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Secrets Files And Origins

This is an attempt to list significant events in the history of DC Comics in as chronological order as possible.  Most dates are the cover dates from the comics themselves.  It should be recognized that these dates tend to be two months after the actual release date.  Other dates come from various published sources and have varying degrees of precision.  Everything is relative. No attempt is made to list everything that ever happened.  More detailed information is contained in the various works cited in the bibliography.  Non-DC comics events listed are included because of their relevance to the history of DC Comics, not to their own companies.  An attempt has been made to refer to the company by the appropriate name in each time period.  This is not an attempt to explain super-hero continuity.  There are other web sites that do that.  All opinions given are mine and probably can't be changed.  Factual errors will be thankfully corrected.
1925-1945
1946-1955
1960-1965
1970-1975
1980-1989
2000-present
 
1956-1959
1966-1969
1976-1979
1990-1999
  
   
 Piranha
 Vertigo
 Paradox
  
   
1925
  
  Oct Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson is cashiered from the US Army and takes to writing adventure pulp stories.  In October he opens the Wheeler-Nicholson newspaper syndicate and attempts to peddle features and comics to newspapers accross the country, including adaptions of Treasure Island and the Three Musketeers.  
   
1926
  
  Jul Wheeler-Nicholson's syndicate goes bust and he vanishes temporarily, resurfacing as a pulp writer for Adventure and Argosy.  
   
1929
  
Aug Aug 10, 1929- Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz form Merwil Publishing which publishes a long string of semi-successful "art" magazines including Spicy, La Paree and Pep.  Merle Williams Hersey was the editor and "front" for the company.  Harry also owned Donny Press which printed covers for  magazines.  
.   
1932
  
    Paul Sampliner and Harry Donenfeld form Independent News, a magazine distribution company, financed by Sampliner's mother, Gisella Frank..  
  Jan  Julius Schwartz and Mort Weisinger publish the first national science fiction fanzine, Time Traveller, becoming the focal point of the burgeoning young science fiction field.  
  Sep Time Traveller is replaced by Science Fiction Digest after eight issues..  
  Oct Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster publishe their own fanzine Science Fiction.  
   
1933
  
  Jan Jerry Siegel publishes :"The Reign of the Superman" in Science Fiction 3.  Following which, he and Joe Shuster develop Superman into a comic strip.  
  Win Humor Publishing puts out Detective Ace King, Bob Scully- Two Fisted Hick Detective, and Detective Dan, Secret Operative 48, the first all-new comic books.  (91/2x12 tabloid size).  They agree to publish Siegel's Superman but suddenly drop the whole line, leaving Siegel and Shuster with a completed issue and no publisher.  More details about Jerry and Joe's early efforts.  
  Mar Lester Dent's Doc Savage first appears as a pulp magazine from Street and Smith.
  Apr Eastern Color printing produces a tabloid size comic newspaper to be distributed free at Gulf Gas Stations. Gulf Comic Weekly.  
 Spr Harry Wildenberg of Eastern Color Printing determines folding the tabloid size used in Gulf Comic Weekly in half produces a useful easy to carry page size on which a full color Sunday funnies page can fit proportionally.  Charlie Gaines begins selling these custom comic books to companies like Proctor and Gamble to use as premiums.  P&G ordered a million copies of Funnies on Parade!  
  Oct Detective Dan resurfaces as comic strip Dan Dunn.  
       
   
1934
  
  Win Charlie Gaines puts $.10 stickers on Famous Funnies a Carnival of Comics (originally a Wheetena promotional comic) and sells them out at New York newstands.
 
 

 
  Spr Eastern and George Delacourte (Dell) put out Famous Funnies Series One and sell out 40,000 copies in 30 days, but Delacourte pulls out because he can't sell any advertising.  
Apr Donenfeld and Frank Armer launch Spicy Detective.
For more about Donenfeld's other magazines and comics, click DC's "Other" Comics.		  
  Jul Eastern launches Famous Funnies as a series by themselves.  200,000 copies are distributed by American News.  
  Fal Gaines moves to McClure and puts out Skippy, a premium for Phillips Dental Magnesia.  
  Nov Sally the Sleuth by Adolphe Barreaux is the first comic strip published in Spicy Detective.  Most of Donenfeld's pulps carry a comic strip after this point.  
   
