Modern superheroes are irreconcilable fighters for goodness, peace and justice. Although at the beginning of the 20th century comic book characters did not have such a function. Their goal was to entertain readers, as the name of the genre “comic” suggests.
Appearing in 1934, DC Comics radically changed the public's view of the entertainment industry. Its founder, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, turned comic books into detective, captivating stories. And in 1938, the tandem of Joe Shuster and Jerome Siegel presented the world with a new genre of superhero adventures. The Superman they invented not only laid the foundation for the fantastic DC Multiverse, but also served as a reference character for competing editors for many years.
DC Comics Multiverse Map
Initially, Superman did not have the set of abilities that are now attributed to him. Shuster and Siegel introduced a character from another planet into the narrative framework. Due to the difference in gravitational fields, Clark Kent had greater strength than his neighbors on Earth. This difference helped the alien become an ardent champion of goodness and justice.
The further fate of the DC Comics publishing house was such that the staff of illustrators and writers was constantly changing. Because of this, DC characters began to acquire conflicting biographies and characteristics. It was then that the company's management decided to introduce the concept of the Multiverse into comics.
Thanks to her, all the protagonists were distributed across parallel realities and the contradiction was resolved. Today, the DC world has more than twenty thousand unique images.
First Justice League lineup
In 1960, DC Comics announces the creation of the Justice League. Comics about the adventures of a team of heroes appear on store shelves: Superman, Batman, Superwoman, Green Lantern, Flash and Actwaman. The audience liked this fresh editorial move so much that DC immediately formed other divisions of the League. IN different years they included many popular characters from the Multiverse: Green Arrow, Hawkman, Atom.
In an effort to increase the company's profits, screenwriter Gerry Conway and artist Chuck Patton update the composition of LG. In the new comic book series, there was neither Aquaman nor Flash, but Green Lantern. The audience did not appreciate the transformation and comic book ratings began to fall.
Team "Scoundrels" - the main opponents of the Flash
“The Light”, “League of Shadows”, “Injustice League” - teams of villains united to fight the forces of good in the DC Universe. The most controversial organization of all was the "Scoundrels" - the Flash's antagonists. Contrary to established canons, the scriptwriters portrayed them as socialized, disciplined opponents. The criminal organization even had its own code of honor and was not involved in drug production.
In 1973, DC Comics released its first full-length animated film focusing on the Justice League and its enemies.
Female characters of Gotham in the animated version
Cartoons are the main feature of DC Comics. Critics have repeatedly noted that the publishing house has long surpassed its main competitor Marvel in the animated film market. The company itself explains its success by creating cartoons based on the best comics.
After the restart of the Universe, DC Comics one after another releases high-quality feature films about the adventures of such iconic characters as Batman (The Dark Knight Returns, 2013), Superman (Supernova Superman, 2011), the Justice League (The Conflict Paradox, 2011) and even Green Lantern (The First flight, 2009).
Chronological order of DC Comics cartoons
Fans of “Batman: The Animated Series” should start watching with the full-length films “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” and “Batman and Mister Freeze.” These animated films were released between 1993 and 1998. Directors Bruce Timm and Boyd Kirkland, with a gap of five years, were able to create two independent films that look like a duology.
The Justice League series, which begins with Justice League: The New Barrier, will help you feel the spirit of the golden age of comics. Fans of clashes will love the comics of Jeff Loeb and his Batman/Superman duology. The cartoon "The Paradox of the Conflict Source" pulls behind it a whole chain of adventures of the Justice League based on the New 52 comics.
The bandit, nicknamed Copperhead, wore a special high-tech suit that gave him the capabilities of various reptiles. But his reputation was destroyed when he started fighting superheroes. A ruthless and dangerous opponent for ordinary police officers, among other super-villains he looked ridiculous. As a result, Medyanka sold his soul in exchange for new abilities and was magically transformed...
Many years ago, when the Eastern European kingdom of Vlatava fell into the hands of Republican rebels, its ruler, Count Zitl, was killed and his wife fled to Canada with a child in her arms. They had a hard time, and the woman blamed her frail son Werner for all her troubles. In the end, she sold the child to the Krius research center, whose scientists “improved” children who fell...
Darkseid is one of the most feared beings in the universe: a ruthless, unstoppable tyrant with divine powers and an all-consuming obsession with enslaving every living creature in the world. Darkseid rules the creepy planet Apokolips, and is commanded by loyal henchmen and armies of deadly Parademons. He has access to incredible technologies, such as sentient "Mother Boxes" that function as flying...
