Cover: David Mazzucchelli

Daredevil #232

Jul 1986 · Marvel · 0.75 USD

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“God and Country”

★ 1st appearance — Frank Simpson★ 1st appearance — Nuke

About this Issue

Daredevil #232 is the pivotal penultimate chapter of Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli's 'Born Again' arc — widely regarded as one of the most consequential Daredevil stories ever published and a touchstone of the Copper Age. The issue delivers the first appearance of Nuke (Frank Simpson), a deranged super-soldier whose American-flag face tattoo and color-coded pill regimen made him an immediate, indelible symbol of militaristic excess and moral rot. It is also the issue in which Matt Murdock, having spent several chapters stripped of his costume, career, and sanity by the Kingpin's methodical campaign of destruction, finally suits up again at the end — completing the 'rebirth' promised by the arc's title and marking one of the most cathartic moments in the character's history. Critics and fans have consistently pointed to 'Born Again' as a benchmark against which all subsequent Daredevil storytelling is measured, and issue #232 is the chapter where that renewal becomes physical and undeniable.

In "God and Country," Matt Murdock navigates the fragile recovery of Karen Page while facing a new threat: a deranged Super Soldier unleashed by the Kingpin. Frank Miller’s sharp storytelling and David Mazzucchelli’s intense, expressive art bring a raw, grounded tension to this pivotal issue, where personal struggle and urban violence collide. The cover by Mazzucchelli captures the story’s grim urgency in stark, powerful lines.

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writer Frank Miller · artist, inker David Mazzucchelli · colorist Max Scheele · letterer Joe Rosen · cover David Mazzucchelli

More listings for this title

VF $9.59 FN/VF $9.99 Newsstand $10 FN $11.99 Newsstand $12 Newsstand $12 MINT $14.99 VF/NM $15

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History

Editor Ralph Macchio reached out to Frank Miller to return to Daredevil after regular writer Dennis O'Neil prepared to leave the series; Miller agreed, but only on the condition that artist David Mazzucchelli — his collaborator from issue #226 — would handle the artwork. Miller has described his intention not merely as reinventing the character but as engineering an outright 'rebirth,' stripping Daredevil to his essence before rebuilding him. Contrary to a persistent rumor, Mazzucchelli did not work from Miller's layouts — all the interior artwork is entirely Mazzucchelli's own. The issue was edited by Ralph Macchio, with Craig Anderson as assistant editor, colored by Christie 'Max' Scheele, and lettered by Joe Rosen.

Trivia · 9 facts

First appearance of Nuke (Frank Simpson / Weapon VII), created by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli; the character debuted with a cover date of July 1986.
Issue title is 'God and Country' — it is the sixth chapter of the seven-part 'Born Again' story arc (Daredevil #227–233).
Nuke is depicted as a product of a failed super-soldier program (later retroactively tied to the Weapon Plus initiative) and is distinguished by an American flag tattooed across his face and a reliance on color-coded red, white, and blue pills to regulate his aggression.
The Kingpin deploys Nuke to Hell's Kitchen specifically to draw Daredevil out of hiding, setting up the arc's final physical confrontation.
Matt Murdock suits up as Daredevil again at the end of this issue — his full costumed return after multiple chapters spent as a broken, homeless vagrant — narratively completing the 'Born Again' resurrection motif.
Nurse Lois Franklin makes her fourth and final appearance in this issue and dies; it also marks the final appearance of the Kingpin's henchman Blanders, who also dies.
The full creative team: writer Frank Miller, penciler/inker/cover artist David Mazzucchelli, colorist Christie 'Max' Scheele, letterer Joe Rosen, editor Ralph Macchio, assistant editor Craig Anderson.
The issue is collected in the Daredevil: Born Again trade paperback (first edition October 1987, which went to multiple printings); the arc has been reprinted in hardcover and trade paperback as part of Marvel Premiere Classic (2009–2010), as an IDW Artist's Edition (2012), and as the inaugural Marvel Premier Collection digest (February 2025, with a foreword by actor Charlie Cox and an afterword by Frank Miller).
A variation of Nuke named Will Simpson appeared in the Netflix series Jessica Jones (seasons 1–2), portrayed by Wil Traval, marking the character's first live-action adaptation.