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 ...
has published a number of other
imprints
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
...
and
lines of comics over the years.
History
In the
Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era in the history of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and ma ...
publishing, DC Comics was also an imprint of Detective Comics and its affiliated companies,
All-American Publications
All-American Publications, Inc.The name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to fo ...
and
National Allied Publications
National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics.
History
The corporation was origin ...
, that were later all merged into National Periodical Publications, later renamed DC Comics. Before the merger, due to squabbles between the companies, All-American published under its own name/imprint in 1945 starting with the February stand date until the December stand date.
In 1987, DC started
Piranha Press as a mature readers line.
The ''
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is the publication imprint (trade name), imprint for American comic books produced by DC Comics for stories that take place outside the DC Universe Canon (fictional), canon. Elseworlds publications are set in alternate realities that ...
'' concept was tested in 1989 with ''
Gotham by Gaslight: An Alternate History of the Batman'' and became an imprint with 1991's ''Batman: Holy Terror''.
Using the licensed
Red Circle characters, DC launched the
Impact Comics
Impact Comics was an imprint of DC Comics that was aimed at younger audiences. It began in 1991 and ended in 1993. The initial "I" in the logo was stylized as an exclamation point, but the official name of the imprint was not ''!mpact''.
Impa ...
imprint in 1991 as an introductory and new talent imprint.
In January 1993, DC's
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
imprint was launched with some former DC Comics imprint titles. DC teamed up with
Milestone Media
Milestone Media Company LLC is the media company which created the Milestone Comics line, which were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone Media created the source material that was adapted as the '' Static Shock'' animated series. T ...
to co-publish Milestone Comics starting in 1993.
[Milestone. Page 4.] Impact Comics last saw print in July.
Piranha was shut down in 1994 to be replaced by
Paradox Press
Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andy Helfer, Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton, the imprint was renamed. Paradox was best known for pu ...
with Milestone Comics following in 1996.
In July, the
Helix
A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...
science fiction imprint was launched.
In December 1997, the
Tangent Comics imprint was published on skip week, then on skip week of September 1998.
In August 1998, DC purchased
WildStorm
Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...
, including imprints
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
,
Homage and
ABC.
1998 also saw the end of the Helix imprint as its top title was moved to Vertigo, where reprints of the Helix titles also were printed under.
In 2001, DC shut down Paradox Press.
DC launched a
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
imprint,
CMX[CMX. Page 10.] and
DC Focus in 2004, but Focus was soon shut down in 2005.
Johnny DC was launched in September 2004 with DC Comics'
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
and
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
-based comic books. In September 2005,
All-Star DC was launched with ''
All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder''.
In May 2007, DC launched a line for young women called
Minx.
Also that year, DC entered the webcomic market with
Zuda Comics.
[Zuda Comics. Page 3.]
After seeing Tangent characters in the regular
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
in ''
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' in 2006, in ''
Ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
'' #9–10 in 2007 and then in ''
Countdown to Final Crisis
''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...
'', the Tangent imprint was revived in March 2008, for a 12-issue maxiseries.
The
Red Circle line began print in 2008 as DC's second attempt with the Red Circle characters, this time as part of the DC Universe.
The Milestone characters were also licensed in 2008 to be included in the DC Universe.
With no placement in major bookstores in the young adult section, Minx was canceled in September 2008.
With some licensed pulp characters mixed with pulp-like DC characters, DC launched the ''
First Wave'' line in 2009.
In July 2010, DC shutdown its CMX imprint and moved ''
Megatokyo
is an English-language webcomic created by Fred Gallagher (cartoonist), Fred Gallagher and Rodney Caston. ''Megatokyo'' debuted on August 14, 2000, and has been written and illustrated solely by Gallagher since June 17, 2002. Fred Gallagher's ...
'' to the DC imprint. Later in September, as part of
DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery which manages DC Comics characters by working with other units ...
's reorganization, DC ended WildStorm and Zuda imprints and Bob Harris was named Editor-in-Chief for all remaining imprints: DC, ''
Mad'' and Vertigo.
With the ''
New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC cancelled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new ser ...
'' reboot in September 2011, the Wildstorm characters were adapted into the DC Universe within the "
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
" line, which also featured the Western and war comics.
The
Earth One graphic novel imprint was launched in November 2010.
By the end of 2011, the ''First Wave'' line was discontinued.
In a May 2017 editorial leadership reorganization, three Executive Editors split up DC Comics and its imprints. Pat McCallum took the DC superhero titles and Mark Doyle the two mature imprints, Vertigo and
Young Animal. Executive Editor Bobbie Chase was given custom comics, DC Kids, Digital First titles,
Hanna-Barbera Beyond comics, Milestone comics, the relaunched WildStorm Universe, and the young reader imprint.
In 2018, DC Comics launched a number of new imprints and lines. Imprints included
DC Black Label
DC Black Label (also referred to simply as Black Label) is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original miniseries and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present t ...
, youth-oriented
DC Ink and
DC Zoom and Brian Michael Bendis'
Wonder Comics imprint, while DC imprint Vertigo launched a Sandman Universe line.
DC Comics discontinued all imprints as of January 2020 while implementing a new age-specific identification of DC Kids (ages 8–12), DC (ages 13 and older) and DC Black Label (ages 17 and above and a reuse of the former label name). This does not apply to the pop-up imprints like ''Young Animal'' and ''
The Wild Storm''.
Imprints
Absolute Universe
The Absolute Universe (AU) is a shared universe featuring reimagined, modern takes on many of DC's superhero properties. The imprint debuted following the 2024 ''
Absolute Power''
crossover event.
All Star
All Star, or All Star DC, was a DC imprint that allowed big name creators to make "out-of-continuity" stories of DC major characters. All Star was DC's answer to Marvel's
Ultimate
Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
*Ultimate (Bryan Adams album), ''Ultimate'' (Bryan Adams album)
*Ultimate (Jolin Tsai album), ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album)
*Ultimate (Pet Shop Boys album), ''Ult ...
imprint.
