DeFalco/Frenz Retrospective: Marvel Team-Up #140

 


Writer: Tom DeFalco, Bill Mantlo
Penciler: Ron Frenz

Synopsis: Spider-Man teams up with the Black Widow to clear the name of one of Matt Murdock's clients. 

Comments: I think the panel where Spider-Man lands with his feet out while punching two goons is taken from Amazing Spider-Man #38. 



I sometimes think the footnotes are unnecessary to define things that I think common knowledge, but I didn't know what 18-B meant before reading this. So thanks for the footnote. 




I'm going to assume that the courtroom scenes were written by Bill Mantlo who was going to law school when this comic was written and was admitted to the New York bar in 1987 and worked as legal aid lawyer. Sadly, his career ended when he was injured in a hit and run accident in 1992 and has remained in institutional care ever since. Bill was a good journeyman writer and worked on almost every title. I consider him the writer equivalent of Sal Buscema. In fact, one of my first comics that I still think is great was a reprint of Marvel Team-Up #56 in Marvel Tales #199. It was a story by Bill and Sal that showed and got the job done and was a lot of fun to read. It should be every kid's first comic. 





Though he didn't catch his name, Daredevil knows Peter is Spider-Man due to his enhanced senses. 




Peter suspects Matt is Daredevil, but shrugs it off. It's always bugged me since writers ignore the letter Spider-Man sent Daredevil in the pages of latter's comic in issue #24 where Spider-Man told Matt Murdock that he knew he was Daredevil. It forced to Matt to create a fictional twin brother to fool Foggy and Karen, but Spider-Man was never in on the ruse. 






Spider-Man goes into the gateway that will take him off to the Secret Wars. Spider-Man's abduction happened simultaneously at the end of Marvel Team-Up #140, Amazing Spider-Man #251 and Spectacular Spider-Man #89. The art is somewhat different, but the dialogue is virtually the same in all three instances. The Spectacular Spider-Man ending will be featured in the review for Amazing Spider-Man #251. 





"You got me off! You're all right, Murdock! What?! You didn't get me off? You suck, Murdock!" You'll have to read the next issue on your own since it was done by a totally different creative team. 




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