Timeline of DC Comics (1940s)

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First appearance of Fawcett's Captain Marvel. A character who would rival DC's flagship character Superman in the 1940s until being acquired by DC in the decades to come. WhizComicsNo02.jpg
First appearance of Fawcett's Captain Marvel. A character who would rival DC's flagship character Superman in the 1940s until being acquired by DC in the decades to come.

The 1940s were an essential time for DC Comics. Both National Comics Publications and All-American Publications would introduce many new featured superheroes in American comic books in superhero comics anthology tales like More Fun Comics , Adventure Comics , Detective Comics , Action Comics , All-American Comics , Superman , Flash Comics , Batman , All Star Comics , World's Finest Comics , All-Flash , Star Spangled Comics , Green Lantern , Leading Comics , Sensation Comics , Wonder Woman , Comic Cavalcade and Superboy that would be a staple for the comic book company. Examples of the superheroes include the Flash, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Johnny Thunder and Thunderbolt, Spectre, Hourman, Robin, Doctor Fate, Congo Bill, Green Lantern, Atom, Manhunter, Doctor Mid-Nite, Sargon the Sorcerer, Starman, Johnny Quick, the Shining Knight, the Star-Spangled Kid and Stripesy, Tarantula, Vigilante, Green Arrow and Speedy, Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Sandy, the Golden Boy, Mister Terrific, Wildcat, Air Wave, Guardian, Robotman, TNT and Dan the Dyna-Mite, Liberty Belle, Superboy and Black Canary. These characters would later crossover in superhero team titles in the 1940s such as the Justice Society of America and the Seven Soldiers of Victory helping pave a way to a shared universe of the publication company. Other used featured characters outside of superheroes included kid titular heroes like the Newsboy Legion and the Boy Commandos. Later Western heroes would be used such as Johnny Thunder, Nighthawk and Pow Wow Smith.

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Quality Comics would produce comics titles such as Feature Comics , Smash Comics , Crack Comics , Hit Comics , National Comics , Military Comics and Police Comics and introduce heroes like Black Condor, Uncle Sam, Ray, Blackhawk, Miss America, Firebrand, Plastic Man, Phantom Lady and the Human Bomb. Also the character Spirit would be introduced in comic strips until being later acquired by Quality.

Fawcett Comics had popular mainstay titles like Whiz Comics , Master Comics , Wow Comics and Captain Marvel Adventures that featured renown superheroes like Captain Marvel, Ibis the Invincible, Spy Smasher, Bulletman and Bulletgirl, Mr. Scarlet and Pinky the Whiz Kid, Captain Marvel Jr. and Mary Marvel. The superhero team Marvel Family would also be formed.

Another introduced comic series was Fox Feature Syndicate's Mystery Men Comics and Blue Beetle .

More supporting characters of Superman (or Superboy stories) were introduced like Perry White alongside supervillain rogues Lex Luthor, Prankster, Toyman and Mister Mxyzptlk. The first name of Superwoman and the object Kryptonite was also introduced along with the city of Smallville. Batman and Robin stories included supporting characters like Alfred Pennyworth and Vicki Vale alongside supervillain rogues like Hugo Strange, Tony Zucco, Joker, Catwoman, Clayface, Scarecrow, Penguin, Two-Face, Sal Maroni, Mad Hatter and Riddler. Other fictional elements include the locations of Gotham City and Batcave along with the iconic Bat-Signal and also the Batboat. Flash comics would introduce supervillain enemies like Shade, Rag Doll, Thinker, Turtle, Rose and Thorn, Fiddler, an original Star Sapphire and original Reverse-Flash. Hawkman comics included the supervillain rogue, Gentleman Ghost. Captain Marvel or Marvel Family related comics introduced supporting characters like Shazam, Uncle Marvel and Tawky Tawny and supervillain rogues Seven Deadly Enemies of Man, Doctor Sivana, Captain Nazi, Ibac, Sabbac, Mister Mind and the Monster Society of Evil, Black Adam and Mister Atom. Major Captain Marvel locations include the Rock of Eternity. The Spectre comics included the name of Jim Corrigan. The Green Lantern comics included popular supervillains like Vandal Savage, Gambler, Solomon Grundy, Sportsmaster, Harlequin and Icicle. The Justice Society of America comics introduced supervillains like Brainwave, Wizard, Per Degaton and Psycho-Pirate and also introduced DC's original supervillain team, the Injustice Society. Starman comics introduced the supervillain, Mist. Green Arrow comics debuted the company Queen Industries. The Wonder Woman comics (or Wonder Girl) includes supporting characters such as Steve Trevor, Hippolyta, Etta Candy, and Zeus alongside supervillain rogues like Doctor Poison, Paula von Gunther, Ares, Doctor Psycho, Cheetah, Giganta, Queen Clea and Circe. Also debuted was the supervillain team, Villainy Inc. Other Races and factions / species include the Amazons. Fictional devices like the Wonder Woman's bracelets, the Invisible plane, the Lasso of Truth were debuted and the major location called Themysciria was also introduced. The Wildcat comics introduced the supervillain, Paula Brooks. The Black Canary comics introduced supporting character, Larry Lance. Other major locations introduced by DC include the Suicide Slum.

Media adaptions of DC and Fawcett ranged from radio drama like The Adventures of Superman to serial films in live-action like the Adventures of Captain Marvel , Batman , Superman and Batman and Robin and also in animation the Superman shorts starting with Superman and also the comic strip, Batman .

Superhero comics declined in popularity after the end of World War II around the late 1940s. DC shifted their focus on other genres such as Western comics and Teen humor comics outside of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman related titles.

1940

1941

1942

1943

1944

1945

1946

1947

1948

1949

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Flash Comics at the Grand Comics Database
  2. ↑ Wallace, Daniel; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1940s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 30. ISBN   978-0-7566-6742-9. DC shattered the sound barrier with the debut of the Flash, a blindingly fast mystery man written by Gardner Fox and drawn by Harry Lampert.{{cite book}}: |first2= has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ Wallace "1940s" in Dolan, p. 30: "Flash Comics scored a third hit with Johnny Thunder, star of a humorous feature about a boy raised in the distant land of Badhnisia and blessed with the ability to raise an all-powerful, genie-like Thunderbolt."
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