Blue Devil #1

History

The character grew out of editor Dave Manak's request that writers Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin devise a supernatural story with room for broad heroics — originally intended as a short back-up feature for DC's horror anthology line. The concept was initially developed with Steve Ditko in mind as artist, but Ditko passed on the project, and Manak then suggested Paris Cullins, a young artist Cohn had already collaborated with. The character was originally slated to debut in Tales of the Unexpected, but when Manak shifted roles within DC, the project moved to editor Len Wein, who steered it toward a lighter, more humorous tone suited to Cullins' energetic artwork. After the 16-page preview ran in Fury of Firestorm #24, there was roughly a one-year gap before Cullins was commissioned to complete issue #1 as a full ongoing series launch — a gap that allowed Cullins' draftsmanship to visibly mature between the two installments.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Cover date: June 1984; on-sale date: March 6, 1984 (per Grand Comics Database). Published by DC Comics.
• First full solo appearance and complete origin of Blue Devil (Daniel Cassidy); the character's very first appearance had been a 16-page preview insert in Fury of Firestorm #24 (June 1984), also cover-dated the same month.
• First appearance of the demon Nebiros, the villain whose mystical energy blast permanently bonds Cassidy's powered exosuit to his body and serves as the engine of the entire series' central conflict.
• First appearances of the core supporting cast introduced in this issue: Marla Bloom (film producer), Sharon Scott (actress and love interest), Wayne Tarrant (actor), Edward 'Gopher' Bloomberg (Marla's nephew and Cassidy's assistant), and cameraman Norm Paxton.
• Creative team: written by Gary Cohn and Dan Mishkin; pencils by Paris Cullins (his first full-length comic book); inks by Pablo Marcos; colors by Tom Ziuko; letters by Todd Klein; edited by Alan Gold.
• The lead story is titled 'How to Trap a Devil!' — a 25-page standalone origin that establishes Cassidy's suit as a powered exoskeleton he built for a movie role, complete with servo-motors, enhanced agility, and a rocket-powered trident.
• Partial reprint of the issue appeared in the Brazilian anthology Superamigos (Editora Abril) #20 (December 1986).
• The series ran for 31 issues and one annual (Blue Devil Annual #1, 1985), with Cullins penciling the first six issues and all covers through the end of the run; the character later became a core member of the occult team Shadowpact in the 2000s.

Cast · 1 character

Full credits

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Variants (2)