[All-Star DC. Page 2.] The original purposes of the line was to have stories featuring the characters in their "most identifiable versions as seen by the world outside of comics", but based on the creators recruited, the purpose shifted to the creators' vision.
Only two out of the four planned miniseries made it to print. ''
All-Star Superman
''All-Star Superman'' is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008 (on sale date). The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Qu ...
'' was considered a landmark series for the
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
character and the creators. The other title, ''
All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder'', was never finished (the last two issues remain unpublished to this day), but created a lot of discussions. The title is expected to get new branding as ''Dark Knight'', if and when it resumes.
Due to scheduling issues of the creative team, the status of writer
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 (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
and artist
J. G. Jones' ''All Star Batgirl'' by November 2008 was on indefinite hold.
Adam Hughes
Adam Hughes (born May 5, 1967) is an American comics artist and illustrator best known to American comic book readers for his renderings of pinup-style female characters, and his cover work on titles such as ''Wonder Woman'' and ''Catwoman''. ...
was working on the ''All Star Wonder Woman'' book with some pages completed by November 2008.
All Star DC imprint was launched in September 2005 with ''All Star Batman & Robin, the Boy Wonder''.
A direct-to-video animated film was made based on ''
All-Star Superman
''All-Star Superman'' is a twelve-issue American comic book series featuring Superman that was published by DC Comics. The series ran from November 2005 to October 2008 (on sale date). The series was written by Grant Morrison, drawn by Frank Qu ...
'' by
Warner Home Video
Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment, Inc. (doing business as Warner Bros. Home Entertainment; formerly known as Warner Home Video and WCI Home Video and sometimes credited as Warner Home Entertainment) is the American home video distribution ...
and released in February 2011.
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics
Amalgam Comics was a collaborative publishing imprint shared by DC Comics and Marvel Comics, in which the two comic book publishers merged their characters into new ones (e.g., the DC Comics character Batman and the Marvel Comics character Wolver ...
was a joint imprint from
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
and
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 ...
that published amalgamated characters such as the Dark Claw, Iron Lantern, Spider-Boy, and Lobo the Duck. Amalgam Comics published a total of 24 comics, with the first 12 comics being published in April 1996 in-between issues #3 and 4 of the miniseries ''
DC vs. Marvel
''DC vs. Marvel'' (issues #2–3 titled ''Marvel vs. DC'') is a comic book miniseries intercompany crossover published by DC Comics and Marvel Comics from February to May 1996. Each company would publish two issues of the miniseries, thus the t ...
'' and the other 12 issues being published in June 1997.
DC Black Label
DC Black Label is DC Comics' out of continuity all-star creator imprint.
This imprint allows creators to craft stories about DC's superheroes outside of restrictive continuity. The initial lineup included creators such as
Frank Miller,
Kelly Sue DeConnick,
Scott Snyder
Scott Snyder (born January 15, 1976) is an American comic book author. He is known for his 2006 short story collection ''Voodoo Heart'', and his work for DC Comics, including series such as ''American Vampire'', ''Detective Comics'', a highly acc ...
,
Lee Bermejo
Lee Bermejo is an American comic book writer and artist whose published work includes interior illustrations and cover art. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Brian Azzarello including '' Lex Luthor: Man of Steel'', the '' Joker ...
and more. The earliest known release is ''
Batman: Damned'' by Bermejo and
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo. ...
in September 2018.
DC Focus
Focus or DC Focus was an alternative imprint from DC Comics launched in 2004. The imprint was an alternative in that the titles were about people with superpowers without costumes or fighting crime. While the imprint had four solid titles, the line was closed in mid-2005, with only ''
Hard Time'' moving to the main DC imprint in a second series.
[DC Focus. Page 7.]
DC Ink
DC Ink is a graphic novel imprint for younger readers.
In a May 2017 editorial leadership reorganization, three Executive Editors split up DC Comics and its imprints. Executive Editor
Bobbie Chase was given custom comics, DC Kids, Digital First titles, Hanna-Barbera comics, Milestone and the relaunched WildStorm Universe. The next year in February, DC unveiled two new graphic novel imprints aimed at younger readers. DC Zoom is focused on young readers, while DC Ink is aimed at young adults. Creators include Danielle Paige,
Lauren Myracle
Lauren Myracle (born May 15, 1969) is an American writer of young adult fiction. She has written many novels, including the three best-selling "IM" books, ''ttyl (novel), ttyl'', ''ttfn (novel), ttfn'' and ''l8r, g8r''. Her book ''Thirteen Plus O ...
,
Marie Lu, and more. The books came in a standard format with a standard price: 192 pages for $16.99.
Ink launched in September 2018 with ''Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass'' by Tamaki and
Steve Pugh
Steve Pugh ( ; born 24 March 1966) is a British comic book artist who has worked for American and British comic producers including DC Comics, DC, Marvel Comics, Marvel, Dark Horse Comics, Dark Horse and ''2000 AD (comic), 2000 AD''.
He broke ...
.
DC Zoom
DC Zoom is a graphic novel imprint aimed at younger readers. DC Zoom is focused on young readers, while DC Ink is aimed at young adults. Creators include
Mariko Tamaki
Mariko Tamaki (born 1975) is a Canadian artist and writer. She is known for her graphic novels '' Skim'', ''Emiko Superstar,'' and '' This One Summer''."Mariko Tamaki". CBC Radio, '' The Next Chapter'', 12 November 2012. In 2016 she began writing ...
,
Ridley Pearson
Ridley Pearson (born March 13, 1953, in Glen Cove, New York) is an American author of suspense, thriller and adventure books. Several of his books have appeared on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list.