When Tommy Elliott was a child, he idolized his best friend Bruce Wayne. He went further - and killed his parents to become an orphan like Bruce. However, when Tommy became completely obsessed with young Wayne, he stopped communicating with his childhood friend. And then Tommy decided to destroy the man he idolized. Having tied his face with bandages, he became an enemy at the same time...
British crime fighters Knight and Squire are a team whose roots go back to World War II. Then Percy Sheldrake, a guy from an aristocratic family, became an assistant to the mysterious warrior, the Shining Knight. Growing up, Percy taught his son Cyril. Together they punished the villains under the guise of a Knight and a Squire until Percy died...
A professional soldier and fanatical patriot, Wade Eiling rose to the rank of general, always knowing where the next threat would come from. In an era of masked braves and alien visitors, this decorated veteran, angered by the government's approval but lack of control over the actions of superheroes, began to view metahumans as the main threat to his country. General (English – General) tirelessly (and not...
When young Katerina Manser's father was shot, she was sent to an orphanage - where she received the nickname Cinnamon. She escaped and became a masked fighter for justice. Along with gunslinger Nighthawk, she was a legendary figure in the late 1800s.
Hugh Dawkins claimed that his mother was a werewolf and that he inherited powers and could transform into a massive, super-powered beast, the Tasmanian Devil. He began fighting crime in Australia, helped create the Global Defenders, and later joined the League.
Ion is the living embodiment of willpower, represented by the green color of the Emotional Spectrum. For a long time, this power was contained in Oa's Central Battery and powered the Green Lanterns' power rings. When the Battery was destroyed, the entity possessed Kyle Rayner and turned him into a hero named Ion. During the war with the Sinestro Corps, the villain drove out the entity...
DaCosta was born in Brazil and became a spy for local special services, but on one of her missions she was exposed to a strange chemical substance– piroplasma. She endowed Beatrice with superhuman abilities - the girl learned to control the green flame that covered her entire body and allowed her to fly. When Andre Briggs decided to form the Justice League International, an international squad working under the leadership of the UN,...
Oliver Queen is the Green Arrow, a hero who uses a bow and arrow to cleanse the streets of Seattle from evil. The son of billionaire Robert Queen led a dissolute life in his youth, but after a terrorist attack he ended up on an island where he was forced to fight for survival. After spending three years there, he returned home a different person, determined to change for the better...
The techno-seed that gave birth to Brimstone was created in the laboratories of Apokolips when Darkseid decided to destroy the earthly idea of heroism. Launched into a thermonuclear reactor on Earth, it turned into a huge flaming giant, attacking superhumans and terrorizing civilization. The colossal monster was partially endowed with feelings and artificial intelligence. Created from super-hot plasma surrounding the binding core, it retained the appearance...
Little is known about the anonymous French scientist called Brain. This notorious criminal worked with Niles Caulder even before he formed the Doom Patrol. The Brain believes that Calder, out of envy, orchestrated the incident that almost cost him his life. Most important work Brain was a series of experiments that increased the gorilla's intelligence to the level of a brilliant human (and...
The superhero bunny from an alternate reality populated by anthropomorphic caricatured animals was just a humble comic book fan until he ate a cosmic carrot. Having received superpowers, he became Captain Carrot, joining other heroes - Iron Pig, Homeless Cat Arba, Fastbuck the Turtle, Yankee Poodle and Rubber Duck - as part of the "Zoo Team". They took part in many fun adventures, meeting both Superman,...
Dick Grayson has been making a name for himself over the years, starting from scratch more than once. Grayson was Batman's first Robin, and later became Nightwing. After his secret identity became public, he abandoned the life of a superhero in a suit and became a super spy for the secret organization Spiral. Despite everything, Grayson remains one of the most...
Little is known about Bronze Tiger, one of the world's finest martial artists. Several years ago, he was seen among the mercenary ranks as an old drinking buddy of Slade Wilson, also known as Deathstroke. He worked for Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins and became an extremely influential figure in it. Moreover, when in its ranks...
Cassandra Cain is the daughter of the excellent assassin David Cain, who worked for Mother under the alias Orphan. Cassandra grew up in complete isolation, deprived of human warmth, knowing only brutal combat training. She couldn't speak, but she understood body language perfectly and could predict her opponent's actions. This terrible method of preparation was at odds with the Mother's idea of how to raise stolen...
