A short history of DC Comics
Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Oct 11, 2026 · 1 min read
Short answerDC traces to National Allied Publications, founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1934, whose New Fun #1 (February 1935) was among the first comics of all-original material. Detective Comics, Inc. (1937) gave the company its initials and, with Action Comics #1 (June 1938), Superman. Sister company All-American Publications added Wonder Woman, the Flash and Green Lantern; the firms merged as National Comics Publications in 1946, became part of Kinney National (later Warner) in 1967, and adopted the name DC Comics officially in 1977.
Origins
Wheeler-Nicholson's New Fun and More Fun were followed by Detective Comics #1 (March 1937), published by Detective Comics, Inc., a company he formed with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz and soon lost to them. Action Comics #1 introduced Superman in 1938 and Detective Comics #27 introduced Batman in 1939 — see First appearance of Superman and First appearance of Batman.
All-American and the merger
All-American Publications, run by M. C. Gaines and Liebowitz from 1939, published Flash Comics, All-American Comics, All Star Comics and Sensation Comics — the Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, the Justice Society and Wonder Woman. Gaines sold out in 1944 and used the money to found EC Comics; the remaining companies merged into National Comics Publications in 1946. The "DC" circle logo appeared on covers from 1940.
Silver Age and after
Showcase #4 (October 1956) reintroduced the Flash and began the Silver Age. National Periodical Publications (renamed 1961) was bought by Kinney National Company in 1967, which became Warner Communications. The name DC Comics was adopted officially in 1977. Crisis on Infinite Earths (1985–1986) reset the continuity; Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns (1986) defined the Copper Age; the Vertigo imprint (1993) grew from the Alan Moore Swamp Thing run that produced John Constantine.
Recent decades
- 2011 — The New 52 relaunch of the entire line (September 2011); DC leaves the Comics Code.
- 2015 — DC moves from New York to Burbank; Bill Finger credited as Batman's co-creator.
- 2016 — DC Rebirth (May 2016).
- 2020 — DC ends its distribution through Diamond (June 2020) in favour of Lunar Distribution. See How Marvel and DC changed distribution in 2020–2021.
- 2024 — The Absolute Universe line launches (October 2024).
Browse DC Comics in the store, from Golden Age Superman to Modern Age Batman.
Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.
