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Superman

fictional character

    

Also known as: Clark Kent

Written by 

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Last Updated: Jan 15, 2024 • Article History

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Jan. 12, 2024, 6:46 AM ET (Yahoo News)

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Top Questions

Who is Superman?

What is Superman’s real name?

The name given to Superman at birth by his biological parents, Jor-El and Lara, on the planet Krypton is Kal-El. The name given to Superman by his adoptive parents, Martha and Jonathan Kent, when he arrives in Smallville on Earth is Clark Kent, which continues to be the name of his alter ego.

Where was Superman born?

Who does Superman love?

How is Superman able to fly?

Superman

Superman

Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978), directed by Richard Donner.

Superman, American comic strip superhero created for DC Comics by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster. Superman first appeared in Action Comics, no. 1 (June 1938).

The Man of Steel in the Golden Age

Superman’s origin is perhaps one of the best-known stories in comic book history. Indeed, in All Star Superman no. 1 (2005), writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely expertly cover the salient points with just four panels and eight words. On the doomed planet Krypton, scientists Jor-El and Lara place their infant son Kal-El into a rocket bound for Earth. He is found by Martha and Jonathan Kent, a kindly couple from the mid-American town of Smallville. They name the boy Clark and raise him as their own. As a child, Clark exhibits a collection of superhuman powers—invulnerability, incredible strength, the ability to leap incredible distances, and super speed—that would later become the hallmarks of his alter ego, Superman, the “Man of Steel.”

That dual identity would provide an ongoing sense of tension for the saga. Upon reaching adulthood, the mild-mannered Clark Kent moves from Smallville to urban Metropolis, where he works as a reporter for the Daily Planet. There he develops a romantic interest in fellow reporter Lois Lane (a character modeled in part on Siegel’s future wife, Joanne). She, however, dazzled by the courageous crime-fighting exploits of Superman and unaware of his dual identity, continually rejects Kent’s overtures. The audience, privy to the secret that continually eluded Lois, identified with Clark as a downtrodden “everyman,” while Superman served as a beacon of hope during the depths of the Great Depression.

The success of Action Comics no. 1 spurred the creation of a new superhero industry, with a host of comic book publishers sprouting virtually overnight. For their part, Siegel and Shuster received $130 from DC Comics for the exclusive rights to Superman. The pair (and later their estates) would spend years in court trying to recoup some share of the royalties for their blockbuster creation. DC publisher Jack Liebowitz wasted no time in exploiting the character, and in January 1939 Siegel and Shuster were enlisted to produce a Superman newspaper strip. Distributed by the McClure Syndicate, the feature ran successfully through the 1940s. The Man of Steel was awarded his own comic title with Superman no. 1 (summer 1939) and began appearing in World’s Best Comics (later World’s Finest Comics). DC introduced a Supermen of America fan club and licensed the character’s likeness to manufacturers of toys, puzzles, novels, colouring books, and bubble gum. Superman debuted on radio in 1940, in the long-running The Adventures of Superman program, with actor Bud Collyer giving voice to the hero. Superman made his silver-screen debut in 1941, in a celebrated series of 17 animated shorts from Fleischer Studios.

Superman’s powers grew in response to his caped competition, primarily Fawcett Comics’s Captain Marvel. Captain Marvel could fly, and his popularity soon rivaled that of Superman. It was not long before the Man of Steel was soaring through the skies, and DC filed suit against Fawcett for infringing on its copyright of Superman. Although DC was ultimately successful in its claim, Fawcett’s whimsical Captain Marvel stories—most of them written by comics legend Otto Binder—would outsell Superman titles throughout the 1940s. Of course, not every threat to the Man of Steel would come from a competing publisher. Kryptonite, a radioactive substance from Superman’s home world, made its debut on the Superman radio show and soon entered the pop-culture lexicon as a synonym for Achilles’ heel. Superman also developed a rogues’ gallery that included villains such as Lex Luthor, the Ultra-Humanite, and the Prankster. Upon the advent of World War II, Superman was anointed as DC’s standard-bearer of patriotism, and on several occasions he was depicted taking on Axis forces.

During that period Superman’s allies primarily consisted of his coworkers at the Daily Planet. Lois Lane was joined by crusty managing editor Perry White, a cigar-chomping old-school newshound who would often respond to the antics of his staff with the exclamation “Great Caesar’s ghost!” Jimmy Olsen, a copy boy (and later cub reporter) whose enthusiasm frequently got him into trouble, became famous as Superman’s pal.

Superman

Superman

Superman and the Mole Men movie poster, 1951.

Sales of superhero titles withered in the post-World War II years as readers flocked to horror, true crime, and romance comics. The Man of Steel was not exempt from that trend, but he continued to experience success in other media. Actor Kirk Alyn brought Superman to life in a pair of live-action movie serials, Superman (1948) and Atom Man vs. Superman (1950); the latter adapted archnemesis Lex Luthor to the big screen. George Reeves, who portrayed Superman in the live-action theatrical release Superman and the Mole Men (1951), starred in the movie’s syndicated television spin-off Adventures of Superman (1952–58).

Superman

Superman

Noel Neill and George Reeves in Adventures of Superman.

With the publication of psychiatrist Frederic Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent (1954), a since-discredited broadside against the comic industry that accused it of corrupting a generation of young readers, the so-called “Golden Age” of comics came to a close. The industry adopted the Comics Code, a self-censorship pledge that ensured that only the tamest of stories would be published. No longer the menace to criminals that is depicted on the cover of Action Comics no. 1, Superman became a helpful scoutmaster, instilling virtues into the childish Lane and Olsen and, by extension, the readers.

Superman in the Silver Age

The shift to a more family-friendly tone played to the strengths of writer Otto Binder, who had moved from Fawcett to DC in 1948. Just as he had developed a robust and entertaining supporting cast for Captain Marvel, Binder fleshed out Superman’s “family” and roster of villains in such a way that it could be argued that only Siegel himself wielded a greater influence on the growth of the Superman mythos. Binder cocreated, with artist Al Plastino, Superman’s cousin, Supergirl; the intergalactic villain Brainiac; Kandor, a miniature Kryptonian city preserved in a bottle; and the Legion of Super-Heroes, a teenage super team from the 30th century. With artist Curt Swan, Binder cocreated Krypto the Superdog and Comet the Superhorse as well as Lois Lane’s sister Lucy, who would serve as a recurring romantic foil for Jimmy Olsen. Binder also offered the definitive takes on Bizarro, Superman’s imperfect duplicate, and the Phantom Zone, a Kryptonian prison whose inmates would plague Superman time and again. Perhaps Binder’s most-enduring contribution to the superhero genre as a whole, however, would be the “imaginary story,” a noncanonical interlude that depicted, for example, a world in which Lex Luthor had killed Superman. With his work on Action Comics, Superman, Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (debuted 1954), and Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane (debuted 1958), Binder left an indelible mark on the Silver Age Superman.

Though civil unrest and opposition to the Vietnam War defined much of the 1960s in the United States, Superman largely turned a blind eye to the social scene. Traces of the real world occasionally crept into his comics—the assassination of U.S. Pres. John F. Kennedy, for example, was too big for Superman editor Mort Weisinger to ignore—but Superman titles generally offered an escape from, not an exploration of, political issues of the day. Few readers seemed to mind, as Superman’s fame reached global status, and translations of his comic books spread worldwide.

By the mid-1960s Superman’s drawing power as DC’s marquee character had begun to fade. The success of the live-action Batman television series in 1966 had shifted attention to DC’s other flagship character. Superman’s adventures became increasingly outrageous, and his superpowers intensified to a ridiculous level, perhaps best exemplified by his use of superventriloquism. As Superman’s faculties increased, his enemies simply could not pose a credible threat, and his stories lost dramatic intensity. By the end of the decade, Superman’s adventures had grown stale, and his readership had dwindled. The Superman newspaper strip was canceled in 1967.

The modern era

Artist Carmine Infantino, who had helped define the Silver Age aesthetic at DC with his work on The Flash and Batman, was appointed DC’s art director in 1967 and publisher in 1971. He was tasked with revitalizing the company’s line, and that meant overhauling the Man of Steel. Editor Julius Schwartz, who had successfully resuscitated the Batman titles from near cancellation in 1964, was assigned to lead the revisions. Beginning with Superman no. 233 (January 1971), Clark Kent was a television news reporter, kryptonite was eliminated, and Superman’s powers were weakened. Pioneering young writers such as Denny O’Neil, Elliot S. Maggin, and Cary Bates invigorated the tales with realism and new villains, while artists such as Neal Adams and Curt Swan and inker Murphy Anderson left an indelible mark on Superman’s look.

Superman

Superman

Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978).

Halfway through the 1970s, two major events occurred: DC joined forces with competitor Marvel Comics to copublish the best-selling crossover Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, and Alexander and llya Salkind signed a deal to produce a live-action Superman film. The potential windfall promised by the forthcoming film inspired Adams, a strong advocate for creators’ rights, to lobby DC to provide financial restitution to Siegel and Shuster, both of whom were teetering on the brink of destitution at the time. DC and parent company Warner Brothers bowed to public pressure, establishing pensions for both and inserting their names into all Superman comics as the creators of the character. In 1977, as part of a promotional campaign for the upcoming motion picture, the Superman newspaper strip was revived.

Superman

Superman

Christopher Reeve in Superman (1978).

The Salkinds’ Superman was a blockbuster, earning more than $300 million worldwide. Director Richard Donner, who had previously experienced success with The Omen (1976), helmed the picture, and Christopher Reeve’s star-turning role as the Man of Steel made the actor a household name. Margot Kidder (as Lois Lane), Gene Hackman (as Lex Luthor), and Marlon Brando (as Jor-El) rounded out the cast, and the film’s rousing score earned composer John Williams an Academy Award nomination. A string of sequels followed, with most of the principal cast members reprising their roles. Superman II (1980) was a commercial hit, but Donner was replaced by Richard Lester after filming had begun, and the result was a story that shifted abruptly between dramatic and slapstick elements. Superman III (1983), also directed by Lester, was largely a comedic vehicle for Richard Pryor, and by the release of Superman IV: The Quest for Peace (1987), the franchise was a spent force. In spite of dwindling box-office performance, Reeve’s portrayal of the hero as a “big blue Boy Scout” would define the Man of Steel in the pop-culture consciousness for a generation.

As DC Comics reinvented itself in the mid-1980s with its universe-altering Crisis on Infinite Earths crossover, writer Alan Moore closed the door on decades of continuity with the two-part epic “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” in Superman no. 423 and Action Comics no. 583 (both September 1986). Writer and artist John Byrne was tasked with reinventing the Superman mythos in The Man of Steel (1986), a six-issue biweekly miniseries that virtually cleaned the slate for the character, preserving only select aspects from previous incarnations. Luthor remained an evil genius, but Byrne made him less a superscientist and more a ruthless businessman. Superman’s personal life also underwent changes—Jonathan and Martha Kent were now still alive, lending compassionate support to their adult superson.

The Gold Rush (1925) Charlie Chaplin as The Tramp eating his meal made from his boot in a scene from the silent film. Silent movie comedy written, directed and produced by Charlie Chaplin

Britannica Quiz

Character Analysis

The comics industry experienced explosive growth in the early 1990s as speculators purchased multiple copies of issues that they believed would become valuable collectibles. The apotheosis of that trend came with the publication of Superman no. 75 (January 1993), which depicted the death of Superman at the hands of the villain Doomsday. Over four million copies of Superman no. 75 were printed, and the sheer abundance of the comic virtually guaranteed that it would not appreciate significantly in value. When the industry collapsed in the mid-1990s, publishing events such as the death of Superman were seen by many as a contributing cause. Ironically, the best Superman story of the decade appeared in a title that ruthlessly skewered superhero conventions and many of the publishing trends of the 1990s. In the Eisner Award-winning Hitman no. 34 (February 1999), writer Garth Ennis and artist John McCrea offered a reverent take on the Man of Steel that proposed that it was Superman’s values—and not his godlike powers—that were the true essence of the character. Much lighter fare was provided by the television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1993–97). The romantic action-comedy featured Teri Hatcher and Dean Cain in the title roles, and Lois and Clark’s on-screen wedding was reflected in the comics with Superman: The Wedding Album no. 1 (December 1996). The creative team behind the groundbreaking Batman: The Animated Series (1992–95) broadened DC’s animated universe with the critically accalaimed Superman: The Animated Series (1996–2000).

Since 2000 DC has repeatedly revisited, retold, and offered alternative versions of Superman’s origin and early career. The standout story of that period was writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely’s All Star Superman (2005–08), an award-winning 12-issue series that took place within the context of Superman’s last adventure. In September 2011 DC rebooted its entire line of comics as the “New 52,” with both Action Comics and Superman resetting to issue no. 1. Morrison was tapped to relaunch Action Comics, and his 18-issue run (2011–13) set the stage for a new generation of tales.

Justice League of America

Justice League of America

The Flash, Wonder Woman, Superman, Lex Luthor, Martian Manhunter, and the Green Lantern, in the direct-to-video animated film Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths (2010).

The 21st century also saw a dramatic increase in the presence of Superman in other media. The live-action young adult drama Smallville (2001–11) traced the life of Clark Kent (Tom Welling) during his formative years in Smallville, Kansas. The animated Superman figured prominently in Cartoon Network’s Justice League (2001–04) and Justice League Unlimited (2004–06) as well as in numerous direct-to-video features. In 2006 Bryan Singer, director of the first two X-Men movies, helmed Superman Returns, starring newcomer Brandon Routh as Superman, Kate Bosworth as Lois Lane, and Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor. The film was a box-office disappointment, and Warner Brothers canceled its plans for a sequel. The studio turned to director Christopher Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer, the creative minds behind the highly successful relaunch of the Batman film franchise, to reconceive and reboot the Superman saga in film. The result was Man of Steel (2013), directed by Zack Snyder and starring Henry Cavill as Superman. Although the film was a critical disappointment, it grossed over $600 million worldwide. The sequel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016), earned more than $800 million globally, but the film’s grim depiction of two of pop culture’s most recognizable heroes drew ire from critics and comic fans alike; the film was noted for Gal Gadot’s debut performance as Wonder Woman. Despite the character’s apparent death at the end of that film, Superman returned in the poorly received Justice League (2017).

DC Comics

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about the US publisher of comics. For the Scottish publisher of comics and newspapers, see DC Thomson.

DC Comics, Inc.

