''DC Comics Presents'' is a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...

series published by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

from 1978 to 1986 which ran for 97 issues and four ''Annual''s. It featured team-ups between Superman and a wide variety of other characters in the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lante ...

. A recurring back-up feature "Whatever Happened to...?" had stories revealing the status of various minor and little-used characters.

Publication history

''DC Comics Presents'' debuted with a July/August 1978

cover date The cover date of a periodical publication is the date displayed on the cover, which is not necessarily the true date of publication (the on-sale date or release date); later cover dates are common in magazine and comic book publishing. More unu ...

and was edited by

Julius Schwartz Julius "Julie" Schwartz (; June 19, 1915 – February 8, 2004) was a comic book editor, and a science fiction agent and prominent fan. He was born in The Bronx, New York. He is best known as a longtime editor at DC Comics, where at various t ...

. The series was launched with a team-up of Superman and the Flash by writer Martin Pasko and artist José Luis García-López. The winner of the ''DC Comics Presents'' letter column name contest appeared in the Superman/

Hawkman Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...

story in issue #11 (July 1979). The "Whatever Happened to...?" backup feature began in issue #25 (Sept. 1980) and would appear in most issues for the next two years until its last installment in issue #48 (Aug. 1982). Issue #26 included an insert introduction story to the then-upcoming ''

New Teen Titans The Teen Titans are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, frequently in eponymous monthly series. As the group's name indicates, the members are teenage superheroes, many of whom have acted as sidekicks to DC ...

'' series by

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's '' The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade, and DC Comics's ''The New ...

and

George Pérez George Pérez (; June 9, 1954 – May 6, 2022) was an American comic book artist and writer, who worked primarily as a penciller. He came to prominence in the 1970s penciling ''Fantastic Four'' and '' The Avengers'' for Marvel Comics. In the 198 ...

Len Wein Leonard Norman Wein (; June 12, 1948 – September 10, 2017) was an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men ...

and Jim Starlin co-created the

supervillain A supervillain or supercriminal is a variant of the villainous stock character that is commonly found in American comic books, usually possessing superhuman abilities. A supervillain is the antithesis of a superhero. Supervillains are often ...

Mongul Mongul () is a supervillain appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Writer Len Wein and artist Jim Starlin created the first version of the character, who debuted in ''DC Comics Presents'' #27 (November 1980). Jerry Ordway created the sec ...

in issue #27 (Nov. 1980)Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 188: "Artist Jim Starlin displayed his penchant for portraying powerful cosmic villains with the debut of Mongul, a new threat to plague Superman's life, in a story written by Len Wein". as part of a three-issue storyline. Another insert in issue #41 previewed the "new direction"

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byrne, are credited as being ...

. In issue #47, Superman traveled to Eternia and met the

Masters of the Universe ''Masters of the Universe'' (sometimes referred to as the ''He-Man'' or ''She-Ra'' series) is a sword and planet-themed media franchise created by Mattel. The main premise revolves around the conflict between He-Man (the alter ego of Prince Ada ...

. Ambush Bug made his first appearance in issue #52 (Dec. 1982)Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 199: " mbush Bugmade his debut in the pages of ''DC Comics Presents'' #52... ywriter Paul Kupperberg and artist Keith Giffen". and made additional appearances in issues #59 and 81. The Superman/ Challengers of the Unknown tale in issue #84 was drawn by

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential c ...

and

Alex Toth Alexander Toth (June 25, 1928 – May 27, 2006) was an American cartoonist active from the 1940s through the 1980s. Toth's work began in the American comic book industry, but he is also known for his animation designs for Hanna-Barbera throughout ...

. The series also contained the

Alan Moore Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', '' V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell ...

Superman/

Swamp Thing The Swamp Thing is a superhero in American comic books published by DC Comics. A humanoid/plant elemental creature, created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several humanoid or monster incarnations i ...

story "The Jungle Line" in ''DC Comics Presents'' #85 (Sept. 1985), pencilled by Rick Veitch and inked by Al Williamson. Issue #87 featured the first appearance and origin of the divergent Kal-El of the

Earth Prime Earth Prime (or Earth-Prime) is a term sometimes used in works of speculative fiction, most notably in DC Comics, involving parallel universes or a multiverse, and refers either to the universe containing "our" Earth, or to a parallel world wi ...

reality, who would become known as

Superboy-Prime Superboy-Prime (Clark Kent, born Kal-El), also known as Superman-Prime or simply Prime, is a DC Comics superhero turned supervillain and an alternate version of Superman. The character first appeared in '' DC Comics Presents'' #87 (November 19 ...

