Cover: Frank Miller & Klaus Janson

Daredevil #168

Jan 1981 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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“Elektra”

★ 1st appearance — Elektra★ 1st appearance — Elektra Natchios

About this Issue

Daredevil #168 is one of the most consequential single issues of the Bronze Age because it marks the first appearance and origin of Elektra Natchios — a former college lover of Matt Murdock who resurfaces as a ruthless bounty hunter and assassin, instantly redefining Daredevil's emotional and moral landscape. The character proved so compelling that she became the dramatic spine of Frank Miller's entire run, culminating in her death at Bullseye's hands in issue #181 — an event controversial enough that Miller reportedly received death threats from outraged readers. Beyond the character debut, the issue also represents the moment Miller took sole control of writing duties on a title that had been on the verge of cancellation, inaugurating one of the most creatively transformative runs in Marvel history and helping establish the gritty, morally complex 'street-level' template that would define Daredevil for decades to come.

In "Elektra," Matt Murdock finds himself tracking an international criminal shielded by Eric Slaughter, only to confront his past when he crosses paths with Jo, his college sweetheart turned bounty hunter. Written and illustrated by Frank Miller, with inks by Klaus Janson and lettering by Joe Rosen, this 1981 issue introduces a pivotal moment in Matt’s journey, with a cover by Miller and Janson capturing the tension of a reunion steeped in shadow and memory.

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writer, artist Frank Miller · inker Klaus Janson · letterer Joe Rosen · cover Frank Miller, Klaus Janson

More listings for this title

Variant $74.99 Newsstand $125.99 VG $139.99 Newsstand $159.99 CGC 6 · Variant $169.89 VF $172.74 Newsstand $175 FN · Newsstand $184

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History

Miller had been penciling Daredevil since issue #158 but disliked the existing scripts; editor Denny O'Neil — impressed by a short backup story Miller had written on spec — made the fateful call to remove writer Roger McKenzie and hand Miller full writing and penciling responsibilities, with the series still under threat of cancellation at Marvel. Issue #168 was the direct product of that editorial gamble: Miller conceived Elektra as a one-shot 'filler' character, structurally reworking Will Eisner's Spirit stories featuring Sand Saref (1950) as his template, but the character's resonance with readers — and with Miller himself — quickly made her a permanent fixture. Klaus Janson provided finished inks over Miller's breakdowns, with coloring credited to the pseudonymous 'Dr. Martin' and lettering by Joe Rosen; Mark Gruenwald served as assistant editor under O'Neil. The issue's sales impact was immediate: Marvel restored Daredevil to a monthly schedule within just three issues of Miller's writing debut.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and same-issue origin of Elektra Natchios (Earth-616), created by Frank Miller; she is introduced as Matt Murdock's former Columbia University girlfriend who has become a professional bounty hunter and assassin.
Issue #168 is Frank Miller's debut as solo writer-penciler on Daredevil — his first issue handling both script and art — after having been the title's penciler since issue #158.
Also contains the first appearances of crime boss Alarich Wallenquist and Grotto; Eric Slaughter appears as the antagonist whose protected quarry triggers the collision between Daredevil and Elektra.
Miller consciously modeled the issue's narrative structure on Will Eisner's Spirit stories 'Sand Saref' and 'Bring in Sand Saref' (1950), with Elektra as his adaptation of Eisner's femme fatale; Miller later publicly acknowledged this debt.
Elektra's name is misspelled as 'Elecktra' on the cover of all published copies — both the direct-sale edition (which went on sale around September 16, 1980) and the newsstand edition (on sale approximately October 7, 1980) — despite the January 1981 cover date.
Miller initially envisioned Elektra as a one-time character with no further appearances planned, but reader response and his own attachment to her led him to develop her as the emotional centerpiece of his entire Daredevil run through issue #191.
The issue has been reprinted extensively, including in the four-issue Elektra Saga (1984), Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2 (2001), the Frank Miller and Klaus Janson Omnibus (2007, with second and third editions in 2013 and 2016), and Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 15 (2021); a promotional reprint with a new painted cover by Greg Horn was packaged with the Elektra film's DVD in 2005.
Elektra has been portrayed in live-action by Jennifer Garner in the Daredevil (2003) film and its 2005 solo spinoff, and by Élodie Yung in the MCU Netflix series Daredevil (2016) and The Defenders (2017).