Well, this is not so much an example of a wacky power as just a case of Daredevil using his powers in wacky ways. You see, in Dardevil #2, our favorite hero finds himself in a bit of a predicament. Having been sent into space by Electro while unconscious, he has to figure out a way to land the rocket safely back on Earth. Daredevil #2, as a whole, is not a good isse. It has that “make it up as one goes along” feel to it, and that applies to his powers as well. To quote from the review of this issue on The Daredevil Companion website:
“There’s really no two ways about it: this story is a mess and a half. I wonder if it was a little more rushed than other issues of the period, because the plot seems built wholly on contrivances holier than the Pope–beginning with the rather baffling idea of sending the very blind Matt Murdock to do an assessment of the Baxter Building. Now the reader knows that Matt has special senses, but it’s baffling how neither Foggy or Karen seem to find assigning Matt the task odd (this may be the source of the many, many years of writers treating Foggy as a goof of the first order). There’s also the arbitrary use of Electro, in a role that could be filled by any one of (at that time) a dozen villains–in fact, probably should have, considering how the character was not portrayed as much of a big time schemer in his previous appearance. [...] And there’s just the way Stan contorts logic, and Daredevil’s powers, in such a way that he’s not killed within the first half of the story. Heck, there are moments like DD’s escape from the Pogo Plane where his powers are amped up and misrepresented to get him out of danger.”
Below is the actual scene of Daredevil landing the rocket (click to enlarge):
Panel from Daredevil #2, volume 1, by Stan Lee and Joe Orlando
Description: The caption reads “Imagine a blind man operating a space ship!! Not as impossible as it seems if that man can hear the levers move, feel the power needed, sense the direction of flight!!” Daredevil says “I’ve done it! I’ve reversed the missile’s course!!” Caption: “And then the most incredible task of all begins… The task of landing the powerful spaceship back on Earth without injuring any hapless humans!” Daredevil: “By hearing the slight movement of the astro-compass, I can gauge my direction perfectly! And by feeling the action of the radarscope I can pinpoint my landing! I’ll bring the ship down in the middle of Central Park in New York, finding an open spot where I hear no human heartbeats!”
This begs another question: Even aside from the fact that hearing levers move is pretty useless if you don’t know which lever indicates which function, do they teach space navigation in law school? Sure, Matt is supposedly a self-trained engineer (he was in the old days at least), but this has wacky written all over it. Though this is perhaps the worst example of them all, there have been many instances during the history of the book where the writers use Daredevil’s enhanced senses for solving problems that really cannot be solved that way. Some might just call it comic book logic. I just think it’s lazy writing. Still, it is kind of funny…
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