Daredevil Message Board

[Gloria]

Classic Line: "Well, we can always resort to sheer panic"

One of my favourite items of the Bendis run on Daredevil is what he did with Franklin "Foggy" Nelson. The theory is that Foggy has been Matt' friend ever since they were roommates back in College, has been Matt's partner in a law firm ever since they both graduated (with occasional intervals) and he also eventually learned that Matt works extra hours by night in red tights (and did his best to get used to that). In short, he's Matt's best friend, through thick and thin... Well, Bendis made all this seem true: the conversations between the two friends/partners never sounded so true-to-life. Two longtime friends who, despite the occasional arguments and disagreements, stay loyal to each other.

Luckily, Brubaker is following the path and keeping a good characterization of him, Maybe putting a stress in Foggy's work as a lawyer, which is fine with me... This is, after all, what Nelson&Murdock are there for (kicking around ninjas and mobsters is, after all, not among the services offered by attorneys in law). I love that Brubaker is bringing back unfairly forgotten members of the DD secondary cast, as Becky Blake (and, I wonder if we'll see again in action other DD continuity lawyers like Kate Vinokur or Rosalind "Razor" Sharpe).

But well, back to the irrepressible Mr. Nelson, I'm most definitely glad that Mr. Brubaker didn't keep him in the coffin, not only because he's been there since the very beginning and is an essential part of the Daredevil Mythos, but, because in the right hands, he's also one of the best supporting characters in the Marvel universe. And the nice side is that, in a world were is not uncommon that longtime friends of a superhero eventually become supervillains or baddies (i.e. Harry Osborn to Peter Parker) Foggy has remained, plainly, Daredevil's pal. The down-to- earth Foggy is to the idealistic Matt what Sancho Panza was to the Quixote, or if you prefer it, the Papageno to Matt's Tamino. In a fictional noir world where darkness abounds, Foggy's unbeatable bonhomie is like a ray of sunshine.

Incidentally, there's been a lot of talk about the effect of Karen Page's death on Matt... But when Foggy says at the end of Vol. 2 #93 "I miss her too", well, I call this a king-size understatement... Anyone remembers he was mad about the girl, too, from the very beginning? And poor Foggy couldn't even attend her funeral, 'cause Kevin Smith thought a grand idea to have him imprisoned at Rykers at the time, sheesh.

Here you can see Marvel's quintaessential -if chaste- menage a trois in happier times, in a winsome vignette by Stan Lee and Gene Colan in Vol. 1 #2 (february 1967).



And well, further Foggy talk is most welcome.
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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[Gloria]

While I really love the way Foggy is portrayed currently in DD, I must admit that I don't dislike those vintage Foggy moments of the old continuity... To me they hold a charm of their own.

For instance, we have here a scene of the very first time when the Gladiator confronted Daredevil, only that the guy under the red costume was... Foggy!! (I don't think the fact is ever mentioned in the current "Devil gets his due" story arch, ha, ha). It was also the first time ever that Daredevil was outed by the press, only that the rags got the facts wrong, and thought that Daredevil was Attorney Franklin Nelson.

Foggy, who is masquerading as Daredevil in order to impress Karen, faces the hardships of a superhero's life: the difficulties of changing your clothes quickly, what to do with one's expensive taylor-made suit, and takes note to have a phone booth available the next time (all the while, the villain is impatiently waiting for action). Most surprisingly, Karen, who has met Daredevil before, doesn't notice that Foggy's belly is not exactly like the masked hero's gym-worked abdominals... Probably because of the mist.



(facts chronicled by Stan Lee and John Romita in Daredevil Vol. 1 #18 )
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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[Gloria]

Yet another vintage goofy moment from Vol. 1 #9.

Foggy pretends that he's been very, very busy all morning, and Matt pretends he doesn't notice he hasn't. (Karen is thinking about a doctor who could restore Matt's sight, the dear girl).