Literary career
Pearson became the fir ...
, Steve Pugh, and more. The books came in a standard format with a standard price: 128 pages for $9.99.
Zoom launched in October 2018 with ''DC Super Hero Girls: Search for Atlantis'' by Shea Fontana.
Earth M
Earth M is an imprint and a relaunch of the Milestone universe by DC and
Milestone Media
Milestone Media Company LLC is the media company which created the Milestone Comics line, which were published and distributed by DC Comics. Milestone Media created the source material that was adapted as the '' Static Shock'' animated series. T ...
. Earth M was supposed to launch its first book in early 2018
but the first release featuring this reality was ''Milestone Returns'' #0 in September 2020. ''Milestone'', ''Static Shock'', ''Duo'', ''Love Army'' and ''Earth M'' make up the entirety of that imprint.
Earth One
Earth One (EO) is a DC Comics
graphic novel
A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...
imprint that features a separate continuity from their main imprint.
Founded in 2009, Earth One graphic novels feature re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
.
Elseworlds
Elseworlds is DC Comics' superhero alternative history and non-canon imprint.
In November 1989, the first Elseworlds title, ''
Gotham by Gaslight: An Alternative History of the Batman'', was printed. The line became an imprint with October 1991's ''
Batman: Holy Terror'', as it was the first to carry the Elseworlds logo.
Helix
Helix was a science fiction imprint of DC Comics. It only lasted two years before being merged into DC's
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
imprint.
[Helix. Page 5.]
Originally, it was planned to be released in July 1996 with September cover dates as "Matrix",
but to avoid comparison to the then-upcoming film ''
The Matrix
''The Matrix'' is a 1999 science fiction film, science fiction action film written and directed by the Wachowskis. It is the first installment in the The Matrix (franchise), ''Matrix'' film series, starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Ca ...
'', the imprint was renamed "Helix".
The imprint continued until 1998, when its "signature book" ''
Transmetropolitan
''Transmetropolitan'' is a cyberpunk transhumanist comic book series written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Darick Robertson; it was published by the American company DC Comics in 1997–2002. The series was originally part of the short-lived DC C ...
'' transferred to the Vertigo imprint. Additional Helix titles were later republished in collected editions under the Vertigo brand.
Impact Comics
Impact Comics (also stylized !mpact Comics or Impact! Comics) was a superhero imprint for DC Comics using the
Red Circle characters licensed from
Archie Comics
Archie Comic Publications, Inc. (often referred to simply as Archie Comics) is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the village of Pelham, New York. The company's many titles feature the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Jug ...
. The line was supposed to be a newsstand based line aimed at the younger readers within its own self-contained universe.
[Impact Comics. Page 6.] ''The Comet'', by creators
Mark Waid
Mark Waid (; born March 21, 1962) is an American comic book writer best known for his work on DC Comics titles ''The Flash'', '' Kingdom Come'' and '' Superman: Birthright'' as well as his work on ''Captain America'', ''Fantastic Four'' and '' Da ...
and
Tom Lyle, was the imprint's longest running title. The imprint was also supposed to be a training ground for new talent.
Impact was launched in July 1991 with several titles: ''Black Hood'', ''The Fly'', ''Jaguar'', ''Comet'', ''Legend of the Shield'' and ''The Web''. In May 1992, the imprint got its first team title, ''The Crusaders'', lasting eight issues. From October to December 1992, various titles were cancelled.
The miniseries ''Crucible'' began in February 1993 by writers Mark Waid and
Brian Augustyn and artist
Joe Quesada
Joseph Quesada (; born January 12, 1962'' Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; page 107) is an American comic book artist, writer, editor, and television producer. He became known in the 1990s for his work on various Valiant Comics books, ...
and was an attempt to relaunch the line, but with sales still lagging, the imprint was instead cancelled.
Johnny DC
Johnny DC (later ''DC Entertainment'') was DC's imprint for its all ages cartoon titles.
Previously, Johnny DC was used in the
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 ...
as a mascot for DC Comics.
DC started a
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...
cartoon character line featuring
Looney Tunes
''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...
and
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...
with the April 1994 issue of ''Looney Tunes''.
In September 2004, DC upgraded this line to a full imprint as Johnny DC for the November cover date. In the same month, the imprint added ''The Batman Strikes'', a comic based on the Cartoon Network series ''
The Batman'', and ''Cartoon Network Block Party'', an anthology title. In September 2006, ''
Krypto the Superdog'' comic was released based on the Cartoon Network series of the same name. Three new titles, ''
Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam!'', ''
Tiny Titans'' and ''Super Friends'', were launched in August 2007 by coordinating editor Jann Jones. In February, ''Tiny Titans'' first issue was released, while in March the ''Super Friends'' title was relaunched, now based on the
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
toyline of the same name. ''Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade'' began in December 2008. The imprint was renamed
DC Entertainment
DC Entertainment is an American entertainment company that was founded in September 2009 and is based in Burbank, California. The company is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery which manages DC Comics characters by working with other units ...
.
Minx
Minx was an imprint of DC Comics graphic novels aimed at the young adult market, particularly teenage girls. The line was launched with ''The Plain Janes'', the line's signature title. DC signed Alloy Media & Marketing to market the imprint with a $250,000 budget.
Also, Minx was working with Book Sense to get the novels into independent bookstores.
''The Plain Janes'' was the only title to get a second volume before the imprint was shut down.
[Minx. page 9.] Random House
Random House is an imprint and publishing group of Penguin Random House. Founded in 1927 by businessmen Bennett Cerf and Donald Klopfer as an imprint of Modern Library, it quickly overtook Modern Library as the parent imprint. Over the foll ...
, DC's bookstore distributor, could not get the line's books into the young adult fiction section at the major bookstores. The line was canceled in September 2008.
