By: Colton Cayward

BY: COLTON CAYWARD DC COMICS EARLY HISTORY DC Comics (aka Detective Comics) was founded in 1937 by pulp writer Wheeler-Nicholson and magazine distributers Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz Wheeler was unable to pay debts to his cofounders however and was subsequently forced out of the company A series of mergers in the 1940s led to the creation of anew company called “National Periodical Publications (NPP)” The company didn’t adopted the name DC Comics until 1977 THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMICS ▸ In 1938, DC published its first Superman story under the title “Actions Comics no. 1” ▸ It was a massive success and is largely responsible for spawning the costume hero genre ▸ The publishers would soon go on to create many more successful characters such as Batman (1939) and Wonder Woman(1941) ▸ The success of these characters amplified by the Licensing Corporation of America marketed DC’s characters through a wide range of products and media THE SILVER AGE OF COMICS ▸ During the first half of the 1950s, the superhero genre took a dip in popularity. Although Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman Comics remained successful ▸ In 1956, under supervisor of editing Julius Schwartz, DC began reintroducing hero comics ▸ Characters introduced in this era include Barry Allen Flash, Hal Jordan Green Lantern and Hawkman ▸ Rival companies such as Marvel Comics soon began to pop up THE BRONZE AGE OF COMICS ▸ In the 1970s, writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams introduced a new level of maturity to Comics with the series Green Lantern/Green Arrow ▸ The book featured many social issues such as race relations, pollution, and drugs abuse ▸ The duo of creators also created an influential run of Batman stories that spawned the definitive modern adaptation of the character. Changing him into a more grizzled and serious character. ▸ Hero comics produced by DC also started the share the same continuity THE GREAT COMIC CRASH / MODERN AGE OF COMICS ▸ There was a boom in sales in the early 1990s due to “The Death of Superman” comic selling millions of copies ▸ However, this growth was unstable and mid-decade sales declined ▸ The well received Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995) set the stage for DC’s animated endeavors such as their later works of “Justice League,” “Justice League Unlimited” and many more Batman: The Animated Series (1992) LIVE ACTION TV SHOWS ▸ Along with animated shows, DC Comics has also produced a handful of successful TV shows recently such as The Flash, Arrow, Gotham, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow ▸ DC also has had a slew successful live action tv shows to prior to modern times such as Lynda Carter in “Wonder Woman (1975-1979)” and Adam West in “Batman (1966-1968)” Adam West as Batman Burt Ward as Robin in “Batman” (1966) MOVIES ▸ In the realm of movies, DC score well early on with successes such as Richard Donner’s “Superman (1978)” and Tim Burton’s “Batman (1989)” ▸ In the 21st century, Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” trilogy grossed around $2.5 billion worldwide ▸ Zach Snyder’s “Man of Steel (2013)” earned more than $600 million ▸ However, DC has hit a rough patch recently with movies with their “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice” being considered terrible by many “The Dark Knight” (2008) VIDEO GAMES ▸ DC Comics has their fair share of successful video games such as the Batman Arkham series of games and the Injustice series ▸ They have also had a few unsuccessful games such as “Superman 64” and “Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis,” which was criticized for its poorly design cutscenes, repetitive level design and seemingly random invisible walls Aquaman: Battle for Atlantis (2003) THE FUTURE OF DC COMICS ▸ In terms of comic book, DC is currently doing fairly well, as they have recently come out with successful title, “Dark Nights Metal.” I foresee them continuing to do well in the future ▸ In terms of animated tv shows, I also foresee them consistently producing more loved and quality shows. A new season of “Young Justice” is to be released soon in 2018 and I see that doing well ▸ In live action tv, DC is not as well versed in this realm. But if they continue on the path they are on now, I can also see them doing well in the future ▸ In movies, DC will likely remain in their dip for a bit before people are willing to give their cinematic universe a chance. However, they appear to be improving with the release of “Wonder Woman (2017). ▸ In video games, I imagine they will continue to improve. As each title seems to be better than the last. The Batman Who Laughs from Dark Night Metal WORK CITED https://www.britannica.com/topic/DC-Comics https://www.cbr.com/the-best-dc-video-games/ http://www.dccomics.com/tv.

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