Cover: Frank Miller & Bob McLeod

Daredevil #167

Nov 1980 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Mauler

About this Issue

Daredevil #167 stands as the bridge issue between Roger McKenzie's writing tenure and Frank Miller's full creative takeover — it is the final chapter of the pre-Miller scripting era while retaining the regular Miller/Klaus Janson art team, making it an indispensable piece of that transitional arc. The issue marks the first appearance (and same-issue death) of the Mauler, Aaron Soames, a sympathetically drawn antagonist whose armor would go on to anchor a multi-character legacy across the Marvel Universe. Its backup feature, 'Dark Secrets,' offered readers a rare in-universe primer on Daredevil's enhanced senses, billy club, and skyline-traversal techniques — a storytelling device that underscored the title's growing interest in grounded, character-driven craft. The issue is also notable for debuting Lt. Nick Manolis, who would become a meaningful supporting player in the Miller era's corrupt-cop narrative threads.

Contains 2 stories

...The Mauler!

17 pp · Superhero

Dark Secrets

5 pp · Superhero

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $3

CGC 9.8 · 82 in census $144

CGC 9.6 · 117 in census $52

CGC 9.4 · 72 in census $33

CGC 9.2 · 41 in census $26*

CGC 9.0 · 36 in census $21*

CGC 8.5 · 23 in census $20*

Show all 14 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 15 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 10 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 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

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History

With Roger McKenzie's run concluding at issue #166, editor Denny O'Neil brought in Iron Man writer David Michelinie to script this standalone fill-in, while the regular penciller Frank Miller and inker Klaus Janson remained on art duties — a deliberate editorial choice to maintain visual continuity during the writer transition. The issue was originally slated to launch a Daredevil/Punisher drug storyline, but that planned story was rejected in its original form by the Comics Code Authority and was ultimately reworked and published in issue #183; the rejected original cover and an offending scene were later reproduced in the Fantagraphics book The Comics Journal Library: Frank Miller. The five-page 'Dark Secrets' backup was added as a filler when Marvel increased the page count of original material across its line, and its credits — particularly the letterer — remain disputed in published indices. Jim Shooter served as Editor-in-Chief, with Glynis Wein (Oliver) providing colors.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and same-issue death of the Mauler (Aaron Soames), a 63-year-old former Cord Conglomerate archivist who steals a prototype armored suit to take revenge on his former employer Edwin Cord after a computer error erases his pension records.
The Mauler acronym stands for Mobile Armored Utility Laser-guided E-beam, Revised; the armor provides enhanced strength, flight via turbines, a laser/electron-beam cannon on the left arm, and an electric-shock palm on the right.
First appearances in this issue also include Lt. Nick Manolis (NYPD), Edwin Cord (industrialist and recurring antagonist), Cordco Incorporated, and NYPD officer Delany.
Written by David Michelinie; pencilled by Frank Miller (who also drew the cover); inked by Klaus Janson; colored by Glynis Wein; lettered by Joe Rosen; edited by Denny O'Neil; Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter.
This is the last issue of Daredevil scripted by a writer other than Miller before Miller took over both writing and pencilling duties beginning with issue #168 (the first appearance of Elektra).
A five-page backup story titled 'Dark Secrets' (also credited as 'DD's Dark Secrets!') details how Daredevil's billy club works and explains his 'senses beyond normal man' — added as editorial filler when Marvel increased per-issue page counts.
The issue has been collected in Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 1 (2000), the Daredevil by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus (2007), the companion trade paperback series (2008), and Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 15 (2021), among others.
Aaron Soames / Mauler received an entry in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition #18, confirming his place in Marvel's official continuity record.