''The New York Four'' moved to
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
for its sequel, ''New York Five''.
Paradox Press
Paradox Press was DC's second mature readers imprint replacing
Piranha Press in 1994. The Paradox imprint was shut down in 2001.
Paradox's first comic books, ''
Big Book of Urban Legends'', ''La Pacifica'' and ''
Brooklyn Dreams'', saw print in January 1995. In August 1996, Paradox began the reprinting of the ''
Gon''
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
by
Masashi Tanaka
Masashi Tanaka (田中 政志, born June 10, 1962) is a Japanese manga artist best known for creating ''Gon (manga), Gon'', a silent manga starring a miniature dinosaur.
Biography
Masashi Tanaka was born in Gōtsu, Shimane. He graduated from th ...
. ''
Road to Perdition'', published in April 1998, was later adapted into a motion picture. Paradox stopped releasing material with ''Gon on Safari'' in September 2000.
Piranha Press
Piranha Press was DC Comics' first mature readers imprint launched in 1989. The book establishing the imprint's tone was ''
Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children'' (BSfUC), an anthology by Dave Louapre and Dan Sweetman. Piranha's best-selling (and most well-remembered) title was ''Why I Hate Saturn'' (which started
Kyle Baker
Kyle John Baker (born 1965) is an American cartoonist, comic book writer-artist, and animator known for his graphic novels and for a 2000s revival of the series ''Plastic Man''.
Baker has won numerous Eisner Awards and Harvey Awards for his wo ...
's solo career). Piranha was shut down in 1994 to be replaced by
Paradox Press
Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andy Helfer, Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton, the imprint was renamed. Paradox was best known for pu ...
.
[Piranha Press. Page 8.] The imprint was DC's first imprint that allowed creator-owned titles.
Piranha Press was announced in November 1987 with Mark Nevelow as its editor. In June 1989, the imprint's first titles hit the stands, ''BSfUC'' and ''ETC''. 24 different titles saw print under the Piranha imprint. ''BSfUC'' lasted 30 issues, while most were one-shots or did not last for more than five issues. In December 1992, ''Prince: Alter Ego'', based on the rock star Prince, hit the stands.
Tangent Comics
Tangent Comics was a
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 ...
imprint that introduced the Tangent Universe, a new universe of superheroes, created by
Dan Jurgens
Dan Jurgens (; born June 27, 1959) is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC Comics, DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday (DC Comics), Doomsday, Hank H ...
in 1997 based on alternative concepts for the regular DC superheroes.
The imprint published a series of 18 one-shots over two years starring the Tangent version of the major DC Universe characters.
The first nine specials were published during December 1997's "skip-week", with the second nine for September 1998's skip-week.
The one-shots were collected into two volumes published in January 2008. In 2006, the Tangent characters appeared in the regular DC Universe in ''
Infinite Crisis
"Infinite Crisis" is a 2005–2006 comic book storyline published by DC Comics, consisting of an eponymous, seven-issue comic book limited series written by Geoff Johns and illustrated by Phil Jimenez, George Pérez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, ...
'' in 2006, in ''
Ion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by convent ...
'' #9-10 in 2007 and then in ''
Countdown to Final Crisis
''Countdown'', also known as ''Countdown to Final Crisis'' for its last 24 issues based on the cover, was a comic book Limited series (comics), limited series published by DC Comics. It debuted on May 9, 2007, directly following the conclusion of ...
'' in 2007. A 12-issue maxiseries titled ''Tangent: Superman's Reign'', written and drawn by Jurgens, ran from March 2008 to March 2009 and revisited the Tangent Universe 10 years later, both in reality and fiction.
*
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
is an African-American New York police officer named
Harvey Dent
Two-Face is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by Bob Kane, and first appeared in ''Detective Comics'' #66 (August 1942). He has become one of the superhero Batman's most enduring e ...
who received psychic powers from experiments conducted on him by a top secret 'Big Brother' group called
Nightwing
Nightwing is a superhero alias used by multiple characters in American comic books published by DC Comics. The most prominent bearer is Dick Grayson, the original Robin, who adopts the Nightwing identity to assert his independence from Batman. ...
.
* Tangent's
Flash is a teenage celebrity and movie star named Lia Nelson who has the ability to move at the speed of light, fly, teleport, and create holograms.
Vertigo Comics
Vertigo Comics is the alternative imprint of
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 ...
.
In January 1993, DC's Vertigo imprint was launched with the ''
Sandman'' and ''
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing is a superhero and antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Len Wein and artist Bernie Wrightson, the Swamp Thing has had several different incarnations throughout his publication. The ch ...
'' groups of titles, plus ''
Animal Man'' and ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...
'', all former DC Comics imprint titles plus ''
Death: The High Cost of Living'', a three-issue ''Sandman'' related miniseries, being the imprint's first new title. In February, several creator-owned titles begin printing with Vertigo from
Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
's aborted Touchmark imprint starting with ''Enigma''. Also, in October, the imprint had its first crossover storyline "The Children's Crusade", running through the Vertigo annuals with ''
The Children's Crusade'' "book-end" series.
In 1998, the Helix imprint closed down with its "signature book" ''
Transmetropolitan
''Transmetropolitan'' is a cyberpunk transhumanist comic book series written by Warren Ellis and drawn by Darick Robertson; it was published by the American company DC Comics in 1997–2002. The series was originally part of the short-lived DC C ...
'' transferred to the Vertigo imprint. Vertigo took over publishing collected editions for the ''Helix'' titles.
Starting in January 1999, ''
The Trenchcoat Brigade'' brought
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 ...
,
John Constantine,
Doctor Occult and
Mr. E together in one series lasting four issues.
Vertigo had its first fifth-week event in December 1999 to mark the change in the millennium with books named starting with "V2K". In May 2002, an ongoing title, ''
Fables
Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...
