134 DAREDEVIL
In early issues, Daredevil is a
swashbuckling hero who uses a
line extending from his modifi ed
billy club to swing around the
cityscapes of Manhattan and keeps
up his witty banter, not at all un-
like Spider-Man; among his fi rst
antagonists, incidentally, are the
Spider-Man villains Electro and
Ox. However, Daredevil also intro-
duced its share of new villains early
on: Th e ganglord calling himself
Th e Owl is equipped with razor-
sharp claws and a mechanism that
allows him to fl y; the Purple Man’s
skin produces a substance that lets
everybody in proximity do his bid-
ding; Mr. Fear’s preferred weapon
is his “fear gas,” which causes
fear and panic in his victims; the
Stilt-Man uses mechanical stilts
to outgrow and stomp on his
adversaries; and the Gladiator is
the owner of a costume shop, but
has delusions of being an arena
warrior in ancient Rome, bearing
a menacing pair of buzz saws. As
Murdock, meanwhile, Daredevil
has been accompanied by his own cast of supporting characters. Notably, Daredevil #1
introduces Murdock’s hapless law-fi rm associate and best friend Franklin “Foggy”
Nelson, as well as their beautiful secretary Karen Page, only the fi rst of many romantic
interests for the protagonist.
In 1979, the series was joined by a creator whose work would go on to defi ne
the character for decades to come: Frank Miller arrived with Daredevil #158, as
a penciller at fi rst, drawing the book alongside writer Roger McKenzie and inker
Klaus Janson. With issue #168, Miller became the writer. In his fi rst issue, he in-
troduced Elektra, a dark-haired femme fatale Murdock had dated during his col-
lege years, who is now a deadly ninja assassin. Miller also took existing characters
and imbued them with new dimensions and depth. He put his stamp on the villain
Bullseye, a psychopathic killer who can turn any object into a deadly weapon, as well
as on investigative reporter Ben Urich, who, in Miller’s hands, quickly became one
of the most compelling supporting characters in comics. Notably, Miller also “stole”Daredevil, issue #84, released February 1972, penciled by
artist Gene Colan who worked on the series from 1966 to
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