The Deadliest Night of My Life
In “The Deadliest Night Of My Life” [which just happened to come out the month I began to collect comic books] Daredevil is led into an abandoned house where he must escape an ever more complex series of death traps. The story features a slightly open ending, which is then followed up in the following issue, Daredevil #209.
According to as 1984 interview in Amazing Heroes (“Two Men Without Fear” by Bob Sodaro, AH #44, April 1, 1984, Fantagraphics Books) Ellison came to write this issue as a favor to then writer Denny O’Neil who was entering the hospital for a short time (although it mean putting off the story he was supposed to write for Batman editor Julie Schwartz). Working with Arthur Byron Cover, who was more familiar with the then current state of the character, he wrote a 24 page treatment for the issue, complete with dialogue and character motivation. Although he did not write the following issue, Ellison left a “stinger” at the end of the story so that another author could follow the story up later. Cover did just that, continuing the story in issue 209 from Ellison’s idea.
