Daredevil #253 (April 1988)

Since Christmas was this week, I thought I would take a look at a Christmas-themed comic. I didn't have too many of those in my collection, unfortunately. But then I remembered something. One of my Daredevil trades had a Christmas issue, so why not look at that this week? For my final review of 2023, let's look at Daredevil #253!

The cover is a John Romita Jr. and Al Williamson piece. It depicts the Kingpin angrily gripping the mask of Daredevil. An amusing thing about this comic's cover is the masthead logo being used to wish Daredevil a Merry Christmas. It's kind of true, this Christmas is a good one for him.

"Merry Christmas, Kingpin!"
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Penciler: John Romita Jr. 
Inker: Al Williamson
Colorist: Max Scheele
Letterer: Joe Rosen
Editors: Ralph Macchio, Marc Siry
Editor-in-Chief: Tom DeFalco 

The story begins In Hell's Kitchen. Christmas may be a time associated with snow and cold, but this part of New York City? It's hot. It's always hot. And two men intend to make things hotter in the Kitchen. Not in the good way.

"IMMA LICK THE WORLD, SPIT! LITERALLY!"

Meet the Wildboys, two men who love trouble. The bearded one is Spit, and the one who can't keep his Gene Simmons-like tongue out of his mouth is named Jet. These two men's idea of spreading the Christmas spirit is to cause some damage and mayhem. 

They see an opportunity to do exactly that when they see a man dressed as Santa collecting money for homeless children. The two decide, "Hey, that money should go to our charity: The Give the Wildboys Money Fund". As such, they rob the Santa at knife point. A man tries to intervene, but since he's not a superhero, he gets an elbow to the mouth for his trouble. The two men then drive away cackling. This whole thing was witnessed by a young boy nicknamed Eightball. 

Eightball is a member of a group of young skateboard fanatics from Hell's Kitchen known as the Fatboys. We've met two of them in the past: Butch and Darla, back in my look at Daredevil #265 (April 1989). I do find it funny that they call themselves "The Fatboys" as one of them is a girl, and none of them are fat. Is it a skateboarding reference? I have no idea.

Anyway, Eightball thinks that the Wildboys are pretty cool. They do whatever they want, and they seem to always get away with it. Said Wildboys' rampage is also witnessed by the man the comic is named after.

"Time to go Grinch on these guys." 

It's Christmas Eve, and if there's something that Daredevil doesn't like, it's people like the Wildboys causing trouble on this day. So, he's going to help Santa make sure they get their lumps. And by lumps, I do not mean lumps of coal. 

But first, he needs to make sure people hit by the rampage are alright. He, well, "sees" that the man who tried to stop the Wildboys from robbing the Santa is in shock. Eightball reports to the Man Without Fear about the Wildboys, about how they were, well, wild and fearless. They wanted to "trash the family unit", whatever that means. Daredevil asks Eightball if he thinks they were cool. Eightball just stammers and runs off. It's here that he runs into two of the other Fatboys: Ralf and Darla. Again, we met Darla in Daredevil #265. 

Showing how he admires the Wildboys a bit, Eightball decides to play bully towards Darla. He knocks the helmet off Darla's head and kicks her off his skateboard. Darla's was stolen, but she'll get a new one for Christmas. Eightball laughs that off. After all, Darla's dad is a drunk and her mother is a junkie. They likely are in so much of a stupor they don't even know where they are, much less what day it is. Ralf says he's going to steal a Christmas for his family. 

Back with Daredevil, the cops are checking on the man in shock and presumably an ambulance is on the way. A cop asks Daredevil is he can help deal with the Wildboys. The NYPD is a bit stretched thin, as many on the force are spending time with family this Christmas Eve. Daredevil sees Eightball and Ralf skate by, and he shoots a look at the boy with the 8-Ball on his helmet. This creeps Eightball out, as it seems as if the Devil of Hell's Kitchen can read his mind.

Matt Murdock's thought bubble points out that he is watching Eightball, but the boy is unaware of this. Eightball decides that if Daredevil thinks he's bad, then he might as well be. 

Later, Matt is bringing a Christmas tree somewhere. He finds himself thinking about family. The cop assumed he didn't have one, and maybe he wasn't wrong. After all, Matt's father is dead, and his mother is off being a nun. Thing is, family isn't necessarily built by blood. Family can be the people you build bonds with. Daredevil has, in a way, a found family among the outcasts of the city: the rebels, the homeless, etc. As Matt Murdock heads to his destination, he switched back to civilian clothes. 

"Except Bill ate all the Fritos. Friggin' Bill..."

