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DC
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Profile
DC
Comics is the largest and most diverse English
language publisher of comic books in the world.
Founded in 1934 as National Allied Publications,
the company that would one day become DC Comics
virtually created the comic book, publishing the
first comic of all original material. Then, in
the spring of 1938, the first super hero story
appeared in ACTION COMICS #1, introducing SUPERMAN.
Other soon-to-be icons would follow, including
BATMAN, WONDER WOMAN, GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH
and many others. Today, DC Comics publishes more
than 80 titles a month and close to 1000 issues
a year. DC has several imprints spanning the gamut
of graphic storytelling: The DC Universe is the
home of DC's peerless roster of super heroes;
Vertigo caters to a more mature, literary readership;
WildStorm offers a bold alternative take on heroic
and adventure comics; CMX brings some of Japan's
best-loved manga to American audiences; and Zuda
Comics is DC's innovative web imprint. DC is also
the home of MAD Magazine, the best-known humor
magazine in America. DC Comics is a division of
Time Warner, the largest entertainment company
in the world.
Profile
DC
Comics (founded originally in 1934 as National
Allied Publications) is one of the largest and
most popular American comic book and related media
companies, along with Marvel Comics. A subsidiary
of Warner
Bros. Entertainment since 1969, DC Comics
produces material featuring a large number of
well-known characters, including Superman, Batman,
Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Lantern and the
Justice League.
The initials "DC" came from the company's
popular series, Detective Comics, which subsequently
became part of the company's official name. DC
Comic's official headquarters are at 1700 Broadway,
7th, New York, New York. Random House distributes
DC Comics' books to the bookstore market, while
Diamond Comics Distributors supplies the comics
shop specialty market.
History
Origins
Entrepreneur
Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied
Publications debuted with the tabloid-sized New
Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 in February 1935.
The company's second title, New Comics #1 (December
1935), was published at a size close to what would
become comic books' standard during the period
fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic
Books, with slightly larger dimensions than today's.
That title evolved into Adventure Comics, which
continued through issue #503 in 1983, becoming
one of the longest-running comic book series.
His third and final title, Detective Comics, advertised
with a cover illustration dated December 1936,
eventually premiering three months late with a
March 1937 cover date. The themed anthology series
would become a sensation with the introduction
of Batman in issue #27 (May 1939). By then, however,
Wheeler-Nicholson had gone. In 1937, in debt to
printing-plant owner and magazine distributor
Harry Donenfeld — who was as well a pulp-magazine
publisher and a principal in the magazine distributorship
Independent News — Wheeler-Nicholson was
compelled to take Donenfeld on as a partner in
order to publish Detective #1. Detective Comics,
Inc. was formed, with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack
S. Liebowitz, Donenfeld's accountant, listed as
owners. Major Wheeler-Nicholson remained for a
year, but cash-flow problems continued, and he
was forced out. Shortly afterward, Detective Comics
Inc. purchased the remains of National Allied,
also known as Nicholson Publishing, at a bankruptcy
auction.
Detective Comics Inc. shortly launched a fourth
title, Action Comics, the premiere of which introduced
Superman (a character with which Wheeler-Nicholson
had no direct involvement; editor Vin Sullivan
chose to run the feature after Sheldon Mayer rescued
it from the slush pile). Action Comics #1 (June
1938), the first comic book to feature the new
character archetype soon to be called superheroes,
proved a major sales hit. The company quickly
introduced such other popular characters as the
Sandman and Batman.
2000's
In
March 2003, DC acquired publishing and merchandising
rights to the long-running fantasy series Elfquest,
previously self-published by creators Wendy and
Richard Pini under their WaRP Graphics publication
banner. This series then followed the Tower Comics
series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents in becoming non-DC
titles published in the "DC Archives"
format. In 2004, DC temporarily acquired the North
American publishing rights to graphic novels from
European publishers 2000 AD and Humanoids. It
also rebranded its younger-audience titles with
the mascot Johnny DC, and established the CMX
imprint to reprint translated manga. In 2006,
CMX took over publication - from Dark Horse Comics
- publication of the webcomic Megatokyo in print
form. DC also took advantage of the demise of
Kitchen Sink Press and acquired the rights to
much of the work of the renowned creator, Will
Eisner, such as his The Spirit series and his
acclaimed graphic novels.
Starting in 2004, DC began laying 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). In 2005, the company
published several limited series establishing
increasingly escalated conflicts among DC's heroes,
with events climaxing in the Infinite Crisis limited
series. Immediately after this event, DC's ongoing
series jumped forward a full year in their in-story
continuity, as DC launched a weekly series, 52,
to gradually fill in the missing time. Concurrently,
DC lost the copyright to "Superboy"
(while retaining the trademark) when the heirs
of Jerry Seigel used a provision of the 1976 revision
to the copyright law to regain ownership. Although
DC appealed the ruling, it is widely believed
that this was the reason for Conner Kent (also
known as Superboy)'s death during the Infinite
Crisis limited series.
In 2005, DC launched a new "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, produced
by "all star" creative teams.. All-Star
Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder launched in
July 2005, with All-Star Superman beginning in
November 2005. All-Star Wonder Woman and All Star
Batgirl were announced in 2006, but neither have
been released or scheduled as of the beginning
of 2009.
In April 2008, the videogame company Midway released
the eighth version of its Mortal Kombat fighting-game
franchise, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, which
featured DC superheroes and supervillians as half
of the playable characters. (Credit:
Wikipedia)
Profiles
Superman
Wonder
Woman
Batman
Watchmen
Superhero
Animation
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