Daredevil #158 (1979): Key Issue Guide for Collectors

Daredevil's key issues are usually filed by events: a birth, a death, a return. Issue 158 follows a different, quieter logic. Nothing is invented there, nothing is killed; what changes is the hand holding the pencil. For a collector building a series by signatures, it is a first-rank landmark and, often, an opportunity the market undervalues.

As always in this guide, only verified facts (creators, issue numbers, dates) are stated as fact; the analysis is our own, with no reproduction of protected pages or dialogue.

Daredevil #158: date, credits and what the issue contains

Issue 158 of Daredevil carries a cover date of May 1979. Roger McKenzie writes the script, and Frank Miller draws the regular series of the blind hero of Hell's Kitchen for the first time. Klaus Janson, who becomes the regular inker on the title, is associated with the period; for the detail of the inking credits on this specific issue, the credits page of the copy is authoritative.

We do not detail the plot: it belongs to McKenzie's vein, a late-1970s superhero story that is not what you come looking for. The interest of the comic lies elsewhere. It is the first copy where you see Miller's manner on the monthly title: the aggressive line, the angular silhouette of Matt Murdock, the shadows that take up room on the page.

One point deserves to be clear before going further. Miller had already drawn Daredevil as a guest in another series a few months earlier, which is generally cited as the first contact with the character. Issue 158 remains the first of the series that Miller draws.

The publishing context: a second-tier series in 1979

Daredevil is not a flagship title in 1979. The series lives without much attention, with creative teams succeeding one another. That situation explains why the arrival of a young artist was first received as one replacement among others, not as an event. It is with hindsight that issue 158 takes on its value, as the start of a period that can only be understood after the fact.

The handover between writers in turn explains why Miller is not yet the full author. McKenzie is still writing at that point, and sources disagree on the exact issue from which Miller takes part in the plots, before writing them alone at issue 168. To trace this shift in a collection, reading the credits of each comic remains more reliable than summaries.

The era is also one of a back-issue market taking shape, with the rise of specialty shops and a distribution parallel to newsstands. This background matters for understanding why two versions of the same comic coexist.

Why issue 158 became a key

The reason is simple and rare: here you are not looking for a character, you are looking for a signature. Miller's run on Daredevil is one of the most reread bodies of work in comic book history, and collectors who take it on want to own its opening. Issue 158 is that opening. The phrase "first Miller on Daredevil" has become a selling point in itself.

Demand is carried by several audiences at once. Fans of the creator seek it to complete a bibliography, loyal Daredevil readers to get the whole run, and fans of artists' beginnings for the symbolic value of this first issue. This sum of motivations gives the comic steady demand, without the volatility of an issue tied to a single media event.

To place this issue in the body of work, our Miller reading path puts it at the start of the superhero part of the journey. And for the chronology of the milestones that follow, the entry on issue 168 takes over, with the creation of Elektra and Miller's first complete writing.

What moves the value: condition, version, relative scarcity

The value of issue 158 sits clearly below that of 168 and 181, and this gap is the first fact to keep in mind. It makes sense: no first appearance, no death, no scene that became famous. What remains is the signature, and the market rewards it modestly as long as the comic is not in very high grade.

Grade remains the main factor. On a 1979 comic, the difference between a tired copy and a crisp one is large enough that the discount applies in several steps. Covers of the period suffer mainly from spine creases and rounded corners, and interior pages can brown on poorly kept printings. A copy with these defects remains readable but has no future as a collectible.

The best argument for buying is the comparison with neighboring issues. If you are building the run, this issue is one where you can aim for a higher grade than on 168 for a comparable investment. A reasoned buyer sets the rule in advance: better a fine copy of this issue than an average copy of a more famous one.

Telling one edition from another

The original May 1979 issue exists in two distribution versions: the newsstand edition and the edition meant for specialty shops. They are generally told apart by the cover corner, which carries either a barcode or an illustration, but the detail of the marking should be checked on the copy rather than on a description. Collectors do not always give them the same value, and a serious seller states the version.

