Currently this page is mainly just a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page
regarding the Golden Age DD. But I'm working on a "bio" for the character
as well as a cover gallery. If you have any questions about the Golden Age
Daredevil, please let me know,
and I'll see what I can find out and post it here.
Was there a "Daredevil" character in the 1940s and 50s?
Yes. Lev Gleason Publications put out a comic entitled "Daredevil Comics"
which ran from July 1941 to September 1956. However, Daredevil's last
regular appearance in the book was Dec 1950 (#69). After that, The
Little Wise Guys took over the book, although Daredevil makes a few guest
appearances in later issues.
Who are the little wise guys?
4 teens/pre-teens named: Curly, Jock, Slugger, and Scarecrow. They
apparently helped the early DD fight crime, and later they took over the
magazine.
Is this the same Daredevil as today?
No. The 2 characters are very different. The current Daredevil showed up
in the April 1964 issue #1 of Daredevil by Marvel Comics. The current
Daredevil is blind and uses a billy club, the Golden Age Daredevil used a
boomerang.
Which one was more popular?
Well, this is like comparing apples and oranges. In the 40s, comics and
magazines were VERY popular -- remember, no television, no nintendo, etc.
Not to mention the fact that the comic market nowdays is saturated by
literally hundreds of different titles. But as far as actual distribution
goes, apparently the old DD had a peak circulation of around 6,000,000
copies/month. I don't know what the Marvel DD's "peak" circulation has
been, but in one of the fairly popular issues I checked, Marvel's
statement of circulation showed around 300,000.
Can you tell me more about the old Daredevil?
Not as much as I'd like. The old Daredevil issues are very expensive and
not easy to find, so I haven't read very much. Here's what little I know:
Daredevil (the old version) first appeared in Silver Streak #6 (Sep 1940)
and continued to appear there until issue #17. His secret identity was
Bart Hill. He had a literally half red and half blue costume (blue and
yellow for just the very first issue in Silver Streak #6). He had a
spiked belt, and he used a boomerang for a weapon. For anyone interested
in seeing the costume, check out Kingdom Come Book 1: "Strange Visitor".
On page 26, the old Charlton comics character Peter Cannon aka
Thunderbolt is drawn in the old Golden Age DD's costume. The Chroma City Web Page
quotes Alex Ross as saying this was done "just because I wanted an excuse
to draw Daredevil's costume."
Credits:
1997 Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (27th edition)
The Daredevil Chronicles (Feb 1982) (FantaCo Enterprises)
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