Daredevil #43

Aug 1968 · Marvel · 0.12 USD

📊 ~66,564 copies sold its debut month

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“In Combat with Captain America!”

★ 1st appearance — The Jester

About this Issue

Daredevil #43 (August 1968) marks the first time the Man Without Fear and Captain America came to blows — a hero-vs.-hero clash rooted not in cosmic villainy but in Matt Murdock's raw emotional turmoil over losing Karen Page, establishing a distinctly Marvel-flavored drama that would define the two characters' recurring uneasy relationship for decades. The issue also includes a one-page recap of Daredevil's origin and sits at a narratively significant hinge point in the early Jester storyline, bridging the villain's debut in #42 with a three-issue rematch that kicks off immediately after. Its cover, penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Sinnott, is one of the few times Kirby put his hand to Daredevil's world — a striking Silver Age artifact given that he never served as the title's regular penciler.

In "In Combat with Captain America!", Daredevil’s personal turmoil spills into a high-stakes charity event, where his simmering frustrations collide with the patriotic hero’s presence. Written by Stan Lee and illustrated with moody precision by Gene Colan, this 1968 issue captures a rare clash between two Marvel icons, with Jack Kirby’s dynamic cover and Joe Sinnott’s inks setting the stage for a tense, character-driven showdown.

writer Stan Lee · artist Gene Colan · inker Vince Colletta · letterer Artie Simek · cover Jack Kirby, Joe Sinnott

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VG) $18

CGC 9.8 · 18 in census $3,879*

CGC 9.6 · 60 in census $524

CGC 9.4 · 113 in census $347

CGC 9.2 · 113 in census $240

CGC 9.0 · 133 in census $204

CGC 8.5 · 145 in census $161

Show all 19 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 117 in census $140

CGC 7.5 · 111 in census $136

CGC 7.0 · 83 in census $101

CGC 6.5 · 85 in census $80

CGC 6.0 · 48 in census $58

CGC 5.5 · 48 in census $37

CGC 5.0 · 32 in census $37*

CGC 4.5 · 29 in census $37

CGC 4.0 · 18 in census $26*

CGC 3.5 · 14 in census $22*

CGC 3.0 · 8 in census $20

CGC 2.5 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 2.0 · 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

GD $18 FN $24 VG+ $37.99 VG $47 VG+ $49 FN $49.99 VG+ $54.95 VG+ $59.6

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History

Stan Lee scripted the issue with interior pencils by Gene Colan, inked by Vince Colletta, and lettering by Artie Simek — the regular creative team that had been steering the book since Colan took over with issue #20 (September 1966). The cover has a documented production backstory: Colan had already drawn a full cover for the issue — one where Daredevil was clearly getting the upper hand over Cap — but that version was set aside and a Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott cover was commissioned instead, presumably because editorial was uncomfortable showing the guest star being bested on his own cover; this detail was confirmed via cover inker credit research by Mark Evanier and recorded in the Grand Comics Database. The cover inker was originally misdocumented as Dan Adkins or John Tartaglione before Evanier corrected it to Joe Sinnott.

Trivia · 7 facts

Interior story titled 'In Combat with Captain America!' — written by Stan Lee, penciled by Gene Colan, inked by Vince Colletta, lettered by Artie Simek.
Cover penciled by Jack Kirby and inked by Joe Sinnott — one of very few Kirby-illustrated Daredevil covers, as Kirby never regularly penciled the book's interiors.
First battle between Daredevil and Captain America in Marvel Comics continuity; the fight occurs at Madison Square Garden during a charity boxing event and is triggered by Daredevil being exposed to stolen radium, causing him to go berserk.
Includes a one-page partial retelling of Daredevil's origin, and marks Karen Page's effective departure from the Nelson & Murdock law office, driven by Matt Murdock pushing her away to protect her from the dangers of his double life.
Peter Parker (Spider-Man) appears in a single-panel cameo, a small but notable cross-title Marvel Universe touch.
The Jester (Jonathan Powers) — introduced one issue earlier in Daredevil #42 (July 1968, created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan) — appears only in recap/flashback; the issue functions as a bridge within the four-issue Jester arc (#42–#46).
Reprinted in Marvel Treasury Edition #9 (September 1976), Essential Daredevil Vol. 2 (2004, black and white), Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 3: Brother, Take My Hand (2017), and Daredevil Omnibus Vol. 2 (2023), among numerous international editions.