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Daredevil (1964 series) #181

on-sale: Dec 29, 1981
Frank Miller

Daredevil (1964 series) #181 cover

Story Name:

Last Hand


Synopsis

Daredevil (1964 series) #181 synopsis by Anthony Silvestro
Rating: 5 stars

This landmark issue opens with Bullseye fantasizing about just how he’s going to kill Daredevil when he gets out of prison. As he works out in his gym, Bullseye is approached by a TV host who wants to interview him on his show, when Bullseye suffers a severe headache, a leftover effect from his brain surgery. Bullseye gets secured and given a pill for the pain, imagining Daredevil working out in his own gym, hating him for the freedom he has. During the single afternoon a week Bullseye is allowed in the yard, another inmate approaches him. Turk tries to warn the guy, before realizing it’s the Punisher and hauling off. The Punisher tells Bullseye not to expect to be freed anytime soon, as the Kingpin has a new assassin working for him. Punisher admits he’s hoping Bullseye will do something dumb and get himself killed.

Bullseye ultimately agrees to appear on the talk show, but before it can really start, he fakes another headache. He spits the pill in the guard’s face and positions himself so that the guard’s errant shot breaks his chains. Bullseye takes the TV host hostage and blasts his way into the yard, where more guards arrive in a helicopter to apprehend him. Bullseye obviously uses his unique skills to take control of the helicopter and ride to freedom, while he correctly predicts that Daredevil will hear of his escape and head out looking for him. First off though, Bullseye wants to take care of the assassin who took his place and goes to Eric Slaughter for information. He takes out Slaughter’s men and Slaughter informs Bullseye about Elektra and how she’s been assigned to kill Foggy Nelson. Bullseye does some digging on Foggy then and notices how his law partner Matt Murdock looks an awful lot like Daredevil! While he doesn’t know for sure, Bullseye finds the fact that Daredevil could potentially be a blind superhero to be the funniest thing!

The next day, Bullseye covertly attends a trial that Matt and Foggy are participating in. Matt wins the case, and Bullseye passes by Foggy, subtly placing a tracker on him as he does. Bullseye steals a cab to follow Foggy and soon discovers from the bug that Elektra is driving the cab Foggy got into. Elektra drives into a secluded parking garage in order to kill Foggy. However, when Foggy recognizes her as Matt’s old girlfriend, she finds herself unable to kill him and tells him to get out of there. Bullseye sneaks up on Elektra and the two engage in an epic, no-holds-barred fight! Bullseye quickly learns not to underestimate her, as the two go blow for blow. Eventually, Bullseye gets the upper hand, cutting Elektra’s neck with a playing card. He then grabs one of Elektra’s discarded sai and stabs her straight through the chest! He follows her as she stumbles through the streets, eventually collapsing on Matt’s doorstep. Elektra dies in Matt’s arms as Bullseye watches amidst a crowd of shocked onlookers.

Later at the morgue, Matt and Foggy identify Elektra’s body, and Bullseye continues to watch them, disguised as a doctor. Bullseye notices that Matt seems to recognize his voice and decides to test his little theory. He subtly throws a scalpel at Matt which Matt just as subtly blocks with his cane. Seeing all he needed to see, Bullseye heads to tell the Kingpin that Matt Murdock is Daredevil! Kingpin doesn’t believe him and tells Bullseye that he must bring him Daredevil’s body if he wants his old job back. Planning to do that anyway, Bullseye sneaks into Matt’s apartment where he finds Matt going over something for a case. Just then, Daredevil intercepts him, making Bullseye think he was wrong about Matt being Daredevil. However, we see that Matt set up a dummy of himself in order to throw Bullseye’s suspicions off.

Daredevil chases Bullseye outside where Bullseye grabs Elektra’s sai that he had waiting there, hoping to have killed Matt with his lady’s weapons. He takes what he can get, as far as he knows, and the two engage in their most brutal fight yet! They crash through a skylight, out another window, and eventually end up on top of the El train. They tumble off, both catching themselves on a wire, as both climb to their feet, balancing on the wire. Daredevil just does a little hop which causes Bullseye to lose his balance and catches him before he falls too far. Bullseye is insulted at being saved again and goes to stab Daredevil, prompting him to drop Bullseye several stories to the ground below. Now in traction, unable to move or even speak, Bullseye does the only thing he can do now: think, and hate. He thinks about Kingpin burning his file and feels content at having at least caused Matt pain by killing Elektra, as Matt stands in the snow at Elektra’s grave. Bullseye promises that however long it takes, he’ll pay Daredevil back for this. Just wait…


Characters
Good (or All)
DAREDEVIL
ELEKTRA
FOGGYNELSON
PUNISHER

Enemies
BULLSEYE
KINGPIN
TURKB
Plus: Eric Slaughter.

> Daredevil (1964 series) comic book info and issue index



Excelsioring your collection:
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Holy smokes, Batman!
(The Boy Wonder)

Main/1st Story Full Credits

Frank Miller
Klaus Janson
Klaus Janson
Frank Miller (Cover Penciler)
Klaus Janson (Cover Inker)
Unknown (Cover Colorist)
Additional Credits
Letterer: Joe Rosen.



Review / Commentaries


Daredevil (1964 series) #181 Review by (April 23, 2025)

Review: This is possibly the single most famous issue of Daredevil of all time! It’s also easily one of the best! Told from Bullseye’s perspective, for an interesting change of pace, there are so many famous moments throughout this issue. Chief among these moments is obviously the famous fight between Elektra and Bullseye that ends with Bullseye killing Elektra with her own sai! The panel where he stabs her is particularly well-known. It’s so iconic, it was recreated word for word in the Ben Affleck movie! Props for that, whatever one’s general thoughts on the movie may be. Although it’s common knowledge that Elektra comes back, Miller’s art and presentation of her death still makes it hit very hard! The scene in which she dies in Matt’s arms is somber and heartbreaking, and almost completely wordless, one of Miller’s recent favorite tricks that I’ll discuss later. Miller sure knows how to give his scenes impact.

Bullseye’s prison break early in the issue is also very epic, filled with awesome moments. And of course, he and Daredevil have possibly their best fight ever, certainly the most personal and brutal. The action is seriously at its peak! The ending of the fight is particularly memorable (I’ve always thought Daredevil’s little hop when they’re both standing on the wire was genius in its simplicity), with Daredevil dropping Bullseye several stories and putting him in traction. There’s no way he knew Bullseye would survive that but Matt obviously doesn’t care at this point. As I mentioned earlier, Miller has liked eschewing narration or dialogue lately during big action scenes, and the two big fight scenes this issue are both (almost) completely wordless, giving them that much more impact. The art speaks for itself. In fact, everything about this issue is phenomenal. Practically every scene in this issue is memorable and perfectly paced, with some of my favorite Frank Miller art ever. Plus, Bullseye legitimately figures out Matt is Daredevil (even if Matt convinces him otherwise by the end)! Overall, one of the best Daredevil issues ever, as well as another one of my all-time favorite individual issues! An instant classic!

Comments: Death of Elektra. Guest appearance by the Punisher. The objects Bullseye uses as weapons this issue include: a gun (shooting and throwing), a pill, a microphone, nunchucks, a knife, playing cards, a scalpel, a picture frame, and most famously, Elektra’s sai.





Thor

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