DC Comics, founded by Malcolm Wheeler Nicholson in 1937, has over 80 years of producing original comic stories featuring superheroes. The company’s history began with the creation of America’s first all-original comic book, New Fun, which was a significant step forward from reprinting past comic strips found in syndicated newspapers. The company later expanded to include New comics and detective comics.
However, the journey was not without challenges. In 1937, Malcolm and Harry Donenfeld formed a partnership, but their relationship ended in a lawsuit for non-payment, leading to the loss of the company. In 1937, NAACP was merged with Detective Comics, and the name was removed from NP to become simply national publications or sometimes national comics.
Max Gaines, the official father of the American comic book, was credited with creating the first American comic book, which was exclusively reprints of newspaper funnies. After this venture, Gaines formed his own comic book publication company in 1938, finding funding with All American Comics. They frequently lent many of their beloved titles to national publications in exchange for the ability to use some of the national characters.
However, the transaction was not accidental, as Donenfeld had made Bieber Wiz a partner in all American comics, leaving Gaines stuck with National and unable to work with other publishers. As a result, Gaines removed DC’s unofficial logo from his publications and no longer used national characters.
In 1944, Gaines accepted an offer from Donnenfeld to buy out a share of All American comics and opened his own publication company called EC Comics or Educational Comics. This move left Infield as the owner of all three companies, which were merged into one called National Comics Publications (NCP) in the 1940s. NCP had been branding itself the Superman DC since 1940 and protected its titles and character names fiercely by pursuing lawsuits for copyright infringement as rival companies experienced success.
During World War II, superhero comics played a significant role in the industry, as they served as both propaganda and entertainment. After the war ended, soldiers returned home to buy comics, which temporarily increased sales. However, the industry struggled to find a voice without a depression or war, leading to companies canceling many of their costume hero titles and trying new publications.
In 1947, Max Games, who helped create NCP Comics, was killed in a motorboat accident, and the company was transferred to his son William. Bill Gaines rebranded EC as Entertaining Comics, producing comics ranging from science fiction to satire. He pioneered horror comics with Tales from the Crypt, which gained popularity. In 1954, the infamous attack on comics led to accusations of corrupting America’s youth, forcing many comics publishers out of business.
The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was founded that same year, but Gaines refused to participate for a time. The backlash from distributors drove into bankruptcy, and by the time he accepted the comments code authority, no one would sell his comment. All of their comic book titles were eventually sold to Kenny Parking Company.
After the CCA shutdown, NCP began to change everything, starting with the 1956 release of Showcase #4, which premiered a new version of the Flash. This led to the Silver Age of Comics, where DC continued to overhaul classics like Green Lantern, Hawkman, Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. In 1961, Donenfeld passed away, and his son Irwin took over for NCP, changing the company’s name to National Periodical Publications (MP).
In 1969, NP Comics was acquired by Kinney National, an entertainment company that also bought Warner Brothers. This led to the release of all DC movies through Warner Brothers, unlike Marvel Comics which had to license some intellectual properties to different film studios. After a price fixing scandal, Kinney National separated its entertainment pictures from its Non Entertainment Pictures to become Warner Communications and National Candy Corporation. Jeanette Khan, who had a Harvard degree, was made NPP’s editor in 1976. In 1977, she revamped NPP with the name DC Comics, introducing an official new logo and pay structure that granted royalties to artists and creators.
DC Comics has evolved over the years, with the creation of the vertical comic book line in 1989, Vertigo to publish more mature titles for their adult audience, acquisition of the Wild Storm universe in 1999, and the recent reboot of The New 52. The company has gained popularity and no longer needs to promote itself based on the success of one title.
After the name change, DC Comics has made several big acquisitions and brand changes, such as the vertical comic book line, Vertigo, and the recent reboot of The New 52. Some people still think the name DC Comics is redundant, but it is now considered a modern comic book company.
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