Cover: Ron Lim & Jim Sanders III

Daredevil #258

Sep 1988 · Marvel · 0.75 USD; 0.95 CAD; 0.50 GBP

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“I Heard the Jungle Breathe”

★ 1st appearance — Bengal

About this Issue

Daredevil #258 is the debut issue of Bengal (Duc No Tranh), a Vietnamese vigilante whose origin is rooted directly in the atrocities of the Vietnam War — making him one of the more morally complex antagonists introduced in the Copper Age. The story used a costumed-vigilante framework to confront American war crimes head-on, a thematic weight unusual for a fill-in issue. Bengal proved durable enough to resurface across New Warriors, the Initiative's Shadow team, and Civil War-era storylines, demonstrating that a single standalone chapter could seed a character with genuine longevity. The issue also stands as an early showcase for both writer Fabian Nicieza and penciller Ron Lim, two creators who would become major Marvel figures within just a few years.

writer Fabian Nicieza · artist Ron Lim · inker Jim Sanders III · colorist Bob Sharen · letterer Diana Albers · cover Ron Lim, Jim Sanders III

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $4

CGC 9.8 · 25 in census $58

CGC 9.6 · 18 in census $27*

CGC 9.4 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 · 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

FN/VF $1.99 Newsstand $3.24 VF $3.99 NM $4 Newsstand $4.08 FN/VF $4.23 VF $4.25 Newsstand $4.25

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History

Issue #258 is a fill-in chapter landing squarely in the middle of Ann Nocenti's celebrated, politically charged run on Daredevil — a run she held from #238 through #291, minus a handful of issues including this one. Nicieza had been cutting his teeth on Marvel's New Universe line before editor Ralph Macchio handed him this fill-in slot; Ron Lim, his artistic collaborator here, was similarly on the cusp of higher-profile Marvel assignments. The regular Nocenti/John Romita Jr. team resumed with issue #259, so #258 functions as a self-contained interlude rather than a chapter of the ongoing arc, which makes the density of character backstory Nicieza packed into a single issue all the more notable.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance and origin of Bengal (Duc No Tranh), created by writer Fabian Nicieza and penciller Ron Lim — the character's full civilian name was later confirmed in the Marvel Knights Encyclopedia.
Story title: 'I Heard the Jungle Breathe' — Daredevil protects blind Vietnam veteran Willie Lincoln from Bengal, who is hunting the American soldiers responsible for massacring his village during the Vietnam War.
Bengal's origin flashback establishes a unit of U.S. soldiers — including William Talltrees (later Red Wolf), James Rhodes (piloting the evacuation helicopter), Josh Cooper, Willie Lincoln, and Michael Janes — as the men responsible for destroying Duc No Tranh's village near Buon Ma Thuot.
Full creative credits: script by Fabian Nicieza, pencils by Ron Lim, inks by Jim Sanders III, colors by Bob Sharen, letters by Diana Albers, edited by Ralph Macchio (assistant editor Marc Siry).
The issue is a fill-in that falls within Ann Nocenti's long Daredevil run (#238–291); Nocenti did not write #258, making it one of only a small number of issues she did not script during that tenure.
Bengal went on to appear across New Warriors, Night Thrasher, Marvel Knights, and Avengers: The Initiative — where he joined the Shadow Initiative under Henry Peter Gyrich and clashed with James Rhodes again, his origin from this issue directly informing that conflict.
The Grand Comics Database records three international reprints of this issue: a French edition (Daredevil, Semic S.A., 1989 series #2), a Brazilian edition (Superaventuras Marvel, Editora Abril, series #119), and an Italian edition (Fantastici Quattro, Edizioni Star Comics, 1988 series #101, dated 30 September 1993).
Bengal later appeared as a playable character in the video game LEGO Marvel's Avengers, extending the character's reach well beyond his Copper Age comics origins.