''Strange Adventures'' is a series of

American comic book An American comic book is a thin periodical literature originating in the United States, commonly between 24 and 64 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publ ...

s 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 ...

, the first of which was August–September 1950, according to the

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 ...

, and published continuously until November 1973.

Original series

''Strange Adventures'' ran for 244 issues and was DC Comics' first

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, space ...

title. It began with an adaptation of the film '' Destination Moon''. The sales success of the gorilla cover-featured story in ''Strange Adventures'' #8 (May 1951) led DC to produce numerous comic book covers with depictions of gorillas. The series was home to one of the last superheroes of the pre-

Silver Age of Comic Books The Silver Age of Comic Books was a period of artistic advancement and widespread commercial success in mainstream American comic books, predominantly those featuring the superhero archetype. Following the Golden Age of Comic Books, the Silver A ...

era,

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 ...

, created by writer John Broome and artist

Carmine Infantino Carmine Infantino (; May 24, 1925 – April 4, 2013) was an American comics artist and editing, editor, primarily for DC Comics, during the late 1950s and early 1960s period known as the Silver Age of Comic Books. Among his character creations are ...

in issue #9. A combination of the "Captain Comet" feature with the "gorilla craze" was presented in issue #39 (December 1953). Other notable series included Star Hawkins which began in issue #114 (March 1960) and the Atomic Knights which debuted in issue #117 (June 1960). In "The Strange Adventure That Really Happened" in issue #140 (May 1962), real life comics creators editor

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

and artist Sid Greene struggle to make writer

Gardner Fox Gardner Francis Cooper Fox (May 20, 1911 – December 24, 1986) was an American writer known best for creating numerous comic book characters for DC Comics. He is estimated to have written more than 4,000 comics stories, including 1,500 for DC ...

recall a story he has written that holds the key to saving the Earth from alien invasion. In a rare acknowledgement of the rest of the DC universe in ''Strange Adventures'', one panel mentions Gardner Fox having previously met the Flash in the iconic Silver Age story " Flash of Two Worlds". ''Strange Adventures'' #180 (September 1965) introduced Animal Man in a story by Dave Wood and Carmine Infantino. The character was revived by writer

Grant Morrison Grant Morrison (born 31 January 1960) is a Scottish comic book writer, screenwriter, and producer. Their work is known for its nonlinear narratives, Humanism, humanist philosophy and counterculture, countercultural leanings. Morrison has writt ...

in 1988. Writer

Bob Haney Robert Gilbert Haney, Jr. (March 15, 1926 – November 25, 2004) was an American comic book writer, best known for his work for DC Comics. He co-created the Teen Titans as well as characters such as Lance Bruner, Metamorpho, Eclipso, Cain, and ...

and artist

Howard Purcell Howard Purcell (November 10, 1918 – April 24, 1981)Howard Purcell
at the Social S ...

created the supernatural character the Enchantress in ''Strange Adventures'' #187 (April 1966). The Enchantress appears in the 2016 live-action film ''

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 ...

'', portrayed by

Cara Delevingne Cara Jocelyn Delevingne ( ; born 12 August 1992) is an English model and actress. She signed with Storm Management after leaving school in 2009. Delevingne won Model of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2012 and 2014, and List of award ...

. Initially a science fiction

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

title with some continuing features starring SF protagonists, the series became a supernatural-fantasy title beginning with issue #202, for which it received a new logo. Deadman's first appearance in ''Strange Adventures'' #205, written by Arnold Drake and drawn by Carmine Infantino,McAvennie "1960s" in Dolan, p. 125: "In a story by scribe Arnold Drake and artist Carmine Infantino, circus aerialist Boston Brand learned there was much more to life after his death...Deadman's origin tale was the first narcotics-related story to require prior approval from the Comics Code Authority. In addition, Neal Adams, the artist who succeeded Infantino with the second issue, would soon become an industry legend". included the first known depiction of narcotics in a story approved by the

Comics Code Authority The Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed in 1954 by the Comics Magazine Association of America as an alternative to government regulation. The CCA enabled comic publishers to self-regulate the content of American comic book, comic books in the ...

. The "Deadman" feature served as an early showcase for the artwork of

Neal Adams Neal Adams (June 15, 1941 – April 28, 2022) was an American comic book artist. He was the co-founder of the graphic design studio Continuity Associates, and was a Creator ownership, creators-rights advocate who helped secure a pension and re ...

. With issue #217, the title gained another new logo and began reprinting stories of

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 ...

and the Atomic Knights, among other stories. Several ''Strange Adventure'' stories were also reprinted in some of DC Comics' later anthologies such as '' From Beyond the Unknown''. In 1978, DC Comics intended to revive ''Strange Adventures''. These plans were put on hold that year due to the

DC Implosion The "DC Explosion" and "DC Implosion" were two events in 1978 – the first an official marketing campaign, the second a sardonic reference to it – in which American comics company DC Comics expanded their roster of publications, then abruptly cu ...

