Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications)

This original Daredevil was created by Jack Binder for an eight-page backup feature in Lev Gleason Publications' Silver Streak Comics #6 (Sept. 1940).{{cite web |last1=Markstein |first1=Don |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |access-date=2 April 2020 |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/daredev1.htm |title=Daredevil}} Upon his partial revamping in the issue following his debut, only Hill's identity, spiked belt, and the boomerang remained; the mute angle was dropped without explanation, and his original symmetrically divided bodysuit of pale yellow and dark blue was redesigned to a dark red and blue.{{cite book |last1=Mitchell |first1=Kurt |last2=Thomas |first2=Roy |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: 1940–1944 |date=2019 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=978-1605490892 |pages=50, 103}} The final installment was written by Don Rico, who would write the character through Silver Streak #17 (Dec. 1941).

Image:Daredevil Battles Hitler cover - number 1.jpg and Bob Wood.]]

By this time, publisher Lev Gleason had already launched Daredevil's own comic with Daredevil Battles Hitler #1 (July 1941), in which Daredevil and other Silver Streak heroes fought the German chancellor.{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=Paul |title=Encyclopedia of Weird War Stories: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Film, Television, Games and Other Media |date=2017 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=978-1476666723 |pages=48–49}} As with Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941), in which Hitler also gets an ignominious sock in the jaw, the comic anticipated U.S. involvement in World War II. It was written and partially drawn by Charles Biro, who continued on the book when its title changed to Daredevil Comics with issue #2, and who in his 16-year run would make the character one of the most acclaimed of the Golden Age.{{cite book |last1=Mougin |first1=Lou |title=Secondary Superheroes of Golden Age Comics |date=2020 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=9781476638607|page=196}} Biro rewrote Daredevil's origin in issue #18 (August 1943), now depicting Daredevil's real identity, Bart Hill, as having been raised by aborigines in the Australian Outback.

According to Jess Nevins' Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes, "his arch-enemy is the Claw, but there are Nazis to be fought, mad scientists, the Deadly Dozen, Wolf Carson (a wolf with a human brain), the Ghoul, Reve Venge (the Phantom of Notre Dame), and Crepto, the imbecile with the strength of fifteen men".{{cite book |last1=Nevins |first1=Jess |title=Encyclopedia of Golden Age Superheroes |date=2013 |publisher=High Rock Press |isbn=978-1-61318-023-5 |pages=71–72}}

Biro introduced popular supporting characters the Little Wise Guys in Daredevil #13 (Oct. 1942). A "kid gang" similar to DC Comics' Newsboy Legion and many others, the group consisted of Curly, Jocko, Peewee, Scarecrow, and Meatball – the last of whom, with remarkable daring, was killed two issues later. By the late 1940s, with superheroes going out of fashion, the Little Wise Guys took center stage, edging out Daredevil altogether with issue #70 (Jan. 1950).{{cite book |last1=Schelly |first1=William |title=American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1950s |date=2013 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=9781605490540 |page=15}} The series lasted through #134 (Sept. 1956).

Daredevil is one of several public domain Golden Age characters to appear in Image Comics' Next Issue Project, spearheaded by Image's Erik Larsen, returning to Silver Streak, the book which introduced him to the public.

Daredevil also appeared in issue #141 of Larsen's Savage Dragon comic series. That issue served to resurrect a slew of public domain Golden Age characters. Savage Dragon #148 debuted The Dynamic Daredevil as a regular supporting cast member in the series. That issue also brought back the Little Wise Guys. Daredevil becomes deeply involved in the problems of Dragon's ravaged Chicago; he becomes severely injured battling a murderous version of Dragon.Savage Dragon #162 (July 2010) In 2021, the Dynamic Daredevil appeared as supporting character in a new Ant comic series, which was published in June, written and drawn by Larsen.{{cite web|url=http://www.multiversitycomics.com/news/image-comics-ant-finale/|title=Image Comics Announces the Return of Ant|website=Multiversity Comics|first=Luke|last=Cornelius|date=March 8, 2021|access-date=March 8, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/the-ant-12-image-comics-erik-larsen/|title=The Ant returned with #12 and a new start at Image Comics|website=Comics Beat|first=Dean|last=Simons|date=March 9, 2021|access-date=March 9, 2021}}

Daredevil is now in the public domain, and as a result many publishers have used him to varying degrees, most opting to make name changes in an effort to have something to own and to get around Marvel's Daredevil trademark.

In the late 1980s, AC Comics revived Daredevil as part of that publisher's superhero universe. Renamed Reddevil,As spelled on the AC Comics site; it sometimes erroneously appears as "RedDevil".{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=13850|title=Reddevil}} he appeared as a guest character in Femforce #45 and #50{{Cite web | url=http://www.joeacevedo.com/docs/femforcezone/femforceindex/acindexff45.htm#ff45-2 | title=Femforce #45 | access-date=2008-03-06 | work=Femforce Index}}{{Cite web | url=http://www.joeacevedo.com/docs/femforcezone/femforceindex/acindexff50.htm#top | title=Femforce #50 | access-date=2008-03-06 | work=Femforce Index}} before starring in the one-shot title Reddevil #1 (1991).{{Cite web |url=http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/bobro/105942842217040.htm |title=The Greatest Name in Comics |access-date=2008-03-06 |first=Bob |last=Rozakis |date=July 28, 2003 |work=Silver Bullet Comics |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071226103941/http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/bobro/105942842217040.htm |archive-date=December 26, 2007 |df=mdy}}

Daredevil was one of the many Golden Age heroes who showed up in Roy Thomas' Alter Ego mini-series. He is renamed as Doubledare.

