In the same year Gaines let Liebowitz buy him out, and kept only Picture Stories from the Bible as the foundation of his own new company, EC Comics. Flat rate US shipping. [dci 2][dct 2], Johnny DC, later DC Entertainment, was DC's imprint for its all ages cartoon titles. Meanwhile, editor Kanigher successfully introduced a whole family of Wonder Woman characters having fantastic adventures in a mythological context. The line was supposed to be a newsstand based line aimed at the younger readers within its own self-contained universe. In 1935, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson published New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1, the first all-original comic book. The superhero called Sandman was first written in issue No. doubling the amount of popular heroes in the comics that would be known as DC Comics. The other title, All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder, was never finished (the last two issues remain unpublished to this day), but created a lot of discussions. The first such title was World of Krypton in 1979, and its positive results led to subsequent similar titles and later more ambitious productions like Camelot 3000 for the direct market in 1982.[72]. Earth One (EO) is a DC Comics graphic novel imprint that features a separate continuity from their main imprint. Originally known as "National Publications", DC is a publisher of comic books featuring iconic characters and teams such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Justice League of . [citation needed], With DC's New 52 reboot in September 2011, the Edge line of titles was launched with the Stormwatch and Grifter titles, the Wildstorm characters integrated with the DC Universe, and the All-Star Western, Sgt. Up to 50% off pre-order, mail order comics, trade paperbacks and collectibles from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Boom! Elseworlds is DC Comics' superhero alternative history and non-canon imprint. Wonder Comics is a DC Comics curated imprint with in DC Universe continuity with a teen focus by the main contributor and curator being Brian Michael Bendis. In November 2006, All-Star DC was launched with All-Star Superman. [25] Milestone, Static Shock, Duo, Love Army and Earth M was the announced slate of titles.[26]. This section is about the 2006 DC Comics imprint. DC Entertainment announced a new identity and logo for another iconic DC Comics universe brand on May 17, 2016. Charlton Comics was an American comic book publisher, noted for its Action Heroes line: Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, the Question, Nightshade, Peacemaker and others. [91][92][93][94], In 2016, DC announced a line-wide relaunch titled DC Rebirth. In July 1989, Forgotten Realms began publication. [34] The character Superman had another breakthrough when he was given his own comic book, which was unheard of at the time. The final series in the initial line-up was Shade the Changing Girl by Cecil Castellucci and Marley Zarcone, with covers by Becky Cloonan. DC2 appeared in the digital-first title, Batman '66, based on the 1960s television series and DC2 Multiverse appeared in Batman: Arkham Origins, a digital-first title based on the video game of the same name. When Jenette Kahn became DC's publisher in late 1976, she commissioned graphic designer, On May 8, 2005, a new logo (dubbed the "DC spin") was unveiled, debuting on DC titles in June 2005 with. [dci 4], In 2001, DC shut down Paradox Press. MacDonald, Heidi D. "DC's Titanic Success", Superman's first depicted romantic interest. [dct 6], Tangent Comics was a DC Comics imprint that introduced the Tangent Universe, a new universe of superheroes, created by Dan Jurgens in 1997 based on alternative concepts for the regular DC superheroes. 1, released in December 1935, which was the start of the long-running Adventure Comics series featuring many anthology titles as well. [dct 4], Minx was an imprint of DC Comics graphic novels aimed at the young adult market, particularly teenage girls. ' If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"[51]. Charlton Comics was a sub division of Charlton Publications, active from 1946 to 1985. The resulting influx of sophisticated horror-fantasy material led to DC in 1993 establishing the Vertigo mature-readers imprint, which did not subscribe to the Comics Code Authority. A companion publication, two volumes entitled The History of the DC Universe, set out the revised history of the major DC characters. [32] Another important Batman debut was the introduction of the fictional mansion known as Wayne Manor first seen in Detective Comics No. [35], Zuda Comics was DC Comics' internet comics website/imprint starting in 2007. They may feature affiliated characters to a major character (Batman line), source of the characters (Red Circle), or other similarities. Announces 'Immersive Virtual Fan Experience' as Comic-Con-Style Event", "DC FanDome splits into 2 days: Get the details", "DC FanDome to return with Wonder Woman 1984 virtual premiere, sneak peek", "DC Comics, DC Universe Hit By Major Layoffs", "DC Comics logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG", DC Comics Brand History by Brainchild Studios, Newsarama article: "Richard Bruning on designing a new DC logo", May 11, 2005, "NEW INTERACTIVE DC COMICS LOGOS TO BE DEPLOYED IN MARCH", "DC Entertainment Introduces New Identity For DC Brand", "DC LAUNCHES NEW PUBLISHING IMPRINT DC BLACK LABEL", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=DC_Comics&oldid=1151145213, Book publishing companies based in California, Comic book publishing companies of the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2020, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with peacock terms from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors. In the mid-1950s, editorial director Irwin Donenfeld and publisher Liebowitz directed editor Julius Schwartz (whose roots lay in the science-fiction book market) to produce a one-shot Flash story in the try-out title Showcase. WEBTOON Originals are comics that have been acquired by the company to be created exclusively for the platform. DC also published crime and horror titles, but relatively tame ones, and thus avoided the mid-1950s backlash against such comics. The company began to move aggressively against what it saw as copyright-violating imitations from other companies, such as Fox Comics' Wonder Man, which (according to court testimony) Fox started as a copy of Superman. This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 01:49. Following the science-fiction innovations of the Silver Age, the comics of the 1970s and 1980s became known as the Bronze Age, as fantasy gave way to more naturalistic and sometimes darker themes. The imprint was an alternative in that the titles were about people with superpowers without costumes or fighting crime. Furthermore, AT&T spun off WarnerMedia to Discovery, forming Warner Bros. it's no secret that many companies have been in it to be acquired by a larger media company, and today's revelation of the shocking DC-buys-Dynamite rumour, has sent many more of them tumbling into my inbox. Spearheaded by editor Karen Berger, all DC Comics titles bearing the Vertigo logo catered to not only more mature readers, but more sophisticated writers and artists as well. ", "Superman: The Golden Age Sundays 19431946", "Don Markstein's Toonopedia: The Red Tornado", "Batman And Superman: The Two Superheroes Are Going To Fight The First DC Villain", "DC: The 10 Rarest Batman Comics (& What They're Worth)", "A Guide to the Fictional Cities of the DC Universe", "The Metropo-list: 15 DARK Secrets You NEVER Knew About Superman's City", "15 Best Comic Book Origin Stories Of All Time", "An Oral History of DC's CAPTAIN MARVEL/SHAZAM: The Fawcett Years, Part 1", Integrative Arts 10: "The Silver Age" by Jamie Coville, "Jim Shooter's Secret Origin, in his Own Words Part One", "DC Comics, Inc.: Private Company Information", "GHM Columns: GHM Staff: Steve Higgins A+ Graphic Novels ]", "Why TEEN TITANS Is DC Comics' Most Important (But Undervalued) Franchise Nerdist", "How the Year 1986 Changed Comic Books Forever", "Completing the Red Circle: Talking to JMS", "Adam Hughes on His New Exclusive & All Star Wonder Woman", "20 Answers and 1 Question With Dan DiDio: Holiday Surprise", "Brian Azzarello Gets Ready to Break DC's First Wave", "Grumpy Old Fan Growing the garden: DC's May solicits", "DC Comics Announces Historic Renumber of All Superhero Titles and Landmark Day-and-Date Digital Distribution", "DC Comics unleashes a new universe of superhero titles", "The Definitive Guide to the DC Comics Reboot", "DC Entertainment Brings Digital Comics to the Net Level With New DC2 and DC2 Multiverse Innovations", "DC's Band-Aid Event? After the events of the Dark Nights: Death Metal storyline, the DC Multiverse was expanded into a larger "Omniverse" where everything is canon, effectively reversing the changes The New 52 introduced a decade prior.