If you’re digging through long boxes or scrolling through digital archives for Daredevil #107, you aren't just looking at another Bronze Age relic. You're looking at the beginning of the end. Honestly, it’s a weird one. By the time Daredevil and Black Widow 107 hit the stands in January 1974 (though cover-dated November 1973), the "dynamic duo" vibe Marvel had been pushing for two years was starting to fray at the edges. It’s gritty. It’s a bit chaotic. It features a villain named Beetle who, let's be real, isn't exactly Thanos, but the stakes feel heavy because the relationship between Matt Murdock and Natasha Romanoff is basically a glass house waiting for a stone.
Most people remember the San Francisco era of Daredevil as this bright, experimental phase. But issue 107, titled "Blind Man's Bluff," is where the cracks become impossible to ignore. Written by Steve Gerber with art by Bob Brown and Sal Buscema, this issue isn't just about a guy in a purple suit with mechanical wings. It’s about the suffocating reality of two people who love each other but are fundamentally incompatible as partners—both in crime-fighting and in the quiet moments.
The Beetle, The Breakdown, and the San Francisco Shift
Why does Daredevil and Black Widow 107 matter so much in the grand scheme of Marvel history? Context is everything here. You have to remember that Natasha Romanoff was the first character to actually get her name shared on the masthead of the book. For a while, the series was officially Daredevil and the Black Widow. That was a huge deal in the early 70s. It wasn't "Daredevil guest-starring Black Widow." It was a partnership.
In issue 107, we find them in San Francisco. Matt had moved out there to be with Natasha, which was a massive status quo shift from his usual Hell’s Kitchen haunts. But by this point, Matt is restless. He’s a New York creature. The Beetle (Abner Jenkins) shows up, and the fight choreography in these pages is actually pretty stellar for the era. Gerber writes a scene where Daredevil is trying to track the Beetle using his radar sense, but the foggy, high-altitude environment of the Bay Area messes with him. It highlights his vulnerability in a way that feels grounded.
The fight isn't the real story, though. It’s the bickering.
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Natasha is portrayed here as incredibly competent—often more so than Matt. She’s the one who stays cool while Matt’s senses are overwhelmed. This created a weird tension for 1970s readers. You had the titular hero being saved or balanced out by his female partner, and Gerber leaned into that friction. If you read the dialogue closely, you can feel the resentment bubbling up. Matt doesn't like being managed. Natasha doesn't like being sidelined or "protected" when she's a literal super-spy.
Steve Gerber’s Subversive Writing in Issue 107
Steve Gerber wasn't your average comic writer. He’s the guy who gave us Howard the Duck. He liked weirdness. He liked psychological weight. In Daredevil and Black Widow 107, he pushes Matt Murdock into a corner of self-doubt.
There’s a specific beat where Matt reflects on his life as a lawyer versus his life as a vigilante in a city that doesn't feel like home. It’s moody. The art by Bob Brown captures this—lots of shadows, lots of narrowed eyes. The Beetle is almost a distraction from the internal monologue. Abner Jenkins wants to steal some tech (typical), but Matt is trying to steal back his own sense of identity.
One thing that often gets overlooked in this specific issue is the portrayal of Natasha’s independence. In many other books of this era, the "girlfriend" character was there to be rescued. In Daredevil and Black Widow 107, she’s the tactical lead. She’s the one thinking three steps ahead of the Beetle’s flight patterns. This issue serves as a blueprint for why Natasha eventually had to leave the book. She was too big for Matt’s shadow. She wasn't built to be a sidekick, and issue 107 makes that painfully obvious to the reader, even if the characters haven't quite admitted it yet.
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Key Details You Might Have Missed
- The Radar Sense Glitch: This issue features one of the more creative uses of Matt’s sensory limitations, using the geography of San Francisco against him.
- The Beetle’s Evolution: This is Abner Jenkins before he became "MACH-1" and a hero with the Thunderbolts. Here, he’s still a classic, slightly goofy mercenary, but Gerber gives him a mean streak that works.
- The Fog: It’s used as a metaphor throughout the issue. The physical fog of the city mirrors the "fog" in Matt and Natasha's relationship.
Why Collectors Focus on This Run
If you’re a collector, you know that the "Double Feature" era of Daredevil is a specific niche. Values for issue 107 fluctuate, but it’s generally affordable because it’s not a major first appearance. However, its value lies in the "run." Collectors want the complete Gerber/Brown era because it’s one of the most tonally consistent periods of 70s Marvel.
It’s also a bridge. Shortly after this, the book moves back toward the solo "Man Without Fear" vibe. Issue 107 is part of that final push to see if the duo could actually work. Spoiler: It couldn't. But the attempt gave us some of the most emotionally complex superhero stories of the decade.
The art deserves a shout-out too. Bob Brown doesn't get the same legendary status as Gil Kane or Gene Colan, but his work on 107 is sturdy. He handles the "action-silence-action" rhythm well. There’s a page where Daredevil is swinging through the docks that just feels heavy. You can feel the gravity. It’s not the bright, floaty stuff you see in Spider-Man from the same year. It’s athletic and straining.
The Philosophical Conflict: Love vs. Duty
The real "villain" in Daredevil and Black Widow 107 isn't the guy in the beetle suit. It’s the fundamental difference in how Matt and Natasha view justice. Matt is a lawyer. He believes in the system, even when he’s breaking the law to fix it. Natasha is an ex-KGB operative. She believes in results.
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In this issue, you see the friction in how they approach the Beetle. Matt wants to apprehend; Natasha wants to neutralize. This ideological gap is what eventually sends Matt back to New York and Natasha back to the Avengers (and eventually her own path). If you’re looking for the moment their "marriage" started to dissolve, this is a prime candidate. It’s not a blow-up fight. It’s a series of small, sharp disagreements that wear down the foundation.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to dive into this specific era or hunt down this issue, keep a few things in mind to get the most out of the experience.
- Check the Back-Ups: Many 70s Daredevil issues have interesting letter columns that give a glimpse into how fans felt about the Black Widow partnership at the time. It was divisive!
- Don't Overpay for Grade: Unless you're looking for a CGC 9.8, you can find mid-grade copies of issue 107 for relatively cheap. It's a "reader" issue—the value is in the story and the historical context.
- Read the Surrounding Issues: To really get why 107 feels so tense, you need to read 105 and 106. The "Moondragon" arc leading into this provides the emotional baggage Matt is carrying when the Beetle shows up.
- Look for the "UK Price Variant": If you find a copy with a "6p" cover price instead of "20 cents," hold onto it. Those are rarer and highly sought after by completionists.
The legacy of Daredevil and Black Widow 107 is one of transition. It marks the point where Marvel realized that Black Widow was too strong of a character to remain a co-star in someone else's book. It’s a testament to the character's depth that even in a standard "villain of the month" story, her presence changes the entire dynamic of the narrative. For Matt, it was a lesson that he couldn't run away from his problems by moving to California. The darkness follows him, regardless of the zip code.
To really understand why Daredevil returned to the grimy streets of New York to eventually meet Frank Miller’s influence, you have to understand his failure to make a "normal" life work in San Francisco with Natasha. This issue is a vital piece of that puzzle. It's messy, it's foggy, and it's perfectly human.