KLAW versus DAREDEVILContext! (Marvel)
Where: Daredevil #237 When: December 1986
Why: John Harkness How: Louis Williams
The Story So Far...
An encounter with the sound manipulating mutant called Dazzler saw Klaw absorbed and dissipated when she used his powers to attack the world devourer: Galactus. Thus began a strange cosmic journey for the formless Klaw!
When The Beyonder summoned Galactus to Battleworld for his Secret Wars: Doctor Doom was able to discover and reform Klaw from his lifeless prison within the circuitry of Galactus' ship. Resurrection was brief, however, as the mad Master of Sound became a weapon against The Beyonder -- and then host for the cosmic being when it briefly surrendered its omnipotence!
Returned to Earth with his solid sound body in tact, Klaw becomes desperate to restore his reputation within the criminal ranks, and prove himself free from madness. Finding himself in New York City, he soon comes upon Daredevil: the perfect hero to prove he's still as dangerous as ever!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Klaw 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Klaw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Daredevil 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Klaw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Daredevil 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Daredevil 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Klaw 5 (Lasers)
Total: Draw 26 (Metahuman)
Sound has been an invaluable asset to Daredevil, supplying the blind hero with a vivid impression of the world around him via his radar sense! He "sees" better than most, but what happens when that sound is turned against him?
Ulysses Klaw was a physicist who developed a sonic transducer capable of channeling sound into a solid state. He famously used his sonic converter to create animate objects while battling Black Panther in Fantastic Four #53.
Defeated and left for dead at the end of that battle, Klaw was forced to seek refuge within his main converter, and in doing so, was transformed into a being of pure sound! He could now manipulate his own composition like that of his solid sound creations, making him exceptionally durable, and capable of reforming himself if dissipated.
Klaw is quite simply the self-professed "Master of Sound" and that means he should be able to completely dominate Daredevil's perception! He can turn heightened hearing into an acute vulnerability, punishing Daredevil while also completely robbing him of his perception of the world around him!
We've seen Mysterio and Deadpool toy with Daredevil's enhanced hearing in Daredevil #7 and Contest of Champions II #4, but this is the first time we're witnessing an all-out sonic assault.
Daredevil is an exceptionally resourceful hero who's dealt with blindness for the majority of his life. He should have enough wherewithal to escape Klaw if the situation calls for it, but without some sort of technological assist, I think this is one battle Daredevil might struggle to win! How'd he do? Let's listen in...
The Tape: Draw Ranking: Daredevil (#12)
What Went Down...
A gentle hum betrays his coming... Matt Murdock sends girlfriend Karen Page away from the impending danger, and enters the shadows to reemerge as Daredevil. He confronts the source of the sound and finds the man called Klaw!
It could've been any hero to satisfy Klaw's campaign for recognition, but of all the alleys in New York City he had to walk into Daredevil's.
Friendship with Black Panther arms DD with knowledge of what he's up against, but it's the rising hum of Klaw's own weapon that really tips him off to the coming attack!
The early warning allows Daredevil to backflip gracefully over the sonic blast!
The blind hero calls upon his training with Stick to make the awesome sound bearable to his hyper sensitive ears. He blocks the cacophony out and tosses his trusty billy club at its source, finding the chest of Klaw's solid body.
The club bounces off Klaw and ricochets off a nearby wall, to be collected by DD as he leaps a streaming blast of sonic force and moves in for an attack.
Daredevil launches himself at Klaw -- but his body is violently deflected by an impenetrable field of sound surrounding the villain!
He drops hard at Klaw's feet, but shakes it off quickly to catch the villain by surprise with an upward back thrusting kick. It strikes Klaw right on the chin!
The blow succeeds in stunning Klaw for just a moment, and fuels further frustration. He bemoans his recent predicament and desperate need to reclaim his reputation within the villain fraternity. The distraction buys Daredevil precious time to sprint and leap for a nearby fire escape.
Distance gives Daredevil time to process his own situation, but his overhead position offers little advantage. It isn't long before he's blasted off the metal stairs as he scrambles upward -- and beset by a new threat!
An animate panther created from pure, solid sound suddenly stalks the hero!
The creature leaps at its prey, but Daredevil manages to stay low and clear of its claws. He swings his club back and hard, connecting with the cat's sharp bearing teeth. He twists and kicks low to get under the beast, using his legs to launch it over the fire escape railing to the unforgiving alley below!
The creature disappears as sound streams back into Klaw's hand worn device.
The villain is impressed and grateful for Daredevil's fight, which otherwise overcomes the hero's "small-time" status. He plots the hero's death and the boon it will bring to his reputation as he unleashes a sonic blast that reduces the lower level of the fire escape to scrap metal!
DD takes umbrage at the insult to his status, but never the less scrambles for his life towards the rooftop above. Klaw is there to greet him!
