Cover: Bill Sienkiewicz

Daredevil #197

Aug 1983 · Marvel · 0.60 USD; 0.25 GBP; 0.75 CAD

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“Journey”

★ 1st appearance — Yuriko Oyama★ 1st appearance — Lady Deathstrike

About this Issue

Daredevil #197 earns its place in Marvel history as the debut of Yuriko Oyama, the woman who would eventually become Lady Deathstrike — one of the most enduring female antagonists in the X-Men corner of the Marvel Universe. Written by Denny O'Neil and drawn by William Johnson (with assists from Larry Hama, Klaus Janson, and a young Mike Mignola on inks), the issue drops Daredevil into Japan on the trail of a crippled Bullseye and, in doing so, seeds a character whose obsession with Wolverine and adamantium would fuel dozens of stories across three decades. It also functions as the opening chapter of the first fully realized arc of O'Neil's post-Miller Daredevil run, signaling a deliberate creative pivot away from Frank Miller's street-level noir toward globe-trotting adventure while still honoring the continuity Miller left behind.

In "Journey," Daredevil’s path to Japan takes an unexpected turn when he rescues Dark Wind’s daughter from captivity, setting off a tense, high-stakes mission across the country. Written by Denny O'Neil and illustrated by William Johnson, Klaus Janson, and Larry Hama, with inks by Mike Mignola and Klaus Janson, and colors by Christie Scheele, this 1983 issue blends quiet intensity with rising danger. The cover by Bill Sienkiewicz captures the mood perfectly—shadowed, focused, and charged with unseen conflict.

writer Denny O'Neil · artist William Johnson · artist, inker Klaus Janson · artist Larry Hama · inker Mike Mignola · colorist Christie Scheele · letterer Joe Rosen · cover Bill Sienkiewicz

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $5

CGC 9.8 · 178 in census $138

CGC 9.6 · 166 in census $62*

CGC 9.4 · 93 in census $48*

CGC 9.2 · 50 in census $34*

CGC 9.0 · 33 in census $28*

CGC 8.5 · 27 in census $23*

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CGC 8.0 · 19 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 11 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 1 in census $20*

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FN · Newsstand $3.99 VG $6.5 Newsstand $6.99 VF · Newsstand $7 Newsstand $7.75 Newsstand $7.95 Newsstand $7.99 VF+ $9.74

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History

Issue #197 is the second installment of a four-part Japan arc (issues #196–199) that writer-editor Denny O'Neil constructed as the engine of his own Daredevil tenure, which had to follow one of the most celebrated runs in Marvel's history. O'Neil consciously built the story on the wreckage Miller left — specifically Bullseye's paralysis from Daredevil #181 — and used it to introduce Lord Dark Wind (debuted in #196) and his daughter Yuriko. The art in this issue is notably a patchwork: Klaus Janson handled the opening pages, Larry Hama contributed breakdowns, William Johnson penciled the bulk of the story, and the then-unknown Mike Mignola contributed inks — an unusual production arrangement reflecting the transition between art teams as Janson departed the book. Jim Shooter served as editor-in-chief, with Linda Grant sharing editorial credit alongside O'Neil.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance of Yuriko Oyama (later Lady Deathstrike), daughter of the adamantium-bonding scientist Lord Dark Wind — created by writer Denny O'Neil and artist William Johnson.
Yuriko would not adopt the Lady Deathstrike identity until Alpha Flight #33 (April 1986), written by Bill Mantlo with art by Sal Buscema; her signature cyborg form was designed by Barry Windsor-Smith for Uncanny X-Men #205 (May 1986).
The issue is titled 'Journey' and was written by Denny O'Neil, penciled primarily by William Johnson (with Klaus Janson on the opening pages and Larry Hama breakdowns), inked by Mike Mignola and Klaus Janson, colored by Christie Scheele, and lettered by Joe Rosen.
Cover art is by Bill Sienkiewicz, depicting a menacing Bullseye — Sienkiewicz was the cover artist for the series at this time though not the interior penciler.
Lord Dark Wind's backstory as a disgraced World War II kamikaze pilot whose adamantium-bonding process was stolen and eventually used on Wolverine is central to the issue, retroactively cementing a key piece of Wolverine's own mythology.
Bullseye appears throughout as the arc's villain-in-recovery, set up here to receive adamantium implants — a story development that eventually gives him an adamantium spine and a psychic link to Daredevil, though the latter thread was largely dropped in subsequent issues.
Elektra appears only in flashback/cameo, a ghost haunting the narrative in the immediate aftermath of her death in Daredevil #181.
The issue has been reprinted in Coleccionable Daredevil #13 (Planeta DeAgostini, 2003) and in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 18 (2023); it exists in Direct Edition, Newsstand, Canadian, and Mark Jewelers insert variants.
Lady Deathstrike — born from the seed planted in this issue — went on to appear in the 2003 film X2: X-Men United (portrayed by Kelly Hu) and in a variant role in Deadpool & Wolverine (2024).