'' by
Bill Willingham, revitalized the Vertigo line with stories updating old fairy tales. Other titles in the ''Fables'' franchise include ''
Jack of Fables'' in 2006, ''The Literals'' in 2009 (part of the nine-issue storyline ''The Great Fables Crossover''), ''
Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love'' in 2010, and the ''
Fairest'' in 2012. In 2002, the imprint launched the ''Vertigo Pop: Tokyo'' title, lasting four issues and including some manga, and the successful ''
Y: The Last Man'' lasting to January 2008 and 60 issues.
After the September 2008 cancellation of the Minx line, Minx's ''The New York Four'' moved to Vertigo for its sequel, ''New York Five''.
In June 2009, Vertigo launched its first line in Vertigo Crime with ''
Filthy Rich'', followed by ''
Dark Entries'', both as black and white hardcovers. DC Universe characters returned to the DC imprint in July 2010, thus cancelling a title and effecting a proposed new ''Swamp Thing'' series.
The same year, 100-page "Spectacular" reprints program began.
By September, as part of DC Entertainment's reorganization, Vertigo joined its other DC imprints under the same Editor-in-Chief Bob Harris, while three Vertigo editors were later fired.
Vertigo in 2011 released two one-shot multi-editor anthologies: ''
Strange Adventures'' and ''
The Unexpected''.
In 2018,
Neil Gaiman
Neil Richard MacKinnon Gaiman (; born Neil Richard Gaiman; 10 November 1960) is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, audio theatre, and screenplays. His works include the comic series ''The Sandman (comic book), The Sandma ...
and Mark Doyle began to oversee a ''
Sandman Universe'' imprint under the Vertigo banner.
The Vertigo branding was retired in January 2020, with most of its library transferred to its successor,
DC Black Label
DC Black Label (also referred to simply as Black Label) is an imprint of American comic book publisher DC Comics consisting of original miniseries and reprints of books previously published under other imprints. The imprint intends to present t ...
. DC relaunched Vertigo imprint in 2024.
WildStorm
WildStorm was an imprint and subsidiary of DC Comics that was acquired that featured superheroes.
[Wildstorm. Page 1.] The imprint was formerly a member studio of
Image Comics
Image Comics is an independent American American comic book, comic book publisher and is the third largest direct market comic book and graphic novel publisher in the industry by market share. Its best-known publications include ''Spawn (comics) ...
.
In August 1998, DC purchased WildStorm including imprints Cliffhanger, Homage and America's Best Comics with the imprints appearing under the DC banner in January 1999.
In November 1999, the ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...
'' comic book began publishing under WildStorm with a series of one-shots and miniseries.
In September 2010, as part of DC Entertainment's reorganization, DC began to cancel the WildStorm imprint (with the December issues with two titles moving to the DC brand) and the WildStorm editorial staff relocated to DC's Los Angeles-based digital publishing division.
With DC's ''
The New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...
'' reboot in September 2011, the WildStorm characters were integrated into the DC Universe with the
Edge line of titles with a ''
Stormwatch'' and ''
Grifter'' title.
America's Best Comics
America's Best Comics (ABC) was an imprint of WildStorm, originating before Wildstorm's purchase by DC comics in 1998.
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 (comic book), ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman: The Killing Joke' ...
created the concepts of the line.
The imprint published its first comic, ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' #1, in January 1999.
Additional titles printed were ''
Tom Strong'', ''
Promethea
''Promethea'' is a comic book Ongoing series, series created by Alan Moore, J. H. Williams III and Mick Gray, published by America's Best Comics/WildStorm.
It tells the story of Sophie Bangs, a college student from an alternate futuristic New Y ...
'' and ''
Top 10''.
In April 1999, Tom Strong began its run.
Moore became increasingly dissatisfied with DC, wrapping up the various series and moving ''League of Extraordinary Gentlemen'' to
Top Shelf Productions
Top Shelf Productions is an American publishing company founded in 1997, originally owned and operated by Chris Staros and Brett Warnock with a small staff. Currently an imprint of IDW Publishing, Top Shelf is based in Marietta, Georgia.
Top Sh ...
and
Knockabout Comics.
Cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...
was an imprint of WildStorm Productions for creator-owned projects.
In July 1998, the Cliffhanger comic ''
Danger Girl'' was licensed out to
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
for a film adaptation. Cliffhanger merged with Homage to become "WildStorm Signature Series".
Homage Comics
Homage Comics was an imprint of WildStorm Productions for writer-creator owned comics.
WildStorm launched the Homage Comics in August 1996 with the relaunch of
Kurt Busiek
Kurt Busiek ( ; born September 16, 1960) is an American comic book writer. His work includes the '' Marvels'' limited series, his own series titled '' Astro City'', a four-year run on '' The Avengers, Thunderbolts,'' and ''Superman.''
Early lif ...
's ''
Astro City'', with Homage Comics published outside the Image Comics system. In August 1998, DC purchased WildStorm including imprints Cliffhanger, Homage and America's Best Comics with the imprints appearing under the DC banner in January 1999.
Homage merged with Cliffhanger to become "WildStorm Signature Series".
;Titles
* Kurt Busiek's ''Astro City''
* ''
Leave It to Chance'' by
James Robinson and
Paul Smith
* ''
Strangers in Paradise
''Strangers in Paradise'' is a creator-owned comic book series, written and drawn by Terry Moore, which debuted in 1993. Principally the story of a love triangle between two women and one man, ''Strangers in Paradise'' began as a slice-of-li ...
'' by
Terry Moore
* ''
Red
Red is the color at the long wavelength end of the visible spectrum of light, next to orange and opposite violet. It has a dominant wavelength of approximately 625–750 nanometres. It is a primary color in the RGB color model and a seconda ...