, a line-wide scaling back of the company's publishing output. When the project was revived a year later, the title was changed to '' Time Warp'' and the series was in the Dollar Comics format.

Publication history

Continuing features in ''Strange Adventures'' included: * Chris KL-99 (issues #1–3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 15) * Darwin Jones (issues #1, 48, 58, 66, 70, 76, 77, 79, 84, 88, 93, 149, 160) *

(issues #9–44, 46, 49) (cover feature many times) * Space Museum (issues #104, 106, 109, 112, 115, 118, 121, 124, 127, 130, 133, 136, 139, 142, 145, 148, 151, 154, 157, 161) * Star Hawkins (issues #114, 119, 122, 125, 128, 131, 134, 137, 140, 143, 146, 149, 152, 155, 158, 162, 173, 176, 179, 182, 185) * Atomic Knights (issues #117, 120, 123, 126, 129, 132, 135, 138, 141, 144, 147, 150, 153, 156, 160, with reprints in 217–231) * Faceless Creature from Saturn (issues #124, 142, 153) * Star Rovers (from ''

Mystery in Space ''Mystery in Space'' is the name of two science fiction American comic book series published by DC Comics, and of a standalone Vertigo anthology released in 2012. The first series ran for 110 issues from 1951 to 1966, with a further seven issues ...

'', #issues 159, 163) * Animal Man (issues #180, 184, 190, 195, 201) * Immortal Man (issues #177, 185, 190, 198) * Enchantress (issues #187, 191, 200) *

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 ...

(issues #205 to 216) *

(reprints in #217 to 244; new stories in #222, 226 and 227 text stories with illustrations)

Awards

The series was nominated and awarded several awards over the years, including Alley Awards in 1963 for "General Fantasy", in 1965 for "Best Regularly Published Fantasy Comic", in 1966 for "Best Fantasy/SF/Supernatural Title", in 1967 for "Best Cover" (for issue #207 by Neal Adams), in 1967 for "Best Full-Length Story" ("Who's Been Lying in My Grave?" in issue #205 by Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino), and the 1967 for "Best New Strip" ("Deadman" by Drake and Infantino).

Revivals

Vertigo miniseries

In 1999, DC Comics'

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 released a four-issue

mini-series In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

reviving the ''Strange Adventures'' title and concept. It featured stories 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. ...

Brian Bolland Brian Bolland (; born 26 March 1951)Salisbury, Mark, ''Artists on Comic Art'' (Titan Books, 2000) , p. 11 is a British comics artist. Best known in the United Kingdom as one of the Judge Dredd artists for British comics anthology ''2000 AD (comi ...

Dave Gibbons David Chester Gibbons (born 14 April 1949) is an English comics artist, writer and sometimes letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries ''Watchmen'' and the Superman story " For the M ...

, Bruce Jones, Joe R. Lansdale, John Ney Rieber, Robert Rodi, Doselle Young and Mark Schultz. Artists included Edvin Biuković, Richard Corben, Klaus Janson,

Frank Quitely Vincent Patrick Deighan (born January 18, 1968), better known by the pen name Frank Quitely, is a Scottish people, Scottish comic book artist. He is best known for his frequent collaborations with Grant Morrison on titles such as ''New X-Men (20 ...

, James Romberger, and John Totleben. The miniseries is cover-dated November 1999 to February 2000.

''JSA Strange Adventures''

In 2004, ''Strange Adventures'' was again revived, in modified format, as the six-issue limited series ''JSA Strange Adventures'', which presented a new

Golden Age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

Justice Society of America The Justice Society of America (JSA) is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. It was conceived by editor Sheldon Mayer and writer Gardner Fox during the Golden Age of Comic Books. It first appeared in '' ...

story incorporating fantasy-fiction themes. It was written by Kevin J. Anderson, with art by Barry Kitson and

Gary Erskine Gary Erskine is a Scottish comic book artist. Career Born in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Paisley near Glasgow in 1968, Erskine grew up in Rutherglen and attended Burnside Primary and Stonelaw High School. Fellow comic artist Frank Quitely (Vincent ...

. The miniseries is cover-dated October 2004 to March 2005, and was collected in trade paperback in 2010.

''Strange Adventures'' (2009)

Jim Starlin wrote an eight-issue limited series called ''Strange Adventures'' which focused on

Bizarro Bizarro () is a supervillain or anti-hero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Otto Binder and artist George Papp as a "mirror image" of Superman, and first appeared in ''Superboy (comic bo ...

and

, which started in May 2009. This series continued the "Aberrant Six" storyline, as well as plot developments from the '' Rann/Thanagar Holy War'' and '' Countdown to Adventure''. This series was collected in trade paperback in 2010.

