Daredevil #168

A filler story on a title close to cancellation

By the end of the 1970s Daredevil was a struggling Marvel title. Frank Miller arrived as penciler with issue #158, cover-dated May 1979, drawing stories written by Roger McKenzie and inked by Klaus Janson. Miller later said the title was close to cancellation when he was hired.

Editor Denny O'Neil had been impressed by a backup story Miller wrote, and he reassigned McKenzie so that Miller could take over the writing as well, beginning with issue #168, cover-dated January 1981. The result was quick: sales rose so fast that Marvel moved Daredevil from bimonthly back to monthly publication. The indicia of #168 still lists the book as bimonthly.

Elektra was not meant to last. Miller conceived her as a one-appearance character in what he called a filler story. He first named her "Indigo" and planned to give her Japanese martial arts.

Once he loved her

The 22-page story, titled simply "Elektra," opens with the line "Close your eyes, let the night touch you." Matt Murdock is hunting an international criminal protected by Eric Slaughter when he runs into his college sweetheart, now working as a bounty hunter. Flashbacks tell how Matt loved Elektra Natchios before his accident and how her father, Hugo Natchios, was killed. The issue also introduces the informant Grotto and the villain Alarich Wallenquist.

The cover, penciled by Miller and inked by Janson, carries the blurb "Elecktra: Once he loved her...now she is his most deadly enemy!" The extra "c" appears on every published copy; the story itself is titled "Elektra."

Miller built the character around the Electra complex as theorized by Carl Jung, and modeled her look on the bodybuilder Lisa Lyon and, at times, the actress Bo Derek. He also drew on Sand Saref, a femme fatale from Will Eisner's The Spirit, which he has said he adapted and made harsher. Miller wrote the issue's letters page, "Let's Level with Daredevil," as well.

Frank Miller

Frank Miller was born January 27, 1957, in Olney, Maryland, and grew up in Montpelier, Vermont, the fifth of seven children in an Irish Catholic family. After moving to New York he showed his samples to Neal Adams, who critiqued them and gave him informal lessons. His first professional work was for Gold Key Comics.

On Daredevil he brought ninjas into the Marvel canon, adding the mentor Stick, the order called the Chaste and the ninja clan the Hand alongside Elektra. He cited manga, Will Eisner and film noir as his major influences.

His run ended with issue #191 in February 1983. He went on to Ronin (1983-1984), Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986), the Daredevil storyline "Born Again" with David Mazzucchelli in issues #226-233, Elektra: Assassin with Bill Sienkiewicz (1986-1987), Sin City (from 1991) and 300 (1998).

The fall of 1980

The direct-sale edition, sold mostly in comic shops, appears to have reached readers in mid-September 1980, the date of its copyright registration, a few weeks ahead of the newsstand copies Marvel promoted for October 7.

It was a heavy autumn. In September a Titan II missile exploded at its silo near Damascus, Arkansas. In October the Philadelphia Phillies won their first World Series. On November 4 Ronald Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter, and on November 21 the "Who shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas aired. On December 8 John Lennon was shot and killed outside the Dakota in New York, the same day Bloom County debuted in newspapers.

Killed off, and never quite gone

Elektra proved far too popular to be a one-off. Bullseye killed her in issue #181, cover-dated April 1982, in what became a best-selling landmark issue that startled readers. Miller received death threats and reported them to the FBI. She was later resurrected.

Miller returned to her repeatedly: Elektra: Assassin, a surreal and satirical miniseries for Marvel's Epic line, ran from 1986 to 1987, and the 1990 graphic novel Elektra Lives Again won an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New. The #168 story has been reprinted at least 24 times around the world, beginning with a British reprint in 1983 and The Elektra Saga in February 1984.

Jennifer Garner played the character in the 2003 film Daredevil and in the spin-off Elektra, released January 14, 2005, directed by Rob Bowman. The spin-off was a critical and commercial disappointment, grossing about $57 million worldwide.

Census and what 9.8 copies have brought

This is not a scarce book. CGC's population report, viewed October 1, 2026, lists 7,591 Universal-label copies, with 323 graded 9.8 and none higher; counting Signature Series, restored, qualified and other labels, the total is 8,789. The count at the top grade has climbed steadily: 228 at 9.8 in January 2023 and 240 at 9.8 out of 6,219 Universal copies on July 25, 2023.