.Manning "1980s" in Dolan, p. 215: "This issue set into motion the life of Earth-Prime's youngest superhero, a major player in the ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' saga, and the brutal adversary at the heart of 2005-2006's ''Infinite Crisis'' limited series". The last issue is an exception to the team-up format, instead featuring Superman in an "Untold Tale" involving the

Phantom Zone The Phantom Zone is a prison-like parallel dimension appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It is mainly associated with stories featuring Superman. It first appeared in ''Adventure Comics'' #283 (April 1961), and was created by ...

by Steve Gerber, following up as the conclusion to Gerber's previous

limited series Limited series may refer to: *Limited series, individual storylines within an anthology series *Limited series, a particular run of collectables, usually individually numbered * Limited series (comics), a comics series with a predetermined number ...

of the same title. In 2004, the title ''DC Comics Presents'' was revived for eight one-shot issues, each a tribute to DC editor

who had recently died. Each issue featured two stories based on a classic DC Comics cover of the past, reflecting Schwartz's frequent practice of commissioning a cover concept, then telling the writers to create a story about that cover. In 2010, DC launched a new ''DC Comics Presents'', a line of 100-page reprint issues reprinting stories that have not seen print since their original publication.

Featured team-ups

Characters featured in the "Whatever Happened to...?" back-up series

Writer

Mike Tiefenbacher Street Enterprises was a publishing company that focused on reprints of newspaper comic strips from the United States and the United Kingdom. Operating from 1971–1984, Street Enterprises is most known for the sister publications ''The Menomonee F ...

had several proposals for other "Whatever Happened to...?" stories. These included Captain Action, Blackhawk, Genius Jones, Nighthawk, the Ragman, the Sea Devils, the Silent Knight, and

Wildcat The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

Julius Schwartz tribute

In September and October 2004, the title ''DC Comics Presents'' was revived for a series of eight one-shot issues, each a tribute to DC

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, ...

, who had died the previous February. Each issue featured two stories based on a classic DC Comics cover of the past, reflecting Schwartz's frequent practice of commissioning a cover concept, then telling the writers to create a story about that cover.

2010 revival

In 2010, DC launched a new ''DC Comics Presents'' series featuring stories that have not seen print since their original publication. The issues are: *''DC Comics Presents:

Batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book '' Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939 ...

'' #1 (October 2010), which spotlights Batman and reprints ''Batman'' #582–585 (10/20/2010). *''DC Comics Presents: Batman'' #2 (November 2010), reprints ''Batman'' #591–594 (11/17/2010). *''DC Comics Presents: Batman'' #3 (December 2010), reprints ''Batman'' #595–598 (12/15/2010). *''DC Comics Presents: Brightest Day'' #1, which spotlights Deadman and

and reprints selected stories from ''Hawkman'' #27, 34 and 36, ''

Solo Solo or SOLO may refer to: Arts and entertainment Comics * ''Solo'' (DC Comics), a DC comics series * Solo, a 1996 mini-series from Dark Horse Comics Characters * Han Solo, a ''Star Wars'' character * Jacen Solo, a Jedi in the non-canonical ' ...

'' #8, ''DCU Holiday '09'' and ''

Strange Adventures ''Strange Adventures'' is a series of American comic books published by DC Comics, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the cover date, and published continuously until November 1973. Original series ''Strange Adventures ...

'' #205. *''DC Comics Presents: Brightest Day'' #2, which spotlights the

Martian Manhunter The Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Joseph Samachson and designed by artist Joe Certa, the character first appeared in the story "The Manhunter from Mars" ...

and

Firestorm the Nuclear Man Firestorm is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein fused together debuted as the first incarnation in ''Firestorm, the Nuclear Man'' #1 (March 1978) ...