''Strange Adventures'' (2011 Vertigo one-shot)

An 80-page ''Strange Adventures'' #1, an anthology one-shot, with short science fiction and fantasy stories was released with a July 2011

. Contributing writers and artists include Peter Milligan,

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 ...

, Jeff Lemire, Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso, Paul Pope, and

Paul Cornell Paul Douglas Cornell (born 18 July 1967) is a British writer. He has worked in television drama and ''Doctor Who'' fiction, being the creator of one of the Doctor's spin-off companions, Bernice Summerfield. Other British television dramas f ...

''Strange Adventures'' (2020 DC Black Label series)

A new ''Strange Adventures'' series was written by Tom King with Mitch Gerads and Doc Shaner. The series was released in March 2020, under the

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 ...

imprint. The limited series ran for 12 issues, ending in October 2021. For the 2022

Hugo Awards The Hugo Award is an annual literary award for the best science fiction or fantasy works and achievements of the previous year, given at the World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) and chosen by its members. The award is administered by t ...

, the series received an award in the Best Graphic Story category.

Collected editions

* '' Captain Comet Archives'' Vol. 1 collects

stories from ''Strange Adventures'' #9–44, 46, and 49, 400 pages, August 2013, * ''

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 ...

: Strange Adventures'' Vol. 1 collects ''Strange Adventures'' #54–73, 512 pages, December 2008, * ''

: Strange Adventures'' Vol. 2 collects ''Strange Adventures'' #74–93, 520 pages, November 2013, * ''The Steve Ditko Omnibus'' Volume 1 includes ''Strange Adventures'' #188: "Don't Bring That Monster to Life" by Otto Binder and

Steve Ditko Stephen John Ditko. Page contains two reproductions from school yearbooks. A 1943 Garfield Junior High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen Ditko". A 1945 Johnstown High School yearbook excerpt lists "Stephen J. Ditko" under extracurricular ac ...

and ''Strange Adventures'' #189: "The Way-Out Worlds of Bertram Tilley" by Dave Wood and Ditko, 480 pages, September 2011, * ''DC Goes Ape'' collects ''Strange Adventures'' #201, 168 pages, October 2008, * ''Deadman'' ** ''The Deadman Collection'' hardcover collects ''Strange Adventures'' #205–216, 356 pages, December 2001, ** ''Deadman'' Vol. 1 trade paperback collects ''Strange Adventures'' #205–213, 176 pages, July 2011, ** ''Deadman'' Vol. 2 trade paperback collects ''Strange Adventures'' #214–216, 160 pages, February 2012, * ''JSA: Strange Adventures'' collects ''JSA: Strange Adventures'' #1–6, 200 pages, February 2010, * ''Strange Adventures'' collects ''Strange Adventures'' volume 3 #1–8, 256 pages, April 2010, * ''Adam Strange: The Silver Age Omnibus'' collects (in addition to ''Showcase'' #17–19 and ''Mystery in Space'' #53–100, 102) ''Strange Adventures'' #157, 217, 218, 220, 221, 222, 224, 226, 235, and 241–243, 848 pages, July 2017,

In other media

In 2019,

WarnerMedia Warner Media, LLC (Trade name, doing business as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational corporation, multinational mass media and show business, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate owned by AT&T. It was headquartered at the 30 ...

and

Greg Berlanti Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', ''Brothers & Sisters (2006 TV series), Brothers & Sisters'', ''Everwood'', ''Political ...

, the producer of

The CW The CW Network, LLC (commonly referred to as The CW or simply CW) is an American commercial broadcast television network which is controlled by Nexstar Media Group through a 75% ownership interest. The network's name is derived from the firs ...

Arrowverse The Arrowverse is an American Superhero fiction, superhero media franchise and shared universe that is centered on various interconnected television series based on DC Comics superhero characters, primarily airing on The CW as well as web series ...

, wanted to produce a "super hero anthology" series under the title ''Strange Adventures'' for the streaming service

HBO Max Max (known in other countries as, and soon to be reverted globally to HBO Max) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. It is a proprietary unit of Warner Bros. Discovery Streaming on behalf of Home Box Of ...

. The series had reportedly been in development previously for 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 ...

streaming service. In August 2022,

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American film director, producer, writer, and actor. He came to prominence with the low-budget buddy comedy film ''Clerks (film), Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co-produced, and acted i ...

, who was writing the script with Eric Carrasco, said that the series was cancelled.

References

External links

* * *
''Strange Adventures''
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