The highest 9.8 price found came early in 2022, when one sold for $13,200 at auction on January 16. By January 2023, auction listings put the census at 228 copies in that grade. The auction listing for a newsstand 9.8 with a CVA Exceptional sticker in August 2023 estimated that only 2 to 4 percent of 9.8s are newsstand copies; that copy sold for $3,450.

The 9.8 auction results found from 2024 through May 2026 run from $1,320 to $2,160, far below the 2022 peak. FLOAT shows only prices a source states and does not estimate value.

The numbers

Cover price

50 cents

Pages

36; the Elektra story runs 22

Print run

No verified figure found

Census, January 2023

228 at CGC 9.8, none higher

Census, July 25, 2023

6,219 Universal copies graded; 240 at 9.8; none higher

Census, October 1, 2026

7,591 Universal; 323 at 9.8, 894 at 9.6, 1,183 at 9.4; none higher than 9.8; 8,789 across all labels

Timeline

1. Jan 27, 1957

   Frank Miller is born in Olney, Maryland.

2. May 1979

   Miller debuts as penciler on Daredevil with issue #158, drawing Roger McKenzie's scripts.

3. Sep 16, 1980

   Copyright publication date of Daredevil #168, likely when the direct-sale edition went on sale.

4. Oct 7, 1980

   On-sale date promoted for the newsstand edition.

5. Jan 1981

   Cover date of #168: Elektra's first appearance and Miller's first issue as writer.

6. Apr 1982

   Bullseye kills Elektra in Daredevil #181.

7. Feb 1983

   Miller's run ends with issue #191.

8. Feb 1984

   The Elektra Saga #1 reprints 19 pages of the #168 story.

9. 1986

   Elektra: Assassin with Bill Sienkiewicz begins, running into 1987; Miller also returns for "Born Again."

10. 1990

    Elektra Lives Again wins an Eisner Award for Best Graphic Album: New.

11. Jan 14, 2005

    The film Elektra, starring Jennifer Garner, is released.

12. Jan 16, 2022

    A CGC 9.8 copy sells for $13,200 at auction, the top 9.8 price found.

13. Jan 2023

    CGC census shows 228 copies at 9.8, none higher.

14. Jul 25, 2023

    CGC census shows 6,219 Universal copies, 240 at 9.8.

15. Aug 23, 2023

    A newsstand CGC 9.8 with CVA Exceptional sticker sells for $3,450 at auction.

16. Oct 1, 2026

    CGC report lists 7,591 Universal copies, 323 at 9.8, none higher.

The world in 1980

• May 18, 1980

  Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington state.

• Jun 1, 1980

  CNN launches.

• Sep 19, 1980

  Ordinary People, Robert Redford's directorial debut, premieres.

• Oct 21, 1980

  The Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals to win their first World Series.

• Nov 4, 1980

  Ronald Reagan defeats President Jimmy Carter in a landslide.

• Nov 21, 1980

  The "Who shot J.R.?" episode of Dallas airs.

• Dec 8, 1980

  John Lennon is shot and killed in New York; Bloom County debuts the same day.

Price record

A realized auction price is what a buyer actually paid on the date shown, including the buyer's premium where the sale reported it. It is the strongest kind of reference price, and it is a record of one sale of one object on one day, not a promise of what the next example will bring.

By reference price, Daredevil #168 is number 63 of 100 in the comics entries of the FLOAT 100. 92 of those 100 rest on a realized sale; the rest carry an asking price or a guide value, and each page says which. Rank within the FLOAT 100 itself (38 here) is editorial: how much an object defines its field, not price alone.

Did you know

• Elektra's name is misspelled "Elecktra" on the cover of every copy of #168.
• Miller first called the character "Indigo" and intended her for a single filler story.
• Her look was based partly on the bodybuilder Lisa Lyon.
• After killing Elektra in #181, Miller received death threats and reported them to the FBI.
• The issue's indicia lists Daredevil as bimonthly; Miller's success soon made it monthly again.
• Frank Miller also wrote the issue's letters page.