[16], All-Star, or All-Star DC, was a DC imprint that allowed big name creators to make "out-of-continuity" stories of DC major characters. 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. [34] The character Superman had another breakthrough when he was given his own comic book, which was unheard of at the time. Its parent company, DC Entertainment, is a wholly owned subsidiary of WarnerMedia. Meanwhile, editor Kanigher successfully introduced a whole family of Wonder Woman characters having fantastic adventures in a mythological context. "Watchmen," "The Dark Knight Returns," "Sandman," "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," "Fables," "Y: The Last Man," and many more make up its more mature Vertigo imprint comics. It is now one of the most expensive and valuable comic book issues of all time. By Graeme McMillan. It only lasted two years before being merged into DC's Vertigo imprint. [64] With that established, DC had attempted to compete with the now-surging Marvel by dramatically increasing its output and attempting to win the market by flooding it. Maggie Thompson, Michael Dean, Brent Frankenhoff, Joyce Greenholdt, John Jackson Miller (editors). This successful revitalization of the Silver Age Teen Titans led DC's editors[74] to seek the same for the wider DC Universe. [dct 3] In November 1999, the Star Trek comic book began publishing under Wildstorm with a series of one-shots and miniseries. Spearheaded by editor Karen Berger, all DC Comics titles bearing the Vertigo logo catered to not only more mature readers, but more sophisticated writers and artists as well. After the events of the Dark Nights: Death Metal storyline, the DC Multiverse was expanded into a larger "Omniverse" where everything is canon, effectively reversing the changes The New 52 introduced a decade prior.[107]. The books came in a standard format with a standard price: 128 pages for $9.99. [a] National Comics Publications absorbed an affiliated concern, Max Gaines' and Liebowitz' All-American Publications. [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. [15][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 mid-1980s also saw the end of many long-running DC war comics, including series that had been in print since the 1960s. 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. Kinney National spun off its non-entertainment assets in 1972 (as National Kinney Corporation) and changed its name to Warner Communications Inc. In 1935, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson published New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1, the first all-original comic book. Rebirth brought huge success, both financially and critically. . Paradox stopped releasing material with Gon on Safari in September 2000. Announces 'Immersive Virtual Fan Experience' as Comic-Con-Style Event", "DC FanDome splits into 2 days: Get the details", "DC FanDome to return with Wonder Woman 1984 virtual premiere, sneak peek", "DC Comics, DC Universe Hit By Major Layoffs", "DC Comics logo and symbol, meaning, history, PNG", DC Comics Brand History by Brainchild Studios, Newsarama article: "Richard Bruning on designing a new DC logo", May 11, 2005, "NEW INTERACTIVE DC COMICS LOGOS TO BE DEPLOYED IN MARCH", "DC Entertainment Introduces New Identity For DC Brand", "DC LAUNCHES NEW PUBLISHING IMPRINT DC BLACK LABEL", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=DC_Comics&oldid=1151145213, Book publishing companies based in California, Comic book publishing companies of the United States, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from December 2020, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Wikipedia pending changes protected pages, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with peacock terms from May 2022, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Pages using Sister project links with hidden wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Lunar Distribution and UCS Comic Distributors. Amalgam Comics published a total of 24 comics, with the first 12 comics being published in April 1996 in-between issues #3 and 4 of the miniseries DC vs. Marvel and the other 12 issues being published in June 1997. The convention also returned for the virtual premiere of Wonder Woman 1984[104] and once again on October 16, 2021. 03 of 06 Dark Horse Comics Star Wars. 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. This logo also served as the round body of Johnny DC, DC's, 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, 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. 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. [22], Meanwhile, Max Gaines formed the sister company All-American Publications around 1938. 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. [dct 3] The one-shots were collected into two volumes published in January 2008. 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. The comic book line was launched with a Batman/Doc Savage one-shot issue followed by the limited series and two continuing series. This merger was completed on April 8, 2022. Last week, reports surfaced that Warner Bros., DC Comics and DC Brand are officially being sold. Several of DC's existing titles such as Animal Man (Volume 1); Doom Patrol (Volume 2); Hellblazer (Volume 1); Sandman (Volume 2); Shade, the Changing Man . [dci 6] Johnny DC was launched in September 2004 with DC Comics' Looney Tunes- and Cartoon Network-based comic books. Wildstorm was an imprint and subsidiary of DC Comics that was acquired that featured superheroes. 