(both

Ronnie Raymond Firestorm is the name of several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein fused together debuted as the first incarnation in ''Firestorm, the Nuclear Man'' #1 (March 1978) a ...

and Martin Stein and Jason Rusch) and reprints ''Martian Manhunter'' #24 and ''Firestorm'' #11–13. *''DC Comics Presents:

Ethan Van Sciver Ethan Daniel Van Sciver (No date on article; date appears in the website') (; born September 3, 1974) is an American comics artist and social media personality. He is known for illustrating or drawing covers for a number of superhero titles in th ...

'', which spotlights the art of Ethan Van Sciver and reprints ''Batman and

Catwoman Catwoman is a fictional character created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. Debuting as "the Cat" in ''Batman'' #1 (spring 1940), she ...

: Trail of the Gun'' #1–2. *''DC Comics Presents: The Flash and

Green Lantern Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness ...

: Faster Friends'', which spotlights Green Lantern V (

Kyle Rayner Kyle Rayner (), one of the characters known as Green Lantern, is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character is depicted as being associated with the Green Lantern Corps, an extraterrestrial police force of ...

) and the Flash III (

Wally West Wallace Rudolph "Wally" West is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics as the original Kid Flash and the third Flash (DC Comics character), Flash. His power consists mainly of speedster (fiction), superhuman speed. ...

) and reprints both issues of the titular miniseries. *''DC Comics Presents: Green Lantern'', which spotlights Green Lantern V (Kyle Rayner) and

Jade Jade is a mineral used as jewellery or for ornaments. It is typically green, although may be yellow or white. Jade can refer to either of two different silicate minerals: nephrite (a silicate of calcium and magnesium in the amphibole gro ...

and reprints ''Green Lantern'' (vol. 3) #137–140. *''DC Comics Presents: Jack Cross'', which spotlights Jack Cross and reprints issues #1–4 of his self-titled series. *''DC Comics Presents: J. H. Williams III'', which spotlights the art of J. H. Williams III and reprints '' Chase'' #1 and 6–8. *''DC Comics Presents:

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Otto Binder and artist Al Plastino, the Legion is a group of superpowered beings living in the 30th and 31st cent ...

'' #1, which spotlights Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning's re-invention of the Legion of Super-Heroes leading into '' Legion Lost'' and reprints ''

'' (vol. 4) #122-123 and ''Legionnaires'' #79-80. *''DC Comics Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes'' #2, which spotlights

Geoff Johns Geoffrey Johns (born January 25, 1973) is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and film and television producer. Johns's work on the DC Comics characters Green Lantern, Aquaman, Flash and Superman, has drawn critical acclaim. He se ...

and reprints '' Adventure Comics'' #0-4, ''Action Comics'' #864 and 900 and the

Mon-El Lar Gand, known mainly as Mon-El (and alternatively as Valor and M'Onel), is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy, and Superman. The ...

story from ''Action Comics Annual'' #10. *''DC Comics Presents: Superman'' #1, which spotlights Superman and reprints ''Superman'' #179-180 and 185 and '' Superman: The Man of Steel'' #121. *''DC Comics Presents: Superman'' #2, reprints ''Superman: The Man of Steel'' #133, ''Superman'' #189, '' The Adventures of Superman'' #611 and ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/ magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as National Allied Publications, and later as National Comics Publication ...

'' #798. *''DC Comics Presents: Superman'' #3, reprints ''Superman'' #177–178 and 181–182. *''DC Comics Presents: Superman'' #4, reprints ''Action Comics'' #768 and 771–773. *''DC Comics Presents:

Young Justice Young Justice is a fictional DC Comics superhero team consisting of teenaged heroes. The team was formed in 1998 when DC's usual teen hero group, the Teen Titans, had become adults and changed their name to the Titans. Like the original ''Teen ...

'' #1, which spotlights Young Justice and reprints ''

JLA JLA may refer to: * '' JLA'', a comic book series 1997–2006 * The Justice League of America, a fictional DC Comics superhero team * JLA (company), a laundry equipment provider * Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (abbreviat ...

