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Daredevil (1964 series) #177

on-sale: Aug 25, 1981
Frank Miller

Daredevil (1964 series) #177 cover

Story Name:

Where Angels Fear to Tread


Synopsis

Daredevil (1964 series) #177 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro
Rating: 4.5 stars

After reuniting last issue, Daredevil and Stick hole up in the basement of Matt’s brownstone, where Matt hopes Stick can help him get back his lost radar. Stick purports that Matt’s issues are more psychological than physical, revealing that everyone has a similar radar, they’ve just let it decay over the years due to using their sight. Stick has set up a target for Matt to hit with an arrow, which Matt has been unable to hit after three days at it already. As Matt nocks another arrow, he suddenly witnesses a bright light, noting that he can actually see it! He hallucinates being a child again and his father telling him to study hard so he can make something of himself in ways he never did. He gets literally chained to some books, and ridiculed by the other children, thinking he’s just full of himself. Matt misses another shot and realizes it was just a hallucination, one which has fueled his deep-set anger, which Stick states is just another obstacle he must overcome.

Meanwhile, after not having heard from Matt for days, a bored Heather Glenn calls up her old boyfriend Rico for a night on the town. At the Daily Bugle, Ben Urich is called in by J. Jonah Jameson to discuss an article Ben wrote on upcoming mayoral candidate Randolph Cherryh. Ben’s article links Cherryh to organized crime, which Jameson points out could get them in hot water if he decides to sue. Despite this, Jameson decides to run the article anyway, telling Urich to make absolutely sure of his facts. Two more days go by and Matt is no closer to hitting the target. He suffers another hallucination, this time reliving the accident that took his sight. He once again pushes the old man out of the way of the truck and is blinded by the radioactive materials, this time lashing out with anger and resentment at the old man.

Meanwhile, Cherryh meets with the Kingpin over Urich’s article, revealing that the Kingpin has been setting Cherryh up to be the next mayor, to have in his pocket. Cherryh accuses someone in Fisk’s operation of talking, and Kingpin puts him in his place, assuring that he’ll handle the Bugle. Elsewhere, Foggy and Becky look around their destroyed office, when they get a call from Jameson seeking Nelson and Murdock for legal representation. Two more days go by and Matt continues to struggle. He experiences another hallucination, this time of his father. Jack tells Matt how disappointed he is in him, how he turned out just how he didn’t want. Jack is then killed once again, this time by an arrow fired by a large demonic creature; the literal manifestation of Matt’s anger and hatred.

Foggy and Becky meet with Jameson, who explains that Randolph Cherryh is suing the Bugle for everything they have because of their article. Jameson wants Foggy and Matt to defend them, and Foggy agrees on the condition that they be paid upfront, to help in their acquisition of a new office. Jameson is not pleased with the terms. Meanwhile, Matt literally battles his demons, hitting against the demon over and over to little effect. Backed into a corner, Matt surrenders his anger, which gives him the strength to plunge an arrow right into the demon’s head, simultaneously hitting the target in reality. He hits several more bullseyes, feeling his radar returning to him, attaining literal and metaphorical clarity. Stick has one last test though, and shoots an arrow at Matt’s back, stating that Matt will either get his radar back or die. Matt is able to deflect the arrow, proving his radar has really returned.

Meanwhile, the Kingpin is shown video footage of Elektra’s triumph over the Hand from the previous couple issues. Impressed, Fisk orders his men to find her…


Characters
Good (or All)
BENURICH
DAREDEVIL
FOGGYNELSON
JJJAMESON
ROBBIEROBERTSON
STICK
Plus: Becky Blake (Rebecca Blake), Heather Glenn.

Enemies
KINGPIN
Plus: Randolph Cherryh.

> Daredevil (1964 series) comic book info and issue index



Excelsioring your collection:
statue
Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Frank Miller
Klaus Janson
Glynis Wein
Frank Miller (Cover Penciler)
Klaus Janson (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Joe Rosen.



Review / Commentaries


Daredevil (1964 series) #177 Review by (March 26, 2025)

Review: Matt Murdock quite literally faces his demons! Stick uses some harsh methods to help Matt get his radar back, depriving him of sleep for days on end and tasking him with hitting a target with an arrow. I used to think this issue’s presentation was a little weird, as Matt suffers increasingly warped hallucinations the longer he goes. They do a great job of speaking to Matt’s mental state, showing the repressed anger and resentment Matt feels at his father for forcing him to study instead of socializing and at the old man he saved for causing him to lose his sight. It really goes to show how messed up Matt must be, given that he even hallucinates his father telling him that he’s disappointed in him, which must be how Matt at least fears he would feel. This culminates in Matt literally facing off against a hallucination of a demonic creature, the manifestation of these negative pent-up emotions that he has to overcome. It’s a little on the nose but is presented in a stylish way (naturally, this is Frank Miller). In the end, Matt overcomes his mental blocks and gets his radar back, achieving both literal and metaphorical clarity (again, stylishly on the nose).

We also get some excellent and interesting set-ups for other upcoming stories and plotlines. Ben Urich exposes the mob connections of mayoral candidate Randolph Cherryh, who’s secretly being set up by the Kingpin, so he can have New York’s mayor in his pocket. This plot will continue over the next few issues, especially as Cherryh sues the Bugle, leading Jameson to seek Nelson and Murdock for legal representation. It’s cool seeing Jameson written by Miller, playing him completely straight and showing his integrity when he decides to run the story despite the consequences. Foggy gets a cool moment of being sneakier than usual, agreeing to defend the Bugle as long as they pay them up front so they can acquire a new office. Most interestingly, the Kingpin expresses interest in hiring Elektra, setting up an all-time classic sequence of events in the not-too-distant future!

Comments: Stick states that everyone has radar like Daredevil’s, they’ve simply let it decay over the years due to favoring their sight. This idea is never brought up again by other writers, and only once more by Miller himself.





Thor

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