1935
  
    Julie Schwartz and Mort Weisinger form the Solar Sales Agency and become the first literary agents in the science fiction magazine world.  Although Mort leaves early on, Julie's client list soon includes Alfred Bester, H. P. Lovecraft and Ray Bradbury.  
Feb Pulp writer Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson starts National Allied Magazines and puts out Fun Comics #1 (New Fun with #2).  An oversized mostly black and white collection of mostly original comic strips.  Edited by Lloyd Jacquet.  Issues 1-6 are tab sized- 10X15.  All issues are 36 pages except 6 which is 44, but has no glossy cover.  
  Aug By New Fun 5 Jacquet has left the company and Wheeler-Nicholson  is listed as editor.  
Oct New Fun 6 contains 1st Siegel and Shuster work-Henri Duvall & Dr.  Occult.  
  Dec New Comics begins, published by Nat Allied (1-5), later Nicholson Publishing (6-26).  Originally an 80 page collection sold for $.10 because no glossy cover stock was used. (1-6, also More Fun 6-10) Issues 1-4 feature Mr. Weed and J Worthington Blimp by Sheldon Mayer before he leaves because he doesn't get paid. Edited by William Cook and John Mahon, Vin Sullivan Asst ed.
   
1936
  
  Jan New Fun becomes More Fun Comics with #7 and acquires a new publisher, More Fun Inc. (actually still Nicholson). (7-8 still tab sized-10X12 44 pages, paper covers) .

New Comics #2 Siegel & Shuster start Federal Men.

  
  Feb More Fun #8 Cook and Mahon have left the company and Wheeler-Nicholson is listed as editor, with Vin Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth as assistants.

Gaines packages Popular Comics for Dell. Sheldon Mayer is his editor.
Mar Big Book of Fun Comics (1st annual-48pgs reprints from New Fun 1-4). Distributed only through F. W. Woolworths.  
  Apr More Fun #9- now 7 1/2 x10 1/2 and 68 pages, still with paper covers.  
  May Former National editors William Cook and John Mahon strike out on their own and publish Comics Magazine containing purloined National strips including Dr. Occult and Bart Regan, Spy under new names.
  Jun    
  July New Comics #6 is 68 pages.   
Aug Jack Schiff, editor at Standard Publications hires Mort Weisinger.  Standard is a pulp magazine company which publishes Thrilling Wonder Stories, Captain Future and the Phantom Detective.  
  Nov More Fun 15-31 published by Nicholson Publishing Company.

Scribbly debuts in Funnies #2 from Dell in November 1936.

  
   
1937
  
  Jan New Comics renamed New Adventure Comics (#12)  
  Mar Nicholson's printer Harry Donenfeld finances a new title for him.  Detective Comics is published by Detective Comics Inc.  and edited by Nicholson, Vin Sullivan and Whitney Ellsworth
June New Book Of Comics begins- all reprints  
   
1938
  
  Mar New Adventure 25 and 26 and More Fun 30 and 31 are published by A. I. Menin as bankruptcy trustee.

Whitney Ellsworth leaves to pursue new opportunities in Hollywood (like actually getting paid).
 

  
  May Bob Kane's Rusty and His Pals debuts in New Adventure.  His Ginger Snap debuts in More Fun 31.  
Jun Jack Liebowitz acquires More Fun (32) and New Adventure Comics (27) for Harry Donenfeld at a bankruptcy auction. 

Sheldon Mayer and Charlie Gaines bring Superman to Vin Sullivan as a new feature for Action Comics.  All four titles are now published by Detective Comics Inc.  Donenfeld eventually buys out Wheeler-NIcholson's share of the company in return for ten year's royalties on the sales of More Fun.

  
  Nov New Adventure Comics renamed Adventure Comics (#32)
   
1939
  
  Jan Superman newspaper strip begins.  First complete origin of Superman  showing Jor-El and Lara.  
  Spr Permanent injunction issued against Fox preventing them from using  Wonderman as an infringement on Detective Comics' Superman.  
Apr Charlie Gaines goes into partnership with Donenfeld and Liebowitz to produce new comic book titles. All-American Comics and Movie Comics begin, edited by Sheldon Mayer. All-American is mostly strip reprints, but does feature Mayer's Scribbly.  Movie Comics features short movie adaptations with photo heads pasted over cartoon bodies.  Yuchh!  It fails after 6 issues.
    New York World's Fair Comics is published exclusively at the Fair Grounds for $.25  Later issued at newsstands for $.15.  The first issues features many of Detective Comics' top charactes including Superman and the new Sandman.  
  May Bob Kane is asked to create a new super-hero to capitalize on success of Superman.  With help of Bill Finger he comes up with Batman who first appears in Detective Comics #27.  
Jul Bert Christman's Sandman begins in Adventure 40.