: World without Grown-Ups'' #1–2. *''DC Comics Presents: Young Justice'' #2, reprints ''Young Justice Secret Files and Origins'' #1, ''Young Justice in

No Man's Land No man's land is waste or unowned land or an uninhabited or desolate area that may be under dispute between parties who leave it unoccupied out of fear or uncertainty. The term was originally used to define a contested territory or a dump ...

'', and ''Young Justice: The Secret''. *''

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

Resurrected'', which contains a controversial and previously unpublished '' John Constantine, Hellblazer'' story by

Warren Ellis Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is a British comic book writer, novelist, and screenwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of several original comics series, including '' Transmetropolitan'' (1997–2002), '' Global Frequency'' ...

Collected editions

* '' Showcase Presents DC Comics Presents: Superman Team-Ups Vol. 1'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #1–26, 512 pages, November 2009, * ''Showcase Presents DC Comics Presents: Superman Team-Ups Vol. 2'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #27–50 and ''Annual'' #1, 512 pages, July 2013, * ''Superman vs. Flash'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #1–2, 208 pages, May 2005, * ''Adventures of Superman: José Luis García-López'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #1–4, 17, 20, 24, and 31, 360 pages, April 2013, * ''Superman's Greatest Team-Ups'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #5, 9–10, 12, 14, 19, 28, 30, 35, 38–39, 45, 50, 58, 63, 67, 71, 97; 400 pages, April 2021, * ''Superman in the Seventies'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #14, 224 pages, November 2000, * '' Deadman Omnibus'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #24, 944 pages, December 2020, * '' The Phantom Stranger Omnibus'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #25 and 72; 1,184 pages, May 2022, * '' The New Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1'' includes the New Teen Titans story from ''DC Comics Presents'' #26, 240 pages, February 1999, * ''The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 1'' includes the New Teen Titans story from ''DC Comics Presents'' #26, 684 pages, September 2011, * ''Superman in the Eighties'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #29, 192 pages, April 2006, * ''The Spectre: The Wrath of the Spectre Omnibus'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #29, 680 pages, September 2020, * ''Legends of the Dark Knight: José Luis García-López'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #31 and 41, 472 pages, November 2021, * ''Superman vs.

Shazam! Shazam () may refer to: Comic book franchise * Captain Marvel (DC Comics), also known as Shazam, a superhero character published by Fawcett Comics and DC Comics ** Shazam (wizard), a character from the ''Shazam!/Captain Marvel'' comics, who give ...

'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #33–34, 49, and ''Annual'' #3, 192 pages, March 2013, * ''Superman vs. Shazam!'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #33–34, 49, and ''Annual'' #3, 256 pages, March 2021, * '' Joker: The Bronze Age Omnibus'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #41, 72; 832 pages, August 2019, * ''

: 80 Years of the Amazon Warrior - The Deluxe Edition'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #41, 416 pages, August 2021, * ''DC Through the 80s: The End of Eras'' includes ''DC Comics Presents Annual'' #1, 520 pages, December 2020, * ''Showcase Presents Ambush Bug Vol. 1'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #52, 59, and 81, 488 pages, March 2009, * ''Shazam! The Greatest Stories Ever Told'' includes ''DC Comics Presents Annual'' #3, 224 pages, February 2008, * ''Adventures of Superman:

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

'' includes ''DC Comics Presents Annual'' #3, 392 pages, January 2013, * ''

Batman and the Outsiders The Outsiders are a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As their name suggests, the team consists of superheroes who do not fit the norms of the "mainstream" superhero community, i.e. the Justice League. The ...

Vol. 3'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #83, 288 pages, April 2019, * ''The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #85, 288 pages, December 1989, * ''DC Universe by

'' includes ''DC Comics Presents'' #85, 464 pages, March 2012,

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dc Comics Presents 1978 comics debuts 1986 comics endings Comics anthologies Comics by Alan Moore Comics by Dennis O'Neil Comics by George Pérez Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by Jim Starlin Comics by Keith Giffen Comics by Len Wein Comics by Marv Wolfman Comics by Paul Kupperberg Comics by Paul Levitz Comics by Roy Thomas Comics by Steve Englehart Comics by Steve Gerber DC Comics titles Defunct American comics Team-up comics