David Cain is a skilled and ruthless hitman working for a mysterious underworld figure called the Mother. She kidnapped children and subjected them to terrible procedures, turning them into her agents. Codenamed Orphan, Kane served as Mother's assassin and fought Batman when the Dark Knight tried to stop her from taking over the world. Over time, I myself...
Brought into the world of Batman by chance, Barbara Gordon spent her entire life following in the footsteps of her heroic father, Commissioner James “Jim” Gordon. While James helped Gotham by being one of the most honest and worthy police officers, Barbara did almost more for the city as Batgirl. Having started her superhero career by imitating the legendary Dark Knight, the girl...
Welcome to the DC universe.
These reading orders will help you understand DC Comics and choose from several options to start reading these comics.
How to start reading DC comics?
The very first question that a beginner has is what comics to start with and in what order to read them. During the existence of the DC publishing house, thousands of comics have been published, but it is not necessary to read them all. The publisher periodically resets all of its series and events, so newcomers can always choose from several starting points to immerse themselves in the world of comics.
Soon we will create a separate page with the chronology of DC events, as well as the order of reading comics about individual characters.
There are five starting points
1) The first starting point is the very first issue
This starting point is suitable for those who want to gain a comprehensive knowledge of DC comics. But! You will learn absolutely everything about the heroes and events of this universe, if only you can master thousands and thousands of issues.
2) Post-crisis
Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985 ends the Golden and Silver Ages of DC Comics. Hence the expressions “Pre-crisis” and “Post-crisis”. After this, all the heroes received new origin stories. To start reading from here, go to Part 2 of the Basic Reading Order
3) Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis 2005 - a sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths, and a good starting point for new readers, since events skipped throughout the series whole year and new story arcs began.
4) New 52
New 52- a complete reboot of DC comics in 2011. The main goal of the reboot was to provide new readers with a new point of reference.
5) The last starting point is DC Rebirth.
All series have been rebooted with the goal of restoring the universe close to its pre-state condition. Flashpoint, and preserving many elements The New 52.
Below are all the parts of DC Comics reading order. Choose the one that suits you best and start immersing yourself in the comic book universe!
BASIC ORDER FOR READING DC COMICS
Years: 1938-1986
The first part of the order includes all pre-Crisis comics and ends with Crisis on Infinite Earths. In the plots of many comics of the Golden and Silver Ages, coincidences occur in huge quantities, which is not very conducive to their assimilation by the reader. If you're interested in post-Crisis comics, you should skip straight to Part 2.
Years: 1987-1990
First appearances: No
The beginning of the Post-Crisis era. At the beginning of the order, the most iconic Batman comics are collected (Year One, The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween, etc.). Also presented are many of the Man of Steel's limits and the post-Crisis origins of many of DC's most important heroes. Post-Crisis also features the first major crossover events.
Years: 1991-1997
First appearances: Bain, Stephanie Brown, Azrael
In addition to the annual crossovers, it also featured two of the major universe events of the '90s: The Death of Superman and Knightfall, which led to massive growth in readership and ultimately also contributed to the subsequent collapse of the comic book market.
Also during this period: Zero Hour– DC’s second crisis
Years: 1997-2002
First appearance: Cassandra Cain
This part begins with the Justice League from Grant Morrison, and also here we see the return of the Justice Society. The DC One Million event shows the DC Universe 83,000 years later. Gotham City is still going through its worst times in Batman: Cataclysm and the government makes its verdict on the city in Batman: No Man's Land.
Years: 2000-2005
Popular storyline Batman: Quiet! Happens in this part. Also, here's an updated version of the Post-Crisis Superman origin arc Birthright. The Dark Knight Returns And Dark Knight Strikes Again are posted here because they had to appear in some kind of list (in other words, they can be read separately from the other comics in the order). Also here you will come across an excellent limited edition about Superman in an alternative universe - Red Son.
Years: 2005-2009
So, we continue our journey through the DC universe. First the Identity Crisis, then the Countdown to the Infinite Crisis, and then the Infinite Crisis itself. Continuing with the limited series 52 and the episode Year One, which show the changes in the status quo of the characters after the Infinite Crisis.
Years: 2008-2011
Another Crisis - Final Crisis, which have had numerous echoes in comics involving the Batfamily. Also major events take place here like Darkest Night, Brightest Day And Superman: New Krypton. It all culminates with Flashpoint, which radically changes DC's universe and begins an era New 52.
Years: 2011-2015
IN in this order all DC comics published within the framework of New 52, the era of comics that dates back to just after Flashpoint and ends with an event known as Convergence.
