Cover: Sal Buscema

Daredevil #79

Aug 1971 · Marvel · 0.15 USD

📊 ~44,249 copies sold its debut month

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

“"Murder!" Cries the Man-Bull!”

About this Issue

Daredevil #79 is the second appearance of Man-Bull (William Taurens), the minotaur-inspired Bronze Age villain introduced the previous issue by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan, and it brings his origin arc to a satisfying close while deepening the Mr. Kline blackmail subplot — a cross-title narrative that was unusually ambitious for Marvel in 1971. The issue also contains a memorable in-story cameo by editor Stan Lee and his wife Joan, with Daredevil himself addressing the real-world boss as 'fearless leader,' a self-aware nod that collectors have pointed to ever since as a charming artifact of the Lee-era bullpen culture. As part of the sprawling Mr. Kline arc — one of early Bronze Age Marvel's most convoluted attempts at a multi-title sustained storyline spanning Daredevil and Iron Man — the issue represents a transitional moment in the book's history, just before the title would be retooled with the Black Widow as co-star and a relocation to San Francisco.

In "Murder! Cries the Man-Bull!", Daredevil faces off against the terrifying Man-Bull while Foggy Nelson grapples with a dangerous secret from his past, as a mysterious figure named Mr. Kline threatens to expose him. Written by Gary Friedrich and Gerry Conway, with moody, expressive art by Gene Colan and inks by Tom Palmer, this 1971 issue blends street-level tension with a gripping personal crisis. The cover by Sal Buscema captures the chaos with bold, dynamic flair.

writer Gary Friedrich · writer Gerry Conway · artist Gene Colan · inker, colorist Tom Palmer · letterer Jean Izzo · cover Sal Buscema

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $14

CGC 9.8 · 13 in census $764*

CGC 9.6 · 24 in census $209*

CGC 9.4 · 27 in census $131*

CGC 9.2 · 17 in census $92

CGC 9.0 · 23 in census $86

CGC 8.5 · 11 in census $62*

Show all 18 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 8 in census $56*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $50*

CGC 7.0 · 3 in census $42*

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $38*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $37*

CGC 5.5 · 3 in census $33*

CGC 5.0 · 1 in census $33*

CGC 4.5 none in existence

CGC 4.0 · 3 in census $33

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 2.5 · 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

VG $8.99 FINE $12 FN $14.99 VF+ $24.99 VF $29.95 MINT $50 NM $60 Daredevil #79 (Marvel Comics August 1971) $7

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 16 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

The story was plotted by Gerry Conway, then Marvel's prolific young staff writer, but the script was handed off to Gary Friedrich — a veteran of Sgt. Fury and future co-creator of Ghost Rider — a split-credit arrangement common at the time when writers worked from completed plots. Gene Colan penciled the interior pages with Tom Palmer on inks, the same artistic team that had been defining the book's mood for several years, while Sal Buscema supplied the cover (confirmed by the owner of the original cover art). Stan Lee is credited as editor, as he was on virtually every Marvel book of the period, and the issue went on sale June 1, 1971, with an August 1971 cover date.

Trivia · 9 facts

Second full appearance of Man-Bull (William Taurens), a villain created by Gerry Conway and Gene Colan who debuted in Daredevil #78 (July 1971).
Interior script by Gary Friedrich from a Gerry Conway plot; pencils by Gene Colan; inks by Tom Palmer; cover by Sal Buscema (pencils and inks).
Stan Lee is credited as editor; the issue went on sale June 1, 1971, with a cover date of August 1971.
Features a two-panel in-story cameo by Stan Lee and his wife Joan on a New York street, with Daredevil referring to Stan as 'fearless leader' — a widely noted piece of Marvel Silver-to-Bronze Age self-mythology.
Part 2 of the Mr. Kline story arc, in which the mysterious blackmailer (later revealed to be a robot android, MK-9, from an alternate future) is seen in partial shadow — his first partially visible on-panel appearance in the series.
Story title: 'Murder! Cries the Man-Bull!' The issue marks the conclusion of the Man-Bull/Alec hostage two-parter begun in #78.
First appearances within this issue of supporting henchmen 'Itch' and 'Freak-Face' (named gang members in Man-Bull's crew), per the Marvel Database.
Reprinted in Essential Daredevil Vol. 4 (2007, black and white), Marvel Classic (Panini France) #3 (2015), Daredevil Epic Collection Vol. 4: A Woman Called Widow (2019), and several international editions including Italian (L'Incredibile Devil #78, 1973) and Mexican (Diabólico #79, 1972). Also collected in Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 8 and Daredevil Omnibus Vol. 3 (2023).
Man-Bull later made his live-action MCU debut in the Disney+ series She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, portrayed by Nate Hurd, giving this early Bronze Age two-parter renewed reader interest.