Daredevil #2
Daredevil Comics #2 (August 1941) is one of the most densely packed debut issues in Golden Age history, introducing a remarkable cluster of characters — Pat Patriot, the Bronze Terror (Real American No. 1), Nightro, the Whirlwind, and the hero London — all in a single 68-page anthology assembled months before the United States entered World War II. The issue cemented Charles Biro and Bob Wood as the editorial architects of the Lev Gleason universe and demonstrated that an entire shared superhero line could be built almost overnight around a unifying patriotic purpose. Its Claw backup, in which President Roosevelt receives a direct extortion letter from the monstrous villain, pushed American comics further into overt wartime political commentary than almost any title of its era. The series this issue launched ran for 134 issues through 1956, making it one of the longer-lived Golden Age titles.
In "The Kiss of Death," Jean Rogers learns her brother Dick has vanished with an entire train of soldiers bound for Army maneuvers, while President Roosevelt is handed a chilling ultimatum from the mysterious Claw: surrender control of the nation's gold or face a terrible fate. Written, drawn, and inked by Bob Wood, this 1941 thriller blends wartime tension with pulp espionage, all captured in a striking cover by Charles Biro.
In "The Kiss of Death," decades after uncovering the tomb of Princess Sheba, Dr. Pierce stumbles upon a hidden serum within the golden cobra that may revive her—though the cost of such a resurrection remains unknown. The story unfolds with a pulse of mystery and danger, as the past comes roaring back to life.
In "null," a desperate scientist named Hugh Goddard finds himself stranded in the Alaskan wilderness after being betrayed by two greedy miners who stole his discovery of pitchblend. With no way out and the cold closing in, Goddard’s fate hangs in the balance—until an unexpected turn of events tests the limits of survival and sacrifice.
In "Baseball Beginnings," Dash Dillon is recruited by Coach Taylor’s daughter to join the struggling Hale University baseball team, hoping his standout skills as a pitcher and hitter can revive their season and save her father’s job. With the pressure mounting and the team’s future hanging in the balance, Dash steps up to the mound, bringing more than just talent to the field.
In "The Coming of the Pioneer," the lone adventurer rushes to aid men stranded after a crash, unaware the injured strangers he rescues are fugitives from the law. As he tends to their wounds in the remote wilderness, a quiet tension builds—trust is given, but danger is already closing in.
In "London Can Take It!", a fugitive named Franz flees a concentration camp with the aid of a mysterious ally named Dian, only to arrive in London and be celebrated by the Prime Minister—until Sherlock Holmes senses something is off. As the city's hopes rise, Holmes uncovers the shocking truth: Franz isn't a hero, but a traitor who's kidnapped Churchill and is about to deliver him to Hitler, setting off a race against time to stop him.
In "World's Worst Villain," Jean Rogers fears the worst when her brother Dick disappears along with an entire train of soldiers during Army maneuvers—just as President Roosevelt receives a chilling letter from the Claw demanding control of the nation's gold or face dire consequences.
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The issue's creation is one of the more colorful production anecdotes in Golden Age lore: according to Gerard Jones's history Men of Tomorrow (as recounted in contemporaneous collector sources), Biro and Bob Wood were given roughly three days to complete the book and assembled a skeleton crew — including Jerry Robinson, Bernie Klein, George Roussos, and Biro's brothers — who worked through a snowstorm, running out of food before the pages were finished and sent to press. The extraordinary demand was a direct consequence of the sales success of the one-shot Daredevil Battles Hitler (#1, July 1941), which Lev Gleason had rushed out on a similar crash schedule; reader response was strong enough that publishers essentially locked another team in a studio to produce a follow-up that would transform the one-shot into a monthly series. The Grand Comics Database records the editors on the issue as Charles Biro and Bob Wood, with Biro also providing the cover art.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published August 1941 by Lev Gleason Publications (indicia publisher: Your Guide Publications Inc.); 68 pages, full color; cover price 10 cents.
- Cover and primary story art by Charles Biro; editors listed inside as Charles Biro and Bob Wood.
- First appearance and origin of Pat Patriot (Patricia Patrios), a female costumed hero who became a recurring feature through Daredevil Comics #11.
- First appearance and origin of the Bronze Terror (Jeff Dixon), an Apache attorney-turned-superhero created and drawn by Dick Briefer — a notably progressive portrayal of a Native American hero for its era — also billed interchangeably as 'Real American No. 1.'
- First appearances of Nightro, the Whirlwind (Terry Turner, a boxer), and the hero London (Marc Holmes); the Pioneer also debuts in this issue but makes no further appearances despite a promise in the final panel.
- The Claw backup story features President Franklin D. Roosevelt receiving an extortion letter from the Claw, while the 'London Can Take It!' feature (scripted by Jerry Robinson) depicts Winston Churchill and introduces the character Dian.
- Artist contributors documented across the issue include Jerry Robinson, Reed Crandall (credited by the Dark Horse Archives reprint, though the original art attribution is debated by GCD), Dick Briefer, George Roussos, and Edd Ashe — many of whom were at the very beginning of careers that would define the field.
- The entire issue, along with Daredevil Comics #1, #3, and #4, was reprinted in The Original Daredevil Archives Volume 1 (Dark Horse, June 2013), with a foreword by Michael T. Gilbert.
Cast · 7 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in The Original Daredevil Archives #1 (2013), Étranges Aventures #3 (2019)
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