paraphrasing of), book-ended by brand-new exposition by Rascally ROY THOMAS.
Apart from seeing Daredevil in his original red and yellow togs again (a colour scheme which I've always preferred, despite the all-red apparel being more suited to the character's devilish demeanour), one of the things that appealed to me about this issue was the snow-covered rooftop setting of the present-day aspects of the story, as MATT MURDOCH, in his superhero outfit, remembers how he first became the crime-fighting nemesis of evil known to friends and foes alike as The MAN WITHOUT FEAR!
It seems to me, if my recollective faculty is functioning properly, that I purchased this periodical (from a shop that still exists) when the snow also lay 'round about (though not quite so deep and crisp and even) on the grounds of my own neighbourhood in the Cimmerian-like wastes of Caledonia. Although perhaps my memory is playing tricks, and the mag's evocative wintry scenes simply made such an impression on my young mind that it's rewritten the past to accommodate the story's setting. (Sometimes we remember things better than the way they actually happened.)
Who can know for sure? And does anyone apart from me actually care one way or another? (The answer is undoubtedly "No!") For myself, however, I prefer to believe that the atmospheric arctic ambience of the comic coincided with my own part of the country's then-current climatic conditions, thus enabling me to imagine that the events of the four-colour terrific tale transpired at the same time and in the same world as the one I happened to inhabit. Anyway... trust me, it's a comic well-worth having in your collection.
Another favourite comic of the past coming soon. Don't dare miss it!
4 comments:
I had that one, too. Didn't care for it at the time but I am struck by how beautiful it is now!
What's holding you back, Dougie? Look it up on ebay right away.
Incidentally, I'm pretty sure there was still snow on the ground the day I bought it, because I think that's why the comic made such an impression on me at the time. (Aside from also seeing the ol' red and yellow costume again that is.)
I well remeber that DD issue when it first came out two. I loved the cover and enjoyed the art of Gene. The snow scenes were terific. I mentioned to Gene at a con once when we were tallking that he must love snow, since he used it often in his stories. He said that he did. A really superb artist and gentle man.
His work lives on, as will his name. Thanks Nick.
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