'' by
Warren Ellis
Warren Girard Ellis (born 16 February 1968) is an English 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'' ...
and
Cully Hamner
Zuda Comics
Zuda Comics was DC Comics' internet comics website/imprint starting in 2007. The site published all-new web comics and open submission policy for new creators. DC shuttered Zuda in 2010 as the company moved to only DC Comics digital releases instead of web comics.
Zuda Comics was later made as a free online site for original comics. The site was a competitive-based submission site where users could try to have their feature run the longest to qualify for a print collection. The first Zuda Comics winner, Jeremy Love's ''Bayou'', was printed in April 2009.
As part of the DC Entertainment reorganization, DC ended the Zuda imprint in September 2010.
Pop-up imprints
Wonder Comics
Wonder Comics was a
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 ...
curated imprint set in
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
continuity with a teen focus by the main contributor and curator being
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an Americans, American comic book writer and artist.
Starting with crime fiction, crime and hardboiled, noir comics, Bendis eventually moved to mainstream superhero fiction, superhero work. While a ...
.
Bendis moved to DC in Autumn 2017. In addition to moving over his Jinxworld personal imprint to DC from
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics ...
, Bendis took over writing ''
Superman
Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...
'' and ''
Action Comics
''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...
'' and later became curator and contributor to a new imprint set in DC Universe continuity. DC revealed the name and titles of the imprint, Wonder Comics, in 2018. The line consisted of a ''
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 T ...
'' book written by Bendis with art from
Patrick Gleason, ''
Naomi'' by Bendis,
David Walker and Jamal Campbell, ''
Wonder Twins
The Wonder Twins (Zan and Jayna) are a fictional extraterrestrial twin brother and sister superhero duo who first appeared in Hanna-Barbera's American animated television series '' The All-New Super Friends Hour''. The pair can activate their ...
'' by
Mark Russell with art by
Stephen Byrne, and ''
Dial H for Hero
''Dial H for Hero'' is a comic book feature published by DC Comics about a magical dial that enables an ordinary person to become a superhero for a short time, such as an hour, by selecting the letters H-E-R-O in order. Each time it is used, the ...
'', which was written by
Sam Humphries and drawn by Joe Quinones. Additionally the line introduced two new characters, Jinny Hex, a teenage descendant of the Western hero
Jonah Hex
Jonah Woodson Hex is a fictional antihero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer John Albano and artist Tony DeZuniga. Hex is a surly and cynical bounty hunter whose face is scarred on the r ...
, and Teen Lantern, a teen who manages to hack into a
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, ...
power battery.
Young Animal
In 2016, DC teamed up with
Gerard Way
Gerard Arthur Way (born April 9, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and comic book writer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and co-founder of the Rock music, rock band My Chemical Romance. He released his debut solo album, ''Hesitan ...
to launch a new "pop-up imprint" aimed at mature readers, called
Young Animal, described as "comics for dangerous humans". The line was led by ''
Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol is a superhero team from DC Comics. The original Doom Patrol first appeared in ''My Greatest Adventure'' #80 (June 1963), and was created by writers Arnold Drake and Bob Haney, along with artist Bruno Premiani. Doom Patrol has appear ...
'' in September, written by Way with art by Nick Derington. Way also co-wrote two other books, ''
Mother Panic'' with
Jody Houser, and ''
Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye'', with Jon Rivera and
Michael Avon Oeming. ''Mother Panic'', which features art by
Tommy Lee Edwards
Tommy Lee Edwards is an People of the United States, American illustrator. Edwards's varied portfolio includes works created in the realm of comics, video games, books, advertising, film, and animation.
Career
As well as comic-related work he ha ...
, is about a new Gotham vigilante who by day is the celebrity heiress Violet Page. The final series in the initial line-up was ''
Shade the Changing Girl'' by
Cecil Castellucci
Cecil C. Castellucci (born October 25, 1969, in New York City), also known as Cecil Seaskull, is an American-born Canadian young adult novelist, indie rocker, and director. She currently lives in Los Angeles, California.
Biography
Castellucci gr ...
and
Marley Zarcone, with covers by
Becky Cloonan. All titles are edited by
Jamie S. Rich. A crossover between Young Animal and the main DC Comics characters was released in 2018, titled ''
Milk Wars''.
Other titles under this imprint include ''Bug: The Adventures of
Forager'' (by Lee Allred, with art by
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* he He ..., a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name
* Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
and
Laura Allred), ''Cave Carson Has an Interstellar Eye'' (a follow-up to ''Cave Carson Has a Cybernetic Eye'', by Jon Rivera and Michael Avon Oeming), ''Eternity Girl'' (by
Magdalene Visaggio and
Sonny Liew), ''Doom Patrol: Weight of the Worlds'' (by Gerard Way, with art by Jeremy Lambert and James Harvey), ''Collapser'' (by
Mikey Way and
Shaun Simon), ''
Far Sector'' (by
Nora Keita Jemisin and Jamal Campbell), and ''Shade, the Changing Woman'' (a follow-up to ''Shade, the Changing Girl'').
Planned imprints
The Killing Zone
The Killing Zone is planned pop-up imprint from
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 ...
curated by
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 (comics), Flash, and Superman has drawn critical accl ...
, formally announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2018. It was set to begin publishing in May 2019, but as of 2025 no titles under the imprint have been released or solicited.
Lines
Lines of comic books are related comic books that do not necessarily have their own imprint. They may feature affiliated characters to a major character (
Batman
Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...
line), source of the characters (
Red Circle), or other similarities.
DC lines currently includes Batman,
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, ...
,
Edge
Edge or EDGE may refer to:
Technology Computing
* Edge computing, a network load-balancing system
* Edge device, an entry point to a computer network
* Adobe Edge, a graphical development application
* Microsoft Edge, a web browser developed by ...
, supernatural and young superheroes.