At this time, Matt was running a free legal clinic, as well as a hotline to help people with drug problems. The workers there all chipped in for a nice Christmas feast. Matt tells them how the Kingpin destroyed his life, but he still had his heart and spirit. This feast shows that heart and spirit are still here, and he actually pities Wilson Fisk. Why? Well, even though he's one of the richest and most powerful men in the city, he is missing something no amount of money or power will give him. 

Speaking of the Kingpin, what is he up to?

"Feel the burn!"

The man may be large, but he is not a weakling by any means. He is being briefed by one of his attorneys on how Murdock's legal work is messing up his own plans. Fisk wants to put up a new building. But not just any new building. He wants to build the tallest building in all of Manhattan Island. As such, he needs to buy a lot of property to make this new building. Murdock has rallied the community, and as a result, the lot owner is under very heavy pressure to not sell to Fisk. 

As the man continues to work out, a fly buzzes in. When Fisk is told about a lawsuit against a company called Kelco that is making headway (thanks to Murdock working with grassroots environmentalists), Fisk insists he has to win that case. The point of it was to show Murdock there is no justice, and the lawyer should apply some pressure of his own on the lot owner tomorrow.

He grows annoyed with Murdock's work, as well as the fly buzzing around. He tries to smash the fly with a barbell, but all he gets is a broken mirror and a beaten-up trainer. 

The attorney points out that you can't kill a fly with a barbell. Fisk realizes he'll need to be subtle. The attorney reminds Fisk that it's Christmas tomorrow, and he'd like the day off. Spend the day with his family, after all. Fisk channels his inner Scrooge and tells him no. He finally catches the fly in his hand. He plans to crush Murdock, and Christmas is no obstacle. He demands a board meeting tomorrow morning, Christmas or no Christmas. 

Meanwhile, the Wildboys continue their idea of "fun".

Talk about your Christmas sales.

The Wildboys have taken up "collecting" electronics, and Daredevil has tracked them down. He jumps on their car and disarms the two. He easily sends them to dreamland and leaves them as a gift to the cops. 

He spots Eightball going through the Wildboys' loot. Daredevil advises him to give the loot back, telling him if you give to others, some of that goodness will come back to you. Eightball thinks he's nuts, but he does leave the loot behind. Daredevil goes to return to the pilfered stuff, but the owners of the looted stores approach him. They tell him that he can keep the stolen items. It's Christmas, after all. And the Man Without Fear knows exactly what to do with this stuff.

Let's check in on the Fatboys, shall we? Darla is looking longingly at the skateboards in a store window. Eightball shows up and the two talk a bit. She intends to steal one of the skateboards in the shop, but Eightball tells her that you get what you give into the world, basically. It's a nice way of showing that Daredevil's words sank in. The two have a tender moment, which is interrupted by Eightball kicking his skateboard at her and running away. She tells him he forgot his board, but Eightball insists he didn't. After all, it's not his.

The next day, Christmas is here. Up in Fisk's tower, the Kingpin is alone and stewing over Murdock. The attorney comes in and reports that the rest of the board are at home with their families. Also, the owner of the lot that Fisk wants has decided not to sell. He even convinced some other lot owners not to sell their properties to Fisk. The Kingpin is enraged by this. But it's that time of year.

Over at the free legal clinic, Matt returns with the items the store owners let him keep, having wrapped them up and is giving them away as Christmas presents. 

The Kingpin is driven by in his limo, and watches Matt at the clinic. He thinks that Matt is miserable being among what the crime boss considers the dregs of society. He then realizes that to truly finish Murdock off, he needs to stab him in the heart. In the metaphorical sense, of course. The story ends with a bum asking Fisk for some change. 

I enjoyed this comic, a Christmas in Hell's Kitchen. The Wildboys weren't much as characters, but they weren't really meant to be new additions to the Man Without Fear's rogues gallery, just generic punks for Matt to beat up. I can't help but think that Nocenti also was feeling a bit Dickensian by having Fisk be a Scrooge here. I also liked the scene with Eightball giving his skateboard to Darla, showing that he may have thought Daredevil was nuts, but he's not a bad kid at heart. Even in Hell's Kitchen, there's kindness and goodwill. Murdock and Fisk are compared very well here. Murdock may not have the wealth or power of the Kingpin, but he's surrounded by people he cares about, whereas Fisk has wealth and influence, but he has no one. Perhaps the Man Without Fear truly has the wealth after all. The little subplot with Eightball was cute, and his giving the skateboard to Darla was adorable. JRJR's art has the grit to it that fits Daredevil.

All in all, this was a wonderful little tale for the holidays. If you want to read this for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 13: A Touch of Typhoid. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! Stay safe, stay healthy, stay home, wash your hands often, wear a mask, and get your vaccine/booster! See you next time! Have a belated Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!