Cover: William Johnson & Danny Bulanadi

Daredevil #205

Apr 1984 · Marvel · 0.60 USD; 0.25 GBP; 0.75 CAD

☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join free

“The Gael!”

★ 1st appearance — Glorianna O'Breen

About this Issue

Daredevil #205 is the debut issue of Glorianna O'Breen, an Irish photojournalist who would become one of Matt Murdock's most significant romantic partners during the mid-1980s and go on to appear across roughly 28–29 subsequent issues through the landmark 'Born Again' era. The issue is also the first appearance of the antagonist Paddy O'Hanlon, aka The Gael — a rogue IRA hitman whose shamrock-leaving calling card and politically charged backstory represent one of Denny O'Neil's more culturally topical villain concepts. Arriving squarely in the interregnum between Frank Miller's two celebrated runs, the issue marks the moment O'Neil's own tenure shifted toward building the cast of supporting characters — particularly a new love interest — that would carry the title through one of its most emotionally dense stretches before 'Born Again' reset the board. As a self-contained single issue that also threads Glorianna into the broader Micah Synn storyline already underway, it demonstrates O'Neil's preference for using street-level political conflicts (the Irish Troubles, IRA factionalism) as a grounding counterweight to superhero melodrama.

In "The Gael!", Daredevil faces a dangerous new threat when Glorianna, his ally Debbie’s niece, arrives from Ireland, bringing with her a past that catches up to her in the form of The Gael, a rogue I.R.A. assassin. Written by Denny O'Neil and brought to life with sharp, atmospheric art by William Johnson and Danny Bulanadi, this 1984 issue delivers a tense, grounded thriller where every shadow holds a secret. The cover by Johnson and Bulanadi captures the story’s intensity with a striking, moody portrait of Daredevil in silhouette.

writer Denny O'Neil · artist William Johnson · inker Danny Bulanadi · colorist G. Roussos · letterer Joe Rosen · cover William Johnson, Danny Bulanadi

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $4

CGC 9.8 · 36 in census $95*

CGC 9.6 · 11 in census $44*

CGC 9.4 · 5 in census $30*

CGC 9.2 · 6 in census $28*

CGC 9.0 · 1 in census $24*

CGC 8.5 · 5 in census $24

Show all 12 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $22*

CGC 7.5 none in existence

CGC 7.0 none in existence

CGC 6.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 · 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

More listings for this title

FINE $2.99 VF $3 MINT $3.5 NM $3.99 VF+ · Newsstand $4 Newsstand $4 VF · Newsstand $4 VF $4.8

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 56 total · seen 27 days ago

Sell my copy

Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.

We Buy Collections ▸

Fast, fair offers · we handle grading & shipping

History

Denny O'Neil came to the writing side of Daredevil in 1983 (beginning with #194) after having previously served as the book's editor — the very editor who had given Frank Miller both the pencilling and scripting reins that revitalized the series. With Miller departed for other projects, O'Neil took on scripting duties himself to bridge the gap, working across a rotating roster of artists; issue #205 pairs him with penciller William Johnson, inker Danny Bulanadi, colorist George Roussos, and letterer Joe Rosen, under editor Bob Budiansky with Jim Shooter as editor-in-chief. In an interview with ManWithoutFear.com, O'Neil confirmed that he deliberately created Glorianna O'Breen to supply Daredevil with a new love interest, reasoning that — unlike Batman — Matt Murdock is a character for whom a personal life felt natural and necessary. The issue shipped with a December 27, 1983 release date despite its April 1984 cover date, a standard Marvel practice of the period.

Trivia · 7 facts

First appearance of Glorianna O'Breen (Earth-616), Irish photographer and niece of Foggy Nelson's wife Debbie Harris, who becomes a recurring supporting character and love interest for Matt Murdock across roughly 28–29 issues.
First appearance of The Gael (Paddy O'Hanlon), a rogue IRA assassin who leaves a paper shamrock with his victims as a calling card and serves as the primary antagonist of this issue.
Story title: 'The Gael!' (tagline: 'Night of the Gael!'); written by Denny O'Neil, pencilled by William Johnson, inked by Danny Bulanadi, colored by George Roussos, lettered by Joe Rosen, edited by Bob Budiansky.
The plot draws directly on the real-world context of the Irish Troubles: Glorianna flees to New York after her father — wrongly accused of betraying the IRA — is murdered by The Gael, with the killer's true identity hidden inside a roll of film in Glorianna's camera.
The issue contains no letters page; the back-cover advertising space is occupied by a full-page house ad for Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1, reflecting the timing of Marvel's 1984 company-wide event launch.
Glorianna O'Breen was explicitly created by O'Neil to serve as Daredevil's new central love interest following the departure of previous girlfriend Heather Glenn, as O'Neil confirmed in a published interview on ManWithoutFear.com.
Issue #205 falls within O'Neil's broader 1983–1985 scripting run (approximately #194–226, with gaps), which served as the bridge between Frank Miller's two landmark runs and directly preceded Miller's 'Born Again' arc beginning in #227.