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Series: Detective Comics

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Publisher: DC

Title: Detective Comics
Publisher: DC
Year Began: 1937
Year Ended: 2011
Country: United States
Format:
Description: Detective Comics was the final publication of the entrepreneur Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. Wheeler-Nicholson's first two titles were New Fun Comics #1 (cover-dated Feb. 1935), generally regarded as the first early American comic book to contain all-original content, rather than a mix of newspaper comic strips and comic-strip-style new material. His second effort, New Comics #1, would be retitled twice to become Adventure Comics, another seminal series that ran for decades until issue #503 in 1983. The third and final title published under his management would be Detective Comics, advertised with a cover illustration dated December 1936, but eventually premiering three months later, with a March 1937 cover date. Wheeler-Nicholson was in debt to printing-plant owner and magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld, who was, as well, a pulp-magazine publisher and a principal in the magazine distributorship Independent News. Wheeler-Nicholson took Donenfeld on as a partner in order to publish Detective Comics #1 through the newly-formed Detective Comics, Inc., with Wheeler-Nicholson and Jack S. Liebowitz, Donenfeld's accountant, listed as owners. Wheeler-Nicholson was forced out a year later, prior to the publication of Action Comics. Originally an anthology comic, in the manner of the times, Detective Comics #1 (March 1937) featured stories in the "hard-boiled detective" genre, with such stars as Ching Lung (a Fu Manchu-style "Yellow Peril" villain); Slam Bradley (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster before their character Superman saw print a year later); and Speed Saunders, among others. Its first editor, Vin Sullivan, also drew the debut issue's cover. The Crimson Avenger debuted in issue #20 (October 1938). Detective Comics #27 (March 1939 with a printed date of May 1939) featured the first appearance of Batman, who would eventually become the star of the title; the cover logo is often written as "Detective Comics featuring Batman". Batman's origin is first revealed in a two-page story in issue #33 (Nov. 1939). Batman became the main cover feature of the title beginning with issue #35 (Jan. 1940). Issue #38 (April 1940) introduced Batman's sidekick Robin, billed as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" on the cover and the first of several characters that would make up the "Batman Family". Robin's appearance and the subsequent increase in sales of the book soon led to the trend of superheroes and young sidekicks that characterize the era that fans and historians call the Golden Age of Comic Books. Several of Batman's best known villains debuted in the pages of Detective Comics during this era, including the Penguin in issue #58, Two-Face in issue #66, and the Riddler in issue #140. Over the decades it was published the title was usually monthly. Page counts dropped over the years, as did the number of features. Batman remained the headliner of the title from his introduction, and was at times the sole feature. The title has periodically featured a back-up strip, and for two periods in the 1970s it was a larger anthology title again (though during the first all of the features other than Batman were reprints). The title ended when DC relaunched all their titles as part of their "New 52" event, though the rebooted series eventually resumed the numbering of the original. Additional help with credits by Jerry Bails (text features) and Mike Tiefenbacher (public service features). Format size was different at start of series. Issue #0 was published between #678 and #679. Issue #1000000 was published between #726 and #727.