DC Comics' current logo, introduced with the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016

Parent company DC Entertainment

Status Active

Founded

1935; 89 years ago[1][2][3] (as National Comics Publications)

1961; 63 years ago (as National Periodical Publications)

1977; 47 years ago (as DC Comics)

Founder Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson

Country of origin United States

Headquarters location 4000 Warner Blvd., Burbank, California

Distribution

Lunar Distribution (direct market)[4]

Penguin Random House Publisher Services (bookstores)

Key people

Jim Lee (President, Publisher, CCO)

Anne DePies (SVP, General Manager)

Marie Javins (EIC)

Publication types List of publications

Fiction genres

Superhero

Fantasy

Science fiction

Action

Adventure

Imprints List of imprints

Owner(s) Warner Bros. Discovery

No. of employees ~230[5]

Official website dc.com

DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment,[6][7] a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.[8][9]

DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their first comic under the DC banner being published in 1937.[10] The majority of its publications take place within the fictional DC Universe and feature numerous culturally iconic heroic characters, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Aquaman; as well as famous fictional teams including the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Teen Titans, and the Suicide Squad. The universe also features an assortment of well-known supervillains such as the Joker, Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, the Reverse-Flash, Brainiac, and Darkseid. The company has published non-DC Universe-related material, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, Fables and many titles under their alternative imprint Vertigo and now DC Black Label.

Originally in Manhattan at 432 Fourth Avenue, the DC Comics offices have been located at 480 and later 575 Lexington Avenue; 909 Third Avenue; 75 Rockefeller Plaza; 666 Fifth Avenue; and 1325 Avenue of the Americas. DC had its headquarters at 1700 Broadway, Midtown Manhattan, New York City, but DC Entertainment relocated its headquarters to Burbank, California in April 2015.[11]

Penguin Random House Publisher Services distributes DC Comics' books to the bookstore market,[12] while Diamond Comic Distributors supplied the comics shop direct market[11][13] until June 2020, when Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors, who already dominated direct market distribution on account of the disruption to Diamond that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, replaced Diamond to distribute to that market.[4]

DC Comics and its longtime major competitor Marvel Comics (acquired in 2009 by The Walt Disney Company, Warner Bros. Discovery's main competitor) together shared approximately 70% of the American comic book market in 2017,[14] though this number may give a distorted view since graphic novels are excluded. With the sales of all books included, DC is the second biggest publisher, after Viz Media, and Marvel is third.[15]

History

National Comics Publications

Main articles: National Comics Publications and All-American Publications

Golden Age

Main article: Golden Age of Comic Books

Pioneers of DC Comics who started in the 1930s[16]

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster Bob Kane Bill Finger Sheldon Mayer Gardner Fox

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson Jerry Siegel Joe Shuster Bob Kane Bill Finger Sheldon Mayer Gardner Fox

Founder of DC Comics Creators of Superman Creators of Batman and the Joker Early founder Created various characters

Cover art of the first comic book by National Comics Publications, New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (cover dated February 1935). Unlike comic book magazines series up to that point, characters in this book, such as the Western character Jack Wood, were original creations, and did not originate in comic strips.[17]

Entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in 1935 intended as an American comic book publishing company.[1][2][3] The first publishing of the company debuted with the tabloid-sized New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (the first of a comic series later called More Fun Comics) with a cover date of February 1935. It was an anthology title essentially for original stories not reprinted from newspaper strips, unlike many comic book series before it.[17][18] While superhero comics are what DC Comics is known for throughout modern times, the genres in the first anthology titles consisted of funnies, Western comics and adventure-related stories. The character Doctor Occult, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in December 1935 with issue No. 6 of New Fun Comics, is considered the earliest recurring superhero created by DC who is still used.[19][20] The company created a second recurring title called New Comics No. 1, released in December 1935, which was the start of the long-running Adventure Comics series featuring many anthology titles as well.[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. The themed anthology that revolved originally around fictional detective stories became in modern times the longest-running ongoing comic series. A notable debut in the first issue was Slam Bradley, created in a collaboration between Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.[20] In 1937, in debt to printing-plant owner and magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld — who also published pulp magazines and operated as a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News — Wheeler-Nicholson had to take Donenfeld on as a partner to publish Detective Comics No. 1. Detective Comics, Inc. (which would help inspire the abbreviation DC) 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 afterwards, Detective Comics, Inc. purchased the remains of National Allied, also known as Nicholson Publishing, at a bankruptcy auction.[22]

American comic books such as Action Comics #1 and Detective Comics #27 introduced two well known superheroes to life: Superman and Batman.

Action Comics No. 1, the iconic issue that introduced Superman and helped birth the superhero genre

Detective Comics No. 27, featuring the first appearance of Batman

Meanwhile, Max Gaines formed the sister company All-American Publications in 1939.[23] Detective Comics, Inc. soon launched a new anthology title, entitled Action Comics. Issue#1, cover dated June 1938, first featured characters such as Superman by Siegel and Shuster, Zatara by Fred Guardineer and Tex Thompson by Ken Finch and Bernard Baily. It is considered to be the first comic book to feature the new character archetype, soon known as "superheroes", and was a sales hit bringing to life a new age of comic books, with the credit going to the first appearance of Superman both being featured on the cover and within the issue. It is now one of the most expensive and valuable comic book issues of all time.[24] The issue's first featured tale which starred Superman was the first to feature an origin story of superheroes with the reveal of an unnamed planet, later known as Krypton, that he is said to be from. The issue also contained the first essential supporting character and one of the earliest essential female characters in comics with Lois Lane as Superman's first depicted romantic interest.[25] The Green Hornet-inspired character known as the Crimson Avenger by Jim Chamber was featured in Detective Comics No. 20 (October 1938). The character makes a distinction of being the first masked vigilante published by DC.[26][27] An unnamed "office boy" retconned as Jimmy Olsen's first appearance was revealed in Action Comics #6's (November 1938) Superman story by Siegel and Shuster.[28][29]

Starting in 1939, Siegel and Shuster's Superman would be the first comic-derived character to appear outside of comic magazines and later appear in newspaper strips starring himself, which first introduced Superman's biological parents, Jor-El and Lara.[30] All-American Publications' first comic series called All-American Comics was first published in April 1939.[25] The series Detective Comics would make successful history as first featuring Batman by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in issue No.27 (March 1939) with the request of more superhero titles. Batman was depicted as a masked vigilante wearing a caped suit known as the Batsuit, along with riding a car that would later be referred to as the Batmobile. Also within the Batman story was the supporting character, James Gordon, Police commissioner of what later would be Gotham City Police Department.[31] Despite being a parody, All-American Publications introduced the earliest female character who would later be a female superhero called Red Tornado (though disguised as a male) in Ma Hunkel who first appeared in the "Scribbly" stories in All-American Comics No. 3 (June 1939).[32] Another important Batman debut was the introduction of the fictional mansion known as Wayne Manor first seen in Detective Comics No. 28 (June 1939).[31] The series Adventure Comics would eventually follow in the footsteps of Action Comics and Detective Comics, featuring a new recurring superhero. The superhero called Sandman was first written in issue No. 40 (cover date: July 1939).[33] Action Comics No. 13 (June 1939) introduced the first recurring Superman enemy referred to as the Ultra-Humanite first introduced by Siegel and Shuster, commonly cited as one of the earliest supervillains in comic books.[34] The character Superman had another breakthrough when he was given his own comic book, which was unheard of at the time.[35] The first issue, introduced in June 1939, helped directly introduce Superman's adoptive parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent, by Siegel and Shuster.[28] Detective Comics #29 (July 1939) introduced the Batman's utility belt by Gardner Fox.[36][31] Outside of DC's publishing, a character later integrated as DC was introduced by Fox Feature Syndicate named the Blue Beetle released in August 1939.[37][38] Fictional cities would be a common theme of DC. The first revealed city was Superman's home city, Metropolis, that was originally named in Action Comics No. 16 in September 1939.[39][40] Detective Comics No. 31 in September 1939 by Gardner Fox, Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff introduced a romantic interest of Batman named Julie Madison, the weapon known as the Batarang that Batman commonly uses, and the fictional aircraft called the Batplane.[31] Batman's origin would first be shown in Detective Comics No. 33 (Nov. 1939) first depicting the death of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne by a mugger. The origin story would remain crucial for the fictional character since the inception.[17][41] The Daily Planet (a common setting of Superman) was first named in a Superman newspaper strip around November 1939.[42] The superhero Doll Man was the first superhero by Quality, which DC now owns.[43] Fawcett Comics was formed around 1939 and would become DC's original competitor company in the next decade.[44]

National Allied Publications soon merged with Detective Comics, Inc., forming National Comics Publications on September 30, 1946.[a] National Comics Publications absorbed an affiliated concern, Max Gaines' and Liebowitz' All-American Publications. 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. At that point, "Liebowitz promptly orchestrated the merger of All-American and Detective Comics into National Comics... Next he took charge of organizing National Comics, [the self-distributorship] Independent News, and their affiliated firms into a single corporate entity, National Periodical Publications".[46] National Periodical Publications became publicly traded on the stock market in 1961.[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]

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 extended to DC suing Fawcett Comics over Captain Marvel, at the time comics' top-selling character (see National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc.). Faced with declining sales and the prospect of bankruptcy if it lost, Fawcett capitulated in 1953 and ceased publishing comics. Years later, Fawcett sold the rights for Captain Marvel to DC—which in 1972 revived Captain Marvel in the new title Shazam![50] featuring artwork by his creator, C. C. Beck. In the meantime, the abandoned trademark had been seized by Marvel Comics in 1967, with the creation of their Captain Marvel, forbidding the DC comic itself to be called that. While Captain Marvel did not recapture his old popularity, he later appeared in a Saturday morning live action TV adaptation and gained a prominent place in the mainstream continuity DC calls the DC Universe.

When the popularity of superheroes faded in the late 1940s, the company focused on such genres as science fiction, Westerns, humor, and romance. DC also published crime and horror titles, but relatively tame ones, and thus avoided the mid-1950s backlash against such comics. A handful of the most popular superhero-titles, including Action Comics and Detective Comics, the medium's two longest-running titles, continued publication.

Silver Age

Main article: Silver Age of Comic Books

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. Instead of reviving the old character, Schwartz had writers Robert Kanigher and John Broome, penciler Carmine Infantino, and inker Joe Kubert create an entirely new super-speedster, updating and modernizing the Flash's civilian identity, costume, and origin with a science-fiction bent. The Flash's reimagining in Showcase No. 4 (October 1956) proved sufficiently popular that it soon led to a similar revamping of the Green Lantern character, the introduction of the modern all-star team Justice League of America (JLA), and many more superheroes, heralding what historians and fans call the Silver Age of Comic Books.

National did not reimagine its continuing characters (primarily Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman), but radically overhauled them. The Superman family of titles, under editor Mort Weisinger, introduced such enduring characters as Supergirl, Bizarro, and Brainiac. The Batman titles, under editor Jack Schiff, introduced the successful Batwoman, Bat-Girl, Ace the Bat-Hound, and Bat-Mite in an attempt to modernize the strip with non-science-fiction elements. Schwartz, together with artist Infantino, then revitalized Batman in what the company promoted as the "New Look", with relatively down-to-Earth stories re-emphasizing Batman as a detective. Meanwhile, editor Kanigher successfully introduced a whole family of Wonder Woman characters having fantastic adventures in a mythological context.

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. With the story "Flash of Two Worlds", in Flash No. 123 (September 1961), editor Schwartz (with writer Gardner Fox and artists Infantino and Joe Giella) introduced a concept that allowed slotting the 1930s and 1940s Golden Age heroes into this continuity via the explanation that they lived on an other-dimensional "Earth 2", as opposed to the modern heroes' "Earth 1"—in the process creating the foundation for what was later called the DC Multiverse.

National Periodical Publications

DC's introduction of the reimagined superheroes did not go unnoticed by other comics companies. In 1961, with DC's JLA as the specific spur,[b] Marvel Comics writer-editor Stan Lee and a robust creator Jack Kirby ushered in the sub-Silver Age "Marvel Age" of comics with the debut issue of The Fantastic Four.[52] Reportedly, DC ignored the initial success of Marvel with this editorial change until its consistently strengthening sales, albeit also benefiting Independent News' business as their distributor as well, made that impossible. That commercial situation especially applied with Marvel's superior sell-through percentage numbers which were typically 70% to DC's roughly 50%, which meant DC's publications were barely making a profit in comparison after returns from the distributors were calculated while Marvel was making an excellent profit by comparison.[53]

However, the senior DC staff were reportedly at a loss at this time to understand how this small publishing house was achieving this increasingly threatening commercial strength. For instance, when Marvel's product was examined in a meeting, Marvel's emphasis on more sophisticated character-based narrative and artist-driven visual storytelling was apparently ignored for self-deluding guesses at the brand's popularity which included superficial reasons like the presence of the color red or word balloons on the cover, or that the perceived crudeness of the interior art was somehow more appealing to readers. When Lee learned about DC's subsequent experimental attempts to imitate these perceived details, he amused himself by arranging direct defiance of those assumptions in Marvel's publications as sales strengthened further to frustrate the competition.[54]

However, this ignorance of Marvel's true appeal did not extend to some of the writing talent during this period, from which there were some attempts to emulate Marvel's narrative approach. For instance, there was the Doom Patrol series by Arnold Drake, a writer who previously warned the management of the new rival's strength;[55] a superhero team of outsiders who resented their freakish powers,[56] which Drake later speculated was plagiarized by Stan Lee to create The X-Men.[57] There was also the young Jim Shooter who purposely emulated Marvel's writing when he wrote for DC after much study of both companies' styles, such as for the Legion of Super-Heroes feature.[58] In 1966, National Periodical Publications had set up its own television arm, led by Allen Ducovny to develop and produce projects for television, with Superman TV Corporation to handle its television distribution of NPP's TV shows.[59]

A 1966 Batman TV show on the ABC network sparked a temporary spike in comic book sales, and a brief fad for superheroes in Saturday morning animation (Filmation created most of DC's initial cartoons) and other media. DC significantly lightened the tone of many DC comics—particularly Batman and Detective Comics—to better complement the "camp" tone of the TV series. This tone coincided with the famous "Go-Go Checks" checkerboard cover-dress which featured a black-and-white checkerboard strip (all DC books cover dated February 1966 until August 1967) at the top of each comic, a misguided attempt by then-managing editor Irwin Donenfeld to make DC's output "stand out on the newsracks".[60] In particular, DC artist, Carmine Infantino, complained that the visual cover distinctiveness made DC's titles easier for readers to see and then avoid in favor of Marvel's titles.[61]

In 1967, Batman artist Infantino (who had designed popular Silver Age characters Batgirl and the Phantom Stranger) rose from art director to become DC's editorial director. With the growing popularity of upstart rival Marvel Comics threatening to topple DC from its longtime number-one position in the comics industry, he attempted to infuse the company with more focus towards marketing new and existing titles and characters with more adult sensibilities towards an emerging older age group of superhero comic book fans that grew out of Marvel's efforts to market their superhero line to college-aged adults. He also recruited major talents such as ex-Marvel artist and Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko and promising newcomers Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil and replaced some existing DC editors with artist-editors, including Joe Kubert and Dick Giordano, to give DC's output a more artistic critical eye.