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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[Francesco]

What I've always liked of the character is that he has always been a real friend to the protagonist. Matt could always count on him to be on his side.
There has been some debate here, recently, regarding Urich's actions in The Murdock Papers storyline, where, Ben's tricked by Fisk, and then blackmailed by the FBI director into revealing Matt's whereabouts.
Ben became frustrated, angered, he hit the Kingpin in frustration, but in the end he spoke (some readers didn't appreciate it, because they felt it was out of character).

Some issues later, in the very first issue by Brubaker, this point is addressed and we have a direct comparison between Ben and Foggy.
Foggy, at first sight an innocuous overweight chap, has the guts to tell Urich that "He was a friend only between one headline and the next one".
The message is that Foggy would've never betrayed Matt, not even under blackmail.
Later in that same arc, this is confirmed when we see Foggy giving all he can to help his incarcerated friend. To the point that he even gets "killed" because of it.

Other moments in which Foggy's importance is underlined can be seen in Bendis'run, where Foggy stands on Matt's side when he's outed. Or even when he "simply" comforts Matt when he's in attrition with Milla.

[Francesco]

[double post, by error]

[Gloria]

[Neilan]

[Gloria]

[Francesco]

To clear the field from any doubt, I'll repeat my point about Urich's depiction in The Murdock Papers. I appreciated it, because it provided a more mature view on the position of supporting characters in comics.

[Gloria]

Another Foggy moment, this time of more recent vintage. Set: Daredevil-Spiderman miniseries, issue 4, By Paul Jenkins and Phil Winslade.



While ol' hornhead and your friendly webcrawler neighbour join efforts in New York to battle the Owl, the Stiltman, the Gladiator and some hordes from hell who just dropped by, The Black Widow and Foggy team up in Wisconsin to find evidence against the Kingpin, Foggy by browsing a plethora of old invoices, and Natasha by looking for some secret door keeping dark secrets behind.

Natasha, with all her super-spy skills, can't find anything beyond some family jewels and pet photos in Kingpin's ultra-secret safe. Foggy, who is trying to fix some mechanical trouble in his sidekick "crap-mobile", just drops: "actually, I think we might use something" ...And Foggy's eagle-eye for detail saves the day (again). Ta-daa!

A bit of continuity gone with the wind: at the end of the miniseries, Foggy asks permission to Matt to date Natasha, as it seems that te team-work entente back in cold Wisconsin was reasonably good (and no doubt enticed by Natasha's passing mention about traditional methods of keeping body-warmth in ice-cold Siberia), and Matt (as the widow ex-boyfriend) gives Foggy his blessings to go ahead... No further references about this fact have been mentioned in contimuing issues, and I admit I am curious about what happened... if ever.
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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[Clayton Blind Love]

[Francesco]

[Gloria]

[Gloria]

Those who started reading Daredevil in recent years are familiar with the idea that living in danger is a staple of daily life for Matt Murdock's friends and loved ones. And Foggy Nelson in jeopardy à la Pearl White is a grand old tradition of the series.

"The Perils of Franklin" indeed! Yes, when you live close to Daredevil you can find yourself...

...feeling tonge-tied (and ankle-tied and wrist-tied to boot) (Stan Lee, Gene Colan Daredevil Vol. 1 #29)



... hanging from a window (courtesy of friendly arachnids) (Stan Lee, John Romita, Dardevil Vol. 1 #17)



...having your best buddy's ex-girlfriends trying to kill you (Frank Miller, DaredeVil Vol. 1 #181)



...or enjoying a Tarzan ride courtesy of nutty visitors to the Big Apple (Joe Kelly, Bernard Chang, Daredevil/Deadpool Special)


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Gloria
Devuélveme el rosario de mi madre y quédate con todo lo demás

"Para la cuesta arriba quiero mi burro, que la cuesta abajo yo me la subo"

[harryhausen]

So, I’m reading the Frank Miller stuff for the first time (shocking, I know, but I’m a new discoverer . . . with an obsessive bent and will be moving through the whole history sometime or another) and just wanted to point out that Foggy wears the flyest (fliest? most fly?) tuxedo EVER when he gets married in DD#168. Technicolor!