Cover: Frank Miller & Klaus Janson

Daredevil #174

Sep 1981 · Marvel · 0.50 USD

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“The Assassination of Matt Murdock”

★ 1st appearance — Jonin★ 1st appearance — Kirigi

About this Issue

Daredevil #174 is the issue where Frank Miller planted the third great pillar of his Daredevil mythology: the Hand. With Elektra already established and the Kingpin already repositioned as Matt Murdock's chief antagonist, this issue completes the trinity by debuting the supernatural ninja clan that would become one of Marvel's most enduring criminal organizations, appearing in decades of comics, the 2005 Elektra film, and multiple MCU television series. The same issue also marks the first appearance of the Hand's elite enforcer Kirigi and their Jonin, giving the clan an immediate hierarchy and a credible physical threat to both Daredevil and Elektra. Beyond the debuts, the story puts Daredevil at a pronounced disadvantage — a Hand bomb destroys his law office and temporarily robs him of his radar sense — establishing the vulnerability that drives the next several issues of Miller's run and deepening the noir stakes of the larger arc.

In "The Assassination of Matt Murdock," Frank Miller and Klaus Janson deliver a tense, grounded thriller where Kingpin’s secret contract with the Hand sets off a deadly chain reaction. When the Hand attacks Matt Murdock’s law office, the explosion shatters his radar sense—leaving the blind hero vulnerable in a world suddenly harder to navigate.

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

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $9

CGC 9.8 · 283 in census $199*

CGC 9.6 · 260 in census $76

CGC 9.4 · 188 in census $59

CGC 9.2 · 122 in census $52

CGC 9.0 · 55 in census $45

CGC 8.5 · 54 in census $38

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CGC 8.0 · 27 in census $28*

CGC 7.5 · 15 in census $27

CGC 7.0 · 15 in census $22*

CGC 6.5 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 4.0 · 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

More listings for this title

VF $17.84 VF $19.99 VF+ $21.99 VG $22 NM $24.73 Direct $25 Newsstand $25 Newsstand $26.4

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History

By the time issue #174 went on sale in May 1981, Frank Miller had been writing Daredevil for just over six months after editor Denny O'Neil moved the previous scripter, Roger McKenzie, to another project so Miller could take creative control. Miller's fortunes had already shifted dramatically: sales rose so swiftly that Marvel restored Daredevil to a monthly schedule just three issues after Miller became sole writer. The monthly pace strained Miller's ability to both write and fully pencil the book, and he had begun sending progressively looser breakdowns to Klaus Janson starting with issue #173 — making #174 one of the earliest issues in which Janson's finishing hand substantially shaped the final page. The story, titled 'The Assassination of Matt Murdock,' was edited by Denny O'Neil with Ralph Macchio as assistant editor, under editor-in-chief Jim Shooter.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of the Hand, the supernatural ninja clan created by Frank Miller that would become one of Marvel's most recurring criminal organizations across comics, film, and television.
First appearance of Kirigi, the Hand's near-unkillable giant assassin, created by Frank Miller; he would return in issues #175–176 and #187–188.
First appearance of the Jonin, the Hand's ninja master who serves as the clan's commanding officer in this storyline.
The Kingpin secretly contracts the Hand to assassinate Matt Murdock, weaving the criminal and ninja threads of Miller's run together for the first time.
The Hand blows up Daredevil's law office during the issue; the explosion temporarily destroys his radar sense, a plot device that carries through subsequent issues.
The story's title is 'The Assassination of Matt Murdock,' and this issue marks the first time the letters page is renamed 'Devil's Advocate' — the previous column title, 'Let's Level With Daredevil,' had been in use since Daredevil #4.
The issue was written and penciled by Frank Miller with Klaus Janson as finisher/inker, colored by Glynis Wein and Klaus Janson, lettered by Joe Rosen, and edited by Denny O'Neil.
The issue has been reprinted in The Elektra Saga #2 (1984), Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil #16 (2022), Daredevil Epic Collection #8 (2025), and the Daredevil by Frank Miller trade paperback series, among other collections.