33 (Nov. 1939) first depicting the death of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne by a mugger. The book establishing the imprint's tone was Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children (BSUC), an anthology by Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman. All titles are edited by Jamie S. Although the Milestone line ceased publication after a few years, it yielded the popular animated series Static Shock. Discovery Exploring Overhaul of DC Entertainment (EXCLUSIVE)", "Inside David Zaslav's Overhaul of the Warner Bros. Movie Division | Analysis", "DC Comics, Random House Ink Distribution Pact", "Welcome to Diamond Comic Distributors' Retailer Services Website! In March 1989, Warner Communications merged with Time Inc., making DC Comics a subsidiary of Time Warner. With DC's acquisition in 2009 to comic book rights for Doc Savage and the Spirit, among other pulp characters, DC Co-Publisher Dan DiDio and writer Brian Azzarello decided on a shared universe for these characters, then added established non-superpowered DC heroes to the mix. It also rebranded its younger-audience titles with the mascot Johnny DC and established the CMX imprint to reprint translated manga. [dci 6]. DC Comics has published a number of other imprints and lines of comics over the years. Its first few publications in 1934 revolved around the DC characters in the DC Universe, featuring recognizable characters such as DC Superman, Batman, and formidable villains like The Joker. [103] The remaining programming was provided through a one-day video on demand experience, "DC FanDome: Explore the Multiverse", on September 12. In November 1949, the logo was modified to incorporate the company's formal name, National Comics Publications. Copyright Dark Horse Comics [dci 8] The original purposes of the line was to have stories featuring the characters in their "most identifiable versions as seen by the world outside of comics", but based on the creators recruited, the purpose shifted to the creators' vision. [44], Two First Wave line ongoing series were then started: Doc Savage, by Paul Malmont as the first writer joined by artist Howard Porter,[43] and The Spirit, by Mark Schultz the beginning writer joined by artist Moritat. [12] By the end of 2011, the First Wave line was discontinued. [28] The Plain Janes was the only title to get a second volume before the imprint was shut down. 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. [32] Another important Batman debut was the introduction of the fictional mansion known as Wayne Manor first seen in Detective Comics No. [citation needed], With DC's New 52 reboot in September 2011, the Edge line of titles was launched with the Stormwatch and Grifter titles, the Wildstorm characters integrated with the DC Universe, and the All-Star Western, Sgt. In 1969 NPP was purchased by Kinney National Company, which in turn was bought by Warner Brothers-Seven Arts. 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. Charlton Comics was a sub division of Charlton Publications, active from 1946 to 1985. Since 1987, the CCG companies have certified more than 60 million coins, banknotes, comic books, trading cards, sports cards, stamps, estate items and related collectibles. 28 (June 1939). . 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. [dct 4] The same year, Vertigo saw another Fables spin-off, Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love and its 100-page "Spectacular" reprints program began. The event introduced the Dark Multiverse concept and the Dark Knights, a villainous team that mixed Batman with other Justice League members. Amalgam Comics was a joint imprint from Marvel Comics and DC Comics that published amalgamated characters such as the Dark Claw, Iron Lantern, Spider-Boy, and Lobo the Duck. 1961; 62years ago(1961)(as National Periodical Publications), DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment,[4][5] a subsidiary of Warner Bros. In June 1989, the imprint's first titles hit the stands, BSUC and ETC. The World's Largest Selection of Comic Books, from Batman and Superman comic books to Spiderman and X-Men comics, new and back issues. 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 title of the book usually appeared inside the circle, either above or below the letters. This series then followed another non-DC title, Tower Comics' series T.H.U.N.D.E.R. [dct 3] In August 1998, DC purchased Wildstorm Productions, including imprints Cliffhanger, Homage and ABC. The first Zuda Comics winner, Jeremy Love's Bayou, was printed in April 2009. [8] With some licensed pulp characters mixed with pulp-like DC characters, DC launched the First Wave line in 2009. [dct 3] Additional titles printed were Tom Strong, Promethea and Top 10. [9], On July 1, 2010, DC shutdown its CMX imprint and moved Megatokyo to the DC imprint. [dct 2]. Lines of comic books are related comic books that do not necessarily have their own imprint. [citation needed]. When Jenette Kahn became DC's publisher in late 1976, she commissioned graphic designer, On May 8, 2005, a new logo (dubbed the "DC spin") was unveiled, debuting on DC titles in June 2005 with. Global Brands and Experiences division of Warner Brothers. [105], 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. [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]. By 1938, Wheeler-Nicholson sold to Liebowitz/Donenfeld; Ellsworth left; and only Sullivan remained at NAP. The massive commercial success of . basically, like we know, DC buys a lot of comic companies and incorporates their characters into their universe (last example, Wildstorm. 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". Disney buying DC Comics 2021. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Furthermore, AT&T spun off WarnerMedia to Discovery, forming Warner Bros. DC almost got bought out by Marvel Marvel, WB Back in 1984, DC Comics wasn't doing so hot. 