Daredevil #8

Title:"The Stiltman Cometh"
Writer:Stan Lee
Penciler:Wally Wood
Inker:Wally Wood
Cover:Wally Wood
Colours:Unknown
Letters:Sam Rosen
Editor:Stan Lee
Assistant Editor:None
Date:June 1965
Cover Price:0.12

Characters

Daredevil
Foggy Nelson
Karen Page
Mr. Kaxton
Stilt-Man

Daredevil #7


Daredevil #9

Stan Lee
Volume 1 - 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 53
Volume 2 - 20
Volume 3 - None
Volume 4 - None
Volume 5 - None
Volume 6 - None
Volume 7 - None
Volume 8 - None
Wally Wood
Volume 1 - 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 164
Volume 2 - None
Volume 3 - None
Volume 4 - None
Volume 5 - None
Volume 6 - None
Volume 7 - None
Volume 8 - None

Issue Summary

Summary/Review by Michael Deeley

Daredevil drives a runaway car armed with a bomb! It was sent as a distraction by the Stilt-Man. It's all downhill from there. Yes, Stilt-Man: the criminal mastermind with the amazing power to grow very, very tall. Daredevil can't find him with his radar sense because he quickly returns to normal size and disappears.

Back at the office, one Wilbur Day comes to hire Murdock. He wants to sue his boss, scientist Carl Kaxton, for stealing a patent from him. Murdock offers Kaxton the chance to settle out of court, but he refuses. Later, Karen page tells Matt about a new surgery developed by Dr. Van Eyck that could restore Matt's vision! But what if the surgery takes away Matt's super-senses? Because, you know, an operation on his eyes and optic nerves could affect those other parts of the body that have nothing to do with sight.

Daredevil finds the Stilt-Man again by using radio antennae built into his costume's horns. But he's knocked aside by our villain's really long legs. The next day, Matt's meeting with Wilbur Day is interrupted by Kaxton. They're too close together for Matt to learn which one is lying about stealing plans for a hydraulic device. Matt wonders if the Stilt-Man uses such a device. He makes a hasty excuse and follows Kaxton as Daredevil. Kaxton shakes him off with his electrified car. DD recovers and learns the Stilt-Man is striking again. Sadly, the fearless one is no match for the Stilt-Man's power to quickly shrink, his self-greasing legs, and his really long strides. Wow.

Daredevil returns to his office and changes back to Matt Murdock. He and Wilbur Day go to Kaxton's house, where they find Stilt-Man's legs in his backyard. Kaxton comes out with a gun, but Day fells him with a karate chop. Murdock cottons to Day's deception and plays possum when Day hits him. Day then steals the invention he really wanted: a shrink ray. When Matt recovers and becomes Daredevil, he has to contend with a chubby nebbish on 10-foot legs with a shrink ray. Daredevil is able to pull the ray from Wilbur's hands just as he fires it. The ray turns on him and he shrinks into nothingness.

Matt returns to the office and placates an angry Kaxton by saying Day is "dropping the lawsuit". When Matt says he won't ask Van Eyck about restoring his vision, Karen calls him a coward and storms out. And Matt wonders if he is afraid of losing his powers, or telling Karen he loves her?

Every hero goes through some "growing pains" as the creators figure out the best way to write and draw him. It was 7 issues before DD's final costume was designed. And Daredevil went through enough lame villains to fuel a year's worth of Scott Shaw's "Oddball Comics" column at CBR.com. The Stilt-Man is only one of three villains introduced in these early issues to reappear with any regularity. And he's always regarded as a loser. I mean, how dangerous is a guy that can be defeated by tripping him?

Daredevil (and other related characters appearing) and the distinctive likenesses are Trademarks of Marvel Characters, Inc. and are used WITHOUT permission.
Copyright © 2019 Marvel Characters, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Visit Marvel.com.

ManWithoutFear.com. Created Jan.16, '96.
www.manwithoutfear.com is owned and operated by Kuljit Mithra.
Web site is © Kuljit Mithra 1996-2019.