Daredevil #87

May 1972 · Marvel · 0.20 USD

📊 ~49,429 copies sold its debut month

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“From Stage Left, Enter: Electro!”

★ 1st appearance — Commissioner Robert O'Hara

About this Issue

Daredevil #87 marks a watershed moment in the Bronze Age: it is the issue in which writer Gerry Conway transplants Matt Murdock and Natasha Romanoff from New York to San Francisco, making them — according to the Marvel Database — the first major Marvel characters to permanently relocate outside the New York metropolitan area. That geographical gamble opened a multi-year story arc that gave Black Widow her most sustained co-starring role through the entire 1960s–70s era, ultimately prompting Marvel to rename the book 'Daredevil and the Black Widow' beginning with issue #92. The issue is also a small piece of Comics Code history: the exact living arrangement between the two unmarried heroes — separate floors, with Ivan Petrovich acting as a permanent chaperone — had to be pre-approved by the Comics Code Authority and was scripted directly into the pages of this issue.

In "From Stage Left, Enter: Electro!", Daredevil and the Black Widow arrive in San Francisco, only to find the city already buzzing with danger — and a deranged Electro waiting in the shadows. With Gene Colan’s moody art and Tom Palmer’s sharp inks, this 1972 issue delivers a tense, grounded clash of wills, set against the gritty backdrop of a city on edge. Cover by John Buscema and Frank Giacoia captures the electric tension perfectly.

writer Gerry Conway · artist Gene Colan · inker, colorist Tom Palmer · letterer Sam Rosen · cover John Buscema, Frank Giacoia

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $13

CGC 9.8 · 35 in census $468

CGC 9.6 · 39 in census $153

CGC 9.4 · 32 in census $145

CGC 9.2 · 22 in census $90

CGC 9.0 · 11 in census $73*

CGC 8.5 · 12 in census $60*

Show all 18 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 7 in census $58

CGC 7.5 · 6 in census $48*

CGC 7.0 · 5 in census $38

CGC 6.5 · 5 in census $37*

CGC 6.0 · 2 in census $33

CGC 5.5 · 1 in census $25

CGC 5.0 none in existence

CGC 4.5 · 1 in census $24*

CGC 4.0 none in existence

CGC 3.5 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 3.0 none in existence

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

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History

Gerry Conway — still a teenager when he took over Daredevil with #72 — had introduced Black Widow as Matt's partner in #81 as, in his own words, 'a way to re-energize the title,' which Marvel had quietly threatened to fold into an Iron Man double-bill due to flagging sales. By the time #87 shipped (release date February 8, 1972; cover-dated May 1972), Conway's editorial instinct was to double down by uprooting the entire cast to San Francisco, in part to give artist Gene Colan — who penciled nearly every issue from #20 through #100 — a dramatically different architectural and coastal landscape to render. John Buscema supplied the cover while the interior creative team of Conway, Colan, and inker Tom Palmer remained intact; Stan Lee edited with Roy Thomas serving as Editor-in-Chief.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover-dated May 1972 (released February 8, 1972); published by Marvel Comics as part of the original Daredevil Vol. 1 series (1964–1998).
Story title: 'From Stage Left, Enter: Electro!' — written by Gerry Conway, penciled by Gene Colan, inked by Tom Palmer, lettered by Sam Rosen; cover art by John Buscema.
First issue to establish Daredevil and Black Widow's San Francisco base — per the Marvel Database, the first time two major Marvel characters permanently relocated outside New York City.
Daredevil remained based in San Francisco through issue #109; Black Widow did not permanently return to New York until issue #120.
The Comics Code Authority required Marvel to craft a specific, Code-approved living arrangement for the unmarried heroes in this very issue: Matt Murdock and Ivan Petrovich share the mansion's second floor, while Natasha occupies the ground level — a detail confirmed by Gerry Conway in an interview published in TwoMorrows' Back Issue #45.
Electro (Max Dillon) appears as the villain; Commissioner 'Ironguts' O'Hara and Danny French make their first appearances in this issue.
Foggy Nelson appears in cameo; Karen Page and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) are mentioned but do not appear.
The San Francisco era kicked off here led directly to the book's retitling as 'Daredevil and the Black Widow' beginning with issue #92, running through issue #107 — one of the few times a male Marvel hero shared his title billing with a female co-star in the Bronze Age.