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. In May 2002, an ongoing title, Fables by Bill Willingham, revitalized the Vertigo line with stories updating old fairy tales. [dci 9], Paradox Press was DC's second mature readers imprint replacing Piranha Press in 1994. [citation needed], Edge is a line of DC Comics books that includes the Wildstorm characters. MyComicShop. [dct 4] With the New 52 reboot in September 2011, the Wildstorm characters were adapted into the DC Universe within the "Edge" line, which also featured the Western and war comics. In October 1991, the TSR license ended bringing an end to the line with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons reaching issue 36. [1] Before the merger, due to squabbles between the companies, All-American published under its own name/imprint in 1945 starting with the February stand date until the December stand date. 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. The name "Superman" was added to "A DC Publication", effectively acknowledging both Superman and Batman. 1. [1][16][17] 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. 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 2004 DC temporarily acquired the North American publishing rights to graphic novels from European publishers 2000 AD and Humanoids. Irwin said he never played golf with Goodman, so the story is untrue. In October, Gammarauders was canceled with issue 10. Creators include Mariko Tamaki, Ridley Pearson, Steve Pugh, and more. Piranha's best-selling (and most well-remembered) title was Why I Hate Saturn (which started Kyle Baker's solo career). 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. Amalgam Comics published a total of 24 comics, with the first 12 comics being published in April 1996 in-between issues #3 and 4 of the miniseries DC vs. Marvel and the other 12 issues being published in June 1997. Known as DC FanDome, the free "immersive virtual fan experience" was a 24-hour-long event held on August 22, 2020. [52], The New Age of Heroes, originally called Dark Matter, spun out of DC comics' 2017 event Dark Nights: Metal. [dct 2], Helix was a science fiction imprint of DC Comics. This line was headed up by DC Comics' master class with contributors such as Greg Capullo, Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and John Romita Jr.[53] The Dark Multiverse concept is a fluxing reality responding to the viewer's subconscious fears. [5] Also that year, DC entered the webcomic market with Zuda Comics. This page was last edited on 11 February 2023, at 01:49. [90], In 2014, DC announced an eight-issue miniseries titled Convergence which began in April 2015. Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications (NAP), attracting such talent as Vin Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth. Vertigo was the alternative imprint of DC Comics. 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. 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. [citation needed], In March 1996, Wilstorm announced the start of the Homage Comics in August with the relaunch of Kurt Busiek's Astro City, with Homage Comics to be published outside the Image Comics system. The small logo, with no background, read simply, "A DC Publication". Corporate history [dct 4], A direct-to-video animated movie was made based on All-Star Superman by Warner Home Video and released on February 22, 2011.[18]. [96][97][98], On February 21, 2020, the Co-Publisher of DC Comics, Dan DiDio stepped down after 10 years at that position. [43] Fawcett Comics was formed around 1939 and would become DC's original competitor company in the next decade. [13] In February 2012, DC listed a First Wave collection for a May 2012 release. Action Comics (1938 DC) 97 different issues in stock: Action Comics (2016 3rd Series) 278 different issues in stock: Adventure Comics (1938 1st Series) This does not apply to the pop-up imprints like Young Animal and The Wild Storm. Adam Hughes was working on the All Star Wonder Woman book with some pages completed by November 2008. 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. [dct 2] In September 2004, DC upgraded this line to a full imprint as Johnny DC for the November cover date. [33] Action Comics No. [dct 5], Piranha Press was DC Comics' first mature readers imprint launched in 1987. 1 Archie Comics Is One Of America's Oldest-Surviving Comic Companies Everyone refers to Marvel and DC as the Big Two, but really it should probably be the Big Three as Archie Comics has survived in the industry since the Golden Age as well. [99][100] However, Bleeding Cool reported that he was fired.[101]. In November 1980 DC launched the ongoing series The New Teen Titans, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Prez, two popular talents with a history of success. 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. [48] Licenses for the non-DC characters the Spirit, Doc Savage and the Avenger ended prior to December 17, 2012.[49]. [dci 8] Due to scheduling issues of the creative team, the status of writer Geoff Johns and artist J.G. Mother Panic, which features art by Tommy Lee Edwards, is said to be about a new Gotham vigilante who by day is the celebrity heiress Violet Page. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, DRAGONLANCE, FORGOTTEN REALMS . [dci 3] Impact Comics last saw print in July. According to Men's Health, Momoa and his writing partner turned in a 50-page treatment for the sequel, which Warner Bros. bought but apparently mostly dismissed.There's no word on how much of the . Years later, Fawcett sold the rights for Captain Marvel to DCwhich in 1972 revived Captain Marvel in the new title Shazam! Image Comics is an American comic book publisher and is the third largest comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry in both unit and market share. [dci 1] DC launched a manga imprint, CMX[dci 5] and DC Focus in 2004, but Focus was soon shut down in 2005. [65] It had used the brand "Superman-DC" since the 1950s, and was colloquially known as DC Comics for years.[66]. [84][85][86], In May 2011, DC announced it would begin releasing digital versions of their comics on the same day as paper versions. 