Kinney National / Warner Communications (1967–1990)

In 1967, National Periodical Publications was purchased by Kinney National Company,[62] which purchased Warner Bros.-Seven Arts in 1969. Kinney National spun off its non-entertainment assets in 1972 (as National Kinney Corporation) and changed its name to Warner Communications Inc.

In 1970, Jack Kirby moved from Marvel Comics to DC, at the end of the Silver Age of Comics, in which Kirby's contributions to Marvel played a large, integral role.

As artist Gil Kane described:

Jack was the single most influential figure in the turnaround in Marvel's fortunes from the time he rejoined the company ... It wasn't merely that Jack conceived most of the characters that are being done, but ... Jack's point of view and philosophy of drawing became the governing philosophy of the entire publishing company and, beyond the publishing company, of the entire field ... [Marvel took] Jack and use[d] him as a primer. They would get artists ... and they taught them the ABCs, which amounted to learning Jack Kirby ... Jack was like the Holy Scripture and they simply had to follow him without deviation. That's what was told to me ... It was how they taught everyone to reconcile all those opposing attitudes to one single master point of view.[63]

Given carte blanche to write and illustrate his own stories, he created a handful of thematically-linked series he called collectively "The Fourth World". In the existing series Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen and in his own, newly-launched series New Gods, Mister Miracle, and The Forever People, Kirby introduced such enduring characters and concepts as arch-villain Darkseid and the other-dimensional realm Apokolips. Furthermore, Kirby intended their stories to be reprinted in collected editions, in a publishing format that was later called the trade paperback, which became a standard industry practice decades later. While sales were respectable, they did not meet DC management's initially high expectations, and also suffered from a lack of comprehension and internal support from Infantino. 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.[64] Obligated by his contract, Kirby created other unrelated series for DC, including Kamandi, The Demon, and OMAC, before ultimately returning to Marvel Comics in 1976.

Bronze Age

Main article: Bronze Age of Comic Books

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. Illegal drug use, banned by the Comics Code Authority, explicitly appeared in comics for the first time in Marvel Comics' story "Green Goblin Reborn!" in The Amazing Spider-Man No. 96 (May 1971), and after the Code's updating in response, DC offered a drug-fueled storyline in writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams' Green Lantern, beginning with the story "Snowbirds Don't Fly" in the retitled Green Lantern / Green Arrow No. 85 (September 1971), which depicted Speedy, the teen sidekick of superhero archer Green Arrow, as having become a heroin addict.

Jenette Kahn, a former children's magazine publisher, replaced Infantino as editorial director in January 1976. 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.[65] 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. This included launching series featuring such new characters as Firestorm and Shade, the Changing Man, as well as an increasing array of non-superhero titles, in an attempt to recapture the pre-Wertham days of post-War comicdom.

DC Comics

In 1977, the company officially changed its name to DC Comics.[66] It had used the brand "Superman-DC" since the 1950s, and was colloquially known as DC Comics for years.[67]

In June 1978, five months before the release of the first Superman movie, Kahn expanded the line further, increasing the number of titles and story pages, and raising the price from 35 cents to 50 cents. Most series received eight-page back-up features while some had full-length twenty-five-page stories. This was a move the company called the "DC Explosion".[68] 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".[69] In September 1978, the line was dramatically reduced and standard-size books returned to 17-page stories but for a still increased 40 cents.[70] By 1980, the books returned to 50 cents with a 25-page story count but the story pages replaced house ads in the books.

Seeking new ways to boost market share, the new team of publisher Kahn, vice president Paul Levitz, and managing editor Giordano addressed the issue of talent instability. To that end—and following the example of Atlas/Seaboard Comics[71] and such independent companies as Eclipse Comics—DC began to offer royalties in place of the industry-standard work-for-hire agreement in which creators worked for a flat fee and signed away all rights, giving talent a financial incentive tied to the success of their work. As it happened, the implementation of these incentives proved opportune considering Marvel Comics' Editor-in-Chief, Jim Shooter, was alienating much of his company's creative staff with his authoritarian manner and major talents there went to DC like Roy Thomas, Gene Colan, Marv Wolfman, and George Perez.[72]

In addition, emulating the era's new television form, the miniseries while addressing the matter of an excessive number of ongoing titles fizzling out within a few issues of their start, DC created the industry concept of the comic book limited series. This publishing format allowed for the deliberate creation of finite storylines within a more flexible publishing format that could showcase creations without forcing the talent into unsustainable open-ended commitments. 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.[73]

These changes in policy shaped the future of the medium as a whole, and in the short term allowed DC to entice creators away from rival Marvel, and encourage stability on individual titles. In November 1980 DC launched the ongoing series The New Teen Titans, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, two popular talents with a history of success. Their superhero-team comic, superficially similar to Marvel's ensemble series X-Men, but rooted in DC history, earned significant sales[74] in part due to the stability of the creative team, who both continued with the title for six full years. In addition, Wolfman and Pérez 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.

Modern Age

Main article: Modern Age of Comic Books

This successful revitalization of the Silver Age Teen Titans led DC's editors[75] to seek the same for the wider DC Universe. The result, the Wolfman/Pérez 12-issue limited series Crisis on Infinite Earths, gave the company an opportunity to realign and jettison some of the characters' complicated backstory and continuity discrepancies. A companion publication, two volumes entitled The History of the DC Universe, set out the revised history of the major DC characters. Crisis featured many key deaths that shaped the DC Universe for the following decades, and it separated the timeline of DC publications into pre- and post-"Crisis".

Meanwhile, a parallel update had started in the non-superhero and horror titles. Since early 1984, the work of British writer Alan Moore had revitalized the horror series The Saga of the Swamp Thing, and soon numerous British writers, including Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison, began freelancing for the company. 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.[76]

Two DC limited series, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Watchmen by Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, drew attention in the mainstream press for their dark psychological complexity and promotion of the antihero.[77] These titles helped pave the way for comics to be more widely accepted in literary-criticism circles and to make inroads into the book industry, with collected editions of these series as commercially successful trade paperbacks.[78]

The mid-1980s also saw the end of many long-running DC war comics, including series that had been in print since the 1960s. These titles, all with over 100 issues, included Sgt. Rock, G.I. Combat, The Unknown Soldier, and Weird War Tales.

Time Warner / Time Warner Entertainment / AOL Time Warner (1990–2018)

In March 1989, Warner Communications merged with Time Inc., making DC Comics a subsidiary of Time Warner. In June, the first Tim Burton-directed Batman movie was released, and DC began publishing its hardcover series of DC Archive Editions, collections of many of their early, key comics series, featuring rare and expensive stories unseen by many modern fans. Restoration for many of the Archive Editions was handled by Rick Keene with colour restoration by DC's long-time resident colourist, Bob LeRose. These collections attempted to retroactively credit many of the writers and artists who had worked without much recognition for DC during the early period of comics when individual credits were few and far between.

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. DC's extended storylines in which Superman was killed, Batman was crippled and superhero Green Lantern turned into the supervillain Parallax resulted in dramatically increased sales, but the increases were as temporary as the hero's replacements. Sales dropped off as the industry went into a major slump, while manufactured "collectables" numbering in the millions replaced quality with quantity until fans and speculators alike deserted the medium in droves.

DC's Piranha Press and other imprints (including the mature readers line Vertigo, and Helix, a short-lived science fiction imprint) were introduced to facilitate compartmentalized diversification and allow for specialized marketing of individual product lines. They increased the use of non-traditional contractual arrangements, including the dramatic rise of creator-owned projects, leading to a significant increase in critically lauded work (much of it for Vertigo) and the licensing of material from other companies. DC also increased publication of book-store friendly formats, including trade paperback collections of individual serial comics, as well as original graphic novels.

One of the other imprints was Impact Comics from 1991 to 1992 in which the Archie Comics superheroes were licensed and revamped.[79][80] The stories in the line were part of its own shared universe.[81]

DC entered into a publishing agreement with Milestone Media that gave DC a line of comics featuring a culturally and racially diverse range of superhero characters. Although the Milestone line ceased publication after a few years, it yielded the popular animated series Static Shock. DC established Paradox Press to publish material such as the large-format Big Book of... series of multi-artist interpretations on individual themes, and such crime fiction as the graphic novel Road to Perdition. In 1998, DC purchased WildStorm Comics, Jim Lee's imprint under the Image Comics banner, continuing it for many years as a wholly separate imprint – and fictional universe – with its own style and audience. As part of this purchase, DC also began to publish titles under the fledgling WildStorm sub-imprint America's Best Comics (ABC), a series of titles created by Alan Moore, including The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Tom Strong, and Promethea. Moore strongly contested this situation, and DC eventually stopped publishing ABC.

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 another non-DC title, Tower Comics' series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, in collection into DC Archive Editions. 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 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 Will Eisner, such as his The Spirit series and his graphic novels.

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). In 2005, the critically lauded Batman Begins film was released; also, 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 Siegel used a provision of the 1976 revision to the copyright law to regain ownership.

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. The line began with All-Star Batman & Robin the Boy Wonder and All-Star Superman, with All-Star Wonder Woman and All-Star Batgirl announced in 2006 but neither being released nor scheduled as of the end of 2009.[82]

DC licensed characters from the Archie Comics imprint Red Circle Comics by 2007.[83] 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.[81][84]

DC Entertainment

In 2011, DC rebooted all of its running titles following the Flashpoint storyline. The reboot called The New 52 gave new origin stories and costume designs to many of DC's characters.

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.[85][86][87]

In May 2011, DC announced it would begin releasing digital versions of their comics on the same day as paper versions.[88]

On June 1, 2011, DC announced that it would end all ongoing series set in the DC Universe in August and relaunch its comic line with 52 issue #1s, starting with Justice League on August 31 (written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee), with the rest to follow later on in September.[89][90]

On June 4, 2013, DC unveiled two new digital comic innovations to enhance interactivity: DC2 and DC2 Multiverse. DC2 layers dynamic artwork onto digital comic panels, adding a new level of dimension to digital storytelling, while DC2 Multiverse allows readers to determine a specific story outcome by selecting individual characters, storylines and plot developments while reading the comic, meaning one digital comic has multiple outcomes. 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.[91]

In 2014, DC announced an eight-issue miniseries titled Convergence which began in April 2015.[92][93][94][95]

In 2016, DC announced a line-wide relaunch titled DC Rebirth.[96] The new line would launch with an 80-page one-shot titled DC Universe: Rebirth, written by Geoff Johns, with art from Gary Frank, Ethan Van Sciver, and more. After that, many new series would launch with a twice-monthly release schedule and new creative teams for nearly every title. The relaunch was meant to bring back the legacy and heart many felt had been missing from DC characters since the launch of the New 52. Rebirth brought huge success, both financially and critically.[97][98][99]

WarnerMedia/Warner Bros. Discovery unit (2018–present)

On February 21, 2020, the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, Dan DiDio stepped down after 10 years at that position. The company did not give a reason for the move, nor did it indicate whether it was his decision or the company's. 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.[100][101] However, Bleeding Cool reported that he was fired.[102]

In June 2020, Warner Bros. announced a separate DC-themed online-only convention. Known as DC FanDome, the free "immersive virtual fan experience" was a 24-hour-long event held on August 22, 2020.[103] The main presentation, entitled "DC FanDome: Hall of Heroes", was held as scheduled on August 22.[104] The remaining programming was provided through a one-day video on demand experience, "DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse", on September 12.

As Warner Bros. and DC's response to San Diego Comic-Con's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the convention featured information about DC-based content including the DC Extended Universe film franchise, the Arrowverse television franchise, comic books, and video games. The convention also returned for the virtual premiere of Wonder Woman 1984[105] and returned once again on October 16, 2021.[106]

In August 2020, roughly one-third of DC's editorial ranks were laid off, including the editor-in-chief, senior story editor, executive editor, and several senior VPs.[107]

In March 2021, DC relaunched their entire line once again under the banner of Infinite Frontier. 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.[108]

Furthermore, AT&T spun off WarnerMedia to Discovery, forming Warner Bros. Discovery. This merger was completed on April 8, 2022.

In January 2023, DC relaunched their line under the banner of Dawn of DC following the conclusion of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and Lazarus Planet.[109] Later that year, Jim Lee was promoted to President of DC in May.[110]

Logo

DC's first logo appeared on the April 1940 issues of its titles. The small logo, with no background, read simply, "A DC Publication".[citation needed]

The November 1941 DC titles introduced an updated logo. This version was almost twice the size of the previous one and was the first version with a white background. The name "Superman" was added to "A DC Publication", effectively acknowledging both Superman and Batman. This logo was the first to occupy the top-left corner of the cover, where the logo has usually resided since. The company now referred to itself in its advertising as "Superman-DC".[111]

In November 1949, the logo was modified to incorporate the company's formal name, National Comics Publications. This logo also served as the round body of Johnny DC, DC's mascot in the 1960s.[citation needed]

In October 1970, DC briefly retired the circular logo in favour of a simple "DC" in a rectangle with the name of the title, or the star of the book; the logo on many issues of Action Comics, for example, read "DC Superman". An image of the lead character either appeared above or below the rectangle. For books that did not have a single star, such as anthologies like House of Mystery or team series such as Justice League of America, the title and "DC" appeared in a stylized logo, such as a bat for "House of Mystery". This use of characters as logos helped to establish the likenesses as trademarks, and was similar to Marvel's contemporaneous use of characters as part of its cover branding.[citation needed]

DC's "100 Page Super-Spectacular" titles and later 100-page and "Giant" issues published from 1972 to 1974 featured a logo exclusive to these editions: the letters "DC" in a simple sans-serif typeface within a circle. A variant had the letters in a square.[citation needed]

The July 1972 DC titles featured a new circular logo. The letters "DC" were rendered in a block-like typeface that remained through later logo revisions until 2005. The title of the book usually appeared inside the circle, either above or below the letters.

