History Creator / DCComics

[[note]]DC's logo as of ComicBook/DCRebirth.[[ImageLinks/DCComics Click here to see their old logos]].[[/note]]]]

In the 1970s, after Marvel's [[MediaNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]]-defying [[DrugsAreBad anti-drug]] ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story, DC jumped on the bandwagon with a slew of '[[MoralOfTheStory relevant]]', social-issue-tackling {{superhero}} stories. Most famously, Franchise/GreenLantern and ComicBook/GreenArrow took a trip across America, fighting such issues as drug use and broken homes. Furthermore, Creator/JackKirby, the other major co-creator of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, signed up to create [[ComicBook/NewGods The Fourth World]] comics such as ''The ComicBook/NewGods'' and ''Mister Miracle''. Unfortunately, these titles were ahead of their time: the original GL/GA series was cancelled and eventually revived with a more escapist tone and Kirby's titles all cancelled and he eventually returned to Marvel in the mid 1970s.

See DCComicsCharacters for an index of the characters in the larger DC Universe, and check DCComicsSeries for an index of all the series published by DC, both in and outside of the larger continuity. If you want to read more of the history of DC Comic's main editors and Editors-in-Chief and how they changed the company, see [[UsefulNotes/DCComicsEditors here]]. If you want to see an index about all the important events that have taken place in the DCU, see DCComicsEvents.

Detective Comics' {{superhero}}es proved popular in the 1940s, but with the end of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, the genre entered a decline. National Comics managed to hold on during UsefulNotes/TheInterregnum by diversifying into {{western}}s, humour, romance, and scifi, as well as some crime and horror titles which were innocuous enough to escape being censored by UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode.

In the 1970s, after Marvel's [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]]-defying [[DrugsAreBad anti-drug]] ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' story, DC jumped on the bandwagon with a slew of '[[MoralOfTheStory relevant]]', social-issue-tackling {{superhero}} stories. Most famously, Franchise/GreenLantern and ComicBook/GreenArrow took a trip across America, fighting such issues as drug use and broken homes. Furthermore, Creator/JackKirby, the other major co-creator of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, signed up to create [[ComicBook/NewGods The Fourth World]] comics such as ''The ComicBook/NewGods'' and ''Mister Miracle''. Unfortunately, these titles were ahead of their time: the original GL/GA series was cancelled and eventually revived with a more escapist tone and Kirby's titles all cancelled and he eventually returned to Marvel in the mid 1970s.

In the late 1980s, DC was responsible for catapulting comics to a new era of respectability and critical acclaim. Part of this was their epic, {{continuity}}-shaking ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', which showed that comics could tell stories as effectively as any novel or movie, while it allowed Franchise/TheDCU to get a needed modernisation. The other was a pair of {{deconstructi|on}}ve works, Creator/AlanMoore's ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and Creator/FrankMiller's ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', both of which brought a new level of intelligence and psychological complexity to the medium. They also kicked off the craze for DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier comics, and started the so-called [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]]. In the wake of this, all the other publishers started [[FollowTheLeader copying them]], and even the main [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]] became somewhat darker to accommodate the new tastes.

In the 1990s, with comics enjoying increased sales due to a speculation boom, DC published a series of dramatic, shocking stories, including such world-shocking events as [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Superman's death]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} Batman's back being broken]], and Green Lantern becoming a {{supervillain}}; sales were impressive, but [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996 they quickly dropped off again as the law of supply and demand came to bite speculators in]] [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer their collective asses]]. However, even with the millennium approaching, DC endured, and continued to publish a number of critically acclaimed graphic novels under its Vertigo, [=WildStorm=], and America's Best Comics imprints. (Other imprints, such as the short-lived science-fantasy concentric Helix and the [[ShoujoDemographic teenage-girl-targeting]] Minx, have been less successful.)

In the 1970s, after Marvel's [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]]-defying [[DrugsAreBad anti-drug]] ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' story, DC jumped on the bandwagon with a slew of '[[MoralOfTheStory relevant]]', social-issue-tackling {{superhero}} stories. Most famously, Franchise/GreenLantern and ComicBook/GreenArrow took a trip across America, fighting such issues as drug use and broken homes. Furthermore, Creator/JackKirby, the other major co-creator of the Franchise/MarvelUniverse, signed up to create [[ComicBook/NewGods The Fourth World]] comics such as ''The ComicBook/NewGods'' and ''Mister Miracle''. Unfortunately, these titles were ahead of their time: the original GL/GA series was cancelled and eventually revived with a more escapist tone and Kirby's titles all cancelled and he eventually returned to Marvel in the mid 1970s.

* ComicBook/PostCrisis: The TropeMaker, and still an idea that dominates discussions of DC Comics, especially with the New 52's wholesale reboot.

