One of my favorite Marvel characters is Daredevil, and a period I really appreciate is when Roger McKenzie wrote the stories, Frank Miller did the pencils, and Klaus Janson handled the inks—between 1979 and 1980. In fact, Roger McKenzie was the writer who truly steered Daredevil on a course toward darker stories, set in the underworld of a gritty and violent New York City.
McKenzie started his run on Daredevil working with artists Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino, Frank Robbins and Gene Colan, with Klaus Janson on inks. Starting with Daredevil #158 McKenzie joined forces with newcomer penciller Frank Miller on a project that was instrumental in changing the character’s tone, shifting him from a cheerful, swashingbuckler Spider-Man-style adventurer—the tone of the first fifteen years of the series—to the brooding, noir-style vigilante that Daredevil has been ever since.
While writing Daredevil, McKenzie crafted well-structured stories with significant developments in the character’s history. It was he, along with Gene Colan, who created reporter Ben Urich, a seminal character in the hero’s mythology. It was also under McKenzie that Bullseye’s status began to rise, evolving from just another costumed villain to Daredevil’s arch-enemy. Frank Miller and Klaus Janson enhanced the scripts and took the first steps in the artistic partnership that would make Daredevil one of Marvel’s best-sellers in the 1980s, and a few years later, lead to their masterpiece The Dark Knight Returns.
Yes, the Daredevil’s stories got even better when Miller took over the writing in issue #168—they became more elaborate and original—but, in my opinion, they were already good before that under McKenzie’s guidance. There was a very Batman-esque atmosphere, with the right tone and voice for the dark approach McKenzie was aiming for.
And finally, I still think Daredevil #164 (Exposé) is the best Daredevil origin story ever told!
Note: The images illustrating this article are from the “Marked for Death” collected edition, which contains Daredevil issues #159 through #164, cover by John Romita Jr. and Al Williamson!
