Chapter 1 | The Literary Adventures of the Super Blind
Chapter Subheadings
The Blind Super-Senser • The Blind Martial Artist • The Blind Superhero •
The “In-Betweener”
Summary
Daredevil is not the only blind hero. He wasn’t even the first! Chapter 1 starts us off with a closer look at the myths and literary tropes that give rise to blind fictional characters with heightened senses. We also look at others (almost) like him, such as the Shroud and Dr. Mid-Nite, and ask ourselves why partially sighted characters – like Mole-Man – are so rare.
Chapter Excerpt: “Although the Daredevil comics never suggest that Matt Murdock would have acquired these heightened abilities without that helpful dose of radiation, it is interesting to note just how common heightened senses similar to Daredevil’s have been in fictional depictions of blindness even when the character in question is presumably “just blind,” without the benefit of Silver Age superhero magic.2 The opening quote of this chapter, from H. G. Wells’s The Country of the Blind, mentions such Daredevil staples as hearing heartbeats and being able to tell individuals apart by smell. Another one of Bolt’s examples, so extreme that it would put even Matt Murdock to shame, comes from references to the character Andreas in Arthur Conan Doyle’s 1906 novel Sir Nigel: […]”
Errata
Note! Early printings (physical books purchased before circa mid-September, 2022) contain an error regarding Frank Miller’s age at the time he started working on Daredevil. While he was indeed very young, he was not quite as young as nineteen. The first issue Miller penciled, Daredevil #158 (cover dated to May 1979), hit the stands in late January 1979, mere days after his 22nd birthday. This would have made him twenty-one years old at the time he was hired for the job at the end of 1978.
Panels & More
From Daredevil #9 (1964), by Stan Lee, Wally Wood, and Bob Powell
Caption: “That night…”
Matt, to himself: “And yet, if only i dared to really have an eye operation! If only I didn’t fear that I would lose my super-senses if my vision returned! How ironic that Daredevil, the Man Without Fear, is mortally afraid of ever regaining his sight!”
From Daredevil #500 (1964/1998),
by Ed Brubaker and (here) Chris Samnee
Caption: Japan — Hundreds of years ago
Naguchi: “So, its’ true… You blinded yourself. You’re a fool, Izo.”
Izo: “No, Naguchi… Better to let the sun take my eyes than see what we have become… There is no honor left in the hand. Our leader could never find enough sake to wipe this shame from his mind… were he still alive.”
Naguchi: “So you did this to be like him? To see if we’d follow you now?”
Izo: “I’m nothing like him, to my disgrace… I’m weak… But not as weak as you. No. I blinded myself so I could see this world better than all of you… But now I realize, you see nothing, Naguchi.”
Naguchi: “You preach sacrilege. The men will kill you.”
Izo: “Let them try… I’ll enjoy that. Of course, they’ll have to find me first… Goodbye, brother… I’ll miss you.”
From Super-Villain Team-Up #7 (1975), by Steve Englehart and Herbe Trimpe
The caption reads: “Then, when Namor has sunk deep into a tub of life-preserving water…”
The Shroud: “You might as well get comfortable, Sub-Mariner. I know your strength was drained in your fight with the Human Torch — and I have a long story to tell you — a story no other mortal has ever heard before — the origin of The Shroud!”
From Fantastic Four #1 (1961), by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Mole-Man: “That was to be the last of my misfortunes! My luck began to turn in my favor! I mastered the creatures down here — made them do my bidding — and with their help, I carved out an underground empire!”
Caption: “A note of madness creeps into the Mole’s voice as he speaks of his power! And then, he makes his first fatal mistake…”
Mole-Man: “I conquered everything about me! I even learned to sense things in the dark — like a Mole! Here, I’ll show you! try to strike me with that pole! Try it, I say!! Hah! I sensed that blow coming! NOthing can take me by surprise! And, I have developed other senses too, like those of the bat –“
