The Daredevils #7
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Daredevils #7 is one of the most consequential single issues in Marvel's publishing history because it contains the story 'Rough Justice' — the first printed use of the designation 'Earth-616' for the primary Marvel Universe, a label that would eventually be adopted across all of Marvel's comics, films, and television. The issue also marks the first time an Earth-238 hero is explicitly identified as 'Miracleman' in print — a name Moore and Davis were concurrently using for their parallel work at rival publisher Warrior, making this its debut in any published comic — roughly two years before the character would permanently take on the name in the U.S. market. Woven into the ongoing 'Jaspers' Warp' arc, the issue escalates the emotional cost of The Fury's massacre of Earth-238's heroes through Linda McQuillan's nightmares, while simultaneously staging the kangaroo-court condemnation of Saturnyne and introducing the multiverse-spanning Captain Britain Corps as an institutional framework — concepts that have remained central to Marvel's cosmology ever since.
In "Rough Justice," Linda McQuillan—once Captain U.K. of Earth-238—grapples with haunting visions of her destroyed world, where the Fury claimed her friends. Meanwhile, Captain Britain finds himself at a kangaroo court presided over by Saturnyne, who faces swift condemnation for her failed mission, only to break free and ignite a confrontation. Written by Alan Moore and brought to life with dynamic art by Alan Davis—both pencils and inks—this 1983 Marvel UK issue delivers a tense, character-driven moment in the series, with Steve Craddock’s lettering adding precision to the chaos. The cover, also by Alan Davis, captures the intensity of the scene in bold, expressive lines.
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The Daredevils launched in January 1983 as a monthly Marvel UK anthology edited by Bernie Jaye, pairing new Captain Britain stories — written by Alan Moore and drawn by Alan Davis — with Frank Miller Daredevil reprints, in what was widely seen as a response to Dez Skinn's rival anthology Warrior. Issue #7, cover-dated July 1983, sits at the midpoint of the title's eleven-issue run, continuing the 'Jaspers' Warp' storyline Moore had inherited from departing writer Dave Thorpe and expanded into a full multiversal epic; the issue also reprints Alan Moore's Doctor Who Monthly strips introducing the Special Executive, whose members appear as supporting characters in the main Captain Britain story. The term 'Earth-616' itself originated conceptually with Thorpe, who devised it during his earlier stint on the strip, though Moore was the first to commit it to the printed page in this very issue.
Trivia · 8 facts
- The lead story 'Rough Justice' (written by Alan Moore, penciled by Alan Davis) contains the first printed use of 'Earth-616' to designate the primary Marvel Universe — spoken by Saturnyne to identify Brian Braddock as 'Captain Britain of Earth 616' and distinguish him from the wider Captain Britain Corps.
- The origin of the '616' designation is disputed: Alan Davis, Dave Thorpe, and Thorpe himself all credit Thorpe with coining the term during his preceding run on the strip, while Moore placed it in print; Moore separately recalled choosing a high, arbitrary number, a discrepancy that has never been fully resolved.
- This is the first instance in print where the Marvelman analogue on Earth-238 is identified by the name 'Miracleman' — a name Moore had proposed as an alternate title for his concurrent Warrior strip but had not yet used there; the name would not be officially adopted for the Eclipse Comics U.S. reprints until 1985.
- The issue is the first story in Marvel history where parallel Earths are assigned numerical designations, establishing the framework of the numbered Marvel Multiverse that continues in use today.
- The Earth-616 first appearance of Sir James Jaspers (the main-universe 'Mad Jim Jaspers') occurs here — albeit only as a photograph on a newspaper front page; his in-person appearance in the 616 universe follows in The Daredevils #9.
- The Daredevils #7 reprints Alan Moore's Doctor Who Monthly Special Executive stories ('Black Sun Rising'), bringing characters Wardog, Zeitgeist, Cobweb, Fascination, and Legion into the same anthology alongside the Captain Britain strip in which they guest-star — tying Moore's Doctor Who and Marvel UK work together for readers.
- The issue includes a full-color centerfold poster by Alan Davis featuring Daredevil, Captain Britain, the Special Executive, and Night Raven — one of several Davis posters distributed with the title — while all story content was printed in black and white.
- The Captain Britain story has been reprinted in colorized form in X-Men Archives Featuring Captain Britain #4 (October 1995), the Captain Britain by Alan Moore & Alan Davis Omnibus (2009), and the Captain Britain Omnibus (2021).
Cast · 29 characters
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Linda McQuillan, an exile from Earth-238 and the former Captain U.K., has terrible nightmares about her home world where the Fury killed all of her friends. Meanwhile, Captain Britain is attending the kangaroo court where Saturnyne is quickly condemned for failing her mission to Earth-238. Cap, who has been restrained thanks to his big mouth, breaks free and starts a fight.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
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