In December 1973, this logo was modified with the addition of the words "The Line of DC Super-Stars" and the star motif that continued in later logos. This logo was placed in the top center of the cover from August 1975 to October 1976.[citation needed]

When Jenette Kahn became DC's publisher in late 1976, she commissioned graphic designer Milton Glaser to design a new logo. Popularly referred to as the "DC bullet", this logo premiered on the February 1977 titles. Although it varied in size and colour and was at times cropped by the edges of the cover, or briefly rotated 4 degrees, it remained essentially unchanged for nearly three decades. Despite logo changes since 2005, the old "DC bullet" continues to be used only on the DC Archive Editions series.[citation needed][112]

On May 8, 2005, a new logo (dubbed the "DC spin") was unveiled, debuting on DC titles in June 2005 with DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy No. 1 and the rest of the titles the following week. In addition to comics, it was designed for DC properties in other media, which was used for movies since Batman Begins, with Superman Returns showing the logo's normal variant, and the TV series Smallville, the animated series Justice League Unlimited and others, as well as for collectibles and other merchandise. The logo was designed by Josh Beatman of Brainchild Studios[113] and DC executive Richard Bruning.[114]

In March 2012, DC unveiled a new logo consisting of the letter "D" flipping back to reveal the letter "C" and "DC ENTERTAINMENT".[115]

DC Entertainment announced a new identity and logo for another iconic DC Comics universe brand on May 17, 2016. The new logo was first used on May 25, 2016, in conjunction with the release of DC Universe: Rebirth Special #1 by Geoff Johns.[116]

Gallery

1977–2005 logo, aka the "DC Bullet"

1977–2005 logo, aka the "DC Bullet"

 

2005–2012 logo, aka the "DC Spin"

2005–2012 logo, aka the "DC Spin"

 

2012–2016 logo

2012–2016 logo

 

DC Comics' current logo, introduced with the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016

DC Comics' current logo, introduced with the DC Rebirth relaunch in 2016

Imprints

Main article: List of DC Comics imprints

Active

DC (1937–present)

Elseworlds (1989–2010, 2024–present)

WildStorm (1999–2010, 2017–present)

Earth-M (1993–1997, 2018–present)

Young Animal (2016–present)

DC Black Label (2018–present)[117]

Sandman Universe (2018–present)

Hill House Comics (2019–present)

Wonder Comics (2019–present)

DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults (2020–present)

DC Graphic Novels for Kids (2020–present)

DC Compact Comics (2024–present)[118]

Mad (1953–present)

Defunct

DC Archive Editions (1989–2014; replaced by DC Omnibus)

Piranha Press (1989–1993; renamed Paradox Press)

Impact Comics (1991–1993; licensed from Archie Comics)

Vertigo Comics (1993–2019)[7]

Amalgam Comics (1996–1997; jointly with Marvel Comics)

Helix (1996–1998; merged with Vertigo)

Tangent Comics (1997–1998)

Paradox Press (1998–2003)

WildStorm Productions (1999–2010)

America's Best Comics (1999–2005)

Homage Comics (1999–2004; merged to form WildStorm Signature)

Cliffhanger (1999–2004; merged to form WildStorm Signature)

WildStorm Signature (2004–2006; merged with main WildStorm line)

CMX Manga (2004–2010)

DC Focus (2004–2005; merged with main DC line)

Johnny DC (2004–2012)

All Star (2005–2008)

Minx (2007–2008)

Zuda Comics (2007–2010)

First Wave (2010–2011; licensed from Condé Nast Publications and Will Eisner Library)

DC Ink (2019; replaced by DC Graphic Novels for Young Adults)

DC Zoom (2019; replaced by DC Graphic Novels for Kids)

See also

flag United States portal

icon Comics portal

flag New York City portal

Companies portal

Batman Day (September 17)

DC Collectibles

DC Cosmic Cards

DC Extended Universe

DC Studios

List of comics characters which originated in other media

List of current DC Comics publications

List of DC Comics characters

List of films based on DC Comics publications

List of television series based on DC Comics publications

List of unproduced DC Comics projects

List of video games based on DC Comics

Publication history of DC Comics crossover events

Notes

 In a 1947–1948 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."[45]

 Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of DC Comics (then known as National Periodical Publications) bragged about DC's success with the Justice League (which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold No. 28 [February 1960] before going on to its own title) to publisher Martin Goodman (whose holdings included the nascent Marvel Comics, which was being distributed by DC's Independent News at this time.) during a game of golf.

However, film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan partly debunked the story in a letter published in Alter Ego No. 43 (December 2004), pp. 43–44

Irwin said he never played golf with Goodman, so the story is untrue. I heard this story more than a couple of times while sitting in the lunchroom at DC's 909 Third Avenue and 75 Rockefeller Plaza office as Sol Harrison and [production chief] Jack Adler were schmoozing with some of us ... who worked for DC during our college summers ... [T]he way I heard the story from Sol was that Goodman was playing with one of the heads of Independent News, not DC Comics (though DC owned Independent News) ... As the distributor of DC Comics, this man certainly knew all the sales figures and was in the best position to tell this tidbit to Goodman. ... Of course, Goodman would want to be playing golf with this fellow and be in his good graces ... Sol worked closely with Independent News' top management over the decades and would have gotten this story straight from the horse's mouth.

Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, confirmably directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. According to Lee: "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. ... ' If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"[51]

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 "Young April 12, 1948 Findings of Facts" – via SCRIBD.

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 "'Superman Faces New Hurdles: Publishers of Comic Books Showing Decline". The New York Times. September 23, 1962. Retrieved July 23, 2018. It was just a year ago that some rather surprising news was announced to the world about a venerable American institution. The announcement said that Superman had gone public.

 Maggie Thompson, Michael Dean, Brent Frankenhoff, Joyce Greenholdt, John Jackson Miller (editors), Comics Buyer's Guide 1996 Annual, Krause Publications, 1995, p. 81: "Beginning as National Allied Publications in 1935 [sic] and becoming National Allied Newspaper Syndicate the next year, it changed to National Comic [sic] Publications in 1946 and National Periodical Publications in 1961"

 DC Comics, Inc. Archived May 16, 2010, at the Wayback Machine at Bloomberg Businessweek. Retrieved December 18, 2010.

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 Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster/Fireside Books, 1974), p. 16

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 "Post-Implosion Fill-In Fallout", The Comics Journal No. 43 (December 1978), p. 13.

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Sources

Jones, Gerard (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465-03656-1.

Tucker, Reed (2017). Slugfest: Inside the Epic, 50-year Battle Between Marvel and DC. Perseus Books Group. ISBN 978-0-3068-2546-0.

External links

DC Comics

at Wikipedia's sister projects

Definitions from Wiktionary

Media from Commons

News from Wikinews

Quotations from Wikiquote

Data from Wikidata

Official website Edit this at Wikidata

DC Comics at the Grand Comics Database

DC Comics at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

Mike's Amazing World of Comics

DC Database | Fandom

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DC Comics

Former subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery

Key People

Jim Lee (CCO)Amit Desai (EVP, Creative director)Anne Leung DePies (Senior VP & GM)Whitney EllsworthIrwin DonenfeldCarmine InfantinoJenette KahnPaul LevitzBob HarrasMarie Javins

Publications

Comics (A–B)Comics (C–F)Comics (G–J)Comics (K–O)Comics (P–S)Comics (T–Z)Current comics

Universe

DC UniverseMultiverseCharactersMetahumansCrossoversTeams and organizationsCriminal organizationsGovernment agenciesAlien racesLocationsDC IndexWho's Who

Lines and imprints

Current

Black Label DC's Young AnimalWildStormHill House ComicsThe Sandman UniverseMurphyverseDC Graphic Novels for KidsDC Graphic Novels for Young AdultsEarth OneMadMilestoneWonder ComicsYoung AnimalDC Universe InfiniteMAD

Defunct

All-StarAmalgam Marvel Comics jointCMXDC InkDC ZoomFocusElseworldsHanna-Barbera BeyondHelixImpactJohnnyJust Imagine...MinxThe New Age of DC HeroesParadoxPiranhaTangentVertigoWildStorm America's Best ComicsCliffhangerHomageZuda

Reprints

DC Archive Editions listDC ChroniclesDC Comics Absolute Editions DC Comics Classics LibraryDC OmnibusShowcase Presents listList of DC Comics reprint collectionsList of DC imprint reprint collections

Predecessors

All-American PublicationsNational Comics PublicationsAcquired companies E. C. PublicationsWildStorm ProductionsAcquired characters Charlton ComicsFawcett ComicsQuality Comics

General

List of DC Comics imprints (publications)

Adaptations

DC CharactersFilmsTelevision series ArrowverseDC Animated UniverseDC Universe (franchise)NovelsDC Games Rocksteady StudiosBatmanSupermanUnproduced imprint films

Related

DC Comics rating systemDC FanDomeDC ImplosionDetective v. BrunsNational v. FawcettWarner v. ABCDC Universe SVODWarner Bros.DC StudiosDC Entertainment

 CategoryCategory:United States company templates

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Comic book publishers in North America

Active

Aardvark-VanaheimAbrams ComicArtsAC ComicsAction Lab ComicsAfterShock ComicsAhoy ComicsAiT/Planet LarAlias EnterprisesAlternative ComicsAntarctic PressArcana StudioArchaia EntertainmentArchie ComicsAspen MLTAvatar PressAWA StudiosBeyond ComicsBlack Eye ProductionsBlack Mask StudiosBlack Sands EntertainmentBoom! StudiosCaliber ComicsClass ComicsComic HouseConundrum PressCreative Impulse EntertainmentCross Infinite WorldDarby Pop PublishingDark Horse ComicsDC ComicsDenpaDevil's Due PublishingDrawn & QuarterlyDSTLRYDynamite EntertainmentEureka ProductionsFantagraphicsFirst Second BooksHarperCollinsHarris ComicsHermes PressHumanoids PublishingHyperwerksIDW PublishingImage ComicsIron Circus ComicsJ-Novel ClubKaiten BooksKodansha USAKoyama PressLa PastèqueLast GaspLegendary ComicsLev Gleason PublicationsLes 400 coupsThe Library of American ComicsMad Cave StudiosMarvel ComicsMilestone MediaMoonstone BooksMyFutprint EntertainmentNBM PublishingNorthwest PressOni PressPanini ComicsPapercutzPlatinum StudiosRadical ComicsRadio ComixRed 5 ComicsRip Off PressSeven Seas EntertainmentShadowlineSkybound EntertainmentSlave Labor GraphicsSumerian ComicsSunday Press BooksTidalWave ProductionsTitan ComicsTKO StudiosTokyopopTop Cow ProductionsUdon EntertainmentValiant ComicsVault ComicsVerticalViz MediaVortex ComicsWaRP GraphicsYen PressZenescope EntertainmentZ2 Comics

Former

Aircel ComicsAll-American PublicationsAmalgam ComicsAmerican Comics GroupAnglo-American PublishingAnother Rainbow PublishingApe EntertainmentApple ComicsArcade ComicsAtlas ComicsAtlas/Seaboard ComicsAwesome ComicsAzteca ProductionsBell FeaturesBlackthorne PublishingBongo ComicsBroadway ComicsCat-Head ComicsCatalan CommunicationsCentaur PublicationsChaos! ComicsCharlton ComicsColumbia ComicsHarry "A" CheslerComicoComicsOneComiXology OriginalsContinuity ComicsContinüm ComicsCrestwood PublicationsCrossGenDabel Brothers ProductionsDavid McKay PublicationsDefiant ComicsDell ComicsDel Rey MangaDisney ComicsDouble Take ComicsDragon Lady PressDreamwave ProductionsEastern Color PrintingEC ComicsEclipse ComicsEternity ComicsFantaCo EnterprisesFawcett ComicsFiction HouseFirst ComicsFox Feature SyndicateFuture ComicsGemstone PublishingGilbertonGladstone PublishingGold Key ComicsHarvey ComicsHighwater BooksHillborough StudiosHillman PeriodicalsHolyoke PublishingInnovation PublishingKitchen Sink PressLion Forge ComicsMagazine EnterprisesMainline PublicationsMalibu ComicsMaple Leaf PublishingMillennium PublicationsMirage StudiosNational Comics PublicationsNedor PublishingNew Reliable PressNOW ComicsPacific ComicsPendulum PressPrint MintQuality ComicsRenegade PressRevolutionary ComicsSemic ComicsSirius ComicsSirius EntertainmentSkywald PublicationsSparkplug ComicsStandard ComicsStrawberry Jam ComicsStreet & SmithTekno ComixTimely ComicsTopps ComicsTundra PublishingVertigo ComicsViper ComicsWarren PublishingWildstorm

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DC Comics war titles

Titles

All-Out WarBlackhawksBlitzkriegG.I. CombatMen of WarOur Army at WarOur Fighting ForcesStar Spangled War StoriesThe War that Time ForgotWeird War Tales

Characters

BlackhawkBoy CommandosCreature CommandosEasy CompanyEnemy AceG.I. RobotHaunted TankHop HarriganThe LosersMademoiselle MarieSgt. RockUnknown Soldier

Editors

Murray BoltinoffArchie GoodwinRobert KanigherJoe KubertJoe Orlando

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DC Comics crossover event publication history

1980s

"Crisis on Infinite Earths" (April 1985)"Legends" (November 1986)"Millennium" (January 1988)"Invasion!" (January 1989)"The Janus Directive" (May 1989)

1990s

"Armageddon 2001" (May 1991)"War of the Gods" (September 1991)"Eclipso: The Darkness Within" (July 1992)"The Death of Superman" (October 1992)"Bloodlines" (1993)"The Children's Crusade" (December 1993)"Worlds Collide" (July 1994)"End of an Era" (August 1994)"Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!" (September 1994)"Underworld Unleashed" (November 1995)"DC vs. Marvel" (April 1996)"The Final Night" (November 1996)"Genesis" (October 1997)"DC One Million" (November 1998)"Day of Judgment" (November 1999)"JLApe: Gorilla Warfare!" (1999)

2000s

"Our Worlds at War" (August 2001)"Joker: Last Laugh" (December 2001)"Identity Crisis" (June 2004)"Infinite Crisis" (December 2005)"Amazons Attack!" (March 2007)"Sinestro Corps War" (August 2007)"Final Crisis" (July 2008)"Blackest Night" (June 2009)

2010s

"Brightest Day" (May 2010)"Reign of Doomsday" (January 2011)"Flashpoint" (May 2011)"The Culling" (November 2011)"Batman: Night of the Owls" (April 2012)"Death of the Family" (October 2012)"H'El on Earth" (October 2012)"Throne of Atlantis" (November 2012)"Wrath of the First Lantern (February 2013)"Batman: Zero Year" (June 2013)"Trinity War" (July 2013)"Forever Evil" (September 2013)"Forever Evil: Blight" (October 2013)"The New 52: Futures End" (September 2014)"Convergence" (April 2015)"Darkseid War" (June 2015)"Dark Nights: Metal" (June 2017)"The Lazarus Contract" (July 2017)"Doomsday Clock" (November 2017)"Milk Wars" (March 2018)"Heroes in Crisis" (September 2018)"The Terminus Agenda" (March 2019)"Year of the Villain" (May 2019)

2020s

"Dark Nights: Death Metal" (June 2020)"Joker War" (September 2020)"Generations" (September 2020)"Endless Winter" (December 2020)"Future State" (January 2021)"Infinite Frontier" (June 2021)"Fear State" (August 2021)"War for Earth-3" (March 2022)"Shadow War" (April 2022)"Dark Crisis" (May 2022)"The New Golden Age" (November 2022)"Lazarus Planet" (January 2023)"Worlds Collide" (February 2023)"Knight Terrors" (July 2023)"Gotham War" (August 2023)"Titans: Beast World" (November 2023)

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American CrusaderAmerican EagleBlack TerrorCaptain FutureDoc StrangeFighting YankThe GhostGrim ReaperJudy of the JungleKara the Jungle PrincessLance Lewis, Space DetectiveLiberatorThe MagnetMiss MasquePrincess PanthaPyromanThe ScarabThe Woman in Red

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Marvel Comics

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For the earlier comic book series or the predecessor to this topic, see Marvel Mystery Comics.

