DC and Marvel Comics have been at the forefront of one of the greatest corporate rivalries in America, alongside Pepsi & Coke and X-Box & PlayStation. As much as Marvel may dominate the headlines and lead the way in sales of modern comics, DC has consistently pushed the industry into its various eras. From birthing the age of the superhero to leading the charge into the Modern Age, DC’s comic book legacy cannot be denied.
DC Comics was founded in 1935, beginning its corporate life as National Comics Publications. The company wasn’t the first to produce comics, and in fairness DC’s impact on what’s sometimes known as the “Platinum Age of Comics” was less substantial, as newspaper strips dominated the medium through characters like Popeye, Dick Tracy, Phantom, and Flash Gordon. National Publications started out with characters like Doctor Occult, one of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s first collaborations. When the duo created Superman in 1938, they changed the face of the comic book industry forever by introducing the superhero formula to comics. However, DC’s leadership of the comic book industry didn’t stop with Superman and the Golden Age. The comic book industry has entered into four distinct eras, and DC has been front and center of each new era. They might not be comics’ current top sellers, but they set the standards for everyone else.
How DC Created The Age Of The Superhero
The 1930s were packed with iconic superheroes. Beginning with Superman’s arrival in 1938, the late ’30s saw the creation of Batman, The Sandman, the Human Torch and Namor the Submariner. While this can be written off as a small roster, Superman and Batman are arguably two of the three most valuable superheroes in comics, alongside Spider-Man. Superman’s first appearance in Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Action Comics #1 didn’t initially look like a big deal until National Publications received the sales figures. Superman was a smashing success, and Siegel and Shuster kept him on top throughout the Golden Age. Shortly after Superman was created, DC had another smashing success in Batman’s first appearance in Detective Comics #27, by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.
As National Publications/DC entered the 1940s, they continued to set the standard for the industry. They created the first superhero team, the Justice Society of America, which consisted of such characters as Flash, Green Lantern, Doctor Fate and Hawkman. Even with Flash, DC created comics’ first speedster, and Wonder Woman’s arrival at DC paved the way for other popular female superheroes. Like their pre-Marvel competitor, Timely Comics, DC incorporated the US’s entry into World War II into their comics around this time. Where Timely created Captain America as their premier Nazi-fighting hero, DC reformed the JSA into the All-Star Squadron, America’s superhero team for fighting the war. Meanwhile, Superman was slowly reworked into a symbol of American patriotism, as shown through his numerous ads selling war bonds.
Setting superheroes aside, DC also displayed great versatility going into the 1950s, expanding into genres like fantasy, horror, science fiction, and war comics. Creations like Challengers of the Unknown, Adam Strange, Sergeant Rock, and The Phantom Stranger showed how DC didn’t want to be limited by just traditional, ’40s-style superheroes. However, the decade also pulled comics into the Silver Age by creating a new Flash and Green Lantern, directing their stories at a new generation. Through the ’50s, the company had also paved the way for a campy and light-hearted decade of more colorful comics, especially after the Comics Code Authority basically forced its hand in this regard, essentially mandating less violent and gritty stories, in and out of the superhero genre.
DC Energized Comics For The Silver Age
The Silver Age of comics began with something like a reboot for DC Comics, as the company quietly phased out some of its Golden Age heroes and phased in younger heroes in their place. This began in 1956 with the creation of Barry Allen as the new Flash, and Hal Jordan soon took on the role as the new Green Lantern and helped establish the Green Lantern Corps’ place in DC lore in 1959. It was later revealed that the characters’ Justice Society predecessors had all been relocated to a parallel Earth, Earth-2. Even here, DC took the lead in becoming the first comic publisher to introduce readers to the multiverse. This was all under the direction of DC management, who wanted to revitalize the company for younger readers.
While DC kicked off the Silver Age in the ’50s, it’s hard to deny…
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