The arrogant villain transmits himself to the roof before Daredevil can make it, failing to consider the hero's acrobatic prowess. DD uses the ladder for support as he vaults onto the roof, throwing his legs back and over himself to topple Klaw with a back flipping gymnastic kick!
Daredevil keeps on the attack, quickly reversing the momentum with a tackle that sends the pair hurtling off the top of the building!
His radar senses help him gracefully catch a flag pole on the way down, while Klaw continues to plummet uncontrollably to the street below!
Daredevil joins his foe on the ground, tactically landing opposite an electrical store. Klaw unleashes another sonic blast that Daredevil leaps clear of, leaving its destructive power to demolish the store's security doors.
The hero bounces past his opponent and into the store, where waits a piece of technology capable of generating powerful sonic vibrations.
In the hands of one as uniquely in tune with the sound around him, the tone generator becomes the ultimate equalizer! He adjusts the device just so to match Klaw's resonant frequency and unleashes the speaker's audio waves.
Waves of sound bombard Klaw! He twists and grimaces as the frequency rips through him. Completely unprepared to be matched in his own domain, he drops to the floor a baffled and quivering mess, before at last passing out.
The Hammer...
It seemed like the odds were stacked against him, but all Daredevil needed was the right hi-fi to blow Klaw away!
Truth be told, I'm a little disappointed with how easily he endured and dispatched the threat. If it wasn't for some lip service about Stick training him to make the world more manageable, this would've been a superhero street fight like any other.
The "Master of Sound" is arguably the pitch perfect villain to hit Daredevil right where it hurts. DD relies on sound to navigate the world via his heightened radar-sense. Klaw's mere presence should be irksome, and when he opens up with a sonic blast -- Daredevil's world should be turned upside down!
In 1986 they weren't likely to build a six issue epic around this kind of meeting, but a clash of opposites as perfect as this could've at least warranted a two-parter. This is the kind of match-up that should've ended the first issue with a dramatic shot of Daredevil on his knees, holding his ears in agony! A reversal of what ultimate happens.
Black Widow makes an awkward appearance early in the issue to confront her ex-lover about his life choices, and an anti-drugs campaign. She would've been the perfect foil to show up at the right time to pull Daredevil out of the fire, possibly setting up a rematch with additional assistance, or ingenuity.
Daredevil had an existing relationship with Black Panther that might've been the obvious way to resolve a rematch. These days that would probably involve a new vibranium-weave suit he'd wear for a year or two, but Black Widow as liaison for a good old fashioned team-up battle would've done the job, too.
Perhaps something along those lines was the plan originally: "John Harkness" is a pseudonym for writer Steve Englehart, who'd requested the reins of regular writer after Frank Miller's epic run, but only wound up turning in a single issue.
As he explained in an interview with ManWithoutFear.com: Englehart had planned to use the breaking point of Born Again to move DD out of Hell's Kitchen, across the country to San Francisco. Daredevil and Black Widow would join the ranks of the West Coast Avengers, creating drama through Matt Murdock's dual relationships, in & out of costume, with Natasha and Karen Page.
Englehart had already written the beginning of his run, but a fill-in issue by Ann Nocenti upset his plans. According to Englehart, Nocenti's status as editor meant he would have to retool his script, rather than the fill-in accommodating the incumbent regular writer. Thems the breaks and Englehart decided to bow out, feeling the challenge of following Miller wasn't worth it if he didn't have his best possible plot lined up.
We could still reasonably speculate that Klaw might've followed Daredevil and Widow to the West Coast. Perhaps they would've had a more meaningful confrontation, resolved by the Avengers' ties to Black Panther, or another hero.
It's interesting to imagine just how different the Marvel Universe might've looked if Englehart's plans had played out. Personally, I prefer Daredevil as the loner hero who turned down the New Avengers when they offered him membership in 2005. I'm also quiet partial to Ann Nocenti's run on DD, too.
There was definitely more to be said with the Daredevil/Klaw paradigm, which is probably why Mark Waid revisited the natural match-up when he took a run in 2011. A rematch we'll have to revisit some point in the future!
If you thought Daredevil won this one far too easily, you might like to check out the fantasy fight that inspired today's selection: Black Canary versus Daredevil! "The Contest" is a battle between my DC selections and The Grandmaster's Marvel heroes. Voting for the next battle will begin very soon. Stay tuned!
If you like Secret Wars on Infinite Earths and want to see it continue to succeed you can now support the project via Patreon. Patrons get an extra outlet to vote in The Contest and can get involved in various other special features.
Gain free access to a complete archive of every featured fight by delving deep into the Secret Index! There you'll find links to every battle in order of publisher, series, and issue number. You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get links to daily battles inspired by the topics of the day! Remember to like & share to appear wiser and more attractive to your friends!