The Black Bat appears in Black Book Detective, a pulp magazine published by Standard and edited by Mort Weisinger.  Whitney Ellsworth is one of the early ghosts who signs to the name G. Wayman Jones.  The Black Bat is a caped and cowled avenger of the night.  After fevered negotiations between Ellsworth and Sullivan, the two companies agree not to sue each other.
  Sum Gaines decides to put out a Mutt and Jeff collection.
Purportedly Mutt and Jeff becomes his best selling title.		  
  Superman one shot album published reprinting the first four Action stories. It goes back to press twice and sells so well a regular book is scheduled.  
  Nov Superman Sunday strip added.  First appearance of the Daily Planet. Gardner Fox writes the origin of Batman  in Detective 33.
   
1940
  
Jan Vin Sullivan leaves Detective Comics in a dispute over royalties for New York World's Fair.  Whitney Ellsworth returns and becomes Editor.

Gaines and Liebowitz replace Movie Comics with Flash Comics  (AA).  Gardner Fox creates the Flash and Hawkman, John Wentworth creates Johnny Thunder and the Whip.

  
Feb The Adventures of Superman radio show begins, produced by Former Spicy pulp writer Robert Maxwell and Alan Ducovny.  First appearance of Perry White. 

Jerry Siegel's Spectre debuts in More  Fun 52, with art by Bernard Baily.

Fawcett puts out first Captain Marvel in Whiz 2.
  Mar Ken Fitch's Hourman begins in Adventure 48 with art by Bernard Baily.

c. Whitney Ellsworth hires Murray Boltinoff to be associate editor of National Comics.

  
  Apr Robin debuts in Detective 38. 

Luthor first appears in Action 23 and  Superman 4. 

Jimmy Olsen 1st appears on Superman radio show.

  
  May Gardner Fox's Dr. Fate begins in More Fun 55, with art by Howard Sherman.  
  Jun Batman starts own title.  The Joker and Catwoman introduced.  One  story is a pre-Robin leftover from Detective (DC).  
Jul All-American Comics #16 features the first  app of Martin Nodell and  Bill Finger's Green Lantern.

All-Star Comics begins (1st issue co-published by DC and AA, after that just AA).  Features two strips each from Adventure, More Fun, Flash and All-American.  Based on the success of New York World's Fair.

  
  Aug    
  Sep Roy the Superboy first appears in MLJ's Top-Notch #8, a name which must have incensed Superman Inc..  
  Oct The Atom by Bill O'Connor and Ben  Flinton.begins in All-American Comics #19 .  
  Nov Ma Hunkle becomes the Red Tornado in Sheldon Mayer's Scribbly strip  in All-American 20.
   
1941
  
    Adventures of Captain Marvel movie serial from Republic Pictures.

Ted Udall becomes assistant editor at All-American Comics.

  
Jan All-Star Comics #3 First app of the Justice Society of America.  At the behest of the President, Atom, Dr. Fate, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, Hourman, Sandman and the Spectre gather to fight the enemies of America.  Johnny Thunder and Red Tornado guest star.  
  Feb "A DC Publication" bullet appears for the first time.
  Mar Joe Simon and Jack Kirby create Captain America for Martin Goodman's Timely Comics, becoming two of comics early super-stars by plastering their names on every story.  
Apr World's Best Comics begins (DC) 100 pages for $.15 featuring Superman, Batman, Sandman and many others.  On sale Feb 10.

Chuck Reizenstein's Dr. Mid-Nite begins in All-American 25 with art by Stan Aschmeir.  Jack Burnley's Starman begins in Adventure 61.

 

  
  May John Wentworth's Sargon the Sorceror begins in All-American 26, with art by Howard Purcell.  
  Jun Detective Comics, Inc. sends Fawcett a cease and desist letter over Captain  Marvel.

Whit Ellsworth hires Mort Weisinger to be associate editor of Detective Comics Inc. and puts him in charge of Batman and More Fun.  Murray Boltinoff is in charge of Adventure.  Ellsworth handles Superman himself.

  
  Jul World's Best Comics renamed World's Finest Comics with #2. On sale May 16. 

All-Flash Comics begins (AA).  First AA character to win his own title.

  
  Sum Dick Sprang begins drawing Batman stories which are stockpiled in case  Bob Kane is drafted.  
  Sep Detective Comics, Inc. files legal action against Fawcett for copyright  infringement.

Sep 26, 1941 Fleisher Studios Superman cartoons begin.

Mort Weisinger's Johnny Quick begins in More Fun 71.  Jerry Siegel's Star Spangled Kid is previewed in Action 40.

  
  Oct Star Spangled Comics begins (DC) featuring Jerry Siegel's Star Spangled Kid, Tarantula, Captain X and Armstrong of the Army.  Two to three Star Spangled Kid stories in the early issues.  
  Nov Green Lantern gets his own title (AA).