Marvel Comics

Parent company Disney Publishing Worldwide

Status Active

Founded 1939; 85 years ago

(as Timely Comics)

1947; 77 years ago

(as Magazine Management, parent company of Atlas Comics)

1961; 63 years ago

(as Marvel Comics)

Founder Martin Goodman

Country of origin United States

Headquarters location 135 W. 50th Street, New York City, New York

Distribution

Penguin Random House Publisher Services (direct market starting October 2021)[1]

Diamond Comic Distributors (sub-distributor through Penguin Random House starting October 2021, direct market until October 2021)

Hachette Book Group Client Services (trade paperbacks and graphic novels)[2]

Key people

C. B. Cebulski (EIC)

John Nee (Publisher)

Publication types List of publications

Fiction genres

SuperheroScience fictionFantasyActionAdventure

Imprints imprint list

Official website marvel.com

Marvel Comics is an American comic book publisher and the property of The Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin Goodman as Timely Comics,[3] and by 1951 had generally become known as Atlas Comics. The Marvel era began in June 1961 with the launch of The Fantastic Four and other superhero titles created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and many others. The Marvel brand, which had been used over the years and decades, was solidified as the company's primary brand.

Marvel counts among its characters such well-known superheroes as Spider-Man, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Doctor Strange, Hulk, Daredevil, Wolverine, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel, as well as popular superhero teams such as the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Guardians of the Galaxy. Its staple of well-known supervillains includes the likes of Doctor Doom, Magneto, Ultron, Thanos, Kang the Conqueror, Green Goblin, Red Skull, Galactus, Loki, and Kingpin. Most of Marvel's fictional characters operate in a single reality known as the Marvel Universe, with most locations mirroring real-life places; many major characters are based in New York City, New York, United States.[4] Additionally, Marvel has published several licensed properties from other companies. This includes Star Wars comics twice from 1977 to 1986 and again since 2015.

History

Timely Publications

Main article: Timely Comics

Marvel Comics #1 (Oct. 1939), the first comic from Marvel precursor Timely Comics. Cover art by Frank R. Paul.

Pulp-magazine publisher Martin Goodman created the company later known as Marvel Comics under the name Timely Publications in 1939.[5][6] Goodman, who had started with a Western pulp in 1933, was expanding into the emerging—and by then already highly popular—new medium of comic books. Launching his new line from his existing company's offices at 330 West 42nd Street, New York City, he officially held the titles of editor, managing editor, and business manager, with Abraham Goodman (Martin's brother)[7] officially listed as publisher.[6]

Timely's first publication, Marvel Comics #1 (cover dated Oct. 1939), included the first appearance of Carl Burgos' android superhero the Human Torch, and the first appearances of Bill Everett's anti-hero Namor the Sub-Mariner,[8] among other features.[5] The issue was a great success; it and a second printing the following month sold a combined nearly 900,000 copies.[9] While its contents came from an outside packager, Funnies, Inc.,[5] Timely had its own staff in place by the following year. The company's first true editor, writer-artist Joe Simon, teamed with artist Jack Kirby to create one of the first patriotically themed superheroes,[10] Captain America, in Captain America Comics #1 (March 1941). It, too, proved a hit, with sales of nearly one million.[9] Goodman formed Timely Comics, Inc., beginning with comics cover-dated April 1941 or Spring 1941.[3][11]

While no other Timely character would achieve the success of these three characters, some notable heroes—many of which continue to appear in modern-day retcon appearances and flashbacks—include the Whizzer, Miss America, the Destroyer, the original Vision, and the Angel. Timely also published one of humor cartoonist Basil Wolverton's best-known features, "Powerhouse Pepper",[12][13] as well as a line of children's talking animal comics featuring characters like Super Rabbit and the duo Ziggy Pig and Silly Seal.

Goodman hired his wife's 16-year-old cousin,[14] Stanley Lieber, as a general office assistant in 1939.[15] When editor Simon left the company in late 1941,[16] Goodman made Lieber—by then writing pseudonymously as "Stan Lee"—interim editor of the comics line, a position Lee kept for decades except for three years during his military service in World War II. Lee wrote extensively for Timely, contributing to a number of different titles.

Goodman's business strategy involved having his various magazines and comic books published by a number of corporations all operating out of the same office and with the same staff.[3] One of these shell companies through which Timely Comics was published was named Marvel Comics by at least Marvel Mystery Comics #55 (May 1944). As well, some comics' covers, such as All Surprise Comics #12 (Winter 1946–47), were labeled "A Marvel Magazine" many years before Goodman would formally adopt the name in 1961.[17]

Magazine Management / Atlas Comics

Main article: Atlas Comics (1950s)

The post-war American comic market saw superheroes falling out of fashion.[18] Goodman's comic book line dropped them for the most part and expanded into a wider variety of genres than even Timely had published, featuring horror, Westerns, humor, talking animal, men's adventure-drama, giant monster, crime, and war comics, and later adding jungle books, romance titles, espionage, and even medieval adventure, Bible stories and sports.

Goodman began using the globe logo of the Atlas News Company, the newsstand-distribution company he owned,[19] on comics cover-dated November 1951 even though another company, Kable News, continued to distribute his comics through the August 1952 issues.[20] This globe branding united a line put out by the same publisher, staff and freelancers through 59 shell companies, from Animirth Comics to Zenith Publications.[21]

Atlas, rather than innovate, took a proven route of following popular trends in television and films—Westerns and war dramas prevailing for a time, drive-in film monsters another time—and even other comic books, particularly the EC horror line.[22] Atlas also published a plethora of children's and teen humor titles, including Dan DeCarlo's Homer the Happy Ghost (similar to Casper the Friendly Ghost) and Homer Hooper (à la Archie Andrews). Atlas unsuccessfully attempted to revive superheroes from late 1953 to mid-1954, with the Human Torch (art by Syd Shores and Dick Ayers, variously), the Sub-Mariner (drawn and most stories written by Bill Everett), and Captain America (writer Stan Lee, artist John Romita Sr.). Atlas did not achieve any breakout hits and, according to Stan Lee, Atlas survived chiefly because it produced work quickly, cheaply, and at a passable quality.[23]

In 1957 Goodman switched distributors to the American News Company — which shortly afterward lost a Justice Department lawsuit and discontinued its business.[24] Atlas was left without distribution and was forced to turn to Independent News, the distribution arm of its biggest rival, National (DC) Comics, which imposed draconian restrictions on Goodman's company. As then-Atlas editor Stan Lee recalled in a 1988 interview, "[We had been] turning out 40, 50, 60 books a month, maybe more, and ... suddenly we went ... to either eight or 12 books a month, which was all Independent News Distributors would accept from us."[25]

Marvel Comics

The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961). Cover art by Jack Kirby (penciler) and an unknown inker.

The first modern comic books under the Marvel Comics brand were the science-fiction anthology Journey into Mystery #69 and the teen-humor title Patsy Walker #95 (both cover dated June 1961), which each displayed an "MC" box on its cover.[26] Then, in the wake of DC Comics' success in reviving superheroes in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly with the Flash, Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and other members of the team the Justice League of America, Marvel followed suit.[n 1]

In 1961, writer-editor Stan Lee revolutionized superhero comics by introducing superheroes designed to appeal to older readers than the predominantly child audiences of the medium, thus ushering what Marvel later called the Marvel Age of Comics.[27] Modern Marvel's first superhero team, the titular stars of The Fantastic Four #1 (Nov. 1961),[28] broke convention with other comic book archetypes of the time by squabbling, holding grudges both deep and petty, and eschewing anonymity or secret identities in favor of celebrity status. Subsequently, Marvel comics developed a reputation for focusing on characterization and adult issues to a greater extent than most superhero comics before them, a quality which the new generation of older readers appreciated.[29] This applied to The Amazing Spider-Man title in particular, which turned out to be Marvel's most successful book. Its young hero suffered from self-doubt and mundane problems like any other teenager, something with which many readers could identify.[30]

Stan Lee and freelance artist and eventual co-plotter Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four originated in a Cold War culture that led their creators to revise the superhero conventions of previous eras to better reflect the psychological spirit of their age.[31] Eschewing such comic book tropes as secret identities and even costumes at first, having a monster as one of the heroes, and having its characters bicker and complain in what was later called a "superheroes in the real world" approach, the series represented a change that proved to be a great success.[32]

Marvel often presented flawed superheroes, freaks, and misfits—unlike the perfect, handsome, athletic heroes found in previous traditional comic books. Some Marvel heroes looked like villains and monsters such as the Hulk and the Thing. This naturalistic approach even extended into topical politics. Comics historian Mike Benton also noted:

In the world of [rival DC Comics'] Superman comic books, communism did not exist. Superman rarely crossed national borders or involved himself in political disputes.[33] From 1962 to 1965, there were more communists [in Marvel Comics] than on the subscription list of Pravda. Communist agents attack Ant-Man in his laboratory, red henchmen jump the Fantastic Four on the moon, and Viet Cong guerrillas take potshots at Iron Man.[34]

All these elements struck a chord with the older readers, including college-aged adults. In 1965, Spider-Man and the Hulk were both featured in Esquire magazine's list of 28 college campus heroes, alongside John F. Kennedy and Bob Dylan.[35] In 2009, writer Geoff Boucher reflected that,

Superman and DC Comics instantly seemed like boring old Pat Boone; Marvel felt like The Beatles and the British Invasion. It was Kirby's artwork with its tension and psychedelia that made it perfect for the times—or was it Lee's bravado and melodrama, which was somehow insecure and brash at the same time?[36]

In addition to Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, Marvel began publishing further superhero titles featuring such heroes and antiheroes as the Hulk, Thor, Ant-Man, Iron Man, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Inhumans, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel and the Silver Surfer, and such memorable antagonists as Doctor Doom, Magneto, Galactus, Loki, the Green Goblin, and Doctor Octopus, all existing in a shared reality known as the Marvel Universe, with locations that mirror real-life cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Marvel even lampooned itself and other comics companies in a parody comic, Not Brand Echh (a play on Marvel's dubbing of other companies as "Brand Echh", à la the then-common phrase "Brand X").[37]

Originally, the company's publications were branded by a minuscule "Mc" on the upper right-hand corner of the covers. However, artist/writer Steve Ditko put a larger masthead picture of the title character of The Amazing Spider-Man on the upper left-hand corner on issue #2 that included the series' issue number and price. Lee appreciated the value of this visual motif and adapted it for the company's entire publishing line. This branding pattern, being typically either a full-body picture of the characters' solo titles or a collection of the main characters' faces in ensemble titles, would become standard for Marvel for decades.[38]

Cover of The Avengers #4 (Mar 1964), featuring the return of Captain America. Art by Jack Kirby.

Cadence Industries ownership

In 1968, while selling 50 million[citation needed] comic books a year, company founder Goodman revised the constraining distribution arrangement with Independent News he had reached under duress during the Atlas years, allowing him now to release as many titles as demand warranted.[19] Late that year, he sold Marvel Comics and its parent company, Magazine Management, to the Perfect Film & Chemical Corporation (later known as Cadence Industries), though he remained as publisher.[39] In 1969, Goodman finally ended his distribution deal with Independent by signing with Curtis Circulation Company.[19]

In 1971, the United States Department of Health, Education, and Welfare approached Marvel Comics editor-in-chief Stan Lee to do a comic book story about drug abuse. Lee agreed and wrote a three-part Spider-Man story portraying drug use as dangerous and unglamorous. However, the industry's self-censorship board, the Comics Code Authority, refused to approve the story because of the presence of narcotics, deeming the context of the story irrelevant. Lee, with Goodman's approval, published the story regardless in The Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 (May–July 1971), without the Comics Code seal. The market reacted well to the storyline, and the CCA subsequently revised the Code the same year.[40]

Goodman retired as publisher in 1972 and installed his son, Chip, as publisher.[41] Shortly thereafter, Lee succeeded him as publisher and also became Marvel's president[41] for a brief time.[42] During his time as president, he appointed his associate editor, prolific writer Roy Thomas, as editor-in-chief. Thomas added "Stan Lee Presents" to the opening page of each comic book.[41]

Howard the Duck #8 (Jan. 1977). Cover art by Gene Colan and Steve Leialoha.

A series of new editors-in-chief oversaw the company during another slow time for the industry. Once again, Marvel attempted to diversify, and with the updating of the Comics Code published titles themed to horror (The Tomb of Dracula), martial arts (Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu), sword-and-sorcery (Conan the Barbarian in 1970,[43] Red Sonja), satire (Howard the Duck) and science fiction (2001: A Space Odyssey, "Killraven" in Amazing Adventures, Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, and, late in the decade, the long-running Star Wars series). Some of these were published in larger-format black and white magazines, under its Curtis Magazines imprint.

