Cover: Rich Buckler & Klaus Janson

Daredevil #129

Jan 1976 · Marvel · 0.25 USD

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“Man-Bull In a China Town!”

★ 1st appearance — Blake Tower

About this Issue

Daredevil #129 serves as the first in-person, full appearance of Blake Tower — the New York City District Attorney who would become one of Marvel's most durable legal-world supporting characters, crossing over into Spider-Man, She-Hulk, and eventually the MCU's Netflix Daredevil and Luke Cage series. The issue is also a structural piece in Marv Wolfman's tightly plotted mid-run arc: the Jester is later revealed in #133 to have been pulling strings behind the events of both #129 and #131, making this issue a quietly essential chapter in a Bronze Age storyline that culminated in the creation of Bullseye just two issues later. Beyond its connective tissue role, the issue captures Wolfman's 'back-to-basics' approach to DD — grounded in courtroom drama and street-level antagonists — that defined the tone of the book in the years immediately preceding Frank Miller's transformative arrival.

In "Man-Bull In a China Town!", Daredevil #129 (1976) delivers a wild, high-stakes chase through New York’s streets as the rampaging Man-Bull escapes justice and chaos follows in his wake. Written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Bob Brown, with inks by Klaus Janson and colors by Michele Wolfman, the story pits Matt Murdock against a furious brute fueled by betrayal, while Foggy Nelson unexpectedly bonds with political rival Blake Tower. The cover by Rich Buckler and Klaus Janson captures the frenzy, setting up a showdown that’s as much about pride as it is about power.

writer Marv Wolfman · artist Bob Brown · inker Klaus Janson · colorist Michele Wolfman · letterer Joe Rosen · letterer Gaspar Saladino · cover Rich Buckler, Klaus Janson

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $7

CGC 9.8 · 21 in census $160

CGC 9.6 · 26 in census $69

CGC 9.4 · 22 in census $41

CGC 9.2 · 8 in census $35

CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $24

CGC 8.5 · 12 in census $20

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CGC 8.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $20

CGC 7.0 · 7 in census $20

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 none in existence

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $20*

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Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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VG $5.99 VG+ $6.3 FN+ $6.49 FN+ $7.99 FN/VF $8 FINE $8.97 VG $9.5 FN $9.99

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History

Daredevil #129 falls squarely within writer-editor Marv Wolfman's tenure on the series, which ran from #124 through #143. Wolfman described his approach in a recorded interview as wanting to return to the fun of Stan Lee's original run while adding his own ideas — including new characters like the Torpedo and Bullseye, and story concepts that anticipated real-world technology. The regular art team of penciler Bob Brown and inker Klaus Janson handled the interior, while Rich Buckler provided the cover pencils with Janson again on inks; Brown would pass away before the run concluded, prompting fill-in work from John Buscema and Sal Buscema on later issues.

Trivia · 7 facts

First full, in-person appearance of Blake Tower, the NYC District Attorney created by Marv Wolfman and Bob Brown — Tower had only appeared in photo cameo form in earlier issues (DD #124–125).
Blake Tower later appeared in the MCU's Netflix Daredevil (Seasons 2–3) and Luke Cage, portrayed by Stephen Rider; in the comics he went on to appear in Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Captain America, and Punisher stories.
Main story 'Man-Bull In a China Town!' scripted by Marv Wolfman, penciled by Bob Brown, inked by Klaus Janson; cover penciled by Rich Buckler, inked by Klaus Janson.
The Jester is retroactively revealed in Daredevil #133 to have been orchestrating events in this issue, making #129 part of a larger serialized arc that also threads into the first appearance of Bullseye in #131.
Man-Bull appears to kill the Matador in this issue — a story point later quietly reversed when the Matador resurfaced elsewhere in the Marvel Universe.
The letters page includes a contribution from future Marvel writer Peter B. Gillis, an early example of the fan-to-professional pipeline common in Bronze Age Marvel.
Contains a Series B Marvel Value Stamp #B04 (The Incredible Hulk) on the letters page, part of Marvel's mid-1970s Value Stamp program; a Mark Jewelers Advertisement Insert variant also exists.