By Bruno Savill De jong — It’s 1974. Patty Hearst is kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army, Arthur Fry invents the Post-it Note, and Nixon resigns after Watergate. People are listening to “Waterloo,” watching Blazing Saddles, and reading Daredevil.

In the year 1974, Daredevil returns to New York, although there isn’t much holding him back. Matt Murdock keeps saying he intends to return to San Francisco – and he briefly does at the end of the year – but it all feels noncommittal. San Francisco simply did not work out as a clean slate for Daredevil (history doesn’t relate whether it was a sales boost at that time, either). Interestingly, Steve Gerber – better known for political satire in comics like Howard the Duck – plays around with polemical points just a bit more once Matt has abandoned the Bay Area. Daredevil leaves once hearing Foggy Nelson is in critical condition, leaving the Black Widow (and their shared title) for his former friend, as Natasha laments that he “won’t be coming back.”

However, 1974’s story-arcs are found following various women. Daredevil may return for his male buddy Foggy, but he also has romantic doubts over the “bloodthirsty” Black Widow and a sudden infatuation with Moondragon. Moondragon herself feels an attachment to Matt (given they mind-melded to defeat Broderick) but ultimately drops him off in New York. Therefore, Daredevil’s investigation into the terrorist group who shot Foggy, Black Spectre, connects him with Shanna the She-Devil. Shanna is the niece of San Fran’s Commissioner O’Hara, believing Black Spectre responsible for her father’s murder. Later, Daredevil is waylaid by the kidnapping of Foggy’s (hitherto unmentioned) sister Candace Nelson, before wrapping up 1974 with re-confronting the Black Widow. Every one of these subplots is introduced via a female supporting player. It becomes more noticeable since the Mandrill – Black Spectre’s leader whom Gerber writes the first appearance of – has the ability to control women, with Black Spectre’s members all his female hypnotic slaves.

The Mandrill’s plan is to sow hatred throughout America and eventually overthrow its government, using Black Spectre to start Wall Street riots and (in a bizarrely overlooked panel) put Hitler’s face on Mount Rushmore. This is a result of the Mandrill’s bizarre backstory, where his scientist father was exposed to radiation, birthing Mandrill as a disfigured, ape-like and (most importantly) Black boy in a white family. The same exposure made the factory’s Black cleaner birth a pale, vampiric white girl who then became Nekra the Priestess of Hate. Mandrill recalls the “twin mutants” were “a Black white boy and a white Black girl – both ostracized, both learning the same ugly lesson about…America.” As a commentary on race-relations, Gerber’s Mandrill and Nekra are “complicated” to say the least (posing that such discrimination is given equal weight). But Daredevil is surprisingly sympathetic to Mandrill’s motivations, even turning down a medal for defeating him since the authorities don’t understand the hatred already sown into America.

Gerber’s political edge is also visible in the immediate next story-arc, where Candace Nelson is hunted by the ethereal supervillain Death-Stalker (with the assistance of the Gladiator) for having “stolen” government documents about genetic experiments. It’s Candace’s liberal “crusading journalism” that distanced her from her “establishment” brother Foggy, who even regards Daredevil hiding Candace away as “harboring a fugitive.” Nobody, Foggy believes, should be “above the law: not you, not me, not the President.” Foggy’s by-the-book stance clashes with Candace, who believes the book to be corrupt and need of re-evaluation. Daredevil is torn in-between, but being more ready to bend the law, hesitantly sides with Candace by destroying the government documents to exonerate her from FBI investigations and ensure nobody gets their hands on them.

Just before a news-report informed Daredevil of Foggy’s condition, Ivan the Chauffeur offhandedly referenced “Watergate.” The scandal’s spectre – investigative journalism, the President’s fallibility – runs through the beats of 1974’s Daredevil. It arises in the Mandrill’s occupation of the White House lawn, or when Matt seems disillusioned with current affairs, thinking “I can remember when I used to enjoy this line of work! Not anymore. Not these days. Lately, every case I’ve been involved in just convinces me more and more how sick we are. We – the people – the society – the whole blasted human race!” Gerber maintains Daredevil’s pulpy antics but is much darker these issues, including a brutal description of a toppled steel tower where Daredevil hears “every bone that it crushes to powder… every heartbeat it causes to stop… every drop of blood that trickles from every wound to moisten the pavements grime.”

Gerber’s touch is found in this infrequent ruthlessness and polemical statements, even if the commentary isn’t too profound by today’s standards. America may be “full of hate” but his Daredevil doesn’t investigate much beyond a Mandrill-faced man being made fun of and capitalising on such hatred. Gerber’s involvement is more pronounced in populating Daredevil with his Marvel creations, with Shanna the She-Devil* a returning character and, when Daredevil tracks down a kidnapped Candace to the Florida everglades, the Man-Thing**. Gerber generally uses Daredevil to introduce new characters (debuting the Silver Samurai in Daredevil #111) and re-introduce old elements. Full-page spreads outlining Daredevil’s costume and billy-club, and asterix explaining who Foggy Nelson is, indicates 1974 was designed as a ‘reintroduction’ for readers unfamiliar with Daredevil.

Matt Murdock has no home in 1974, staying in New York hotel rooms as he transitions back to his home city. This is better than Black Widow and Ivan, who after the lease on their San Francisco house expires, are forced to sleep in the car. Neither one wishes to ‘confirm’ their dissolved relationship even as it becomes apparent. When Daredevil does briefly return to San Francisco, Matt’s purpose (after the two fend off the Owl) seems to be confirming he’s returned to New York full-time. In a Christopher Claremont penned issue, Natasha refutes Matt’s offer to return with him, citing “I… love you… but I won’t come to you except as your equal.”

But maybe Daredevil doesn’t want an equal. When he pursues the Owl, Claremont writes “Daredevil smiles. Because now it’s all up to him, by himself, without anyone or anything to help him.” Perhaps Matt likes working on his own terms, without having to debate crime-fighting with Natasha or anyone else who knows his double-life. Gerber said in an interview, “One of the keys to understanding the Daredevil character is that he's one man alone, in darkness. Mitigate the totality of that darkness and the character becomes much less interesting.” The validity of this point is debatable (and definitely coloured by future Daredevil issues), but it does hint that Matt embraces his brooding, solo lifestyle more than he cares to admit. If Daredevil is sick of “the whole blasted human race,” then he can only trust in himself. Matt is back in New York and working alone, and even if it makes him miserable, it’s a way of the world he can control.

*Gerber did write the first appearance of Shanna the She-Devil in Shannah the She-Devil #1, although he always credited her creation to Carole Seuling (the plotter) and George Tuska (the artist)

**Gerber did not create the Man-Thing, but was responsible for an acclaimed 39-issue run at the time.

Check out past installments from The Man Without Fear…By The Year!

Check out Bruno Savill De Jong’s last regular series, Gotham Central Case by Case!

Bruno Savill De Jong is a recent undergraduate of English and freelance writer on films and comics, living in London. His infrequent comics-blog is Panels are Windows and semi-frequent Twitter is BrunoSavillDeJo.