Chronologically after New 52 comes the period known as DC You.
Years: 2015-2016
DC Rebirth is a relaunch by DC of its entire line of ongoings. Taking the end of The New 52 as a starting point, in May 2016 DC Rebirth rebooted the DC Universe so that the new universe predates Flashpoint while incorporating many elements of The New 52.
The evolution of the DC Comics logo
D C Comics (DC comics) - one of the most popular American companies publishing comics and books. The publishing house was created by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935 under the name "National Allied Productions" and released its first comic book - "New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine". In December of the same year, the company name changes, which appears as a logo on the cover of the new series. After some time, the name of the series was changed to "Adventure Comics". Its publication continued until 1983 and ended with issue #503.
In May 1939, the company published issue #27 of the "Detective Comics" series, which became a sensational success among readers thanks to the newly invented hero - Batman. The company changes its name to Detective Comics Inc. On June 1, 1938, the publisher launched a new series of Action Comics. In the first issue (the magazine was sold for 317 thousand dollars on February 22, 2010), the reader is introduced to a new superhero - Superman. In 1940, author Gardner Francis Cooper Fox and artist Harry Lampert introduce the reader to a new superhero, Flash, who appears in the pages of the new Flash series. In the same issue, the reader also gets acquainted with the original hero Hawkman. In the same year, the reader is introduced to a new hero created by Bill Finger and Martin Knodell - Alana Scott, who becomes the first Green Lantern and appears in issue #16 of the All-American Comics series. And also in the Batman comic, Catwoman appears, who, thanks to the sympathy of readers, receives her own series. In 1941, on the pages of issue #8 of All Star Comics, a new superheroine appeared - Wonder Woman, who became a favorite of readers. Her series are still published to this day. In November of the same year, in issue #71 of the More Fun series, the reader meets a new character - Green Arrow, created by Martin Weisiger and Maria Kotik. In August 1947, in issue #86 of Flash, the reader meets another superheroine - Black Canary, created by:
- Robert Kanigher;
- Carmine Infantino.
And July 1950 was marked by the appearance of a new character on the pages of issue #59 of the Batman comic - Deadshot, created by David Ridd and Lew Schwartz. In 1955, artist Joe Certa and writer Joseph Samachson introduce the reader to a new superhero who first appeared in Detective Comics #225 - the Martian Manhunter. In 1966, the reader is introduced to the supervillain Poison Ivy. She first appears in the pages of Batman #181.
To expand and increase market influence, the company merges with National Allied Publications and takes a new name. In 1961, the publishing house became a corporation through a merger with several others and was renamed National Periodical Publications. Since 1940, readers have been the first to see the Superman-DC logo on the covers of magazines. It was he who gave the company a new name - DC Comics in 1977.
The fight for copyright.
Fighting for copyright, the publishing house is suing Fox. The company's created hero, Wonder Man, is exactly like Superman. And also on "Fawcett". The hero presented on the pages of their magazines, Captain Marvel, who was very popular among readers at that time, was also copied from Superman (although he had a different nature of his superpowers). Having lost the trial, the Fawcett company stopped publishing the magazine in 1955 and sold the rights to its hero to DC. In 1973, the Captain was brought to life in the new series Shazam.
Change of company policy.
In the 50s, the company's policy changed and, at the direction of the editor-in-chief, most of the characters were remade. Their costumes, behavior, as well as their civic positions change. Only the main heroes avoid this fate: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, although they receive some upgrades. New characters are being created: Batgirl, Supergirl, Batwoman and others which become quite successful projects. Heroes begin to appear in joint comics. This unification creates a common universe - DC Universe. In 1961, editor Julius Schwartz creates the concept of a parallel universe, which allows you to combine old heroes with new ones. In 1960, a series about the first team of superheroes, the Justice League, began. In 1961, Ray Palmer, known as Atom, appeared on the pages of Showcase issue #34. The hero was created by Gardner Fox and Gill Kane. Along with the positive characters, negative characters that are loved by readers also receive their own separate series. Throughout its existence, the company has become an innovator in many aspects of the comics industry.
The superheroes of the DC universe periodically die, then they are resurrected, they are reborn, turn into villains, and are replaced by other personalities. I make films and TV series based on the publisher’s products. They constantly appear on television screens in various programs. The company creates and closes imprints for release various series some of which still exist today.
What is the DC Comics Multiverse? /According to Kisimäki/
You can read DC comics online on the website
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