Episode 20 - Murdock and Marvel: 1982
Have you noticed that every year for about a decade we have been recounting the impending death of the comic industry, with sales seemly slipping another 10% and publishers falling to the wayside?  I am happy to say that at least for Marvel this is the year that things started to turn around.  Its 1982, and the Direct Market is showing its power as Marvel and others pile onboard the comic shop train.
The Year in Comics 
Notable and Newsworthy
Industry Trends
Passings
Eagle Awards
Dan's Favorite
The Year in Marvel
Events & Happenings
New Titles
New Characters
Series Ending
Who's in the Bullpen
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Paul Smith

Dan's Favorite
The Year in Daredevil 
Appearances: Daredevil #178-189, Power Man and Iron First #77, Defenders #103-106, Marvel Graphic Novel #1, Fantastic Four #242, Contest of Champions #1-3, Dazzler #21, Marvel Team-up #123, Incredible Hulk #277-278 
Writing credits: Frank Miller (178-189), Roger McKenzie (183) 
Pencilers:  Frank Miller (178-184), Klaus Jansen (181,185-189)
The year begins with Kingpin trying to and successfully recruiting Elektra and Matt Murdock looking into Mayoral Candidate Randolph Cherryh as an intern has come forward with evidence he’s working for Wilson Fisk. Meanwhile, Nelson and Murdock have a new office in a New York high rise.  
Elektra then “encourages” Daredevil and Ben Urich to drop the Cherryh/Fisk story he’s about to run for the Daily Bugle. The latter getting a Sai in the chest.  
Despite this, Urich and Murdock realize Vanessa Fisk may still be alive and are able to find/rescue her from the King of the Sewers. Daredevil then hands her over to Fisk. In exchange, Cherryh (who was just elected Mayor of New York) is forced to resign his new post. Kingpin orders Elektra to kill Murdock’s partner, Foggy Nelson, as payback. 
In a BIG double Issue narrated by Bullseye, we see the villain escape prison, learn Matt Murdock’s secret, attack and kill Elektra before battling and losing to Daredevil which puts him in the hospital. This is our feature story this week. 
Murdock has trouble dealing with Elektra’s death and starts acting out at work and as our horned hero. At one point he accuses Kingpin of hiding her.  
A young girl on drugs takes a dive out of her school window and dies, and her brother, DD and the Punisher are all trying to track down the dealer responsible; Matt proposes to Heather. Daredevil and the Punisher get into a fight over how to bring the dealer to justice.  
The cover blurb "No More Mr. Nice Guy" is a reference to the 1972 Alice Cooper song of the same name. 
This is a reworking of a story that was pulled because of code concerns 
Next Foggy begins to investigate why Heather's company is making bombs and this causes him to run up against both Eric Slaughter and the Kingpin; Daredevil ends up caught in an explosion that messes up his radar sense. 
That doesn’t stop Murdock from gather evidence to take down Glenn Industries even as his other sense go haywire. Meanwhile He’s also pressuring Heather to accept the proposal. 
As Daredevil's hyper senses continue to get worse and he seeks out Stick for help; In a fight with the Hand, the Black Widow is poisoned. The ninja villain Kirigi is reanimated, and his body is made whole from his previous decapitation by Elektra. (Kah Ear Ah Gee) 
Black Widow is dying of poison she got in a fight with the Hand and is desperately trying to find DD to help; Matt is recovering his hyper senses in an isolation chamber under the watchful eye of Stick and his ninja. 
The year ends with The Black Widow dying to the poison but then resurrected by Stone (Stick’s right hand man); Daredevil and company have a free-for-all with the Hand, in which Stick gives his life to save Matt; Widow and Foggy break up Heather and Matt using handwritten notes; Stone tells Daredevil that the Hand is planning on resurrecting Elektra like they did Kirigi. 
Daredevil sales went up from 130,000 copies an issue in 19