When the name "Daredevil" sounds in my head, these are the issues that came to mind. These are the panels, the colors, the characters, the sequences, the action, the plot. Everything depicted in these 15 issues is pure "Daredevil" gold, which comes as no surprise, since these are the issues in which Miller completely took over the series with both, his writing, and his pencils, with the aid of long-time inker, Klaus Janson, these two ruled over Marvel Comics at the arrival of the 1980s Bronze Age of comic books, and this arc is easily one of the best examples of how evolved a character can be when the proper writer takes over. No disrespect over Roger McKenzie, who was doing a fairly decent job with the previous book at working in the transition to a more grounded and serious take on the character (Issue #164 still ranks amongst the best in the entire franchise), but Miller's vision is the one that stood out like a water pond in the desert. To summarize what were Miller's main narrative and lore contributions the moment he started writing the series, we have: The introduction (and death) of Elektra, the elaboration of the character of Bullseye- and his psychosis' origins-, the introduction of the "Kingpin" to become Daredevil's main antagonist, the introduction of both, "Stick" and "The Hand", and the very first appearance of "Punisher" in the series, which will represent the conclusion of this book, and the upcoming third entry in the 'Visionaries' collection, meaning the final part of Frank Miller's consecutive run in the series, prior to his other titles like "Born Again", and "The Man Without Fear".
When people refer to Frank Miller's most iconic works, such as his 'DC' titles like "Year One", or his magnum opus, "The Dark Knight Returns", sometimes they seem to forget that all his qualities, not only as a prominent writer, but as an artist also, came all the way back when he started out in Marvel, and while his mini-series of "Wolverine" alongside writer Chris Claremont can also be attributed as one of his biggest successes, "Daredevil" is the very first series in which he was given the chance to demonstrate his talent behind the typing machine, and to say that he excels from the get-go might be an understatement of his narrative abilities.
Right from the start with issue #168, the character of "Elektra" signified a definitive re-take on the super heroin depiction, becoming one of the earliest "femme fatales" to be fully fleshed out from her very initial appearance. While characters such as "Black Widow", or "Mystique" were already present in their respective series, before Elektra, these sorts of characters never really delivered enough complexity or moral ambiguity as to establish them as solid figures that can easily be compared in levels of depth and narrative value with their respective male counterparts. Bullseye, prior to this arc, was simply a mad man with the ability to kill everyone with, literally, every single object at his reach. But now, he's a mentally unstable individual with an interesting motivation towards killing Daredevil, mostly due to the time he saved him from death in one of their final confrontations. It went from being an average villain, to a tormented man with a twisted and demented fixation for our hero. Stick and The Hand are also two of the most wonderful additions not only for the Daredevil series, but for the Marvel Universe as well, being the Hand ultimately used as enemies of other heroes, such as Wolverine, even Punisher, Miller wisely enough linked Stick to be Matt's very first mentor, and The Hand as to be an organization that, also, connects with Elektra, who happens to also have an importance for Matt in his youth. Kingpin is, easily, the best villain in a "street-level" Marvel character series. While in the "Spider-Man" comics Kingpin was more like a regular crime boss who was mostly depicted as the "villain of the week" from time to time, here, Miller saw the possibilities, and crafted a calculating, methodical, and humane-but-ruthless foe for our blind-hero. He does treat him like a crime lord, instead of a regular bad guy, and immediately fitted in this dirty, gritty, and violent urban sub-world of the decadent New York, ruled by crime. The book ends with one of the best arc-conclusion I've read, with all the dots being connected in such fashion, you can really tell how much inspiration Miller felt at constructing each one of the 15 issues; Elektra conflicted by his former relationship with Daredevil/Matt, Kingpin acquiring her services as his lead assassin, a jealous Bullseye looking to take revenge on both, Kingpin and Daredevil by attacking Elektra, the clash against the Hand- also manipulated by the Kingpin-, a fugitive Punisher who is going to be, inevitably, crossing Matt's path, Foggy in danger of being assassinated, and Matt's identity in risk of being uncovered by one of his deadliest foes... the final three issues are the perfect climax for an impeccably written arc, and sure, the art, once again, is astonishing and a perfect encapsulation of the series evolution to a darker, much adult tone ever seeing in a Marvel Comic. Miller and Janson are truly one of the most influential combos in the industry, and this collaboration was the decisive stylization in the character's series that'll end up being mimicked and recreated furthermore. In all honesty, is no wonder why everyone keeps praising Miller's run to date; most writers who took over, while adding their respective contributions and qualities, were mostly interested in recapturing the magic of a writer that reshaped and redefined a character's legacy like no other every accomplished. Daredevil is the mythical, iconic, and legendary figure of despair, conflict, and heroism that we all know and admire thanks to these issues, and the next book will only continue it's progression to obscure, more devastating grounds. Miller had just started.