How DC Comics Came About
DC Comics had a rather tumultuous beginning. Initially named the “National Allied Publications” in 1934, several comic book series were produced, such as “New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine” in February 1935, “New Comics” in December 1935, “Detective Comics” in 1937 and finally “Action Comics” in 1938. Ownership changed hands from Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, to his accountant and publisher partners Harry Donenfeld and Jack S. Liebowitz, who called their enterprise “DC Comics” (named after “Detective Comics”). As the new owner’s first endeavor, they sifted through the pile of rejected ideas and unearthed Superman.
After “the Golden Age of comic books” throughout the 30s and 40s, the owners of DC Comics waged a massive war against the comic book industry, usurping any smaller competing publications, suing imitators and aggressively driving out competition. However, by the 1950s, there was a lull in public demand for superhero stories and many of the graphic novels centered on science fiction stories, romance, westerns and a few tame crime stories. During the “Silver Age of comic books” in the mid-1950s, writers and publishers at DC came up with a new kind of superhero, one that fused the marvel of modern science with an ordinary man to create an accidental superhero; The Flash. Picking up on these themes, Stan Lee and Marvel Comic Books built their empire based on this idea of the “very human” superhero, which gave audiences something they could relate to.
After “the Silver Age of comic books” of the 1950s and 1960s came “the Bronze Age” of the 1970s and 1980s. The Silver Age had introduced characters who were more “human” and less stereotypical do-gooders. They, like humans, hosted a range of emotions, interacted with other humans and struggled with complex psyches. During the “Bronze Age,” darker and previously-off-limits themes of drug abuse, personal vices, inner conflict and anti-hero character development entered the comic realm. Kids were no longer the only readers, so the business savvy comic book creator had to address more serious themes of society, personality defects and science.
The 1980s began what is known as “the Modern Age of comic books,” which persists today. This “Modern Age” builds off the Bronze Age but delves even further into the darker side of graphic novels, intertwining sex, drugs, vices, psychological struggles, imperfect anti-heroes, cynicism and social critique. During this time, the DC Comics Batman’s The Dark Knight series takes off, X-Men launches into the complex back histories of their characters and the Mutants went to war against the humans, and a number of apocalyptic comics graphic novels came out, threatening the end of the world.
Over the years, the success of DC Comics has owed much to the Radio/TV/Film/Video Game enterprises, which helped catapult the old comic characters back into mainstream intrigue. The adaptation of superheroes has come a long way from the 1980s campy Batman TV series starring Adam West. Today, much care must be taken in creating superhero films that impress, such as “Spiderman” or “Batman’s The Dark Knight,” rather than “Daredevil” or “Catwoman.” There is always the danger of over-saturating the market with superhero films, thus negating the box office appeal of the genre, so comic book creators are generally very guarded about doling out the rights for such projects. When done right, though, the superhero film becomes a blockbuster, profit-driving empire that Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson could have never imagined.
Tags: comic book creator, comic book series, comics graphic novels, DC Comics, graphic novels, Marvel Comic Books, Wonder Woman