[107]. [citation needed], In July 1998, the Cliffhanger comic Danger Girl was licensed out to New Line Cinema for a film adaptation. Discovery unit (2018present), In a 19471948 lawsuit field by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster against National, the presiding judge noted in a "Findings of Facts": "DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. was a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, and was one of the constituent corporations consolidated on September 30, 1946 into defendant NATIONAL COMICS PUBLICATIONS, INC.", Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, either. The artist gets paid Marvel/DC rates and is brought on in a WFH capacity. This merger was completed on April 8, 2022. [citation needed], In March 1996, Wilstorm announced the start of the Homage Comics in August with the relaunch of Kurt Busiek's Astro City, with Homage Comics to be published outside the Image Comics system. Kingdom Come is one of the most well-built alternate worlds in the DC multiverse, a setting that gets its blend of superhero cynicism and faith in humanity just right. Mother Panic, which features art by Tommy Lee Edwards, is said to be about a new Gotham vigilante who by day is the celebrity heiress Violet Page. In October 1991, the TSR license ended bringing an end to the line with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons reaching issue 36. [30] All-American Publications' first comic series called All-American Comics was first published in April 1939. [44] This was then followed by a First Wave six-issue limited series with art by Rags Morales[43][44] with the first issue released on March 3, 2010. Maggie Thompson, Michael Dean, Brent Frankenhoff, Joyce Greenholdt, John Jackson Miller (editors). [dci 1] DC launched a manga imprint, CMX[dci 5] and DC Focus in 2004, but Focus was soon shut down in 2005. [dci 4], Impact Comics, also stylized !mpact Comics or Impact! Way also co-wrote two other books, Mother Panic with Jody Houser, and Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye, with Jon Rivera. [69] By 1980, the books returned to 50 cents with a 25-page story count but the story pages replaced house ads in the books. As it happened, her first task even before being formally hired, was to convince Bill Sarnoff, the head of Warner Publishing, to keep DC as a publishing concern, as opposed to simply managing their licensing of their properties. DC's first logo appeared on the April 1940 issues of its titles. DC Black Label [ edit] Main article: DC Black Label DC Black Label is DC Comics' out of continuity all-star creator imprint. Jones' All Star Batgirl by November 2008 was on indefinite hold. In September 2006, Krypto the Superdog comic was released based on the Cartoon Network series of the same name. [15][41] [8] The New York Four moved to Vertigo for its sequel, New York Five. The earliest known release is Batman: Damned by Bermejo and Brian Azzarello in September 2018. [37][38] Fictional cities would be a common theme of DC. 1 Archie Comics Is One Of America's Oldest-Surviving Comic Companies Everyone refers to Marvel and DC as the Big Two, but really it should probably be the Big Three as Archie Comics has survived in the industry since the Golden Age as well. [dct 4] In May 2007, DC launched a line for young women called Minx. "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. According to Men's Health, Momoa and his writing partner turned in a 50-page treatment for the sequel, which Warner Bros. bought but apparently mostly dismissed.There's no word on how much of the . [dci 7], After seeing Tangent characters in the regular DC Universe in Infinite Crisis in 2006, in Ion #910 in 2007 and then in Countdown to Final Crisis, the Tangent imprint was revived on March 18, 2008, for a 12-issue maxiseries. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, DRAGONLANCE, FORGOTTEN REALMS . In May 2002, an ongoing title, Fables by Bill Willingham, revitalized the Vertigo line with stories updating old fairy tales. [41], The Killing Zone is an upcoming pop-up imprint from DC Comics curated by Geoff Johns, formally announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2018. [48] Licenses for the non-DC characters the Spirit, Doc Savage and the Avenger ended prior to December 17, 2012.[49]. [dct 9] After the September 2008 cancellation of the Minx line, Minx's The New York Four moved to Vertigo for its sequel, New York Five. [6] The Red Circle line began print in 2008 as DC's second attempt with the Red Circle characters, this time as part of the DC Universe. Boring. The comic book line was launched with a Batman/Doc Savage one-shot issue followed by the limited series and two continuing series. In August 1996, Paradox began the reprinting of the Gon manga by Masashi Tanaka. The comics industry experienced a brief boom in the early 1990s, thanks to a combination of speculative purchasing (mass purchase of the books as collectible items, with intent to resell at a higher value as the rising value of older issues, was thought to imply that all comics would rise dramatically in price) and several storylines which gained attention from the mainstream media. [6] The first nine specials were published during December 1997's "skip-week", with the second nine for September 1998's skip-week. Pieces of intellectual property. In 2006, the Tangent characters appeared in the regular DC Universe in Infinite Crisis in 2006, in