DC Archives Editions
DC Archives Editions is a reprint line that collects
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 ...
in hardcover multi-issue format.
Edge
Edge is a line of DC Comics books that includes the
WildStorm
Wildstorm Productions (stylized as WildStorm) is an American comic book imprint. Originally founded as an independent company established by Jim Lee and Brandon Choi to publish through Image Comics, Wildstorm became a publishing imprint of DC C ...
characters.
With DC's ''
New 52
The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire line of ongoing monthly superhero comic books. Following the conclusion of the " Flashpoint" crossover storyline, DC cancelled all its existing titles and debuted 52 new ser ...
'' reboot in September 2011, the Edge line of titles was launched with the ''
Stormwatch'' and ''
Grifter'' titles, the WildStorm characters integrated with the
DC Universe
The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...
, and the ''
All-Star Western
''All-Star Western'' is the name of three American comic book series published by DC Comics, each a Western fiction omnibus featuring both continuing characters and anthological stories. The first ran from 1951 to 1961, the second from 1970 t ...
'', ''
Sgt. Rock and the Men of War'', ''
Deathstroke
Deathstroke is a character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez, the character first appeared in ''The New Teen Titans'' #2 (December 1980) as Deathstroke the Terminator. In his co ...
'', ''
Blackhawks'', ''
OMAC'', ''
Blue Beetle'' and ''
Suicide Squad
The Suicide Squad is an antihero/supervillain team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first version of the Suicide Squad debuted in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #25 (September 1959) and the second and modern version, cre ...
'' titles.
''First Wave''
''First Wave'' is the name of a separate DC Comics line of
comic book
A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
featuring a fictional universe and a comic book
limited series of the same name.
The universe was a melding of licensed
pulp fiction
''Pulp Fiction'' is a 1994 American independent crime film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino from a story he conceived with Roger Avary.See, e.g., King (2002), pp. 185–7; ; It tells four intertwining tales of crime and violence ...
characters with versions of established non-superpowered DC heroes. The comic book line was launched with a ''Batman/
Doc Savage
Doc Savage is a fictional character of the competent man hero type, who first appeared in American pulp magazines during the 1930s and 1940s. Real name Clark Savage Jr., he is a polymathic scientist, explorer, detective, and warrior who "right ...
''
one-shot issue followed by the limited series and two continuing series. The limited series was six issues long, published in 2010 and written by
Brian Azzarello
Brian Azzarello (born August 11, 1962) is an American comic book writer and screenwriter who first came to prominence with the hardboiled crime series ''100 Bullets'', published by DC Comics' mature-audience imprint Vertigo (DC Comics), Vertigo. ...
, and drawn by
Rags Morales featuring the main characters of the universe.
With DC's acquisition in 2009 to comic book rights for Doc Savage and the Spirit, among other pulp characters, DC co-publisher
Dan DiDio
Dan DiDio (; born October 13, 1959) is an American writer, editor, and publisher who has worked in the television and comic book industries. From February 2010 until February 2020, he was the co-publisher of DC Comics, along with Jim Lee. '' Wizar ...
and writer Brian Azzarello decided on a shared universe for these characters, then added established non-superpowered DC heroes to the mix.
The First Wave fictional universe is a part of the
DC Multiverse
In most of the DC Comics media, the Multiverse is a "cosmic construct" that is composed of the many fictional universes the stories of DC media take place in. The worlds within the multiverse share a space and fate in common, and its structure h ...
and was launched in the ''Batman/Doc Savage'' one-shot, by writer Brian Azzarello with
Phil Noto
Phil Noto is an American painter and comic book artist who is known for his work on such titles as ''Jonah Hex'', '' X-23'', ''Uncanny X-Force'' and, more recently, '' Black Widow''. His work on ''The Infinite Horizon'' (a modern retelling of ...
as artist.
This was then followed by a ''First Wave'' six-issue limited series with art by Rags Morales
with the first issue released in March 2010.
The miniseries added additional characters, such as the
Black Canary
Black Canary is the name of two superheroines appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As one of the earliest female superheroes in the DC Comics universe, the character has made numerous appearances in prominent team-up titles, ...
,
the Blackhawks,
Rima the Jungle Girl, the
Avenger
Avenger(s) or The Avenger(s) may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
** Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of "The Infinity Sa ...
, the
Spirit, and Doc Savage's group the Fabulous Five.
Two First Wave line
ongoing series
In comics, an ongoing series is a series that runs indefinitely. This is in contrast to limited series (a series intended to end after a certain number of issues thus limited), a one shot (a comic book which is not a part of an ongoing series), ...
were then started: ''Doc Savage'', by
Paul Malmont as the first writer joined by artist
Howard Porter,
and ''The Spirit'', by
Mark Schultz as the first writer joined by artist
Moritat.
Both of these titles also included back-up stories further showcasing the ''First Wave'' universe. ''Doc Savage''s back-up was
Justice Inc., starring the Avenger,
while ''The Spirit'' had additional Spirit black-and-white short tales by various creators.
According to DiDio,
The Shadow
The Shadow is a fictional character created by American magazine publishers Street & Smith and writer Walter B. Gibson. Originally created to be a mysterious radio show narrator and developed into a distinct literary character in 1931 by Gibs ...
was originally intended to be part of the line, with the Shadow and Batman serving as "centerpiece", but DC was not able to use the character due to rights issues.
By February 2011, DC planned to cancel the line, although the ''Doc Savage'' and ''The Spirit'' titles were solicited as late as August 2011.
DC listed a ''First Wave'' collection for a May 2012 release. Licenses for the non-DC characters the Spirit, Doc Savage and the Avenger ended prior to December 17, 2012.
