Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: daredevil, lev gleason, pre-code horror

First Appearance of Daredevil in Silver Streak Comics #6, at Auction

Silver Streak Comics is a rarity among Golden Age titles in that it was launched with a villain as the cover feature.  That villain, The Claw, was both an obvious example of war-era propaganda and based on a blatant racial stereotype.  Publisher Lev Gleason was so intent on focusing on this wartime enemies theme that The Claw was cover-featured for the first two issues of the title, with the character meeting with Adolf Hitler in issue #2 and offering to team up with him to conquer the world and split it between them.  The title's namesake, the dead-then-resurrected superhero flying speedster character Silver Streak, who himself was named after the futuristic race car in which he was killed, didn't show up until issue #3.   But Lev Gleason introduced a hero who would have a big impact on its subsequent history in Silver Streak Comics #6, the first appearance of the Golden Age Daredevil in a story by Jack Binder.  Widely considered one of the most important Golden Age superhero keys outside of the Marvel/DC ecosystem, there's a Silver Streak Comics #6 (Lev Gleason, 1940) CGC GD- 1.8 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions.

The Claw's return in Silver Streak Comics #6 features one of the most infamous covers of the Golden Age, but also included a detailed origin for Daredevil. That origin story is a moment that should feel familiar to most regular comic book readers: "Bart's father was an inventor. Both his parents were ruthlessly murdered by a gang of crooks out to get his father's invention. During the attack, the thugs branded Bart's chest with a hot iron shaped like a boomerang. The torture caused the boy to lose his voice. Because of the brand, he always played with a boomerang. He handled the weapon so well that people believed he controlled it by some magic… Bart Hill was the Daredevil, sworn to avenge the death of his parents by making all criminals pay dearly for their crimes."

This set up the  Daredevil vs The Claw serialized battle that took place in Silver Streak Comics #7-11.  In a historically fascinating move, Lev Gleason repeated his strategy of launching a title by leveraging wartime propaganda using America's enemies by then publishing Daredevil Battles Hitler, which served as the launch of the series Daredevil Comics.  The Claw returned here again and actually agreed to team up with Hitler this time, only to be tricked into betraying his ally by Daredevil.  Established in his own series, Daredevil disappeared from the covers of Silver Streak Comics, and by the time of the debut of The Saint in Silver Streak Comics #18, Daredevil had vanished from the title's story lineup as well.  The series ended three issues later, while Daredevil Comics went on to a very respectable 134-issue run 1941-1956.

As of this writing, there are only 35 unrestored entries on the CGC census for this issue, which is a surprisingly small number for a Golden Age key that's been considered important and in demand for decades.  Furthermore, only a small handful of unrestored CGC-graded copies have traded hands at public sale over the past five years.  But you have a rare shot at this important key with Silver Streak Comics #6 (Lev Gleason, 1940) CGC GD- 1.8 Cream to off-white pages up for auction in the 2022 October 27 – 28 Halloween Pre-Code Horror and Crime Comics Showcase Auction #40207 at Heritage Auctions. If you've never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.

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