Cover: Frank Miller & Klaus Janson

Daredevil #161

Nov 1979 · Marvel · 0.40 USD

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“To Dare the Devil”

★ 1st appearance — K.O.

About this Issue

Daredevil #161 closes out the three-part 'Marked for Death' arc — the storyline in which writer Roger McKenzie and penciller Frank Miller transformed Bullseye from a campy gimmick villain into a psychologically deteriorating threat, planting the seeds for every brutal portrayal that followed. The issue's Coney Island climax, in which Daredevil's relentless assault drives Bullseye to a nervous breakdown, reframed the character's erratic behavior as something pathological rather than theatrical — groundwork that Miller would later crystallize into the brain-tumor storyline of his own writing tenure. Simultaneously, Ben Urich's parallel investigation into Matt Murdock's childhood — learning that young Matt was mockingly nicknamed 'Daredevil' — advances the secret-identity thread that would define McKenzie's era and pay off dramatically in later issues. As the final chapter of the arc that first gave Bullseye genuine menace, this issue sits at the hinge between the Bronze Age Daredevil and the grim noir reinvention that made the title one of Marvel's most celebrated runs.

In "To Dare the Devil," Ben probes deeper into Matt Murdock's hidden history as Daredevil faces off against Bullseye and Slaughter's gang in a high-stakes mission to rescue the Black Widow. Written by Roger McKenzie and brought to life with sharp, dynamic art by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson, this 1979 issue delivers a tense, character-driven showdown with the emotional weight of secrets unraveling. The cover by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson captures the intensity of the moment, a 40-cent comic that remains a standout in the series’ early run.

writer Roger McKenzie · artist Frank Miller · inker Klaus Janson · colorist Glynis Wein · letterer Diana Albers · cover Frank Miller, Klaus Janson

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $8

CGC 9.8 · 148 in census $203

CGC 9.6 · 176 in census $133

CGC 9.4 · 141 in census $69

CGC 9.2 · 68 in census $49*

CGC 9.0 · 52 in census $40*

CGC 8.5 · 32 in census $40*

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CGC 8.0 · 37 in census $40

CGC 7.5 · 24 in census $24*

CGC 7.0 · 23 in census $20

CGC 6.5 · 12 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 9 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 7 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 · 1 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

More listings for this title

VG $14 VG+ $18.5 VF · Newsstand $21 VF $23.28 VERY FINE $25 FN $25 VG $26 GD $27

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History

The issue was released in August 1979 with a November 1979 cover date, written by Roger McKenzie with pencils by Frank Miller and inks by Klaus Janson — the same art team whose cover for the preceding issue #160 had already signaled a harder, more visceral approach to the book. At this point in the collaboration, Miller was still purely the artist working from McKenzie's scripts, though the letters page explicitly noted the enthusiastic reader response to Miller's debut on the title back in issue #157, reflecting Marvel's growing awareness that the art direction was resonating. Editor Al Milgrom and associate editor Mary Jo Duffy shepherded the issue; it was Denny O'Neil who would subsequently remove McKenzie and hand Miller full writing control starting with #168.

Trivia · 8 facts

Issue title: 'To Dare the Devil' — released August 7, 1979, with a November 1979 cover date.
Creative team: written by Roger McKenzie, pencilled by Frank Miller, inked by Klaus Janson, colored by Glynis Oliver (Wein), lettered by Diana Albers; cover art by Miller and Janson.
Concludes the three-part 'Marked for Death' arc (with #159–#160) in which Bullseye kidnaps Black Widow to force a confrontation with Daredevil — the storyline McKenzie and Miller used to escalate Bullseye from a recurring nuisance into a dangerous, psychologically unstable adversary.
Bullseye suffers a nervous breakdown after Daredevil's relentless assault at the Coney Island amusement park, a mental collapse later retroactively explained by Frank Miller (in #169) as caused by a brain tumor.
Ben Urich visits Fogwell's Gym and interviews janitor 'K.O.,' learning that Jack Murdock was killed by 'The Fixer' for refusing to throw a fight — and that young Matt carried the ironic childhood nickname 'Daredevil,' advancing Urich's investigation into Matt Murdock's secret identity.
The issue's letters page, 'Let's Level With Daredevil,' includes a note acknowledging the 'tremendous response' to Frank Miller's debut on the title in issue #157, documenting reader enthusiasm in real time.
Reprinted in: Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 1 (2000); the Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus (2007) and companion trade paperback series (2008); Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 15 (2021); and the Daredevil Epic Collection: To Dare the Devil, among other international editions.
This issue exists in two print variants: a Direct Edition and a Newsstand Edition.