Reprints gather Miller's run in several forms: Masterworks and Epic Collection volumes for the period, and an Omnibus devoted to Miller and Janson. The exact contents vary from volume to volume, and you need to check that issue 158 is included, since some editions start a little later in the series. These books are the most economical way to read the period, not a replacement for the comic in a collection.

Beware of reproductions and "facsimiles" presented without a clear note: the paper, the ink and the edition notice are enough to identify them. A 1979 copy has the feel of aged newsprint, hard to imitate.

Buying pitfalls

The first pitfall is the "key" label stuck on every comic from the Miller period. Issue 158 is an art milestone, not a founding appearance, and its price should stay that of an art milestone. A listing that lines it up with 168 without an argument confuses two notions.

The second pitfall is numbering confusion. Daredevil has had several successive series that restarted at one, and listings that only write "Daredevil 158" leave doubt about which series is meant. Here, it is the first series, the one that begins in 1964. For the landmarks of that series, the article on the 1964 number 1 sets the frame.

The third pitfall concerns "Miller run" lots: they sometimes contain copies of very uneven grades, one carefully kept issue surrounded by worn ones. Evaluate each comic separately, and ask for shots of the spine and the edge before bidding.

The neighboring issues that matter too

Around 158, the useful list is short. Issue 168 is the most sought after of the period: first appearance of Elektra and Miller's first complete script, January 1981. Issue 181, from April 1982, is the one with Elektra's death, covered in its own article. Issue 191, from February 1983, marks Miller's departure from the series for a time, and issues 227 to 233 later tell Born Again, with David Mazzucchelli on art.

Issue 131, from 1976, is the first appearance of Bullseye, a hired killer who becomes the great adversary of the Miller period; it is described in the ranking of the best Bullseye runs. To place the whole within the series' lifespan, the ranking of the best Daredevil runs sets Miller against the successors.

If you are looking for a buying logic, it fits in one sentence: take 158 for the start, 168 for the turning point, 181 for the drama, and leave the intermediate issues to fill in at your own pace.

What grading changes on issue 158

Grading a comic with a modest value is rarely justified by profitability math alone. The cost of the case can represent a high share of the value of an average copy, and the operation only makes sense for a very fine copy. In that case, the certificate guarantees the condition and the absence of restoration, and it makes remote resale easier.

A simple rule helps you decide. Estimate the value of the ungraded copy from completed sales, then that of a certified copy at the target grade. If the gap does not cover the cost of grading, keep the comic in a storage bag and note its condition in your inventory. If the gap covers it comfortably, grading becomes a reasonable investment.

A piece of advice specific to this issue: fine 1979 copies are less scarce than those from 1972 or 1964, but they are getting scarcer as the Miller run is reprinted and rediscovered. A well-kept copy today will be more appreciated tomorrow than the same copy stored loose.

How to track it in a collection

The clearest approach is to treat Miller's run as a bounded set: from issue 158, May 1979, to issue 191, February 1983. You check off each comic, note its condition and version, and spot the gaps. Issue 158 is the first on the list, 168 is the pivot, 181 the high point, 191 the end. Between them, about twenty comics that are easier to gather.

Keep original comics and collected editions separate in your inventory, so you do not count the same content twice. Also record the purchase date and the source: on a popular run, provenance helps when you resell. If you only own collected editions for now, issue 158 is a good first original comic to acquire: its price stays accessible and it opens the path.

For wider tracking of the series, the Daredevil collection guide offers a list of landmarks by period. Use it as a grid, then adapt it to your budget and priorities.

Conclusion

Daredevil #158 is not the most famous issue of Frank Miller's run, and that is what makes it interesting. In May 1979 it marks the artist's arrival on the series, two years before taking over the writing. It is a signature key, priced accordingly, and it serves as the foundation of a run many collectors try to assemble.

Keep three reflexes in mind: check the version, judge condition before reputation, and buy this issue for what it is, an art debut, without lending it the strength of a first appearance.

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