How Often Do You See Daredevil #158? 0

[Phicks]

One of my 2023 collecting goals is to complete my run of Frank Miller DD, including 158.   I realized that I don’t recall the last time I saw this book in the wild, in any condition.   By contrast, I see Hulk 181 once or twice each year.   But I have never seen a DD 158.  I just followed an eBay auction where a CGC 8.5 copy sold for $155, so it doesn’t cost a goldmine.   Have I just had uncommon bad luck and the rest of you routinely see this book?  How long ago did you last see one at a store or a convention?

Edited January 5, 2023 by Phicks
Typo

[MattTheDuck]

There are 15 copies in varying grades (raw & slabbed) right now on mycomicshop.com.  I have not seen this book at the estate/garage sales I try to frequent.

[FoggyNelson]

One of the better DD keys👍

[shadroch]

Daredevil was among the lowest selling hero books Marvel was publishing in the 1970s, coming close to being canceled agt leasgt twice. It wouldn't surprise me if under 100,000 copies  were sold and it got hot fairly quickly so I can understand them being hard to find in the wild. On the other hand, they got hot early on so most are well preserved.

[tth2]

On 1/5/2023 at 11:22 AM, Phicks said:

One of my 2023 collecting goals is to complete my run of Frank Miller DD, including 158.   I realized that I don’t recall the last time I saw this book in the wild, in any condition.   By contrast, I see Hulk 181 once or twice each year.   But I have never seen a DD 158.  I just followed an eBay auction where a CGC 8.5 copy sold for $155, so it doesn’t cost a goldmine.   Have I just had uncommon bad luck and the rest of you routinely see this book?  How long ago did you last see one at a store or a convention?

Where are you looking?  It's super common. 

[tth2]

On 1/9/2023 at 3:26 AM, shadroch said:

Daredevil was among the lowest selling hero books Marvel was publishing in the 1970s, coming close to being canceled agt leasgt twice. It wouldn't surprise me if under 100,000 copies  were sold and it got hot fairly quickly so I can understand them being hard to find in the wild. On the other hand, they got hot early on so most are well preserved.

It's super common.  There's no such thing as a rare or scarce Marvel Copper book.

[LowGradeBronze]

There was quite some hype about Miller drawing DD so I'm sure I wasn't alone in in getting the best copy I could find at the time. (And the ones after!) 

[ThothAmon]

[fett]

statement of ownership in 158 states...

each can draw their own conclusion. Looks like alot of copies to me. 

 

[jjonahjameson11]

On 1/8/2023 at 2:26 PM, shadroch said:

Daredevil was among the lowest selling hero books Marvel was publishing in the 1970s, coming close to being canceled agt leasgt twice. It wouldn't surprise me if under 100,000 copies  were sold and it got hot fairly quickly so I can understand them being hard to find in the wild. On the other hand, they got hot early on so most are well preserved.

If a copper age book sold under 200K copies, they would cancel it.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 1/8/2023 at 9:28 PM, tth2 said:

It's super common.  There's no such thing as a rare or scarce Marvel Copper book.

DD 158 is bronze 

[Lazyboy]

On 1/9/2023 at 4:33 PM, jjonahjameson11 said:

If a copper age book sold under 200K copies, they would cancel it.

Oh, no wonder Marvel cancelled a bunch of their big hero titles in the 80s. Thor, Cap, Hulk, DD...

[Lazyboy]

On 1/9/2023 at 4:19 PM, fett said:

statement of ownership in 158 states...

each can draw their own conclusion. Looks like alot of copies to me. 

 

Well, it wasn't selling only hundreds of copies, but anything even near 100k was relatively low.

[tth2]

On 1/10/2023 at 6:39 AM, THE_BEYONDER said:

DD 158 is bronze 

Only know nothing newbies consider 40 cent books to be Bronze! 

[shadroch]

1977 DD Sales averaged 134,000

1978 DD Sales averaged 111,000.  

I doubt 158 sold more than 100,00 books, which makes it less popular than other Marvels of that era.  It certainly was in the lower tier of sales.

[shadroch]

1977 DD Sales averaged 134,000

1978 DD Sales averaged 111,000.  

I doubt 158 sold more than 100,00 books, which makes it less popular than other Marvels of that era.  It certainly was in the lower tier of sales.

[THE_BEYONDER]

On 1/9/2023 at 6:38 PM, tth2 said:

Only know nothing newbies consider 40 cent books to be Bronze! 

[fett]

even a relatively low GUESStimate of 100k is still alot of copies.  Sorry not trying to derail the Hype-Train. 

Edited January 10, 2023 by fett

[Lazyboy]

On 1/10/2023 at 1:48 PM, fett said:

even a relatively low GUESStimate of 100k is still alot of copies.  Sorry not trying to derail the Hype-Train. 

If you want to see a Hype Train, you're in the wrong thread (but I can give you lots of links if you want them ). Don't confuse facts and reasonable theories for hype.

There are lots of copies out there, but relatively few for a Bronze Marvel.

If you want a copy, it's easy enough to get one, one way or another. If you expect to see copies everywhere you see comics, you're .

I've seen copies at shows and shops occasionally, but not often. I don't specifically search for them because I already have a copy in my collection.

The first Miller art in the title is something, but what really redefined and saved the title was his writing that started 10 issues later.

[jdandns]

Since it was bi-monthly, and had been for almost 2 years by the time of #158, doesn't that mean each issue of Daredevil during that span was on the racks twice as long as most other Marvels which were monthly (and hence, replaced on the stands by the next issue more quickly)? 

That might actually equate to a better sell through rate of Daredevil issues that were produced during that nearly 4 year bi-monthly window, but those copies would've probably had more handling wear, especially those that sold closer to the end of the 60 day window.   

I finally got a #158 at a local comic shop in 1990. I haven't looked at it in a long time, but I remember it being gorgeous, so I don't think mine was on the rack too long when it was new. I don't think about it much, though, because as long as I'm an active comic collector, I'd never sell it. That issue begins a run that is probably top 5, all-time.

Edited January 10, 2023 by jdandns