Ion #9-10 in 2007 and then in Countdown to Final Crisis in 2007. [dct 2] The miniseries Crucible began in February 1993 by writers Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn and artist Joe Quesada and was an attempt to relaunch the line, but with sales still lagging, the imprint was instead cancelled. "Watchmen" and "Sandman" are frequently listed as some of the best comics of all time. [dci 6] Johnny DC was launched in September 2004 with DC Comics' Looney Tunes- and Cartoon Network-based comic books. In 2005, DC launched its "All-Star" line (evoking the title of the 1940s publication), designed to feature some of the company's best-known characters in stories that eschewed the long and convoluted continuity of the DC Universe. [44], National Allied Publications soon merged with Detective Comics, Inc., forming National Comics Publications on September 30, 1946. Corporate history The line was launched with The Plain Janes, the line's signature title. In 2004, DC began laying the groundwork for a full continuity-reshuffling sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, promising substantial changes to the DC Universe (and side-stepping the 1994 Zero Hour event which similarly tried to ret-con the history of the DCU). [65] It had used the brand "Superman-DC" since the 1950s, and was colloquially known as DC Comics for years.[66]. DC almost got bought out by Marvel Marvel, WB Back in 1984, DC Comics wasn't doing so hot. [27], In November 1989, the first Elseworlds title, Gotham By Gaslight: An Alternative History of the Batman, was printed. [dct 4] The same year, Vertigo saw another Fables spin-off, Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love and its 100-page "Spectacular" reprints program began. DC Comics Leaves Its Legacy Behind. This was a move the company called the "DC Explosion". [dct 3] Moore became increasingly dissatisfied with DC, wrapping up the various series and moving League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to Top Shelf/Knockabout. ", "DC FanDome: Warner Bros. The leadership change was the latest event in the company restructuring which began the previous month, as several top executives were laid off from the company. DC shuttered Zuda in 2010 as the company moved to only DC Comics digital releases instead of web comics. The initial lineup included creators such as Frank Miller, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Scott Snyder, Lee Bermejo and more. In January 1993, DC's Vertigo imprint was launched with the Sandman and Swamp Thing groups of titles, plus Animal Man and Doom Patrol, all former DC Comics imprint titles plus Death: The High Cost of Living, a three-issue Sandman related miniseries, being the imprint's first new title. By 1973 the "Fourth World" was all cancelled, although Kirby's conceptions soon became integral to the broadening of the DC Universe, especially after the major toy-company, Kenner Products, judged them ideal for their action-figure adaptation of the DC Universe, the Super Powers Collection. [47][48], Despite the official names "National Comics" and "National Periodical Publications", the company began branding itself as "Superman-DC" as early as 1940, and the company became known colloquially as DC Comics for years before the official adoption of that name in 1977.[49]. [42] The superhero Doll Man was the first superhero by Quality, which DC now owns. It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. [dci 3] In July, the Helix science fiction imprint was launched. Amalgam Comics published a total of 24 comics, with the first 12 comics being published in April 1996 in-between issues #3 and 4 of the miniseries DC vs. Marvel and the other 12 issues being published in June 1997. Out of the literal thousands of superheroes and villains created by Marvel and DC Comics (the two undisputed titans of the comic book industry), there is exactly one character owned by both companies. It is now one of the most expensive and valuable comic book issues of all time. [3] However, to avoid comparison to the then-upcoming film The Matrix, the imprint was renamed "Helix". The line became an imprint with October 1991's Batman: Holy Terror, as it was the first to carry the Elseworlds logo. DC licensed pulp characters including Doc Savage and the Spirit which it then used, along with some DC heroes, as part of the First Wave comics line launched in 2010 and lasting through fall 2011. It's a . When the popularity of superheroes faded in the late 1940s, the company focused on such genres as science fiction, Westerns, humor, and romance. In a May 2017 editorial leadership reorganization, three Executive Editors split up DC Comics and its imprints. [67] The move was not successful, however, and corporate parent Warner dramatically cut back on these largely unsuccessful titles, firing many staffers in what industry watchers dubbed "the DC Implosion". [28] The Plain Janes was the only title to get a second volume before the imprint was shut down. Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. [15][19], Focus or DC Focus was an alternative imprint from DC Comics launched in 2004. The Flash's reimagining in Showcase No. [31] The series Adventure Comics would eventually follow in the footsteps of Action Comics and Detective Comics, featuring a new recurring superhero. Earth M was supposed to launch its first book in early 2018[24] but the first release featuring this reality was Milestone Returns #0 in September 2020. DC Zoom is focused on young readers, while DC Ink is aimed at young adults. The imprint was renamed DC Entertainment. In January 2023, DC is set to relaunch their line under the banner of "Dawn of DC" following the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and Lazarus Planet. Copyright Dark Horse Comics After a company called Detective Comics, or DC, debuted a Superman comic to great success in 1938, a lot of other people decided to hop on the comic books bandwagon. In the same month, the imprint added The Batman Strikes, a comic based on the Cartoon Network series The Batman, and Cartoon Network Block Party, an anthology title. [82] They appeared in the Red Circle line, based in the DC Universe, with a series of one-shots followed by a miniseries that lead into two ongoing titles, each lasting 10 issues.[80][83]. By 1938, Wheeler-Nicholson sold to Liebowitz/Donenfeld; Ellsworth left; and only Sullivan remained at NAP. [29][30], The imprint published a series of 18 one-shots over two years starring the Tangent version of the major DC Universe characters. [64] With that established, DC had attempted to compete with the now-surging Marvel by dramatically increasing its output and attempting to win the market by flooding it. Marvel got bought by . The Paradox imprint was shut down in 2001. 27 Apr 2023 02:59:16 [9], The First Wave fictional universe is a part of the DC Multiverse[43] and was launched in the Batman/Doc Savage one-shot, by writer Brian Azzarello with Phil Noto as artist. Additional titles followed with issue one of Advanced Dungeons & Dragons in October and Gammarauders in November. In addition, Wolfman and Prez took advantage of the limited-series option to create a spin-off title, Tales of the New Teen Titans, to present origin stories of their original characters without having to break the narrative flow of the main series or oblige them to double their work load with another ongoing title. Three new titles, Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!, Tiny Titans and Super Friends, were launched in August 2007 by Coordinating Editor Jann Jones. [50] Both titles folded after 10 issues, to be replaced by The Mighty Crusaders ongoing series which, by issue #3, was shortened to a six-issue miniseries. This series then followed another non-DC title, Tower Comics' series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. [7] The Milestone characters were also licensed in 2008 to be included in the DC Universe. 1. [13], Entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in Autumn 1934 intended as an American comic book publishing company. [dct 4]. [dct 4] Vertigo in 2011 released two one-shot multi-editor anthologies: Strange Adventures and The Unexpected. Create an account; Log in; Grading; . [dci 3] With no placement in major bookstores in the young adult section, Minx was canceled in September 2008. [23] Detective Comics, Inc. soon launched a new anthology title, entitled Action Comics. The massive commercial success of . The November 1941 DC titles introduced an updated logo. In 1967, National Periodical Publications was purchased by Kinney National Company,[62] which purchased Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969. [19][20] The company created a second recurring title called New Comics No. [2], DC Comics and its longtime major competitor Marvel Comics (acquired in 2009 by The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. [21], Wheeler-Nicholson's next and final title, Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, eventually premiered three months late with a March 1937 cover date. In August 1998, DC purchased Wildstorm including imprints Cliffhanger, Homage and America's Best Comics with the imprints appearing under the DC banner in January 1999. Since the 1940s, when Superman, Batman, and many of the company's other heroes began appearing in stories together, DC's characters inhabited a shared continuity that, decades later, was dubbed the "DC Universe" by fans. Amalgam Comics was a joint imprint from Marvel Comics and DC Comics that published amalgamated characters such as the Dark Claw, Iron Lantern, Spider-Boy, and Lobo the Duck.