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, [12] though this number may give a distorted view since graphic novels are excluded. [35], Homage Comics was an imprint of Wildstorm Productions for writer-creator owned comics. [54], The Dark Nights: Metal six-issue miniseries started in August 2017. While Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman merchandise always sold big, the comic books themselves were scraping rock bottom, according to ComicBook.com. DC planned to merge the characters into the DC Universe and tapped writer J. Michael Straczynski to write their introductory stories in the series The Brave and the Bold in 2009. Alan Moore created the concepts of the line. The new logo was first used on May 25, 2016, in conjunction with the release of, DC Zoom (20192019; replaced by DC Graphic Novels for Kids), This page was last edited on 22 April 2023, at 06:23. During that time . Rich. [37][38] Fictional cities would be a common theme of DC. [13], Entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson founded National Allied Publications in Autumn 1934 intended as an American comic book publishing company. [dci 4], Originally, it was planned to be released in July 1996 with September cover dates as "Matrix". [37] In August 1998, DC purchased Wildstorm including imprints Cliffhanger, Homage and America's Best Comics with the imprints appearing under the DC banner in January 1999. ", "DC FanDome: Warner Bros. [40] DC revealed the name and titles of the imprint, Wonder Comics, to debut in 2018. 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. [dci 2], In January 1993, DC's Vertigo imprint was launched with some former DC Comics imprint titles. The line was canceled in September 2008. [dct 3] Moore became increasingly dissatisfied with DC, wrapping up the various series and moving League of Extraordinary Gentlemen to Top Shelf/Knockabout. [dci 2][dct 2], Johnny DC, later DC Entertainment, was DC's imprint for its all ages cartoon titles. In the 60s, a New Jersey parking lot company bought the publishers of DC Comics and Show more. The result, the Wolfman/Prez 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. [68] In September 1978, the line was dramatically reduced and standard-size books returned to 17-page stories but for a still increased 40 cents. [citation needed], DC started a Warner Bros cartoon characters line featuring Looney Tunes and Cartoon Network with the April 1994 issue of Looney Tunes. [35] In April 1999, Tom Strong begins its run. 1. Create an account; Log in; Grading; . National Comics Publications, Inc. v. Fawcett Publications, Inc. And with Alex Ross art, the . We used to have fun ones. [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. It's Not Blood Moon. The November 1941 DC titles introduced an updated logo. To that endand following the example of Atlas/Seaboard Comics[70] and such independent companies as Eclipse ComicsDC 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. Characters such as Green Arrow & Aquaman were still being shown in backup features during the time between the Golden & Silver ages. In February, Tiny Titans first issue was released, while in March the Super Friends title was relaunched, now based on the Mattel toyline of the same name. In July 1989, Forgotten Realms began publication. [69] By 1980, the books returned to 50 cents with a 25-page story count but the story pages replaced house ads in the books. The books came in a standard format with a standard price: 192 pages for $16.99. DC was granted the license to the Red Circle characters in 2008. In December 1992, Prince: Alter Ego, based on the rock star Prince, hit the stands. Rock, G.I. [63] 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. [dct 2], Impact was launched in July 1991 with several titles: Black Hood, The Fly, Jaguar, Comet, Legend of the Shield and The Web. Originally known as "National Publications", DC is a publisher of comic books featuring iconic characters and teams such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Justice League of . [dct 4] In May 2007, DC launched a line for young women called Minx. 3 (June 1939). [dct 10], In 2018, Neil Gaiman and Mark Doyle began to oversee a Sandman Universe imprint under the Vertigo banner.[34]. DC significantly lightened the tone of many DC comicsparticularly Batman and Detective Comicsto better complement the "camp" tone of the TV series. DC Black Label [ edit] Main article: DC Black Label DC Black Label is DC Comics' out of continuity all-star creator imprint. Flat rate US shipping. "Watchmen" and "Sandman" are frequently listed as some of the best comics of all time. [75], 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. The character Doctor Occult, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in December 1935 with issue 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. [8] The majority of its publications takes place within the fictional DC Universe and features numerous culturally iconic heroic characters, such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, Green Lantern, and Cyborg; as well as famous fictional teams including the Justice League, the Justice Society of America, the Justice League Dark, the Doom Patrol, and the Teen Titans. [45], Both of these titles also included back-up stories further showcasing the First Wave universe. In May 1992, the imprint got its first team title, The Crusaders, lasting eight issues. Discovery unit (2018present), In a 19471948 lawsuit field by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster against National, the presiding judge noted in a "Findings of Facts": "DETECTIVE COMICS, INC. was a corporation duly organized and existing under the laws of the State of New York, and was one of the constituent corporations consolidated on September 30, 1946 into defendant NATIONAL COMICS PUBLICATIONS, INC.", Apocryphal legend has it that in 1961, either. [15][19], Focus or DC Focus was an alternative imprint from DC Comics launched in 2004.