In the 1970s, after Marvel's [[UsefulNotes/TheComicsCode Comics Code]]-defying [[DrugsAreBad anti-drug]] ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' story, DC jumped on the bandwagon with a slew of '[[MoralOfTheStory relevant]]', social-issue-tackling {{superhero}} stories. Most famously, Franchise/GreenLantern and ComicBook/GreenArrow took a trip across America, fighting such issues as drug use and broken homes. Furthermore, Creator/JackKirby, the other major co-creator of the MarvelUniverse, signed up to create [[ComicBook/NewGods The Fourth World]] comics such as ''The ComicBook/NewGods'' and ''Mister Miracle''. Unfortunately, these titles were ahead of their time: the original GL/GA series was cancelled and eventually revived with a more escapist tone and Kirby's titles all cancelled and he eventually returned to Marvel in the mid 1970s.

* ContinuityReboot: DC has rebooted their universe completely twice, and used CrisisCrossover stories to "tweak" matters at least twice more.

[[caption-width-right:200:[[{{Slogan}} Where Legends Live.]][[note]]DC's logo as of ComicBook/DCRebirth.[[ImageLinks/DCComics Click here to see their old logos]].[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:200:[[{{Slogan}} Where Legends Live!]][[note]]DC's logo as of ComicBook/DCRebirth.[[ImageLinks/DCComics Click here to see their old logos]].[[/note]]]]

[[caption-width-right:200:[-DC's logo as of ComicBook/DCRebirth.[[note]][[ImageLinks/DCComics Click here to see their old logos]].-][[/note]]]]

* Franchise/{{DCAU}} (''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries'' and related shows)

[[caption-width-right:200:[-DC's logo as of ComicBook/DCRebirth. [[note]][[ImageLinks/DCComics Click here to see their old logos]].-][[/note]] ]]

DC Comics, Inc. are one of the Big Two comic book publishers active in the United States today, the other being Creator/MarvelComics. The publishing unit of DC Entertainment, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creator/WarnerBros (and, in turn, itself a part of Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery), it's one of the largest, oldest, and most well-known comic book publishing companies in the world. Most of its material has relied steadfastly on [[Main/MeaningfulTitles "The World's Greatest Super-Heroes"]] throughout its history, with such iconic names such as Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Franchise/TheFlash, Franchise/GreenLantern, along with an enormous supporting cast of allies, rogue's galleries, task forces, crime syndicates, and oddities holding its banner high.

To tell the history of this storied company and its exploits would arguably take as much time to explain DC's [[Franchise/TheDCU extensive universe]]. As an alternative, this is our attempt.

In the mid-1950s, DC revived their old superhero, Franchise/TheFlash, in order to appear in their anthology ''Showcase''. Rather than bringing back the old character, the writers introduced a new hero with a new secret identity and a scifi-based origin. Following the success of this story, the Franchise/GreenLantern was similarly reimagined, and National began increasing their superhero output. This practice was copied by several other publishers, most notably Marvel, rising quickly in popularity due to Stan Lee's editorial direction resulting in stronger writing. While Marvel wouldn't challenge DC's absolute sales yet, it was in the sell-through figures where Marvel started shining to DC's growing shock. [[note]]This requires explanation: at that time, the standard comic book industry method was to publish a large number of copies with the anticipation that a portion would not be sold on the newsstand and would be returned to the publisher for refunds. So, the real income from publishing would be determined by how much refund money the publisher would have to give up. In the early 1960s, DC's sell-through rate was about 50%, break-even numbers for them, but Marvel was then enjoying a 70% sell-through, which meant that they had refund a lot less money and got to keep the difference as profit. Even though DC, which was distributing Marvel at the time, had screwed over that company by restricting their publishing to 8-12 titles a month, they had a fabulously profitable publishing tiger by the tail.[[/note]]

For their part, DC tried figuring out how Marvel was doing it, but outside Creator/ArnoldDrake (Creator of the ''ComicBook/DoomPatrol'') and later a teenage Creator/JimShooter, proved hopeless at it such as they had no clue as to the real reasons. Instead, they guessed at such superficial reasons like the color red or loads of text on the covers, or supposedly the bad art in their eyes like Creator/JackKirby's was somehow more appealing.[[note]]Creator/StanLee found out about this boardroom guesswork by his rivals and amused himself by defying their conjectures to frustrate them still more.[[/note]]. In 1967, DC managed to get some of this popularity by bringing Creator/SteveDitko over from Marvel, who introduced elements such as [[{{Antihero}} flawed heroes]] and personality clashes during team-up stories. Around the same time, the conglomerate Kinney National Company (who would become the parent of film studio Creator/WarnerBrothers shortly after) purchased DC Comics, integrating it as a division of Warner Bros. in the process. In the 1970s, DC began to expand into more mature stories, attracting teenagers and young adults who previously considered comics to be exclusively a kids' medium.