Assigned Issues

Issue Vol Year # Assigned
28 June 1939 1
29 3 July 1939 1
30 3 August 1939 1
31 3 September 1939 2
33 3 November 1939 2
34 3 December 1939 1
35 3 January 1940 3
36 3 February 1940 1
37 3 March 1940 2
40 June 1940 2
53 July 1941 1
62 April 1942 1
66 August 1942 1
68 October 1942 1
69 November 1942 1
70 December 1942 1
71 January 1943 1
73 March 1943 1
76 June 1943 1
78 August 1943 1
85 March 1944 1
91 September 1944 1
101 July 1945 1
103 September 1945 1
109 March 1946 1
122 April 1947 1
140 October 1948 1
149 July 1949 1
168 February 1951 4
193 March 1953 1
200 October 1953 1
208 June 1954 1
225 November 1955 1
267 May 1959 1
270 August 1959 1
276 February 1960 2
288 February 1961 1
289 March 1961 1
290 April 1961 2
291 May 1961 1
292 June 1961 1
293 July 1961 1
294 August 1961 1
295 September 1961 1
296 October 1961 1
297 November 1961 1
298 December 1961 3
310 December 1962 1
312 February 1963 1
313 March 1963 1
326 April 1964 1
327 May 1964 1
328 June 1964 1
329 July 1964 1
330 August 1964 1
331 September 1964 1
332 October 1964 1
333 November 1964 1
334 December 1964 1
335 January 1965 2
336 February 1965 1
337 March 1965 1
338 April 1965 1
339 May 1965 1
340 June 1965 1
341 July 1965 1
342 August 1965 1
343 September 1965 1
344 October 1965 1
345 November 1965 4
346 December 1965 1
347 January 1966 1
349 March 1966 1
350 April 1966 2
352 June 1966 1
353 July 1966 1
354 August 1966 1
355 September 1966 1
356 October 1966 2
357 November 1966 1
358 December 1966 1
359 January 1967 7
362 April 1967 2
364 June 1967 1
365 July 1967 2
366 August 1967 1
370 December 1967 1
371 January 1968 1
373 March 1968 1
378 August 1968 1
379 September 1968 1
380 October 1968 1
381 November 1968 1
382 December 1968 1
383 January 1969 1
384 February 1969 1
385 March 1969 1
386 April 1969 1
387 May 1969 2
389 July 1969 1
390 August 1969 1
391 September 1969 1
392 October 1969 1
394 December 1969 2
395 January 1970 2
396 February 1970 1
397 March 1970 1
398 April 1970 2
399 May 1970 2
400 June 1970 3
401 July 1970 1
402 August 1970 1
403 September 1970 2
406 December 1970 1
407 January 1971 2
408 February 1971 3
409 March 1971 1
410 April 1971 1
411 May 1971 1
412 June 1971 1
413 July 1971 1
414 August 1971 1
418 35 December 1971 1
419 36 January 1972 1
425 36 July 1972 2
429 36 November 1972 1
437 37 October-November 1973 1
438 37 December 1973-January 1974 2
439 38 February-March 1974 2
440 38 April-May 1974 2
441 38 June-July 1974 2
442 38 August-September 1974 2
443 38 October-November 1974 2
444 38 December 1974-January 1975 1
445 39 February-March 1975 1
451 39 September 1975 1
454 39 December 1975 1
460 40 June 1976 1
461 40 July 1976 1
464 40 October 1976 1
469 41 May 1977 1
471 41 August 1977 1
472 41 September 1977 2
473 41 November 1977 1
474 41 December 1977 4
475 42 February 1978 2
476 42 March-April 1978 2
476 ( British) 42 March-April 1978 1
480 42 November-December 1978 1
485 43 August-September 1979 1
486 43 October-November 1979 1
487 43 December 1979-January 1980 1
488 44 February-March 1980 1
489 44 April 1980 1
490 44 May 1980 1
491 44 June 1980 1
493 44 August 1980 1
497 44 December 1980 2
498 45 January 1981 1
500 45 March 1981 3
501 45 April 1981 2
502 45 May 1981 1
504 45 July 1981 1
505 45 August 1981 1
506 45 September 1981 1
507 45 October 1981 1
508 45 November 1981 1
510 46 January 1982 2
511 46 February 1982 1
514 46 May 1982 1
515 46 June 1982 1
516 46 July 1982 1
517 46 August 1982 1
519 46 October 1982 1
526 47 May 1983 3
549 April 1985 1
550 May 1985 1
558 January 1986 1
569 December 1986 1
572 ( Newsstand) March 1987 1
574 May 1987 1
575 June 1987 4
575 ( Canadian) June 1987 1
576 July 1987 2
577 August 1987 2
578 September 1987 3
583 February 1988 2
589 August 1988 1
590 September 1988 1
600 May 1989 2
603 August 1989 1
604 [Early September] 1989 1
605 [Late September] 1989 1
607 [Late October] 1989 1
611 February 1990 1
612 March 1990 1
614 May 1990 1
619 Early August 1990 1
621 September 1990 1
622 October 1990 2
623 November 1990 1
626 February 1991 1
627 March 1991 4
629 May 1991 1
632 Late July 1991 1
639 December 1991 1
659 Early May 1993 1
660 Late May 1993 1
661 Early June 1993 1
662 Late June 1993 1
663 Early July 1993 1
664 Late July 1993 1
666 September 1993 1
680 December 1994 1
686 June 1995 3
694 February 1996 1
737 October 1999 1
757 June 2001 1
760 September 2001 1
762 November 2001 1
766 March 2002 1
767 April 2002 1
775 December 2002 1
783 August 2003 1
786 November 2003 1
789 February 2004 1
817 May 2006 1
818 June 2006 1
823 November 2006 1
827 March 2007 1
842 May 2008 1
871 January 2011 3
873 March 2011 1





Data courtesy of the Grand Comics Database under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

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