''DC Super Stars'' was a

comics anthology A comics anthology collects works in the medium of comics, typically from multiple series, and compiles them into an anthology or magazine. The comics in these anthologies range from comic strips that are too short for standalone publication to co ...

series published by

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

from March 1976 to February 1978. Starting off as a

reprint A reprint is a re-publication of material that has already been previously published. The term ''reprint'' is used with slightly different meanings in several fields. Academic publishing In academic publishing, offprints, sometimes also known ...

title, it finished its run with original stories.

Publication history

The

tagline In entertainment, a tagline (alternatively spelled tag line) is a short text which serves to clarify a thought for, or is designed with a form of, dramatic effect. Many tagline slogans are reiterated phrases associated with an individual, so ...

"The Line of DC Super-Stars" was used as a brand emblem on comic books published by DC Comics beginning in December 1973 and ending January 1977. The ''DC Super Stars'' series began with a March 1976

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 unusu ...

. A recurring feature of the title's early run was "DC Super-Stars of Space", special issues reprinting

Silver Age The Ages of Man are the historical stages of human existence according to Greek mythology and its subsequent interpretatio romana, Roman interpretation. Both Hesiod and Ovid offered accounts of the successive ages of humanity, which tend to pr ...

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

stories starring such characters as

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz and designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in '' Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Strange made his live-action de ...

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 ...

, the

Atomic Knights Atomic Knight is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and was briefly a member of the Outsiders team. He is sometimes depicted as one of a group of Atomic Knights, which first appeared in ''Strange Adventures'' #117 ...

Space Cabbie Space Cabbie (also spelled Space Cabby) is a science fiction taxi driver in DC Comics. Publication history Space Cabbie first appeared in ''Mystery in Space'' #21 (August 1954) in a story scripted by Otto Binder and drawn by Howard Sherman. The c ...

Captain Comet Captain Comet (Adam Blake) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome (writer), John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino. Once a minor character in the DC Comics ...

Tommy Tomorrow Tommy Tomorrow is a science fiction hero published by DC Comics in several of their titles from 1947 to 1963. He first appeared in ''Real Fact Comics'' #6 (January 1947). He was created by Jack Schiff, George Kashdan, Bernie Breslauer, Virgil Finl ...

, the

Star Rovers "Star Rovers" is a science fiction American comic book feature published by DC Comics between 1961 and 1964. The feature first appeared in seven issues of DC's science-fiction anthology comic ''Mystery in Space'', followed by two issues of DC's c ...

, and

Space Ranger Space Ranger (Rick Starr) is a science fiction hero who was published by American company DC Comics in several of their 1950s and 1960s anthology titles. He first appeared in '' Showcase'' #15 (July 1958) and was created by writers Edmond Hamilt ...

. The series' middle period was marked by theme issues —

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

, heroes with guns, sports, magic-users — until issue #12, which heralded the title's second original story, featuring

Superboy Superboy is an identity used by several fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. These characters have been featured in several eponymous comic series, in addition to ''Adventure Comics'' and other series ...

. From that point until ''DC Super Stars'' was cancelled after issue #18, the series contained new stories about a range of different characters (some being showcased for their own titles), as well as a collection of "secret origin" stories. The

Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...

Huntress made her

first appearance In comic books and other stories with a long history, first appearance refers to the first issue to feature a fictional character. These issues are often highly valued by collectors due to their rarity and iconic status. Reader interest in fir ...

in ''DC Super Stars'' #17 (November/December 1977) in a story written by

Paul Levitz Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002 to 2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...

and drawn by

Joe Staton Joe Staton ( born January 19, 1948) is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist o ...

and

Bob Layton Bob Layton (born September 25, 1953) is an American comic book artist, writer, and editor. He is best known for his work on Marvel Comics titles such as ''Iron Man (comic book), Iron Man'' and ''Hercules (Marvel Comics), Hercules'', and for co-fo ...

Collected editions

* ''

and the

Legion of Super-Heroes The Legion of Super-Heroes is a 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 centuries of t ...

'' Vol. 1 includes the Legion of Super-Heroes story from ''DC Super Stars'' #17, 312 pages, June 2017, * ''Batman in the Seventies'' includes the Huntress story from ''DC Super Stars'' #17, 192 pages, January 2000, * ''Huntress: Dark Knight Daughter'' includes the Huntress story from ''DC Super Stars'' #17, 224 pages, December 2006, * ''

Catwoman Catwoman is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, she debuted as "the Cat" in ''Batman (comic book), Batman'' #1 (spring 1940). She has become one of the superhero Batman' ...

: A Celebration of 75 Years'' includes the Huntress story from ''DC Super Stars'' #17, 408 pages, November 2015, * ''

Showcase Presents ''Showcase Presents'' is a line (comics), line of black-and-white paperback books that were published by DC Comics (from 2005 - 2016) at an average rate of two per month. Much like Marvel Comics' ''Essential Marvel'' volumes, each book usually incl ...

Phantom Stranger The Phantom Stranger is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, of unspecified paranormal origins, who battles mysterious and occult forces, sometimes under their Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo imprint. The character ...

'' Vol. 2 includes the Phantom Stranger and

Deadman Deadman or Deadman's may refer to: * "Deadman" or "dead man", are alternative terms for a dead man's switch * "Deadman's foot" is another name for a Salamander (metallurgy), Salamander in metallurgy * "Deadman anchor" is a buried object (log, con ...

story from ''DC Super Stars'' #18, 552 pages, March 2008, * ''Deadman'' Vol. 3 includes the Phantom Stranger and Deadman story from ''DC Super Stars'' #18, 176 pages, December 2012, * ''Deadman Omnibus'' includes the Phantom Stranger and Deadman story from ''DC Super Stars'' #18, 944 pages, December 2020,

References

External links

*
''DC Super Stars'' cover gallery

"Dial B For Blog" #310
Focus on the Superboy story in ''DC Super Stars'' #12 {{DEFAULTSORT:Dc Super Stars 1976 comics debuts 1978 comics endings Comics anthologies Comics by David Michelinie Comics by Dennis O'Neil Comics by Gerry Conway Comics by Paul Kupperberg Comics by Paul Levitz Comics by Robert Kanigher DC Comics titles Defunct American comics

Publication history

Collected editions

See also

References

External links