Monday, April 14, 2008

Preposterous Plot Points #1 - "Ha-ha! I'll dress DD in clothes like mine!"


The girl has a point there, Ox. Why on earth did you do something so absurde?

Let's start from the beginning. This one is from DD(I) #15.
In it, a crazy scientist has managed to transfer his mind into the huge body of the member of the Enforcers known as "the Ox". He then goes on a rampage, encountering lovely Karen Page in his path. DD comes to the rescue, but the Ox defeats him, rendering him unconscious.
The big man, who - don't ask why - happens to be carrying with him a spare set of the his own garments, has the excellent idea of dressing the scarlet swashbuckler as himself.

O...kay.

First off, the reason why a villain should decide to bring a spare set of his own clothes with himself is beyond me. A spare set of underwear, I can understand, but why also trousers, vest, shirt and especially, shoes?
Wouldn't it be a little uncomfortable to carry all that extra luggage, in terms of weight and space? And for what possible purpose?

Be as it may, the Ox dresses DD up like him so that he can frame him for all the damage he has caused in his rampage, and leaves him there for the police to find.


Couldn't agree more with your second statement there, officer. The first one? Not so much.
Yes, because the cop there is basically saying that an already disguised individual would put on ordinary clothes (yeah, because the Ox's "costume" are nothing more than ordinary clothes) three sizes bigger and then go on a rampage, hoping to be mistaken for another one. Another one, who, anyway? Another guy wearing a vest and a shirt?
Also, why on earth would this individual wear his original devil costume under those clothes? Wouldn't that make him instantly recognizable, entirely defeating the purpose of being mistaken for someone else?

Also, notice how the officers immediately recognize him as Daredevil playing the Ox, and not, say, the Ox disguised as Daredevil or even, simply, a nameless lunatic wearing two costumes one over the other.
Either way, the still unconscious "DD wearing the Ox's clothes" is brought away and locked in a cell. Incredibly, the absurde plan of the Ox has worked.

DD then wakes up in the cell. He soon realizes what happened, arriving on his own to the nonsensical - but correct nonetheless - conclusion that the Ox had dressed him that way to frame him, and immediately asks the guard if they have removed his mask.


Daredevil is released shortly after, thanks to Foggy's intervention, and to the fact that the real Ox is sighted elsewhere.
There's a certainy irony in the fact that, many years later, in Bendis' and Brubaker's runs, Matt Murdock would've had way more serious problems involving imprisonments, cells, and unmaskings.

(Sigh.)
Problems that would've taken tens of issues to be resolved, not just a mere transition of a page and or couple of witty caption boxes.
But those were the naive sixties, back when framing a superhero by putting him some ordinary clothes over his costume appeared to be a brilliant idea.

4 comments:

Christine Hanefalk said...

Hilarious post, F!

"First off, the reason why a villain should decide to bring a spare set of his own clothes with himself is beyond me. A spare set of underwear, I can understand, but why also trousers, vest, shirt and especially, shoes?
Wouldn't it be a little uncomfortable to carry all that extra luggage, in terms of weight and space? And for what possible purpose?"

Well, maybe he bounces his clothes around in a special bag , just like DD used to! :)

Gloria said...

I confess that this must be one of the most crazy plor contrivances ever seen in DD, well, maybe if we forget about DareFoggy against Gladiator, or Matt Murdock as MikeMurdock as daredevil as Thor, or the whole spacerocket piloting thing, or...

...Anyway, I want to know what Stan the Man smoked/drank/consummed while writing those stories: he could get richer than he is just by selling it!

Still, JR Sr.'s art is so gorgeous one nearly almost for gets the craziness.

Off Topic: I must say that, enjoyable as your english writing is, your italian articles are a sheer delight to read (Not that I understand them 100%, but they are fairly comprehensible)

Francesco said...

Christine

Thanks! Yeah, that's a possibility. Especially considering the fact that Stan the Man had the weird conception that clothes could shrink in size when they are folded (see the explicative panel of that early issue where Matt comes out with the idea of the shoulder bag).

Gloria

A crazy plot contrivance, undoubtly, but luckily for this series of posts, there have been more (the one you mentioned is an exquisite example).

I must say that, enjoyable as your english writing is, your italian articles are a sheer delight to read (Not that I understand them 100%, but they are fairly comprehensible)

Thanks a lot, girl. :)
I try to put all of myself into them. Let me know if there's something you'd want explained/translated.

Gloria said...

I must add I love Karen's "W-why?"... Darn! even the very candid Miss Page can spot the crack in the Ox's "genius plan"