.
Man... did anyone know this?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Miller#Daredevil_and_the_early_1980sDAREDEVIL 158 (May 1979), Miller's debut on that title, was the finale of an ongoing story written by Roger McKenzie and inked by Klaus Janson. After this issue, Miller became one of Marvel's rising stars.[18]
However, sales on Daredevil did not improve, Marvel's management continued to discuss cancellation, and Miller himself almost quit the series, as he disliked McKenzie's scripts.[13]
Miller's fortunes changed with the arrival of Denny O'Neil as editor. Realizing Miller's unhappiness with the series, and impressed by a backup story Miller had written, O'Neil moved McKenzie to another project so that Miller could try writing the series himself.[13][19] Miller and O'Neil maintained a friendly working relationship throughout his run on the series.[20]
With issue #168 (Jan. 1981), Miller took over full duties as writer and penciller. Sales rose so swiftly that Marvel once again began publishing Daredevil monthly rather than bimonthly just three issues after Miller became its writer.[21]
I previously knew that Miller didn't like working (for whatever reason) with writer Bob McKenzie. But I didn't know that the book was unpopular and not selling, to the point it was on the verge of being cancelled. I knew O'Neil basically fired McKenzie, and replaced McKanzie, assigning Frank Miller as both wrtier and penciller beginning with issue 168.
I didn't know that move saved the book from cancellation, and I didn't know that beginning with 168, it very quickly became a top seller.
I was aware that when buying these issues off the stands, that the series became monthly with issue 170, but had no idea it was on the verge of cancellation just 3 issues prior to that.
So O'Neil's assigning Miller as writer (beginning wtih issue 168-up) saved DAREDEVIL from cancellation, going completely the other way, and instantly becoming a top seller.
This turnaround in sales must have made O'Neil a big hero in the Marvel editorial offices, and definitely showed his judgement and skill as an editor.
From 171-up, DAREDEVIL became one of Marvel's bestselling titles in 1981-1982, right next to X-MEN in sales, and with some issues surpassing it. And also neck and neck with DD and X-MEN was Byrne's FF run.
I felt bad for Roger McKenzie though, and I actually like, and even prefer the early Miller issues McKenzie scripted, from 158-166. (167 was scripted by David Michelinie)
I like the human interest angle of McKenzie's stories, particularly in issues 163 and 164, and how clean and detailed Miller's art was in these early issues. My impression is that Miller poured his heart and soul into these early bi-monthly issues, spent a lot of time on them, making them the very best they could be, to solidify his reputation as an artist early on.
Don't get me wrong, I love the DD issues Miller scripted too, particularly 168, 169, and 170-172. But I think because Miller was more restrained for time beyond that point, stretched thin working as both writer and artist, on a suddenly now- monthly series, Miller's DAREDEVIL art became less detailed and at times rushed looking, with oddly distorted anatomy on some pages.
.
I can't be sure, but I also see O'Neil, who clearly mentored Miller in this period, as also possibly contributing more to the stories than is credited, possibly co-plotting these issues with Miller. O'Neil and Miller seemed to mesh very well, both in issues 168-191, and later during the Miller/ Mazzucchelli "Born Again" run as well in 226-233.
And after Miller's absence, O'Neil scripted many issues in between Miller's last issue in 191, up till Miller's return on issue 226.
Also of note, the "Child's Play" drug awareness/angel-dust story in DAREDEVIL 183 and 184, was the last collaboration between writer McKenzie with Frank Miller art. It was originally to run in DD 167, but was pulled from publication due to rejection by the Comics Code Authority.
Marvel (and editor O'Neil) struggled to overcome Comics Code objections, and O'Neil toyed with running it in a number of possible formats, as a magazine, as a direct-only title, as a stand-alone one-shot, but finally settled on running it in the regular DAREDEVIL series in issues 183-184, stretching it into a 2 issue story, with new material added.
I'd still like to see the initial full story published somewhere in its original form.
![[Linked Image from i.pinimg.com]](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/bb/b9/72/bbb97247ab8f6dde68928a65301e7c25.jpg)
(Cover to DAREDEVIL CHRONICLES, published by Fantaco in 1982 )https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-158?id=703https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-163?id=709https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-164?id=710https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-168?id=714https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-183?id=730https://readcomiconline.li/Comic/Daredevil-1964/Issue-184?id=731