Bullet changed to "A Superman-DC Publication".

Mort Weisinger's Aquaman (art by Paul Norris) and Green Arrow (art by George Papp) begin in More Fun 73. His Vigilante begins in Action Comics 42 with art by Mort Meskin.
 
Dec Jerry Siegel's Percival Popp the Super Cop joins the Spectre in More Fun 74. Sandy the Golden Boy joins Sandman in Adventure 69. New yellow and purple costume with cape by Chad Grothkopf?

All-Star Comics #8 features an extra 8 pages to preview  Wonder  Woman.  Starman and Sandman join the JSA.

  
   
1942
  
    Fawcett's Spy Smasher gets his own movie serial from Republic Pictures.  
Jan Leading Comics begins (DC) featuring the 7 Soldiers of Victory,  heroes from Action, Adventure, Detective and Star Spangled featured in one story.

Sensation Comics begins (AA).  Psychologist William Moulton Marston creates Wonder Woman, whose first appearance was actually in All-Star 8.  Harry G. Peter draws.  Other features include Bill Finger's Wildcat (art by Irwin Hasen) and Little Boy Blue (art by Jon Blummer), and Chuck Reizenstein's Mr. Terrific (art by Hal Sharpe).
 

  
  Feb Mort Weisinger's Airwave debuts in Detective 60 with art by Lee Harris.  
  Mar Green Arrow takes over the cover of More Fun.with 77.  
  Apr In a contract disupute with Goodman, Simon and Kirby leave and sign with Detective Comics. They take over Sandman and create Manhunter in Adventure 73. Newsboy Legion begins in Star-Spangled 7.

Jerry Siegel's Robotman begins in the same issue, with art by the Shuster shop (Nowak and Cassidy).  These are the last new super-hero strips published by DC/All-American in the Golden Age.
Jun Simon and Kirby's Boy Commandos begins in Detective 64. Their first cover appearance is on Detective 65, a Kirby/Robinson collaboration.  
  Aug Al Bester and Stan Kaye's Genius Jones, the Answer man begins in  Adventure 77.

8/31 Hop Harrigan, America's Ace of the Airwaves begins on the Blue Network.  Runs through 2/6/48.
 

  
  Sep Wonder Woman is awarded her own title in record time (AA).  
Oct Picture Stories from the Bible (AA) begins.  Bible stories illustrated by  Don Cameron (not the Superman/ Batman writer).  First four issues  feature the Old Testament.  Bullet says "A DC publication" rather than "A  Superman DC publication".  
  Dec Boy Commandos graduate to their own title (DC).

Comic Cavalcade begins (AA).  A 100 page title in the World's Finest format, dedicated to the AA characters and featuring Wonder Woman, Flash and Green Lantern on each cover.  Other features vary widely from issue to issue.

  
   
1943
  
  Jan Superman 20 contains an announcement that Mort Weisinger and Murray Boltinoff are now in the military.  Jack Schiff, with Bernie Breslauer, edits all the Superman/Detective Comics titles for the duration of the war.

Jack Schiff's first story appears in Worlds Finest 8

c. Dorothy Roubichek is a story editor at All-American Comics.  She leaves for Timely in 1944.  She would return to National as a full editor in the late sixties/early seventies under the name Dorothy Woolfolk.  Larry Nadle also becomes a story editor at All-American at this time.

  
  Feb Hourman ends Adventure 83, replaced by Mike Gibbs, Guerrilla
  Apr  Alfred first appears in Batman 16.  The character was created for the movie serial.

All books cut to 60 pages due to wartime paper restrictions.  With issue All-Star 20, two JSAers lose their solo chapters due to the page cuts.  First, Sandman and Dr. Fate axed.  Then, Atom and Spectre left out of 21.  After that Sandman and Dr. Fate are gone altogether.
 

  
  Jun Adventure becomes bi-monthly with 86. More Fun with 92. Many books cut back to bimonthly or quarterly. All-American becomes 8 times a year.

Kryptonite first appears on the Adventures of Superman radio show.  The concept is based on an unpublished Superman story by Jerry Siegel.

The King dropped from Flash Comics 42 due to page cuts.

World's Finest cut to 92 pages with issue 10.
Comic Cavalcade cut to 92 pages with issue 3.
 

  
  Jul July 16, 1943 Batman movie serial appears.

Superman 23 contains the first Superman story not written by Jerry Siegel, who has been drafted.  Although Siegel continues to send in scripts throughout the war, most stories are written by other writers, primarily Don Cameron and Bill Finger.

Sargon dropped from All-American with 51 due to page cuts.
 

