The iconic Frank Miller run on Daredevil in the early 1980s remains both the most important in the title character's history and one of the most acclaimed works in the writer/artist's bibliography.
After working as the series' penciler since issue #158, Miller was promoted and became the book's writer as well ten issues in. His tenure as Daredevil's writer lasted 30 issues in total (23 initial issues and a 7-issue follow-up arc 3 years afterward). Let's look at the very best issues throughout Miller's spectacular run.
10 Daredevil #168: "Elektra"
Daredevil #Issue 168 is where Miller took over writing for the series, so it's safe to say this is where his run began in earnest. Right from the start, Miller declared his intentions to remake Daredevil into something new by simultaneously introducing a new antagonist (the assassin Elektra Natchios) and a new wrinkle to Matt Murdock's backstory (that he and Elektra had been in love during college).
After an opening set in the present where Matt encounters Elektra for the first time in years while they're both pursuing the same quarry, the issue transitions to an extended flashback detailing their relationship.
9 Daredevil #175: "Gantlet"
Though Elektra declares herself and Daredevil to be enemies outright in Issue #175, this is story is the closest they work together throughout Miller's run. After losing his radar sense in an attack by The Hand in the previous issue, Matt forces himself to fight against the Ninja cult's agents upon discovering Elektra is their next target.
At the same time, Matt's absence from the trial of Melvin Potter forces his partner Foggy Nelson to defend the lawyer duo's client himself. The issue is bolstered by some of the most striking action of Miller's run, particularly Elektra's duel to the death with the Hand's premier assassin Kirigi.
8 Daredevil #177: "Where Angels Fear To Tread"
With his radar sense still gone, Matt seeks out his old teacher Stick in hopes the latter can help him regain the sense; Issue #177 chronicles Matt's training with his enigmatic blind sensei. The issue takes an uncommonly surreal turn, as over the course of his training, Matt experiences black-and-white tinged hallucinations of his early life, culminating in his father's final boxing match, where Matt is forced to fight his father as an embodiment of his inner demons.
Story threads that take prominence over the next few issues, from Ben Urich's attempts to expose the Kingpin's backing of a NYC mayoral candidate to the Kingpin deciding to hire Elektra as his personal assassin, are first sown here as well.
7 Daredevil #179: "Spiked"
Issue #179 primarily follows Daily Bugle reporter Ben Urich who, while investigating the Kingpin's activities, finds his life under threat from Fisk's underlings, among them Elektra. The opening scene features Elektra discretely murdering Urich's contact in a theater before threatening the reporter himself.
The issue concludes with the clash between Daredevil, who's defending Urich, and Elektra, who's trying to kill the reporter. Miller's run on the series had been building up to a proper showdown between them, and though Elektra triumphs, she ultimately can't bring herself to kill the man she once loved.
6 Daredevil #181: "Last Hand"
Arguably the most famous individual issue of Daredevil penned by Miller; as the cover indicates, the story features the clash between Elektra and Bullseye, with consequences both tragic and fatal. The issue is told from Bullseye's POV (leading to an amusing bit where he ponders Matt Murdock and Daredevil being the same person before deciding against it) and begins with him incarcerated on Ryker's Island.
From there, the issue follows his quest to regain his role as the Kingpin's chief assassin by eliminating his replacement, Elektra. The fight itself, presented mostly without dialogue or narration, is unflinchingly brutal, as is the mortally wounded Elektra crawling to Matt's apartment to die in his arms. The ending is the most shocking moment of all; enraged at Elektra's death, Daredevil eschews his code against killing and lets Bullseye fall to his seeming death.
5 Daredevil #182: "She's Alive"
Issue #182 is essentially an extended epilogue for the previous issue, centering on Elektra's death and giving Matt the chance to mourn that he didn't have in the packed previous issue. Matt is firmly in the "denial" stage of grieving throughout the issue, convinced that Elektra is somehow still alive and tearing through NYC as Daredevil in an attempt to learn the "truth."
The issue's ending is a tearjerker; Matt unearths Elektra's grave to discover she is indeed dead before departing in Foggy's arms. A subplot of Frank Castle being surreptitiously freed from prison by a Justice Department agent in order to break up a drug ring also sets up a clash between Daredevil and Punisher in the next issue.
4 Daredevil #190: "Resurrection"
Beginning with Issue #187, the Ninja and mystical elements Miller introduced into the series took center-stage. Stick was to be a member of the Chaste, the enemies of the Hand locked in an eternal war with their adversaries, while Daredevil was recruited into the Chaste's fold.
This issue concludes the Hand story while delving further into Elektra's backstory, revealing she had been trained by the Chaste but exiled due to her inability to control her rage, pushing her into the arms of The Hand. The Hand attempt to resurrect Elektra, but Matt's love ensures she is purged of evil in the process, though tragically, he doesn't learn that his love has returned to life.
3 Daredevil #191: "Roulette"
The final issue of Miller's original Daredevil run is a standalone story, but it concludes Daredevil's rivalry with Bullseye after the previous issue wrapped up Elektra's story. Matt, seemingly broken by the past few months of his life, plays Russian Roulette with the paralyzed Bullseye, telling the story of how the revolver ended up in his hands.
In the process, Miller examines the impact of Daredevil's escapades on the citizens of Hell's Kitchen, foreshadowing similar examination of the superhero genre Miller would later pen in The Dark Knight Returns.
2 Daredevil #231: "Saved"
Part 5 of Miller's Daredevil epic "Born Again," issue #231 features Matt, having been nursed back to both physical and mental health by nun Sister Maggie (all but stated to be his birth mother), saving his now-estranged partner Foggy Nelson from assassination and tearfully reuniting with Karen Page.
Notably, as the cover shows, the physical antagonist of the issue is a hitman dressed in a Daredevil costume by the Kingpin, cleverly taking the inner turmoil Matt undergoes over the story to literal levels.
1 Daredevil #233: "Armageddon"
The conclusion to "Born Again," remains the strongest chapter of the storyline. After the Kingpin hires super-soldier Frank Simpson, aka "Nuke" to kill Daredevil, Nuke launches a full-scale assault on Hell's Kitchen, prompting Matt to finally suit up as Daredevil again and eventually, the Avengers intervene.
From there, Daredevil teams-up with Captain America to investigate Nuke's origin, with Miller writing a line that explains Cap's ethos with unmatched succinctness ("I'm loyal to nothing, General, except the dream) while also closing this battle between Daredevil and the Kingpin on a fitting note.