Marvel was able to capitalize on its successful superhero comics of the previous decade by acquiring a new newsstand distributor and greatly expanding its comics line. Marvel pulled ahead of rival DC Comics in 1972, during a time when the price and format of the standard newsstand comic were in flux.[44] Goodman increased the price and size of Marvel's November 1971 cover-dated comics from 15 cents for 36 pages total to 25 cents for 52 pages. DC followed suit, but Marvel the following month dropped its comics to 20 cents for 36 pages, offering a lower-priced product with a higher distributor discount.[45]

In 1973, Perfect Film & Chemical renamed itself as Cadence Industries and renamed Magazine Management as Marvel Comics Group.[46] Goodman, now disconnected from Marvel, set up a new company called Seaboard Periodicals in 1974, reviving Marvel's old Atlas name for a new Atlas Comics line, but this lasted only a year and a half.[47] In the mid-1970s a decline of the newsstand distribution network affected Marvel. Cult hits such as Howard the Duck fell victim to the distribution problems, with some titles reporting low sales when in fact the first specialty comic book stores resold them at a later date.[citation needed] But by the end of the decade, Marvel's fortunes were reviving, thanks to the rise of direct market distribution—selling through those same comics-specialty stores instead of newsstands.

Marvel ventured into audio in 1975 with a radio series and a record, both had Stan Lee as narrator. The radio series was Fantastic Four. The record was Spider-Man: Rock Reflections of a Superhero concept album for music fans.[48]

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 (May 1984). Cover art by Mike Zeck depicting Captain America, Wolverine, Cyclops, Hawkeye, Rogue, She-Hulk, The Thing, Colossus, Monica Rambeau, Nightcrawler, Spider-Man, Human Torch, Hulk, Iron Man and Storm.[49]

Marvel held its own comic book convention, Marvelcon '75, in spring 1975, and promised a Marvelcon '76. At the 1975 event, Stan Lee used a Fantastic Four panel discussion to announce that Jack Kirby, the artist co-creator of most of Marvel's signature characters, was returning to Marvel after having left in 1970 to work for rival DC Comics.[50] In October 1976, Marvel, which already licensed reprints in different countries, including the UK, created a superhero specifically for the British market. Captain Britain debuted exclusively in the UK, and later appeared in American comics.[51] During this time, Marvel and the Iowa-based Register and Tribune Syndicate launched a number of syndicated comic strips — The Amazing Spider-Man, Howard the Duck, Conan the Barbarian, and The Incredible Hulk. None of the strips lasted past 1982, except for The Amazing Spider-Man, which is still being published.

In 1978, Jim Shooter became Marvel's editor-in-chief. Although a controversial personality, Shooter cured many of the procedural ills at Marvel, including repeatedly missed deadlines. During Shooter's nine-year tenure as editor-in-chief, Chris Claremont and John Byrne's run on the Uncanny X-Men and Frank Miller's run on Daredevil became critical and commercial successes.[52] Shooter brought Marvel into the rapidly evolving direct market,[53] institutionalized creator royalties, starting with the Epic Comics imprint for creator-owned material in 1982; introduced company-wide crossover story arcs with Contest of Champions and Secret Wars; and in 1986 launched the ultimately unsuccessful New Universe line to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Marvel Comics imprint. Star Comics, a children-oriented line differing from the regular Marvel titles, was briefly successful during this period, although hampered by legal action by the owners of the recently defunct Harvey Comics for purposefully plagiarizing their house style.[54]

Marvel Entertainment Group ownership

In 1986, Marvel's parent, Marvel Entertainment Group, was sold to New World Entertainment, which within three years sold it to MacAndrews and Forbes, owned by Revlon executive Ronald Perelman in 1989. In 1991 Perelman took MEG public. Following the rapid rise of this stock, Perelman issued a series of junk bonds that he used to acquire other entertainment companies, secured by MEG stock.[55]

Marvel's logo, c. 1990s

Marvel earned a great deal of money with their 1980s children's comics imprint Star Comics[citation needed] and they earned a great deal more money and worldwide success during the comic book boom of the early 1990s, launching the successful 2099 line of comics set in the future (Spider-Man 2099, etc.) and the creatively daring though commercially unsuccessful Razorline imprint of superhero comics created by novelist and filmmaker Clive Barker.[56][57] In 1990, Marvel began selling Marvel Universe Cards with trading card maker SkyBox International. These were collectible trading cards that featured the characters and events of the Marvel Universe. The 1990s saw the rise of variant covers, cover enhancements, swimsuit issues, and company-wide crossovers that affected the overall continuity of the Marvel Universe.

Spider-Man #1, later renamed "Peter Parker: Spider-Man" (August 1990). Cover art by Todd McFarlane.

In early 1992, when seven of Marvel’s prized artists — Todd McFarlane (known for his work on Spider-Man), Jim Lee (X-Men), Rob Liefeld (X-Force), Marc Silvestri (Wolverine), Erik Larsen (The Amazing Spider-Man), Jim Valentino (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Whilce Portacio (Uncanny X-Men) — left to form Image Comics[58] in a deal brokered by Malibu Comics' owner Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.[59] Three years later, on November 3, 1994, Rosenberg sold Malibu to Marvel.[60][61][62] In purchasing Malibu, Marvel now owned computer coloring technology that had been developed by Rosenberg,[63] and also integrated the Ultraverse line of comics and the Genesis Universe into Marvel's multiverse.[64]

In late 1994, Marvel acquired the comic book distributor Heroes World Distribution to use as its own exclusive distributor.[65] As the industry's other major publishers made exclusive distribution deals with other companies, the ripple effect resulted in the survival of only one other major distributor in North America, Diamond Comic Distributors Inc.[66][67] Then, by the middle of the decade, the industry had slumped, and in December 1996 MEG filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.[55] In early 1997, when Marvel's Heroes World endeavor failed, Diamond also forged an exclusive deal with Marvel[68]—giving the company its own section of its comics catalog Previews.[69]

Marvel in the early to mid-1990s expanded their entries in other media, including Saturday-morning cartoons and various comics collaborations to explore new genres. In 1992, they released the X-Men: The Animated Series which was aired on Fox Kids, they later released Spider-Man: The Animated Series on the network as well. In 1993, Marvel teamed up with Thomas Nelson to create Christian media genre comics, including a Christian superhero named The Illuminator, they made adaptions of Christian novels too, including In His Steps, The Screwtape Letters, and The Pilgrim's Progress.[70][71] In 1996, Marvel had some of its titles participate in "Heroes Reborn", a crossover that allowed Marvel to relaunch some of its flagship characters such as the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, and outsource them to the studios of two of the former Marvel artists turned Image Comics founders, Jim Lee and Rob Liefeld. The relaunched titles, which saw the characters transported to a parallel universe with a history distinct from the mainstream Marvel Universe, were a solid success amidst a generally struggling industry.[72]

Marvel Enterprises

In 1997, Toy Biz bought Marvel Entertainment Group to end the bankruptcy, forming a new corporation, Marvel Enterprises.[55] With his business partner Avi Arad, publisher Bill Jemas, and editor-in-chief Bob Harras, Toy Biz co-owner Isaac Perlmutter helped stabilize the comics line.[73]

In 1998, the company launched the imprint Marvel Knights, taking place “with reduced [Marvel] continuity,” according to one history, with better production quality. The imprint was helmed by soon-to-become editor-in-chief Joe Quesada; it featured tough, gritty stories showcasing such characters as the Daredevil,[74] the Inhumans, and Black Panther.[citation needed]

With the new millennium, Marvel Comics emerged from bankruptcy and again began diversifying its offerings. In 2001, Marvel withdrew from the Comics Code Authority and established its own Marvel Rating System for comics. The first title from this era to not have the code was X-Force #119 (October 2001). Marvel also created new imprints, such as MAX (an explicit-content line) and Marvel Adventures (developed for child audiences). The company also created an alternate universe imprint, Ultimate Marvel, that allowed the company to reboot its major titles by revising and updating its characters to introduce to a new generation.[citation needed]

Some of the company's properties were adapted into successful film franchises, such as the Men in Black film series (which was based on a Malibu book), starting in 1997, the Blade film series, starting in 1998, the X-Men film series, starting in 2000, and the highest grossing series, Spider-Man, beginning in 2002.[75]

Marvel's Conan the Barbarian title was canceled in 1993 after 275 issues, while the Savage Sword of Conan magazine had lasted 235 issues. Marvel published additional titles including miniseries until 2000 for a total of 650 issues. Conan was picked up by Dark Horse Comics three years later.[43]

In a cross-promotion, the November 1, 2006, episode of the CBS soap opera Guiding Light, titled "She's a Marvel", featured the character Harley Davidson Cooper (played by Beth Ehlers) as a superheroine named the Guiding Light.[76] The character's story continued in an eight-page backup feature, "A New Light", that appeared in several Marvel titles published November 1 and 8.[77] Also that year, Marvel created a wiki on its Web site.[78]

In late 2007 the company launched Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited, a digital archive of over 2,500 back issues available for viewing, for a monthly or annual subscription fee.[79] At the December 2007 the New York Anime Fest, the company announcement that Del Rey Manga would published two original English language Marvel manga books featuring the X-Men and Wolverine to hit the stands in spring 2009.[80]

In 2009 Marvel Comics closed its Open Submissions Policy, in which the company had accepted unsolicited samples from aspiring comic book artists, saying the time-consuming review process had produced no suitably professional work.[81] The same year, the company commemorated its 70th anniversary, dating to its inception as Timely Comics, by issuing the one-shot Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 and a variety of other special issues.[82][83]

Disney conglomerate unit (2009–present)

Writers of Marvel titles in the 2010s include (seated left to right) Ed Brubaker, Christos Gage, Matt Fraction, and Brian Michael Bendis.

On August 31, 2009, The Walt Disney Company announced it would acquire Marvel Comics' parent corporation, Marvel Entertainment, for a cash and stock deal worth approximately $4 billion, which if necessary would be adjusted at closing, giving Marvel shareholders $30 and 0.745 Disney shares for each share of Marvel they owned.[84][85] As of 2008, Marvel and its major competitor DC Comics shared over 80% of the American comic-book market.[86]

As of September 2010, Marvel switched its bookstore distribution company from Diamond Book Distributors to Hachette Distribution Services.[87] Marvel moved its office to the Sports Illustrated Building in October 2010.[88]

Marvel relaunched the CrossGen imprint, owned by Disney Publishing Worldwide, in March 2011.[89] Marvel and Disney Publishing began jointly publishing Disney/Pixar Presents magazine that May.[90]

Marvel discontinued its Marvel Adventures imprint in March 2012,[91] and replaced them with a line of two titles connected to the Marvel Universe TV block.[92] Also in March, Marvel announced its Marvel ReEvolution initiative that included Infinite Comics,[93] a line of digital comics, Marvel AR, a software application that provides an augmented reality experience to readers and Marvel NOW!, a relaunch of most of the company's major titles with different creative teams.[94][95] Marvel NOW! also saw the debut of new flagship titles including Uncanny Avengers and All-New X-Men.[96]

In April 2013, Marvel and other Disney conglomerate components began announcing joint projects. With ABC, a Once Upon a Time graphic novel was announced for publication in September.[97] With Disney, Marvel announced in October 2013 that in January 2014 it would release its first title under their joint "Disney Kingdoms" imprint "Seekers of the Weird", a five-issue miniseries.[98] On January 3, 2014, fellow Disney subsidiary Lucasfilm announced that as of 2015, Star Wars comics would once again be published by Marvel.[99]

Following the events of the company-wide crossover "Secret Wars" in 2015, a relaunched Marvel universe began in September 2015, called the All-New, All-Different Marvel.[100]

Marvel Legacy was the company's Fall 2017 relaunch branding, which began that September. Books released as part of that initiative featured lenticular variant covers that required comic book stores to double their regular issue order to be able to order the variants. The owner of two Comix Experience stores complained about requiring retailers to purchase an excess of copies featuring the regular cover, which they would not be able to sell in order to acquire the more sought-after variant. Marvel responded to these complaints by rescinding these ordering requirements on newer series, but maintained it on more long-running titles like Invincible Iron Man. As a result, MyComicShop.com and at least 70 other comic book stores boycotted these variant covers.[101] Despite the release of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Logan, Thor: Ragnarok, and Spider-Man: Homecoming in theaters, none of those characters' titles featured in the top 10 sales and the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book series was canceled.[102] Conan Properties International announced on January 12, 2018, that Conan would return to Marvel in early 2019.[43]

On March 1, 2019, Serial Box, a digital book platform, announced a partnership with Marvel, in which they would publish new and original stories tied to a number of Marvel's popular franchises.[103]

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March to May 2020, Marvel and its distributor Diamond Comic Distributors stopped producing and releasing new comic books.[104][105][106]

On March 25, 2021, Marvel Comics announced that they planned to shift their direct market distribution for monthly comics and graphic novels from Diamond Comic Distributors to Penguin Random House. The change was scheduled to start on October 1, 2021, in a multi-year partnership. The arrangement would still allow stores the option to order comics from Diamond, but Diamond would be acting as a wholesaler rather than distributor.[1]

Officers

Michael Z. Hobson, executive vice president;[107] Marvel Comics Group vice-president (1986)[108]

Stan Lee, chairman and publisher (1986)[108]

Joseph Calamari, executive vice president (1986)[108]

Jim Shooter, vice president and editor-in-chief (1986)[108]

Publishers

(Abraham Goodman, 1939[6])

Martin Goodman, 1939–1972[41]

Charles "Chip" Goodman, 1972[41]

Stan Lee, 1972 – October 1996[41][42][107]

Shirrel Rhoades, October 1996 – October 1998[107]

Winston Fowlkes, February 1998 – November 1999[107]

Bill Jemas, February 2000 – 2003[107]

Dan Buckley, 2003[109] — January 2017[110][111]

John Nee, January 2018 — present[110]

Editors-in-chief

Marvel's chief editor originally held the title of "editor". This head editor's title later became "editor-in-chief". Joe Simon was the company's first true chief-editor, with publisher Martin Goodman, who had served as titular editor only and outsourced editorial operations.

