Daredevil #1 – Key Highlights
-
Publisher: Marvel Comics
-
Publication Date: April 1964
-
Frequency: Bimonthly
-
Editor: Stan Lee
-
Cover Pencils: Jack Kirby
-
Cover Inks: Bill Everett
-
Story Script: Stan Lee
-
Story Pencils: Bill Everett
-
Story Inks: Bill Everett, Steve Ditko, and Sol Brodsky
-
Lettering: Sam Rosen
-
Pages: 36
-
Original Cover Price: $0.12
🔥 Key Significance
-
First appearance of Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Marvel's blind superhero and the Man Without Fear.
-
First appearances of Karen Page and Foggy Nelson, two important supporting characters in Daredevil's world.
-
First appearance of the Fixer, the criminal responsible for the death of Matt Murdock's father.
-
Introduces Battling Jack Murdock, Matt's father, whose tragic fate becomes the defining motivation behind Daredevil's origin.
-
A major Silver Age Marvel key, featuring the debut of another iconic superhero created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, with Jack Kirby contributing to the cover.
📖 Story Highlights
“The Origin of Daredevil” – 23 pages
-
Script: Stan Lee
-
Pencils: Bill Everett
-
Inks: Bill Everett, Steve Ditko, and Sol Brodsky
-
Letters: Sam Rosen
Matt Murdock risks his life to save a blind man from an oncoming truck, but a radioactive canister strikes him during the rescue, leaving him blind. The radiation dramatically heightens his remaining senses and gives him an extraordinary radar sense.
After graduating college, Matt begins practicing law alongside his roommate, Foggy Nelson. Meanwhile, his father, boxer Battling Jack Murdock, is murdered by the Fixer after refusing to throw a fight.
Driven by his father's death, Matt creates a distinctive costume, fashions a billy club from his walking cane, and adopts the childhood nickname once used to mock him: Daredevil. He eventually tracks down the Fixer and the man responsible for shooting his father.
📌 Additional Details
-
Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four appear on the cover but do not appear in the interior story.
-
The splash page features a reprinted cover of Amazing Spider-Man #1.
-
The cover artwork includes Daredevil, the Fixer, Foggy Nelson, Karen Page, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four.
-
The issue has been reprinted in several collections, including:
-
Marvel Super-Heroes #22
-
Marvel Masterworks #17
-
Essential Daredevil #1
-
Son of Origins of Marvel Comics
-
Fantastic Firsts
-
Collector's Note: Daredevil #1 is a cornerstone Silver Age Marvel key. It introduces the Man Without Fear, establishes the tragic origin of Matt Murdock, and brings together an impressive creative team led by Stan Lee, Bill Everett, and Jack Kirby.
