DAREDEVIL ANNUAL #4: The badassery of Ben Urich

[starwolf_oakley]

For a long time, Marvel's annuals would feature short stories starring "supporting" characters. This one features Ben Urich, tough reporter, going after a drug lord named Lambert who has a HUGE ponytail.



3 and a half pages of a ten page story.


Bushwacker (who was recently killed by Wolverine in X-FORCE) shows up and bushwhacks Ben and his informant, Niedtz. But...







I always liked this story. And Bushwacker really isn't that "deep" a character, even though he *was* once a priest.

Comments

[hawkwitch]

Woot! Ah Ben! XD

[golden_orange]

I don't know much about Bushwhacker so I could be wrong, but I'm getting a kind of "gritty nineties XTREEEEEME anti-hero" vibe about him from this (what with the ex-priest turned murderous vigilante ranting about 'the system' over and over again thing). Would that be about right?

[cainofdreaming]

He was mostly portrayed as an out and out villain. His 'vigilantism' didn't end with criminals, nor did he shy away from contract work. Plus he was quite chummy with lots of other criminals, taking part of Typhoid Mary's revenge on Matt just prior to Inferno, for one.

[daningram.insanejournal.com]

He was created in the 80s, actually, and targetted mutant artists.

[icon_uk]

IIRC it was sort of vague what they meant by that, mutants using their powers to subtly enhance their chosen vocation. We never found out how he knew they were mutants, or what sort of powers they had, though one can theorise that a dancer with a low level flight power might enhance their performance by effectively, flying unaided longer than a non-mutant dancer would, but what sort of power enhances painting? Would Forge and Cypher have been targets since they achieved extraordinary results through mutant power means?

[shadur]

And this is the same guy we're expected to believe buried evidence about Stark using foreknowledge to massively profit off of CW because it was more important to let people think he was a good guy or somesuch bullshit.

[cainofdreaming]

I have a theory that Sally Floyd has this reverse-event horizon kind of field, which lets no amount of integrity or character ever enter it. So if she happens to associate herself with you you're pretty much forked.

[starwolf_oakley]

Well, Ben *did* figure out Matt Murdock was Daredevil, and kept that to himself. THE PULSE series revealed he also knew Peter Parker was Spider-Man, and kept *that* to himself as well.

That was a puzzling story, wasn't it? IIRC, there was some attempt to justify it in the (short-lived) post-CW NEW WARRIORS series.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Just what the hell is up with that... gun-thing on Bushwhacker's arm? Is he a cyborg, or a shapeshifter, or what? It's colored in flesh tones, but it sure doesn't LOOK like flesh - it looks like a big damn gun.

[starwolf_oakley]

It's a flesh-colored gun thing. IIRC, Bushwacker can make it look like a regular arm, with a fully-working hand.

[psychopathicus_rex]

Ah - so he's a cyborg with a weird sense of aesthetics. I see.