  
  Aug Spy dropped from Detective78 and TNT dropped from Star Spangled 24 due to page cuts.  
  Oct October 25, 1943- Batman daily comic strip begins.  Bob Kane contributes almost no art to the comic books after this point, which are primarily handled by Dick Sprang and Jerry Robinson.

Al Bester creates the classic "In brightest day, In blackest nIght" oath in Green Lantern #9.

  
Nov Whitney Ellsworth and Henry Boltinoff's Dover and Clover begins in  More Fun 94.  
  Dec Picture Stories from the Bible-Complete Old Testament (AA) 50  cents, 232 pages.  Reprints all 4 earlier issues.  
   
1944
  
Jan  All Funny Comics begins (DC- but no DC bullet on cover. Tilsam is listed as the publisher.  Tilsam formerly published a cheesecake magazine called Real Screen Fun that was apparently shut down by the postal authorities.  Possibly this publisher was used because they still had a paper allocation.)  Edited by Whitney Ellsworth and Bernie Breslauer.  Hayfoot Henry and Buzzy begin.  Genius Jones, Dover and Clover, and Penniless Palmer move in from Adventure, More Fun and Star Spangled.  
 
Feb		 Science fiction agent Julie Schwartz interviews with Sheldon Mayer for a job as an editor at All-American (replacing Dorothy Roubichek).  
  Apr World's Finest cut to 84 pages.
Comic  Cavalcade cut to 84 pages with issue 6.

Roy the Superboy makes his final appearance in Shield-Wizard #13. 

  
  May May 8, 1944 Wonder Woman comic strip begins. Runs until August  1945.  
  Jun Gil Kane takes over Sandman as ghost for Jack Kirby in Adventure 92.  
  Jul  Sheldon Mayer's Funny Stuff begins (AA), introducing the Three Mouseketeers, McSnurtle the Turtle, The Terrific Whatsit, Bulldog Drumhead and many others.
  Aug  With issue 99 More Fun drops to 52 pages, as do all the other DC titles. Dr. Fate ends.  Other features that get the ax due to the page cut are Manhunter in Adventure 93, Crimson Avenger in Detective 90, Scribbly in All-American 60 (and Atom in 62), Americommando in Action 75,  and The Whip in Flash 56.  
  Dec Alvin Schwartz and George Storm's Buzzy begins (DC) from All Funny.  A teen age strip ostensibly set in the present, it looks suspiciously like the Jazz Age, but that doesn't stop the book for lasting over 10 years.
   
1945
  
Jan  Superboy begins in More Fun Comics 101, hidden in the back, with nary so much as a cover mention.  The first adventure is written by Jerry Siegel and drawn by Joe Shuster.  
  Feb All-American Comics splits away and begins using AA symbol on covers, beginning with All-Flash 17, Sensation 38, Comic Cavalcade 9, Flash 62, Green Lantern 14, Funny Stuff 3, and Mutt and Jeff 16.

Superman meets Batman on the radio show for the first time (though they met in All-Star #8). 

Joe Kubert draws Hawkman for the first time in Flash 62.
 
  Apr Starman and Spectre dropped from the JSA in All-Star 24.  From now,  on only AA heroes appear in the book.  
May  Whitney Ellsworth goes to Hollywood and comes back with the rights to the Columbia cartoons. Real Screen Comics begins (DC), produced by the Sangor Comic Shop.

Bob Kanigher begins at AA, writing Wonder Woman stories for  Sensation Comics.
 

  
  Jun  Comic Cavalcade cut to 76 pages with issue 11.  
  Aug Leading Comics 15 converts to a funny animal comic. Edited by Bernie Breslauer, it's DC's first in-house animal book.   Features Nero Fox (Ed Dunn?), Spylot Bones (Otto Feuer) and King Oscar's Court (Rube Grossman)
  Sep World's Finest cut to 76 pages with 19.  
  Fall With the end of the war, drafted cartoonists begin returning to look for their old jobs back.  Many are not successful.  Mort Weisinger and Murray Boltinoff return to editorial positions at DC, but find themselves now working for Jack Schiff.  Simon and Kirby sign a new contract with Harvey and do not return to DC, but Kirby continues to produce new art sporadically for the Boy Commandos on a free lance basis.  
  Dec The All-American titles once again bear the DC symbol, starting with  Sensation 48, and Flash 68. (Picture Stories from the Bible does not  bear a DC logo.)

Superman vs. the Atom Man is a spectacular serial running well over a month on the Superman radio show.  Atom Man is a kryptonite powered Nazi who battles Superman to a collossal airborne climax, in what some have called the "Greatest Superman story ever, in any medium."