New character chronology: did you know that apart from Spider-Man, Electro ended up fighting several other heroes in the 60s and 70s… and most of them sucked?
Amazing Spider-Man #9 (1964)
by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
I’m not going to review Electro’s appearances on Spider-Man. Instead, I will briefly touch on when he appears there and what is notable about him.
Starting from the fact that he debuts as a living battery: he explicitly doesn’t generate his own electricity. We’ll see how that develops.
Also, I’m taking the opportunity to say that I’ve always considered Electro one of the best Spider-Man villains explicitly because he’s so simple and straightforward.
He’s not complex enough to rise to the status of a nemesis, but that’s the beauty of Electro to me: he doesn’t NEED complexity.
He’s an idiot that gets way too powerful for his brain to handle, but he’s dangerous enough to avoid being a joke villain.
Sometimes that’s all you need in your rogues gallery.
Electro ends up robbing the same bank that J. Jonah Jameson goes to.
And apparently Jonah has enough of an ego to constantly be getting on TV or ranting from the front page of his newspaper… but paranoid enough to think Electro HAS to know him personally to recognize him!
Which leads to the most ridiculous part of the story…
…the Daily Bugle jumping to the conclusion that Electro is Spider-Man.
You know maybe the public losing to blindly believe everything published by newspapers is a good thing.
Like I said I’m not going to review the whole issue, but I’m pointing out that Electro is already dangerous enough to knock out Spider-Man without even trying…
…and ambitious enough to initiate a prison escape.
We get Electro’s very simple origin.
Why do I think that the concept of a guy refusing to save a human life unless he’s paid to do it was a Steve Ditko idea?
The origin is delightfully simple: he was hit by lightning and got lightning powers.
That’s it.
It’s not even radioactive lightning!
Compared to later appearances, Electro appears less lethal and with a lot less control over his power.
He’s also defeated rather simply once Spider-Man figures out all he has to do is short-circuit him.
He’s going to be defeated by water A LOT.
Notably, this is a VERY early use of the trope of Spider-Man unmasking the villain and not recognizing him. I’m convinced that one of the reasons why Stan Lee didn’t go with Ditko’s idea to reveal that Green Goblin wasn’t anyone Spider-Man knew was that by that point they already did this exact scene with at least two other character previously.
Historical significance: 6/10
As I’ve said earlier, Electro doesn’t have exactly a huge impact on Spider-Man. Almost by design.
Silver Age-ness: N/A
Does it stand the test of time? N/A
I skipped too much to give a honest score, but OF COURSE you should read it: it’s the Lee & Ditko run!!!
Well, that was Electro’s first appearance. You’ll never guess his SECOND.
Daredevil #2 (1964)
by Stan Lee & Joe Orland
cover by Jack Kirby
There’s a neat trivia for you: both Electro AND Daredevil share the same exact second appearance.
We begin with Foggy Nelson practicing getting sued for inappropriate behavior when SUDDEN THING!!!
He’s here to get a lawyer to renew the lease on the Baxter Building AND test his rarely used power to weld doors.
So let me get this straight: you need a lawyer to inspect your building… and you pick THE BLIND ONE???
Sounds legit.
Why would you send the clumsy rock monster into the building, Reed?
Also, don’t Susan and Karen already have the same exact hairdo at this time?
Meanwhile, Daredevil is keeping busy busting a car thief ring.
Which was run by Electro!!!
Okay, moving from robbing banks to stealing cars? Reasonable career path.
Going straight for robbing the Fantastic Four, though?
A lot of early Daredevil is like this. And I mean A LOT of a lot.
Electro even manages to break into the Baxter Building…
…but even more impressively, he EASILY takes control of its defenses!!!
Awkwardly, the comic has to shove Matt changing into Daredevil into a busy caption… I’m guessing this is a later change to explain why he arrives in costume, when he’s going there on lawyer business.
It’s hilarious just how much Electro doesn’t work as a Daredevil villain, AT ALL.
He works as a Spider-Man villain because the wallcrawler is fast enough to dodge freaking lightning when his precognitive Spider-Sense warns him.
I’m willing to accept Daredevil being able to evade maybe one of Electro’s bolts, but COME ON!!!
Case in point:
What would you do in Electro’s place?
A) kill Daredevil and escape with the blueprints you came to steal
B) unmask Daredevil so you can blackmail him, then escape with the blueprints you came to steal
C) literally absolutely anything except shooting Daredevil into space
D) shoot Daredevil into space
Okay so Reed Richards is smart enough to ensure nobody but him can pilot his space rocket… but couldn’t be bothered to do the same for the OTHER technology in the building?
Sounds legit.
Little known fact: electricity can shoot rockets into space.
Street hero Daredevil, the guy whose first villain was a regular guy who got a heart attack by running for five minutes… goes to space IN HIS SECOND STORY.
Don’t you just love superhero comics?
Does Daredevil’s blindness REALLY matter when he can LAND A SPACESHIP???
Not insane enough for you? He also takes a ride on a helicopter!!!
Eventually Electro DOES manage to steal Reed’s scientific data.
Yeah Reed REALLY needs to get better security.
We’ve seen that Electro can already generate his own electricity at this point, but he has another power he BARELY ever uses again… turns out he can fly.
Seriously, how is Daredevil NOT electrocuted after five seconds the fight starts?
Electro’s two weaknesses: curtains and water.
But with all that chaos Matt Murdock didn’t get the chance to actually work on the lease, so he loses the Fantastic Four as clients.
He will become their lawyer rather soon anyway.
Historical significance: 0/10
Justifiably forgotten by both Daredevil and Electro fans. The fact that Matt’s firm eventually represents the Fantastic Four IS important to his history, but technically that doesn’t happen here. I wonder if the FF picked him because this story made Reed deduce he’s Daredevil?
Silver Age-ness: 10/10
DAREDEVIL IN SPACE!!! FOR NO REASON!!!
Does it stand the test of time? 3/10
Joe Orlando delivers a couple of great panels, and I’m willing to give him a pass on the Thing since he’s a notoriously difficult character to draw… but man was this a rough one.
Electro is a TERRIBLE choice for a Daredevil villain, the plot makes no sense… seriously why would they ever hire A BLIND LAWYER to inspect the building… and the comic is not doing its protagonist any favors by hyping the Fantastic Four.
This is a very weird use of Electro: him running a car stealing ring isn’t too far off from his usual crimes, but stealing secrets from the Fantastic Four to sell them to foreign nations? WHAT!?
Most bafflingly, thought, is the fact that this is FAR from being the last time Electro will fight Daredevil in this retrospective.