Winner: Daredevil
#11 (+1) Daredevil
#917 (-34) Klaw
Where: Daredevil #237 When: December 1986
Why: John Harkness How: Louis Williams
The Story So Far...
An encounter with the sound manipulating mutant called Dazzler saw Klaw absorbed and dissipated when she used his powers to attack the world devourer: Galactus. Thus began a strange cosmic journey for the formless Klaw!
When The Beyonder summoned Galactus to Battleworld for his Secret Wars: Doctor Doom was able to discover and reform Klaw from his lifeless prison within the circuitry of Galactus' ship. Resurrection was brief, however, as the mad Master of Sound became a weapon against The Beyonder -- and then host for the cosmic being when it briefly surrendered its omnipotence!
Returned to Earth with his solid sound body in tact, Klaw becomes desperate to restore his reputation within the criminal ranks, and prove himself free from madness. Finding himself in New York City, he soon comes upon Daredevil: the perfect hero to prove he's still as dangerous as ever!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Klaw 4 (Enhanced)Intelligence: Klaw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Daredevil 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Klaw 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Daredevil 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Daredevil 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Klaw 5 (Lasers)
Total: Draw 26 (Metahuman)
Sound has been an invaluable asset to Daredevil, supplying the blind hero with a vivid impression of the world around him via his radar sense! He "sees" better than most, but what happens when that sound is turned against him?
Ulysses Klaw was a physicist who developed a sonic transducer capable of channeling sound into a solid state. He famously used his sonic converter to create animate objects while battling Black Panther in Fantastic Four #53.
Defeated and left for dead at the end of that battle, Klaw was forced to seek refuge within his main converter, and in doing so, was transformed into a being of pure sound! He could now manipulate his own composition like that of his solid sound creations, making him exceptionally durable, and capable of reforming himself if dissipated.
Klaw is quite simply the self-professed "Master of Sound" and that means he should be able to completely dominate Daredevil's perception! He can turn heightened hearing into an acute vulnerability, punishing Daredevil while also completely robbing him of his perception of the world around him!
We've seen Mysterio and Deadpool toy with Daredevil's enhanced hearing in Daredevil #7 and Contest of Champions II #4, but this is the first time we're witnessing an all-out sonic assault.
Daredevil is an exceptionally resourceful hero who's dealt with blindness for the majority of his life. He should have enough wherewithal to escape Klaw if the situation calls for it, but without some sort of technological assist, I think this is one battle Daredevil might struggle to win! How'd he do? Let's listen in...
The Tape: Draw Ranking: Daredevil (#12)
What Went Down...
A gentle hum betrays his coming... Matt Murdock sends girlfriend Karen Page away from the impending danger, and enters the shadows to reemerge as Daredevil. He confronts the source of the sound and finds the man called Klaw!
It could've been any hero to satisfy Klaw's campaign for recognition, but of all the alleys in New York City he had to walk into Daredevil's.
Friendship with Black Panther arms DD with knowledge of what he's up against, but it's the rising hum of Klaw's own weapon that really tips him off to the coming attack!
The early warning allows Daredevil to backflip gracefully over the sonic blast!
The blind hero calls upon his training with Stick to make the awesome sound bearable to his hyper sensitive ears. He blocks the cacophony out and tosses his trusty billy club at its source, finding the chest of Klaw's solid body.
The club bounces off Klaw and ricochets off a nearby wall, to be collected by DD as he leaps a streaming blast of sonic force and moves in for an attack.
Daredevil launches himself at Klaw -- but his body is violently deflected by an impenetrable field of sound surrounding the villain!
He drops hard at Klaw's feet, but shakes it off quickly to catch the villain by surprise with an upward back thrusting kick. It strikes Klaw right on the chin!
The blow succeeds in stunning Klaw for just a moment, and fuels further frustration. He bemoans his recent predicament and desperate need to reclaim his reputation within the villain fraternity. The distraction buys Daredevil precious time to sprint and leap for a nearby fire escape.
Distance gives Daredevil time to process his own situation, but his overhead position offers little advantage. It isn't long before he's blasted off the metal stairs as he scrambles upward -- and beset by a new threat!
An animate panther created from pure, solid sound suddenly stalks the hero!
The creature leaps at its prey, but Daredevil manages to stay low and clear of its claws. He swings his club back and hard, connecting with the cat's sharp bearing teeth. He twists and kicks low to get under the beast, using his legs to launch it over the fire escape railing to the unforgiving alley below!
The creature disappears as sound streams back into Klaw's hand worn device.
The villain is impressed and grateful for Daredevil's fight, which otherwise overcomes the hero's "small-time" status. He plots the hero's death and the boon it will bring to his reputation as he unleashes a sonic blast that reduces the lower level of the fire escape to scrap metal!
DD takes umbrage at the insult to his status, but never the less scrambles for his life towards the rooftop above. Klaw is there to greet him!