In the late 1980s, DC was responsible for catapulting comics to a new era of respectability and critical acclaim. Part of this was their epic, {{continuity}}-shaking ''ComicBook/CrisisOnInfiniteEarths'', which showed that comics could tell stories as effectively as any novel or movie, while it allowed Franchise/TheDCU to get a needed modernisation. The other was a pair of [[{{Deconstruction}} deconstructive]] works, Creator/AlanMoore[='=]s ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'' and Creator/FrankMiller's ''Comicbook/BatmanTheDarkKnightReturns'', both of which brought a new level of intelligence and psychological complexity to the medium. They also kicked off the craze for DarkerAndEdgier, HotterAndSexier comics, and started the so-called [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]]. In the wake of this, all the other publishers started [[FollowTheLeader copying them]], and even the main [[Franchise/TheDCU DC Universe]] became somewhat darker to accommodate the new tastes.

In the 1990s, with comics enjoying increased sales due to a speculation boom, DC published a series of dramatic, shocking stories, including such world-shocking events as [[ComicBook/TheDeathOfSuperman Superman's death]], [[ComicBook/{{Knightfall}} Batman's back being broken]], and Green Lantern becoming a {{supervillain}}; sales were impressive, but [[UsefulNotes/TheGreatComicsCrashOf1996 they quickly dropped off again as the law of supply and demand came to bite speculators in]] [[Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer their collective asses]]. However, even with the millennium approaching, DC endured, and continued to publish a number of critically acclaimed graphic novels under its Vertigo, [=WildStorm=], and America's Best Comics imprints. (Other imprints, such as the short-lived science-fantasy concentric Helix and the [[Main/ShoujoDemographic teenage-girl-targeting]] Minx, have been less successful.)

In 2013, it was announced that DC would be relocating its main offices from [[UsefulNotes/{{New York}} Midtown Manhattan]] to [[UsefulNotes/{{Los Angeles}} Burbank]] to better integrate its multimedia operations, and be within closer communicative contact with their Hollywood-based parent company, Warner Bros.

Two years later, in 2020, DC suddenly announced [[https://www.ign.com/articles/dc-comics-dc-universe-layoffs-editorial-staff-warnermedia massive layoffs]] affecting nearly one-third of editorial staff in both its comic and television departments. They also revealed plans to cut down drastically on the number of monthly comic books published in 2021 [[note]] quoted as [[https://www.ign.com/articles/dc-comics-layoffs-changes-future-2021-dc-universe-collectibles 20% to 25%]] of their 2020 output[[/note]], as well as their abandonment of the planned '5G' storytelling initiative, which was subsequently retooled into the ''ComicBook/DCFutureState'' event series while moving forward with existing DC characters and storylines. According to Creator/JimLee, the company will also be shifting their focus back to more [[LighterAndSofter family-friendly content,]] and keeping their books and characters "on-brand" by editorial mandate. For this move's specific effects on Creator/DCBlackLabel and Creator/DCUniverse, please see their respective pages.

* MostWritersAreMale: The creative teams at the start of the 2011 reboot highlight this: Out of 52 creative teams, of two or three people each, there was exactly ''one'' woman: Creator/GailSimone is writing ''[[ComicBook/FirestormDCComics The Fury Of Firestorm]]'' and ''ComicBook/{{Batgirl| 2011}}''. Later, more women were added to the creative teams; such as Christy Marx writing ''ComicBook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld'' for the ''Sword and Sorcery'' comic.

* Creator/DCInk
* Creator/DCZoom

* Creator/DCFilms

DC Comics, Inc. are one of the Big Two comic book publishers active in the United States today, the other being Creator/MarvelComics. The publishing unit of DC Entertainment, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creator/WarnerBros (and, in turn, itself a part of Creator/WarnerBrosDiscovery), it's one of the largest, oldest, and most well-known comic book publishing companies in the world. Most of its material has relied steadfastly on [[Main/MeaningfulTitles "The World's Greatest Super-Heroes"]] throughout its history, with such iconic names such as Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Franchise/TheFlash, Franchise/GreenLantern, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters along with an enormous supporting cast of allies, rogue's galleries, task forces, crime syndicates, and oddities]] holding its banner high.

To tell the history of this storied company and its exploits would arguably take as much time to explain DC's [[Franchise/TheDCU extensive universe.]] As an alternative, this is our attempt.

DC Comics, Inc. are one of the Big Two comic book publishers active in the United States today, the other being Creator/MarvelComics. The publishing unit of DC Entertainment, itself a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creator/WarnerBros (and, in turn, itself a part of Creator/WarnerMedia), it's one of the largest, oldest, and most well-known comic book publishing companies in the world. Most of its material has relied steadfastly on [[Main/MeaningfulTitles "The World's Greatest Super-Heroes"]] throughout its history, with such iconic names such as Franchise/{{Superman}}, Franchise/{{Batman}}, Franchise/WonderWoman, Franchise/TheFlash, Franchise/GreenLantern, [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters along with an enormous supporting cast of allies, rogue's galleries, task forces, crime syndicates, and oddities]] holding its banner high.

* Johnny DC