In 1994 Marvel briefly abolished the position of editor-in-chief, replacing Tom DeFalco with five group editors-in-chief. As Carl Potts described the 1990s editorial arrangement:

In the early '90s, Marvel had so many titles that there were three Executive Editors, each overseeing approximately one-third of the line. Bob Budiansky was the third Executive Editor [following the previously promoted Mark Gruenwald and Potts]. We all answered to Editor-in-Chief Tom DeFalco and Publisher Mike Hobson. All three Executive Editors decided not to add our names to the already crowded credits on the Marvel titles. Therefore it wasn't easy for readers to tell which titles were produced by which Executive Editor … In late '94, Marvel reorganized into a number of different publishing divisions, each with its own Editor-in-Chief.[112]

Marvel reinstated the overall editor-in-chief position in 1995 with Bob Harras.

Editor

Martin Goodman (1939–1940; titular only)[6]

Joe Simon (1939–1941)

Stan Lee (1941–1942)

Vincent Fago (acting editor during Lee's military service) (1942–1945)

Stan Lee (1945–1972)

Roy Thomas (1972–1974)

Len Wein (1974–1975)

Marv Wolfman (black-and-white magazines 1974–1975, entire line 1975–1976)

Gerry Conway (1976)

Archie Goodwin (1976–1978)

Editor-in-chief

Jim Shooter (1978–1987)

Tom DeFalco (1987–1994)

No overall; separate group editors-in-chief (1994–1995)

Bob Budiansky, Spider-Man Group

Bobbie Chase, Marvel Edge

Mark Gruenwald, Marvel Universe (that is, Avengers & Cosmic)

Bob Harras, X-Men Group

Carl Potts, Marvel Comics (licensed property titles only)[112]

Bob Harras (1995–2000)

Joe Quesada (2000–2011)

Axel Alonso (2011–2017)

C. B. Cebulski (2017–present)[113]

Executive Editors

Originally called associate editor when Marvel's chief editor just carried the title of editor, the title of the second-highest editorial position became executive editor under the chief editor title of editor-in-chief. The title of associate editor later was revived under the editor-in-chief as an editorial position in charge of few titles under the direction of an editor and without an assistant editor.

Associate Editor

Jim Shooter, January 5, 1976 – January 2, 1978[114]

Executive Editor

Tom DeFalco, 1983–1987

Mark Gruenwald, 1987–1991; Senior Executive Editor: 1991–1995

Carl Potts, Epic Comics Executive Editor, 1989–1995[112]

Bob Budiansky, Special Projects Executive Editor, 1991–1995[112]

Bobbie Chase, 1995–2001

Tom Brevoort, 2007–2011[115]

Axel Alonso, 2010 – January 2011[116]

Ownership

Martin Goodman (1939–1968)

Parent corporation

Magazine Management Co. (1968–1973)

Cadence Industries (1973–1986)

Marvel Entertainment Group (1986–1998)

Marvel Enterprises, Inc. (1998–2005)

Marvel Entertainment, Inc (2005–2009)

Marvel Entertainment, LLC (2009–2023, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company)

Disney Publishing Worldwide (2023–present)

Offices

Located in New York City, Marvel has had successive headquarters:

in the McGraw-Hill Building,[6] where it originated as Timely Comics in 1939[117]

in suite 1401 of the Empire State Building[117]

at 635 Madison Avenue (the actual location, though the comic books' indicia listed the parent publishing-company's address of 625 Madison Ave.)[117]

575 Madison Avenue;[117]

387 Park Avenue South[117]

10 East 40th Street[117]

417 Fifth Avenue[117]

a 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) space in the Sports Illustrated Building at 135 W. 50th Street (October 2010—[88][118] present)

Productions

TV

Animated

Series Aired Production Distributor Network Episodes

The Marvel Super Heroes 1966 Grantray-Lawrence Animation / Marvel Comics Group Krantz Films ABC 65

Fantastic Four 1967–68 Hanna-Barbera Productions / Marvel Comics Group Taft Broadcasting 20

Spider-Man 1967–70 Grantray-Lawrence Animation / Krantz Films / Marvel Comics Group 52

The New Fantastic Four 1978 DePatie-Freleng Enterprises / Marvel Comics Animation Marvel Entertainment NBC 13

Fred and Barney Meet the Thing 1979 Hanna-Barbera Productions / Marvel Comics Group Taft Broadcasting 13 (26 segments of The Thing)

Spider-Woman 1979–80 DePatie-Freleng Enterprises / Marvel Comics Animation Marvel Entertainment ABC 16

Market share

This section appears to be slanted towards recent events. Please try to keep recent events in historical perspective and add more content related to non-recent events. (July 2017)

In 2017, Marvel held a 38.30% share of the comics market, compared to its competitor DC Comics' 33.93%.[119] By comparison, the companies respectively held 33.50% and 30.33% shares in 2013, and 40.81% and 29.94% shares in 2008.[120]

Marvel characters in other media

Marvel characters and stories have been adapted to many other media. Some of these adaptations were produced by Marvel Comics and its sister company, Marvel Studios, while others were produced by companies licensing Marvel material.

Games

In June 1993, Marvel issued its collectable caps for milk caps game under the Hero Caps brand.[121] In 2014, the Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers Japanese TV series was launched together with a collectible game called Bachicombat, a game similar to the milk caps game, by Bandai.[122]

Collectible card games

The RPG industry brought the development of the collectible card game (CCG) in the early 1990s which there were soon Marvel characters were featured in CCG of their own starting in 1995 with Fleer's OverPower (1995–1999). Later collectible card game were:

Marvel Superstars (2010–?) Upper Deck Company

ReCharge Collectible Card Game (2001–? ) Marvel

Vs. System (2004–2009, 2014–) Upper Deck Company

X-Men Trading Card Game (2000–?) Wizards of the Coast

Marvel Champions: The Card Game (2019—present) Fantasy Flight Games, a Living Card Game[123]

Miniatures

Marvel Crisis Protocol (Fall 2019—) Atomic Mass Games[124]

HeroClix, WizKids

Role-playing

Main article: List of Marvel RPG supplements

TSR published the pen-and-paper role-playing game Marvel Super Heroes in 1984. TSR then released in 1998 the Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game which used a different system, the card-based SAGA system, than their first game. In 2003 Marvel Publishing published its own role-playing game, the Marvel Universe Roleplaying Game, that used a diceless stone pool system.[125] In August 2011 Margaret Weis Productions announced it was developing a tabletop role-playing game based on the Marvel universe, set for release in February 2012 using its house Cortex Plus RPG system.[126]

Video games

Main article: Marvel Games

Video games based on Marvel characters go back to 1984 and the Atari 2600 game, Spider-Man. Since then several dozen video games have been released and all have been produces by outside licensees. In 2014, Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes was released that brought Marvel characters to the existing Disney sandbox video game.

Films

Main articles: List of films based on Marvel Comics publications, Marvel Cinematic Universe, and List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films

As of the start of September 2015, films based on Marvel's properties represent the highest-grossing U.S. franchise, having grossed over $7.7 billion[127] as part of a worldwide gross of over $18 billion. As of 2024, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has grossed over $32 billion.

Live shows

Spider-Man's Wedding (1987)

Spider-Man On Stage (1999)

Spider-Man Stunt Show: A Stunt Spectacular (2002–2004)

Spider-Man Live! (2002–2003)

The Marvel Experience (2014–)

Marvel Universe Live! (2014–) live arena show

Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark (2011–2014) a Broadway musical

Prose novels

Main articles: Marvel Books and Marvel Press

Marvel first licensed two prose novels to Bantam Books, who printed The Avengers Battle the Earth Wrecker by Otto Binder (1967) and Captain America: The Great Gold Steal by Ted White (1968). Various publishers took up the licenses from 1978 to 2002. Also, with the various licensed films being released beginning in 1997, various publishers put out film novelizations.[128] In 2003, following publication of the prose young adult novel Mary Jane, starring Mary Jane Watson from the Spider-Man mythos, Marvel announced the formation of the publishing imprint Marvel Press.[129] However, Marvel moved back to licensing with Pocket Books from 2005 to 2008.[128] With few books issued under the imprint, Marvel and Disney Books Group relaunched Marvel Press in 2011 with the Marvel Origin Storybooks line.[130]

Television programs

Main article: List of television series based on Marvel Comics

Many television series, both live-action and animated, have based their productions on Marvel Comics characters. These include series for popular characters such as Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, the X-Men, Fantastic Four, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, the Punisher, the Defenders, S.H.I.E.L.D., Agent Carter, Deadpool, Legion, and others. Additionally, a handful of television films, usually also pilots, based on Marvel Comics characters have been made.

Theme parks

Marvel has licensed its characters for theme parks and attractions, including Marvel Super Hero Island at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure[131] in Orlando, Florida, which includes rides based on their iconic characters and costumed performers, as well as The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man ride cloned from Islands of Adventure to Universal Studios Japan.[132]

Years after Disney purchased Marvel in late 2009, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts plans on creating original Marvel attractions at their theme parks,[133][134] with Hong Kong Disneyland becoming the first Disney theme park to feature a Marvel attraction.[135][136] Due to the licensing agreement with Universal Studios, signed prior to Disney's purchase of Marvel, Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disney Resort are barred from having Marvel characters in their parks.[137] However, this only includes characters that Universal is currently using, other characters in their "families" (X-Men, Avengers, Fantastic Four, etc.), and the villains associated with said characters.[131] This clause has allowed Walt Disney World to have meet and greets, merchandise, attractions and more with other Marvel characters not associated with the characters at Islands of Adventures, such as Star-Lord and Gamora from Guardians of the Galaxy.[138][139]

Imprints

Marvel Comics

Marvel Press, joint imprint with Disney Books Group

Icon Comics (creator owned)

Infinite Comics

Timely Comics

MAX

20th Century Studios[140]

Disney Kingdoms

Marvel Worldwide with Disney announced in October 2013 that in January 2014 it would release its first comic book title under their joint Disney Kingdoms imprint Seekers of the Weird, a five-issue miniseries inspired by a never built Disneyland attraction Museum of the Weird.[98] Marvel's Disney Kingdoms imprint has since released comic adaptations of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad,[141] Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room,[142] The Haunted Mansion,[143] two series on Figment[144][145] based on Journey Into Imagination.

Defunct

Amalgam Comics

CrossGen

Curtis Magazines/Marvel Magazine Group

Marvel Monsters Group

Epic Comics (creator owned) (1982–2004)

Malibu Comics (1994–1997)

Marvel 2099 (1992–1998)

Marvel Absurd

Marvel Age/Adventures

Marvel Books

Marvel Edge

Marvel Knights

Marvel Illustrated

Marvel Mangaverse

Marvel Music

Marvel Next

Marvel Noir

Marvel UK

Marvel Frontier

MC2

New Universe

Paramount Comics (co-owned with Viacom's Paramount Pictures)

Razorline

Star Comics

Tsunami

Ultimate Comics

See also

List of comics characters which originated in other media

List of magazines released by Marvel Comics in the 1970s

Notes

 Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, either Jack Liebowitz or Irwin Donenfeld of DC Comics (then known as National Periodical Publications) bragged about DC's success with the Justice League (which had debuted in The Brave and the Bold #28 [February 1960] before going on to its own title) to publisher Martin Goodman (whose holdings included the nascent Marvel Comics) during a game of golf. However, film producer and comics historian Michael Uslan partly debunked the story in a letter published in Alter Ego #43 (December 2004), pp. 43–44

Irwin said he never played golf with Goodman, so the story is untrue. I heard this story more than a couple of times while sitting in the lunchroom at DC's 909 Third Avenue and 75 Rockefeller Plaza office as Sol Harrison and [production chief] Jack Adler were schmoozing with some of us … who worked for DC during our college summers.... [T]he way I heard the story from Sol was that Goodman was playing with one of the heads of Independent News, not DC Comics (though DC owned Independent News). … As the distributor of DC Comics, this man certainly knew all the sales figures and was in the best position to tell this tidbit to Goodman. … Of course, Goodman would want to be playing golf with this fellow and be in his good graces. … Sol worked closely with Independent News' top management over the decades and would have gotten this story straight from the horse's mouth.

Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA's strong sales, confirmably directed his comics editor, Stan Lee, to create a comic-book series about a team of superheroes. According to Lee in Origins of Marvel Comics (Simon and Schuster/Fireside Books, 1974), p. 16: "Martin mentioned that he had noticed one of the titles published by National Comics seemed to be selling better than most. It was a book called The [sic] Justice League of America and it was composed of a team of superheroes. … ' If the Justice League is selling ', spoke he, 'why don't we put out a comic book that features a team of superheroes?'"

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Further reading

George, Milo (2001). Jack Kirby: The TCJ Interviews. Fantagraphics Books. ISBN 1-56097-434-6.

Howe, Sean (2012). Marvel Comics: the Untold Story. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-199210-0.

Jones, Gerard (2004). Men of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book. Basic Books. ISBN 0-465-03657-0.

Lupoff, Dick; Thompson, Don (1997). All in Color for a Dime. Krause Publications. ISBN 0-87341-498-5.

Steranko, James (1971). The Steranko History of Comics. Vol. 1. Supergraphics. ISBN 0-517-50188-0.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Marvel Comics.

Wikiquote has quotations related to Marvel Comics.

Official website Edit this at Wikidata

Vassallo, Michael J. (2005). "A Timely Talk with Allen Bellman". Comicartville.com. p. 2. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010..

