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Daredevil (1964 series) #178

on-sale: Sep 22, 1981
Frank Miller

Daredevil (1964 series) #178 cover

Story Name:

Paper Chase


Synopsis

Daredevil (1964 series) #178 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro
Rating: 4 stars

Elektra returns to her apartment, where she finds several guys waiting to ambush her there. Elektra stylishly and efficiently kills her four attackers, throwing the last guy out of the window. In the wake of her victory, she finds a note from the Kingpin, seeking to discuss employment opportunities for her. Meanwhile, some time later, Daredevil bounds his way through the city, reveling in the full use of his returned radar sense. He heads back to the swanky new office he shares with Foggy, where the two of them, along with J. Jonah Jameson, have a meeting with a young man named Sheldon. Sheldon got ahold of some checks that the Kingpin wrote to Randolph Cherryh’s campaign, proving their connection. Just then, some of the Kingpin’s guys arrive with clear ill intentions for Sheldon. Matt feigns disorientation in their new office, scattering papers everywhere and allowing himself to slip away and switch to Daredevil. Sheldon also slips away and Daredevil catches up to him right outside the building, where he’s able to scare the Kingpin’s men off, though Sheldon runs off once more.

The next day, Foggy goes to hire Luke Cage and Iron Fist to act as Matt’s bodyguards, fearing for his safety after the previous day’s events. He passes an annoyed Jeryn Hogarth, Luke and Danny’s boss, who advises them to take a paying case to justify the office he set up for them. They reluctantly take Foggy’s job. That night, the Kingpin’s men return to the Nelson and Murdock law office to find Matt alone. Matt has covertly set up recording equipment, hoping to record them admitting the connection between their boss and Cherryh. However, just then, Foggy arrives at the office with Luke Cage and Iron Fist, who quickly deal with the goons. However, the tape Matt was using to record them gets smashed in the process, leaving him frustrated with Luke and Danny’s involvement.

That evening, Luke and Iron Fist escort Matt to the courthouse where they discover the prosecutor arguing against him is none other than their boss, Jeryn Hogarth. Matt continues to feel annoyed at their involvement, knowing they mean well, but desperately needing to slip away to become Daredevil. He’s able to escape down a fortunately empty elevator shaft, though his sudden disappearance leads Luke and IF to think he’s been kidnapped. They ransack Randolph Cherryh’s office and interrogate him about Matt’s whereabouts, yielding no results. After they head out, Cherryh receives a call from Sheldon, setting up an exchange at the big parade occurring the next day, wanting jewels for the checks he has. This is overheard by Daredevil, perched just outside, who promises to be watching out for Cherryh at the parade.

The next afternoon, everyone is watching out for everyone else at the parade; Matt’s looking for Cherryh, Luke and Danny for Matt, and Turk for Sheldon. Matt locates Sheldon making the exchange with Cherryh, when a kid grabs the bags of jewels as the hand-off is being made. This leads to a big chase, as Sheldon runs after the kid, and Turk and Grotto run after Sheldon. Luke and Iron Fist spot Matt, to his chagrin, forcing him to duck into an alley to switch to Daredevil. Iron Fist wants answers on what’s going on, leading to a little sparring match between himself and Daredevil. Meanwhile, Turk and Grotto chase Sheldon onto one of the giant balloons, and Daredevil slips away from Iron Fist, jumping onto the balloon himself and knocking Sheldon into the air. Luke catches Sheldon, glad he finally got to do something, and Sheldon reveals that he was only trying to help his sister. She’s an aspiring dancer but needs an operation to fix her legs, and he thought he could use the checks to make enough money to pay for it. They agree to help him and Daredevil asks for the checks, which is when Sheldon realizes that they must have gotten carried away by the wind, lost in all the ticker tape!

Late that night, Elektra sneaks into a certain skyscraper, killing the guards and making it to the top floor. There, she is confronted by the Kingpin, who tells her they have much to discuss!


Characters
Good (or All)
DAREDEVIL
ELEKTRA
FOGGYNELSON
IRONFIST
JJJAMESON
LUKECAGE
Plus: Jeryn Hogarth.

Enemies
KINGPIN
TURKB
Plus: Randolph Cherryh.

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



Excelsioring your collection:
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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)
Andy Yanchus (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Joe Rosen.



Review / Commentaries


Daredevil (1964 series) #178 Review by (April 2, 2025)

Review: This one is a lot of fun! This issue has a more comedic tone than most, as a kid named Sheldon blackmails Cherryh with checks connecting him to the Kingpin. It’s not clear exactly how he came across these checks and it’s completely glossed over in order to advance the story but leads to a bunch of amusing situations. Foggy also hires Luke Cage and Iron Fist to bodyguard Matt, to Matt’s utter chagrin. He’s especially annoyed when they accidentally destroy a tape he was secretly using to record the Kingpin’s men admitting their connection to Cherryh, saying it would have won them their case. Being a lawyer though, Matt should know that recordings of someone without their knowledge or consent would not be admissible in court. Along with several others, moments such as this make everyone seem just a little dumber this issue than usual, possibly to service the more comedic tone. Kingpin’s men are certainly dumber than usual, and Luke and Iron Fist never really know what’s going on throughout the whole issue! And of course, Cherryh remains out of reach as the evidence quite literally escapes into the wind! The issue is also bookended by the Kingpin aiming to enlist Elektra into his ranks, which ends up being the much more significant part of the issue. Still, a fun little issue, with all the usual great stuff you’d expect from Miller Daredevil, in addition to a more lighthearted tone.

Comments: This issue is the first time Daredevil meets Luke Cage and Iron Fist. The giant balloon that the action takes place on at the end is drawn to look like Kermit the Frog.





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