Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Don Rico, Jack Binder, Jack Cole, lev gleason
Daredevil’s Batman-Inspired Debut, Silver Streak Comics #6 at Auction
The debut of the Golden Age Daredevil in Silver Streak Comics #6 borrows elements from Batman stories in Detective Comics #38, #33 and #27.
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 Binderwith art by Don Rico. This issue is widely considered one of the most important Golden Age superhero keys outside of the Marvel/DC ecosystem, and as it turns out, this debut story is significantly influenced by Batman.
Daredevil’s Debut vs Detective Comics #38
Daredevil’s origin seemingly borrows several elements from Batman. Most obviously, his parents were murdered by thugs, after which he vows to avenge their deaths by going to war against all criminals, similar to Batman’s origin as depicted in Detective Comics #33 (1939). Of course, this is not an uncommon framework for a fictional hero’s origin. For example, six years prior to that, The Phantom Detective (1933), a pulp magazine title featuring a character of the same name, has a similar origin to Batman, among other similarities. But there are additional reasons to believe that Batman was the more immediate inspiration in this case. Some elements of the plot of this debut Daredevil story have clearly been inspired by the story introducing Robin in Detective Comics #38, which hit newsstands about five months before Silver Streak Comics #6.
In Detective Comics #38, after Robin is introduced and his background established, Batman and Robin take on a gang of criminals led by a man named Zucco. In Silver Streak Comics #6, the gang Daredevil is up against is headed by a man named Ricco, a name obviously inspired by the artist of this story, Don Rico, and likely prompted by its similarity to the gang leader’s name in the Detective Comics story. Both Ricco and Zucco own nightclubs that feature illicit gambling and also serve as a lair of sorts, and these gambling dens are the setting of a key action scene in each story, as our respective heroes burst into the club while mayhem ensues. Both stories’ heroes also leave behind a note as the dust settles on the nightclub battles. Batman’s note comes in a box with a bat inside it as well, while Daredevil’s note is delivered by boomerang. Both notes begin: “Get out of town” and are designed to force each story’s gang into a trap. As the final battle is about to commence, there is a panel of Daredevil on a rooftop, arms folded as he calmly observes the criminals below before diving into battle, which seems to be inspired by the famous Batman rooftop panel from Detective Comics #27. It’s possible that more similarities will be found here. Of course, both the story and some of the artwork of Batman’s debut in Detective Comics #27 was closely inspired by earlier material, including The Shadow.
There are 54 copies of this issue on the CGC Census, which is a surprisingly small number for a Golden Age key that’s been considered important and in demand for decades. For Daredevil’s Batman-inspired debut plus Cole’s Claw cover, there’s a Silver Streak Comics #6 (Lev Gleason, 1940) CGC Apparent FN 6.0, Moderate (A-3) restoration, off-white pages up for auction at the November 5, 2026 Golden Age Century Comics Showcase Auction VI #40378.
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