The arrogant villain transmits himself to the roof before Daredevil can make it, failing to consider the hero's acrobatic prowess. DD uses the ladder for support as he vaults onto the roof, throwing his legs back and over himself to topple Klaw with a back flipping gymnastic kick!
Daredevil keeps on the attack, quickly reversing the momentum with a tackle that sends the pair hurtling off the top of the building!
His radar senses help him gracefully catch a flag pole on the way down, while Klaw continues to plummet uncontrollably to the street below!
Daredevil joins his foe on the ground, tactically landing opposite an electrical store. Klaw unleashes another sonic blast that Daredevil leaps clear of, leaving its destructive power to demolish the store's security doors.
The hero bounces past his opponent and into the store, where waits a piece of technology capable of generating powerful sonic vibrations.
In the hands of one as uniquely in tune with the sound around him, the tone generator becomes the ultimate equalizer! He adjusts the device just so to match Klaw's resonant frequency and unleashes the speaker's audio waves.
Waves of sound bombard Klaw! He twists and grimaces as the frequency rips through him. Completely unprepared to be matched in his own domain, he drops to the floor a baffled and quivering mess, before at last passing out.
The Hammer...
It seemed like the odds were stacked against him, but all Daredevil needed was the right hi-fi to blow Klaw away!Truth be told, I'm a little disappointed with how easily he endured and dispatched the threat. If it wasn't for some lip service about Stick training him to make the world more manageable, this would've been a superhero street fight like any other.
The "Master of Sound" is arguably the pitch perfect villain to hit Daredevil right where it hurts. DD relies on sound to navigate the world via his heightened radar-sense. Klaw's mere presence should be irksome, and when he opens up with a sonic blast -- Daredevil's world should be turned upside down!
In 1986 they weren't likely to build a six issue epic around this kind of meeting, but a clash of opposites as perfect as this could've at least warranted a two-parter. This is the kind of match-up that should've ended the first issue with a dramatic shot of Daredevil on his knees, holding his ears in agony! A reversal of what ultimate happens.
Black Widow makes an awkward appearance early in the issue to confront her ex-lover about his life choices, and an anti-drugs campaign. She would've been the perfect foil to show up at the right time to pull Daredevil out of the fire, possibly setting up a rematch with additional assistance, or ingenuity.
Daredevil had an existing relationship with Black Panther that might've been the obvious way to resolve a rematch. These days that would probably involve a new vibranium-weave suit he'd wear for a year or two, but Black Widow as liaison for a good old fashioned team-up battle would've done the job, too.
Perhaps something along those lines was the plan originally: "John Harkness" is a pseudonym for writer Steve Englehart, who'd requested the reins of regular writer after Frank Miller's epic run, but only wound up turning in a single issue.
As he explained in an interview with ManWithoutFear.com: Englehart had planned to use the breaking point of Born Again to move DD out of Hell's Kitchen, across the country to San Francisco. Daredevil and Black Widow would join the ranks of the West Coast Avengers, creating drama through Matt Murdock's dual relationships, in & out of costume, with Natasha and Karen Page.
Englehart had already written the beginning of his run, but a fill-in issue by Ann Nocenti upset his plans. According to Englehart, Nocenti's status as editor meant he would have to retool his script, rather than the fill-in accommodating the incumbent regular writer. Thems the breaks and Englehart decided to bow out, feeling the challenge of following Miller wasn't worth it if he didn't have his best possible plot lined up.
We could still reasonably speculate that Klaw might've followed Daredevil and Widow to the West Coast. Perhaps they would've had a more meaningful confrontation, resolved by the Avengers' ties to Black Panther, or another hero.
It's interesting to imagine just how different the Marvel Universe might've looked if Englehart's plans had played out. Personally, I prefer Daredevil as the loner hero who turned down the New Avengers when they offered him membership in 2005. I'm also quiet partial to Ann Nocenti's run on DD, too.
There was definitely more to be said with the Daredevil/Klaw paradigm, which is probably why Mark Waid revisited the natural match-up when he took a run in 2011. A rematch we'll have to revisit some point in the future!
If you thought Daredevil won this one far too easily, you might like to check out the fantasy fight that inspired today's selection: Black Canary versus Daredevil! "The Contest" is a battle between my DC selections and The Grandmaster's Marvel heroes. Voting for the next battle will begin very soon. Stay tuned!
If you like Secret Wars on Infinite Earths and want to see it continue to succeed you can now support the project via Patreon. Patrons get an extra outlet to vote in The Contest and can get involved in various other special features.
Gain free access to a complete archive of every featured fight by delving deep into the Secret Index! There you'll find links to every battle in order of publisher, series, and issue number. You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get links to daily battles inspired by the topics of the day! Remember to like & share to appear wiser and more attractive to your friends!
Winner: Daredevil
#11 (+1) Daredevil
#917 (-34) Klaw
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