I love Daredevil and I love Steve Gerber, but I'll bet I could do at least a dozen 'You've Been Warned' posts featuring issues from Gerber's Daredevil run. I'll start here, as it's a perfect example of a Marvel book spinning its wheels while resting on its laurels during the 70s. By this point, we've seen about 200 'hero vs. hero' fights in the Marvel universe, and it's getting pretty annoying. At least with this fight, Hawkeye and DD are ostensibly fighting over a women, but it's still ridiculous as, if memory serves, there are no less than 3 separate small skirmishes over a mere 20 pages. None of this is helped by Sam Kweskin's artwork, which ranks among the very worst from the 'pencils by committee' era that would haunt this book until the end of the decade.
At some point, the Avengers show up in order to pimp the crossover with their fight against Magneto. Did I mention the biker gang (the Hell Birds), whose leader didn't feel it necessary to wear a shirt under his leather vest? How about Natasha, who has nothing better to say throughout this issue other than "Stop it boys!"? I've always thought that Gerber was a master of characterization, but it is very weak here and the dialogue seems to be from a Marvel Cliché Handbook. I can't believe a Russian super spy would really care about the state of her home when her two beaus are threatening to kill each other. I kind of wish that I mimicked her, though, and kept my eyes closed for this one.
I love Daredevil and I love Steve Gerber, but I'll bet I could do at least a dozen 'You've Been Warned' posts featuring issues from Gerber's Daredevil run. I'll start here, as it's a perfect example of a Marvel book spinning its wheels while resting on its laurels during the 70s. By this point, we've seen about 200 'hero vs. hero' fights in the Marvel universe, and it's getting pretty annoying. At least with this fight, Hawkeye and DD are ostensibly fighting over a women, but it's still ridiculous as, if memory serves, there are no less than 3 separate small skirmishes over a mere 20 pages. None of this is helped by Sam Kweskin's artwork, which ranks among the very worst from the 'pencils by committee' era that would haunt this book until the end of the decade.
At some point, the Avengers show up in order to pimp the crossover with their fight against Magneto. Did I mention the biker gang (the Hell Birds), whose leader didn't feel it necessary to wear a shirt under his leather vest? How about Natasha, who has nothing better to say throughout this issue other than "Stop it boys!"? I've always thought that Gerber was a master of characterization, but it is very weak here and the dialogue seems to be from a Marvel Cliché Handbook. I can't believe a Russian super spy would really care about the state of her home when her two beaus are threatening to kill each other. I kind of wish that I mimicked her, though, and kept my eyes closed for this one.
4 comments:
There's an early 100s issue (105, I thnk) w/Stiltman that is possibly the worst comic I read in my life. And yes, I have reread it a few times over the years, to make sure.
When Gerber was off his game, he was OFF.
The Hell-Birds you say. I sort of (quietly)collect 70's biker gang comics. They are almost always cause for chagrin, and a wee laugh. I have been warned.. and yes I just might be looking out for this missing book. Craig
Ha! I just read this. I've been rereading a lot of Gerber comics and am now doing his Daredevil run.
Phew! Daredevil feels like wise-cracking Spidey here (the cover for the Stiltman issue has him calling him 'Stilty').
I loves me some Gerber but this run feels old.
Steve Gerber did some nice work, but he never figured out Daredevil. The whole Gerber run was confusing. As for the art work, after hundreds of issues of Sal Busema's rather bland drawings, at least Kweskin was an intersting change of pace.
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