Hanna-Barbera Beyond
Hanna-Barbera Beyond was a DC Comics imprint that launched in 2016. Based on the characters from
Hanna-Barbera
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons, Inc. ( ; formerly known as H-B Enterprises, Hanna-Barbera Productions, Inc. and H-B Production Co.), simply and commonly known as Hanna-Barbera, was an American animation studio and production company, which was acti ...
animated shows, the imprint reimagined most of the studio's comedic characters and adapted them into darker and edgier settings.
The first four titles in the line were ''
Future Quest'', ''
Scooby Apocalypse'', ''
The Flintstones
''The Flintstones'' is an American animated sitcom produced by Hanna-Barbera, Hanna-Barbera Productions, which takes place in a romanticized Stone Age setting and follows the titular family, the Flintstones, and their next-door neighbors, the R ...
'' and ''
Wacky Raceland'' released in 2016. Other titles that were released in the following years include ''Future Quest Presents'', ''Dastardly and Muttley'', ''
The Ruff and Reddy Show'', ''
The Jetsons'', and ''
Exit, Stage Left! The Snagglepuss Chronicles''.
Red Circle
Red Circle was a DC Comics line of comic books in the DC Universe featuring the
Red Circle characters. The line was the second licensed attempt of DC to use these characters, the previous attempt being Impact Comics.
DC was granted the license to the Red Circle characters in 2008. DC planned to merge the characters into the DC Universe and tapped writer
J. Michael Straczynski
Joseph Michael Straczynski, known as J. Michael Straczynski (; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction televi ...
to write their introductory stories in the series ''
The Brave and the Bold
''The Brave and the Bold'' is a comic book series published by DC Comics as an ongoing series from 1955 to 1983. It was followed by a reprint miniseries in 1988, two original miniseries in 1991 and 1999, and was revived as an ongoing anthology ...
'' in 2009. The line was instead launched as a series of one-shots in August 2009.
The Red Circle one-shots were followed in September by ''The Shield'' ongoing series with an ''Inferno'' back-up feature and ''The Web'' ongoing series with a ''Hangman'' back-up feature. Both titles folded after 10 issues, to be replaced by ''The Mighty Crusaders'' ongoing series which, by issue #3, was shortened to a six-issue miniseries. By July 2011, DC no longer had the rights to them.
The New Age of Heroes
The New Age of Heroes, originally called Dark Matter, spun out of DC comics' 2017 event ''
Dark Nights: Metal''. This line introduced new characters and teams into the DC Universe. This line was headed up by DC Comics' master class with contributors such as
Greg Capullo
Gregory Capullo (; born March 30, 1962) is an American comic book artist and penciller, best known for his work on ''Quasar (comics), Quasar'' (1991–1992), ''X-Force'' (1992–1993), ''Angela (comics), Angela'' (1994), ''Spawn (comics), Spawn'' ...
,
Andy Kubert, Jim Lee and
John Romita Jr. The Dark Multiverse concept is a fluxing reality responding to the viewer's subconscious fears.
[
The ''Dark Nights: Metal'' six-issue miniseries started in August 2017. The event introduced the Dark Multiverse concept and the Dark Knights, a villainous team that mixed Batman with other Justice League members. Dark Matter was initially announced to have five titles, but had two more added.]
Titles
* ''The Silencer'' by Dan Abnett
Daniel P. Abnett ( ; born 12 October 1965) is an English comic book writer and novelist. He has been a frequent collaborator with fellow writer Andy Lanning, and has worked on books for both Marvel Comics, and their UK imprint, Marvel UK, since ...
and John Romita Jr. (September 2017) - the story in which the world's most deadly assassin unretires due to her past returning to haunt her.[
* ''Brimstone'' by Justin Jordan and ]Philip Tan
Philip Tan (born 1978) is a comic book writer/artist best known for his work on ''Spawn'', ''Uncanny X-Men'' and ''Iron Man''.
Career
Tan graduated at the University of Santo Tomas with a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture.
Tan was the pencill ...
[
* ''The Terrifics'' by Jeff Lemire and ]Ivan Reis
Ivan Reis is a Brazilians, Brazilian comics artist. He is known for his work on comic books such as Dark Horse Comics' ''Ghost (Dark Horse Comics), Ghost'', Marvel Comics' ''Genis-Vell, Captain Marvel'' and ''Vision (Marvel Comics), Avengers Icons ...
[
* ''Damage''
* ''Sideways''
* ''New Challengers''
* ''Immortal Men''
* ''The Unexpected''
]
TSR
TSR was a DC comic book line based on games licensed from TSR, Inc.
''Dragonlance
''Dragonlance'' is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived ''Dragonlance'' while driving i ...
'' was first to be licensed and published with its first issue hitting the stands in August 1988. Additional titles followed with issue one of ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
Several different editions of the '' Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game have been produced since 1974. The current publisher of ''D&D'', Wizards of the Coast, produces new materials only for the most current edition of the ...
'' in October and '' Gammarauders'' in November. In July 1989, ''Forgotten Realms
''Forgotten Realms'' is a campaign setting for the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (''D&D'') fantasy role-playing game. Commonly referred to by players and game designers as "The Realms", it was created by game designer Ed Greenwood around 1967 as a setti ...
'' began publication. In October, ''Gammarauders'' was canceled with issue #10. An annual anthology, ''TSR Worlds'' #1, was launched in July 1990 with '' Spelljammer'', beginning a 15 issues run the next month. In October 1991, the TSR license ended, bringing an end to the line with ''Advanced Dungeons & Dragons'' reaching issue #36.
See also
* List of DC Comics imprint publications
References
*
* Hughes, Bob. DC Timeline.
External links
DC homepage
{{DC Comics imprints, state=expanded
DC Comics imprints
Imprints
Imprint or imprinting may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Imprint'' (TV series), Canadian television series
* "Imprint" (''Masters of Horror''), episode of TV show ''Masters of Horror''
* ''Imprint'' (film), a 2007 independent drama/thriller film
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