A variation on Daredevil appeared in the comic-book series Project Superpowers, by writer Jim Krueger and artist Alex Ross.{{Cite web | url=http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121397 | title=Ross and Krueger on Superpowers | access-date=2008-03-06 | last=Brady | first=Matt | date=July 18, 2007 | work=Newsarama | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071009204415/http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=121397 | archive-date=October 9, 2007 | df=mdy-all}} In this series, he is billed and trademarked as The Death-Defying 'Devil.{{comicbookdb|type=character|id=18608|title=Death-Defying 'Devil}} In 2008, Dynamite Entertainment spun off a solo miniseries for the character, written by Joe Casey with art by Edgar Salazar.{{Cite web | url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18186 | title=Dynamite Announce's 'Death Defying 'Devil' Series (press release) | work=Comic Book Resources | date=September 24, 2008}} In this series, someone from 'Devil's past – wearing a green version of 'Devil's costume and calling himself "Dragon" – believes that the returned hero is an impostor, and is determined to expose him. The Dragon turns out to be Curly, who reveals that the actual 'Devil died in 1987.Death-Defying 'Devil #4 Within the main series itself, the 'Devil is eventually revealed to be Bart Hill's costume, which had in fact always been sentient and was placed in the urn along with a single boomerang as part of a pact between Hill and the Fighting Yank. The costume does not explicitly reveal its nature to its allies, but eventually discards its pretense of being human by handing the Black Terror the dentures it had been using to create the illusion of a mouth. It possesses additional powers, such as the ability to grow new spike-like branches and the knowledge of an ancient language needed to banish the Claw, and is implied to have its own, sinister agenda.

Daredevil also appears in Legends of the Golden Age ({{ISBN|0982087292}}), an anthology featuring prose tales of Daredevil and the Black Terror. Barry Reese contributed one of the stories in this anthology, which was released in January 2009 by Wild Cat Books.

The Daredevil appeared in:

• Silver Streak Comics #6–17 (Sept 1940 – Dec 1941)
• Daredevil Comics #1–69, 79, 80 (July 1941 – Nov 1950)

The costume worn by the Charlton Comics character Peter Cannon, Thunderbolt was inspired by Daredevil's, according to creator Pete Morisi.{{Cite journal | title=Peter Morisi interview | journal=Comic Book Artist | issue=12 | date=March 2001 | pages=84–85}} The initial similarities were taken even further when artist Alex Ross gave Thunderbolt a redesigned costume that more closely resembled Daredevil's in DC Comics' Kingdom Come series.

Roy Thomas based the costume of the Marvel Comics character 3-D Man on Daredevil, only colored red and green instead of red and blue, and with a chest symbol.{{cite web | url=https://hero-envy.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-roy-thomas-marvel-comics-characters_1.html | title="Hero Envy" the Blog Adventures: THE ROY THOMAS MARVEL COMICS CHARACTERS, CONCEPTS AND CREATIONS PART 1 | date=January 2020 }} In further homage to the Golden Age Daredevil, Marvel's own Daredevil would wear a similar costume in the alternate-reality Mutant X series in Mutant X Annual 2001. In addition, the 2000 Marvels Comics: Daredevil special had a group based on the Little Wise Guys.

Bart Hill appears alongside other Golden Age superheroes in the independent film Avenging Force: The Scarab, where he's renamed as Doubledare possibly in order to avoid trademark issues with Marvel's Daredevil.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1619016/fullcredits?ref_=tt_cl_sm#cast|title=Avenging Force: The Scarab|website=IMDb |access-date=2020-04-20}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.toonopedia.com/daredev1.htm Daredevil] at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
• [http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/d/daredevl.htm Daredevil] at International Catalogue of Superheroes
• [http://www.cgccomics.com/news/enews/cgc_enews_0505may.htm#a1 CGComics vol. 4, #5 (May 2005): "The Original Daredevil Comics", by Michelle Nolan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061013020917/http://www.cgccomics.com/news/enews/cgc_enews_0505may.htm#a1 |date=October 13, 2006 }}
• Cronin, Brian. [http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/10/11/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-124/ Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed #124] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013235742/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2007/10/11/comic-book-urban-legends-revealed-124/ |date=October 13, 2007 }}. Comic Book Resources. October 11, 2007.
• [http://goldenagecomics.co.uk/index.php?cid=110 Daredevil] at Golden Age Comics UK (non-commercial downloads, public domain issues)
• [http://accomics.com/ AC Comics]
• [http://www.metahumanpress.com/ Metahuman Press]
• [http://www.comics.org/ The Grand Comics Database]
• [http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?cid=110 Daredevil Comics] the complete series available for free download at [http://digitalcomicmuseum.com The Digital Comic Museum]

{{GoldenAge}}

{{Image Comics}}

Category:Australian superheroes

Category:Dynamite Entertainment characters

Category:Golden Age comics titles

Category:Golden Age superheroes

Category:Image Comics male superheroes

Category:Image Comics characters who can move at superhuman speeds

Category:Image Comics characters with superhuman strength

Category:Image Comics superheroes

Category:Savage Dragon characters

Category:Characters created by Jack Binder

Category:Characters created by Jack Cole

Category:Public domain comics

Category:Comics characters introduced in 1940

Category:1941 comics debuts

Category:Fictional Australian people

Category:Fictional mute characters