Complete Marvel Reading Order from Travis Starnes

vte

Marvel Comics

The Walt Disney Company since 2009 Disney Publishing Worldwide

Publications

Comics AComics B–CComics D–EComics F–GComics H–LComics MComics N–RComics SComics T–VComics W–ZTimely and Atlas comicsCurrent comics

Universe

Marvel UniverseMultiverseCharactersCrossoversSuperhero debutsTeams and organizationsCriminal organizationsFirst appearancesFeaturesAlien racesMonstersMarvel IndexOfficial Handbook

Lines and imprints

Current

Marvel Press Disney jointMarvel UnlimitedUltimate Universe (2023)

Defunct

Amalgam DC Comics jointCrossGen Disney propertyEpicIconInfiniteMarvel 2099Marvel AbsurdMarvel Adventures/Marvel AgeMarvel BooksMarvel Comics 2Marvel CyberComicsMarvel EdgeMarvel Graphic NovelMarvel IllustratedMarvel KnightsMarvel MangaverseMarvel Music (original)Marvel NextMarvel NoirMarvel UKMAXNew UniverseParamountRazorlineStarThe EndTsunamiUltimate Marvel

Reprints

Essential MarvelMarvel MasterworksMarvel OmnibusMarvel Premiere ClassicMarvel Ultimate Collection/Complete Collection, Complete Epic and Epic Collection

Predecessors

Timely ComicsMagazine Management 1970sAtlas ComicsAcquired charactersMalibu Comics Aircel ComicsEternity ComicsAdventure Publications

Editors-in-chief /

executive editors

Joe SimonStan LeeVincent FagoRoy ThomasLen WeinMarv WolfmanGerry ConwayArchie GoodwinJim ShooterTom DeFalcoBob HarrasJoe QuesadaAxel AlonsoC. B. Cebulski

Adaptations

NovelsFilmsTelevision seriesVideo gamesRole-playing gamesUnproduced adaptations filmsimprint filmstelevision

Related

Marvel Comics rating systemMarvel No-PrizeMarvel Super Hero IslandPeopleFunnies Inc.Kimble v. MarvelWalt Disney StudiosMarvel StudiosMarvel Entertainment

 Category

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Disney Consumer Products

Disney Store

Disney Publishing Worldwide

Disney ComicsDisney EnglishMarvel ComicsMarvel Press (Marvel joint)NG Media (70%)

Games and

interactive experiences

DCPI LabsDisney Interactive Studios (defunct) video gamesDisney MobilePlaydom (defunct)FoxNext (defunct)

Other

D23Disney comicsDisney Tsum TsumDisney VaultMarvel EntertainmentVinylmation Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story

Disney Experiences Disney franchises

vte

Marvel Entertainment

Former subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company

Key people

Kevin Feige (Studios President, CCO)Dan Buckley (President)Joe SimonStan LeeVincent FagoRoy ThomasLen WeinMarv WolfmanGerry ConwayArchie GoodwinJim ShooterTom DeFalcoBob HarrasJoe QuesadaAxel AlonsoC. B. CebulskiIsaac Perlmutter

Publications

Comics AComics B–CComics D–EComics F–GComics H–LComics MComics N–RComics SComics T–VComics W–ZTimely and Atlas comicsCurrent comicsMarvel Unlimited

Universe

Marvel UniverseMultiverseCharactersCrossoversSuperhero debutsTeams and organizationsCriminal organizationsFirst appearancesFeaturesAlien racesMonstersMarvel IndexOfficial Handbook

Lines and imprints

Current

Marvel Press (Disney joint)Marvel Unlimited

Defunct

Amalgam (DC Comics joint)CrossGen (Disney property)EpicIconInfiniteMarvel 2099Marvel AbsurdMarvel Adventures/Marvel AgeMarvel BooksMarvel Comics 2Marvel CyberComicsMarvel EdgeMarvel Graphic NovelMarvel IllustratedMarvel KnightsMarvel MangaverseMarvel Music (original)Marvel NextMarvel NoirMarvel UKMAXNew UniverseParamountRazorlineStarThe EndTsunamiUltimate Marvel

Reprints

Essential MarvelMarvel MasterworksMarvel OmnibusMarvel Premiere ClassicMarvel Ultimate Collections/Complete Collections, Complete Epic and Epic Collection

Predecessors

Timely ComicsMagazine Management Atlas ComicsMalibu Comics (acquired characters)

Adaptations

Marvel ExperienceMarvel Universe Live!Marvel GamesMarvel ToysNovelsFilmsTelevision seriesRole-playing gamesUnproduced adaptations filmsimprint filmstelevisionDocumentaries Marvel's 616Marvel's Behind the MaskMarvel's Hero ProjectMarvel's Storyboards

Related

Marvel Productions Marvel TelevisionMarvel AnimationMarvel UKMarvel StadiumFleerSkyBoxHeroes World DistributionMarvel Comics rating systemMarvel No-PrizeMarvel Super Hero IslandSan Fransokyo SquareThe Happy Ride With BaymaxPeopleFunnies Inc.Kimble v. MarvelWalt Disney StudiosMarvel Studios Marvel Studios AnimationDisney Publishing Worldwide

 Category

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Comic book publishers in North America

Active

Aardvark-VanaheimAbrams ComicArtsAC ComicsAction Lab ComicsAfterShock ComicsAhoy ComicsAiT/Planet LarAlias EnterprisesAlternative ComicsAntarctic PressArcana StudioArchaia EntertainmentArchie ComicsAspen MLTAvatar PressAWA StudiosBeyond ComicsBlack Eye ProductionsBlack Mask StudiosBlack Sands EntertainmentBoom! StudiosCaliber ComicsClass ComicsComic HouseConundrum PressCreative Impulse EntertainmentCross Infinite WorldDarby Pop PublishingDark Horse ComicsDC ComicsDenpaDevil's Due PublishingDrawn & QuarterlyDSTLRYDynamite EntertainmentEureka ProductionsFantagraphicsFirst Second BooksHarperCollinsHarris ComicsHermes PressHumanoids PublishingHyperwerksIDW PublishingImage ComicsIron Circus ComicsJ-Novel ClubKaiten BooksKodansha USAKoyama PressLa PastèqueLast GaspLegendary ComicsLev Gleason PublicationsLes 400 coupsThe Library of American ComicsMad Cave StudiosMarvel ComicsMilestone MediaMoonstone BooksMyFutprint EntertainmentNBM PublishingNorthwest PressOni PressPanini ComicsPapercutzPlatinum StudiosRadical ComicsRadio ComixRed 5 ComicsRip Off PressSeven Seas EntertainmentShadowlineSkybound EntertainmentSlave Labor GraphicsSumerian ComicsSunday Press BooksTidalWave ProductionsTitan ComicsTKO StudiosTokyopopTop Cow ProductionsUdon EntertainmentValiant ComicsVault ComicsVerticalViz MediaVortex ComicsWaRP GraphicsYen PressZenescope EntertainmentZ2 Comics

Former

Aircel ComicsAll-American PublicationsAmalgam ComicsAmerican Comics GroupAnglo-American PublishingAnother Rainbow PublishingApe EntertainmentApple ComicsArcade ComicsAtlas ComicsAtlas/Seaboard ComicsAwesome ComicsAzteca ProductionsBell FeaturesBlackthorne PublishingBongo ComicsBroadway ComicsCat-Head ComicsCatalan CommunicationsCentaur PublicationsChaos! ComicsCharlton ComicsColumbia ComicsHarry "A" CheslerComicoComicsOneComiXology OriginalsContinuity ComicsContinüm ComicsCrestwood PublicationsCrossGenDabel Brothers ProductionsDavid McKay PublicationsDefiant ComicsDell ComicsDel Rey MangaDisney ComicsDouble Take ComicsDragon Lady PressDreamwave ProductionsEastern Color PrintingEC ComicsEclipse ComicsEternity ComicsFantaCo EnterprisesFawcett ComicsFiction HouseFirst ComicsFox Feature SyndicateFuture ComicsGemstone PublishingGilbertonGladstone PublishingGold Key ComicsHarvey ComicsHighwater BooksHillborough StudiosHillman PeriodicalsHolyoke PublishingInnovation PublishingKitchen Sink PressLion Forge ComicsMagazine EnterprisesMainline PublicationsMalibu ComicsMaple Leaf PublishingMillennium PublicationsMirage StudiosNational Comics PublicationsNedor PublishingNew Reliable PressNOW ComicsPacific ComicsPendulum PressPrint MintQuality ComicsRenegade PressRevolutionary ComicsSemic ComicsSirius ComicsSirius EntertainmentSkywald PublicationsSparkplug ComicsStandard ComicsStrawberry Jam ComicsStreet & SmithTekno ComixTimely ComicsTopps ComicsTundra PublishingVertigo ComicsViper ComicsWarren PublishingWildstorm

vte

Golden Age of Comic Books

Ace Comics

Captain CourageousDoctor NemesisThe FlagLash LightningThe RavenUnknown SoldierVulcan

All-American

Publications

The Atom Al PrattBlack Canary Dinah DrakeDoctor Mid-Nite Charles McNiderDoiby DicklesThe Flash Jay GarrickThe Gay GhostGreen Lantern Alan ScottHawkgirl Shiera Sanders HallHawkman Carter HallHop HarriganJohnny ThunderJustice Society of AmericaThe KingMister Terrific Terry SloaneNeptune PerkinsRed TornadoSargon the SorcererThe Terrific WhatzitThunderboltUltra-ManThe WhipWildcat Ted GrantWonder Woman Diana Prince

Centaur Comics

AirmanAmazing-ManThe ArrowThe ClockThe EyeFantom of the FairMagician from MarsThe Masked MarvelMinimidget

Charlton Comics

Atomic MouseCaptain AtomNightshadeMr. MusclesNature BoySpace AdventuresYellowjacket

Dell Comics

Doctor HormoneFlash GordonThe OwlSupermind's SonZorro

Fawcett Comics

BulletgirlBulletmanCaptain MarvelCaptain Marvel Jr.Captain MidnightDan DareHoppy the Marvel BunnyIbis the InvincibleLieutenant MarvelsMarvel FamilyMary MarvelMaster ManMinute-ManMr. ScarletNyoka the Jungle GirlPhantom EaglePinky the Whiz KidScoop SmithSpy SmasherSquadron of JusticeUncle Marvel

Fox Comics

Black FuryBlue Beetle Dan GarretThe BouncerBronze ManDynamoThe FlameGreen MaskThe MothSamsonStardust the Super WizardU.S. JonesWonder Man

Harvey Comics

Black CatCaptain 3-DCaptain FreedomGreen HornetInvisible Scarlet O'NeilKatoShock GibsonSpirit of '76

Lev Gleason

Publications

Captain BattleClawCrimebusterDaredevilLittle Wise GuysSilver Streak

MLJ Comics

The Black HoodBob PhantomCaptain FlagThe CometThe FireflyThe FoxThe HangmanThe ShieldSuper DuckThe WebThe Wizard

National Allied

Publications

Ace the Bat-HoundAir WaveAquamanBatmanBatwomanBlack PirateBoy CommandosCaptain CometChris KL-99Congo BillCrimson Avenger Lee TravisDan the Dyna-MiteDark RangerDetective ChimpDoctor Fate Kent NelsonDoctor OccultGenius JonesGimmick GirlGreen ArrowGuardianHourman Rex TylerJohnny Quick Johnny ChambersKing FaradayThe KnightKryptoLiberty BelleManhunter Paul KirkMartian ManhunterMiss XMr. AmericaNewsboy LegionPhantom StrangerRex the Wonder DogRobin Dick GraysonRobotmanRose PsychicSandman Wesley DoddsSandy the Golden BoySeven Soldiers of VictoryShining Knight Sir JustinSlam BradleyThe Spectre Jim CorriganSpeedy Roy HarperSquireStar-Spangled Kid Sylvester PembertonStarman Ted KnightStripesyStuff the Chinatown KidSuperboy Kal-ElSupermanSuperwoman Lois LaneTarantulaTNTTommy TomorrowVigilante Greg SaundersWonder WomanZatara

Nedor Comics

American CrusaderAmerican EagleBlack TerrorCaptain FutureDoc StrangeFighting YankThe GhostGrim ReaperJudy of the JungleKara the Jungle PrincessLance Lewis, Space DetectiveLiberatorThe MagnetMiss MasquePrincess PanthaPyromanThe ScarabThe Woman in Red

Novelty Press

Blue BoltDick ColeThe TargetThe TargeteersThe Twister

Prize

Publications

Atomic-ManBlack OwlFighting AmericanGreen LamaYank & Doodle

Quality Comics

#711The Black CondorBlackhawkBlue TracerBozo the Iron ManCaptain TriumphDoll GirlDoll ManFirebrandThe Human BombInvisible HoodThe JesterKid EternityLady LuckMadame FatalMagnoManhunterMerlin the MagicianMidnightMiss AmericaMiss FearMouthpieceNeon the UnknownPhantom LadyPlastic ManQuicksilverThe RayRed BeeRed TorpedoThe SpiderSpider WidowUncle SamWildfireWonder BoyWoozy Winks

Timely Comics

All-Winners SquadAmerican AceThe AngelBlack MarvelBlack Widow Claire VoyantBlazing SkullBlonde PhantomBlue BladeBlue DiamondBreeze BartonBucky Bucky BarnesCaptain AmericaCaptain WonderThe ChallengerCitizen VThe DestroyerDynamic ManFather TimeThe FerretFiery MaskThe FinGolden GirlThe Human TorchJack FrostLaughing MaskMarvel BoyMercuryMiss AmericaMiss FuryMister ENamorNamoraThe PatriotPhantom ReporterRed RavenRockmanSilver ScorpionSun GirlSuper RabbitThin ManThundererTim MulrooneyToroVenusThe VisionThe Whizzer Robert FrankThe WitnessYoung Allies

Misc.

American Comics Group SuperkattAnglo-American Publishing Commander SteelAtlas Publications Captain AtomBell Features The BrainJohnny CanuckNelvana of the Northern LightsCardal Publishing StreamlineColumbia Comics The FaceSkymanDavid McKay Publications Mandrake the MagicianThe PhantomDC Thomson The Amazing Mr XJack FlashDynamic Publications Dynamic ManYankee GirlEastern Color Printing Buck RogersHydromanPhantom MagicianEC Comics Moon GirlSuperdupermanElliot Publishing Company Kismet, Man of FateFiction House FantomahHillman Periodicals AirboyThe HeapHolyoke Publishing Cat-ManKittenMiss VictoryL. Miller & Son, Ltd. Kid MarvelmanMarvelmanYoung MarvelmanMagazine Enterprises FunnymanMaple Leaf Publishing Brok WindsorIron ManRural Home Publications Green TurtleStreet & Smith The AvengerDoc SavageThe ShadowSupersnipe

Authority control databases Edit this at Wikidata

International

ISNIVIAF

National

NorwayFranceBnF dataCataloniaGermanyIsraelUnited StatesCzech RepublicAustraliaGreeceCroatiaPolandPortugalVatican

Artists

Te Papa (New Zealand)

People

Trove

Other

SNACIdRef

Categories: Marvel Comics1939 establishments in New York CityAmerican companies established in 1939American cultureComic book publishing companies of the United StatesComics publicationsCompanies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1996Disney comics publishersMarvel EntertainmentPublishing companies based in New York CityPublishing companies established in 1939The Walt Disney Company subsidiaries

  • Condition: Nuovo
  • Brand: Superman
  • Convention/Event: San Diego Comic Con
  • Type: Pocket Watch
  • Year: 2023
  • Signed: No
  • Genre: Science Fiction
  • Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
  • Vintage: Yes

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