Cover: Gene Colan & Klaus Janson

Daredevil #153

Jul 1978 · Marvel · 0.35 USD

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“Betrayal”

★ 1st appearance — Ben Urich

About this Issue

Daredevil #153 marks the first appearance of Ben Urich, the tenacious Daily Bugle investigative reporter who would become one of the most enduring supporting characters in Daredevil's entire publishing history — a civilian moral anchor whose decades-long story arc of slowly deducing Matt Murdock's secret identity gave the street-level world of Hell's Kitchen a grounded, journalistic perspective rarely seen in superhero comics of the era. Urich's debut arrived just as writer Roger McKenzie was consciously steering the series toward a darker, more psychologically grounded tone, laying the creative groundwork that Frank Miller would later expand into one of comics' transformative runs. The character's cultural reach extended well beyond the page: he appeared in the 2003 Daredevil film (portrayed by Joe Pantoliano), became a central figure in Netflix's acclaimed Daredevil series (portrayed by Vondie Curtis-Hall), and his legacy was honored in the Disney+ continuation Daredevil: Born Again through the introduction of his niece BB Urich.

In "Betrayal," Daredevil springs into action when he learns Heather is in danger, rushing to her apartment only to be ambushed and captured by Cobra and Mister Hyde. Written by Roger McKenzie and illustrated by Gene Colan, with inks by Tony DeZuniga and colors by Mary Titus, this 1978 issue delivers a tense, visually striking showdown that leaves the hero in peril. The cover, by Gene Colan and Klaus Janson, captures the moment of confrontation with dramatic flair.

writer Roger McKenzie · artist Gene Colan · inker Tony DeZuniga · colorist Mary Titus · letterer Denise Wohl · cover Gene Colan, Klaus Janson

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $4

CGC 9.8 · 49 in census $103

CGC 9.6 · 50 in census $42*

CGC 9.4 · 27 in census $26*

CGC 9.2 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 9 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 8 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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

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History

Roger McKenzie took over as writer on Daredevil with issue #151 (March 1978), bringing to the title the dark, morally complex sensibility he had developed writing horror comics for Warren Publishing's Creepy, Eerie, and Vampirella — a tonal shift that distinguished his run sharply from the preceding period. Issue #153, released on April 4, 1978 with a July 1978 cover date, was edited under Jim Shooter (then Marvel's editor-in-chief) and featured pencils by Gene Colan — a Hall of Fame artist on one of his periodic return engagements with the title he had defined in the late 1960s — inked by Tony DeZuniga, colored by Mary Titus, and lettered by Denise Wohl, with Klaus Janson inking Colan's cover. The series was being published on a bimonthly schedule at the time, a reflection of declining sales that would not reverse until Frank Miller's arrival as penciler with issue #158.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance of Ben Urich, an investigative reporter for The Daily Bugle, created by writer Roger McKenzie and penciler Gene Colan.
Story titled 'Betrayal!' — Daredevil races to rescue girlfriend Heather Glenn and is ambushed and captured by the villain duo Cobra (Klaus Voorhees) and Mister Hyde (Calvin Zabo), who are acting under the mental influence of the Purple Man (Killgrave).
Ben Urich's introduction is framed through the Daily Bugle's news coverage of the Daredevil–Cobra/Hyde battle, with Urich appearing as the reporter on the story; he also shares a scene with Foggy Nelson.
Written by Roger McKenzie, his third issue on the title (he began with #151); Gene Colan on pencils (a return engagement), Tony DeZuniga on inks, Klaus Janson inking the cover, Mary Titus on colors, Denise Wohl on letters; edited under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.
On-sale date was April 4, 1978; cover-dated July 1978; published bi-monthly under the Comics Code Authority seal.
Daredevil's billy club is destroyed in this issue, broken by Mister Hyde.
The issue is part of an extended story arc involving the Purple Man's mind-control of multiple villains, a thread running through the surrounding issues (#150–154) that also featured Paladin — whose own first appearance was in the earlier issue #150.
Reprinted in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 14 (2019) and in Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 7: The Concrete Jungle (2024); also translated and serialized in Italian (L'Uomo Ragno #264–265, 1980) and French (Strange #147–148, 1982).
Ben Urich would go on to deduce Daredevil's secret identity across issues #153–163, a slow-burn subplot that became one of McKenzie's most celebrated contributions to the title.