Villain: Emissaries of Evil: Electro, Leap-Frog, Stilt-Man, Matador, Gladiator

Guest Appearance: Karen Page, Foggy Nelson

But little did they know that DD was only playing possum so they would move in closer to him, but that plan didn't work out. Still, Daredevil finds himself woozy after the fight, and in fact this sensation is so bad that it throws his balance off and he comes crashing down atop the roof. He walks home, worrying about who else has joined Electro's Emissaries of Evil.

Unfortunately for Daredevil, the Emissaries are coming together at that very moment! Flying from Europe where he is stationed as the Maggia syndicate boss, the Gladiator has answered the call to join up against his longtime foe. And in a flashback, it is revealed that Electro rescued Stilt-Man after his last defeat and helped rejuvenate him to health.

A worried Foggy and Karen check in on their friend and law partner, but Matt Murdock brushes them off, telling them he's taking the day off. What he doesn't tell them is that he plans to track down the Emissaries of Evil with his free time! In a nearby boat, the Matador has spotted DD on the prowl. He takes off after DD, skulking in the shadows until he can throw his cape over his head to blind him! But the super-sensitive hero is not blind (even though he is blind, natch!) and he throws a powerful right hook into the jaw of the Matador. DD's taunts start to get to him, and enables Daredevil to hurl him off the dock into the water. The Matador decides to swim away for escape.

Daredevil chows down on some "nutriment capsules" that he has handy so he can restore his energy for the continuing fight ahead. He continues his patrol to track down Electro's other buddies. Before he knows it, he's face to face with Stilt-Man, who fires his ray gun at Daredevil. DD wraps around his tall armored body with his grappling hook and wire, forcing Stilt-Man to telescope down to his level and change tactics. But DD smacks him pretty good, and activates his stilt mechanism, sending him laterally into the brick wall and causing him to bash himself into it. Police show up at the scene, but neither combatant is still around, leaving the cops to wonder what caused the huge hole in the wall!

Daredevil heads home after the fight, nursing his wounds, and receiving a taped warning from Foggy that Stilt-Man is on the loose and to take care. The next day, Matt is heading to work through the park when his super-hearing detects the unique footsteps of Leap-Frog. He changes into his Daredevil costume and takes the Frog-Man by surprise. After much scuffling, Leap-Frog hops away, the better to lure DD into the Emissaries' trap.

Daredevil finds that he's followed Leap-Frog to an electrical power plant, where he quickly finds out who the rest of the evil emissaries are: Gladiators starts to smack him around, while the rest of the team lies in wait. All five attack him, and it takes all of Daredevil's senses to keep on the offensive. After a bewildering series of feinting and counter-attacks, he manages to divert the Emissaries' attacks to each other, so the Matador winds up accidentally taking out Leap-Frog. He uses a coil of wire to ensnare the whole group, attaching it to a nearby transformer to subdue Electro's power.

After turning the villains over to the authorities, DD returns to the life of Matt Murdock.

BACKUP FEATURES:

Inside Daredevil: Exploration of DD's radar sense, "titanic sense of touch", "built-in" lie detector, and fighting technique. (2 pages.)

An Explanation!: Matt Murdock explains to new readers what the deal is with his twin brother, "Mike Murdock." (2 pages.)

Pin-ups: This annual contains 8 pin-ups of, in order:

• Karen Page
• Foggy Nelson mooning over Karen Page
• Ka-Zar and Zabu
• Daredevil
• Gladiator
• Leap-Frog
• The Owl
• The Masked Marauder

Blueprint For An All-Purpose Billy Club!: An in-depth analysis of the workings of DD's sidearm. (1 page.)

"At the Stroke of Midnight!": Gene Colan drives out to Stan's Long Island home through a terrible snowstorm to deliver his original art pages. The next day, they get into a rather one-side conference to discuss an upcoming Daredevil story. (3 pages.)

--synopsis and panel images by Gormuu

--letter pages and house ads provided by Aussie Stu

Issues Reprinted
Daredevil #22-32, King-Size Special #1

Click on cover image to learn more about each issue.