By 1964, sales of Batman titles had fallen drastically. Bob Kane noted that, as a result, DC was “planning to kill Batman off altogether”. In response to this, editor Julius Schwartz was assigned to the Batman titles. He presided over drastic changes, beginning with 1964’s Detective Comics #327 (May 1964), which was cover-billed as the “New Look”. Schwartz introduced changes designed to make Batman more contemporary, and to return him to more detective-oriented stories. He brought in artist Carmine Infantino to help overhaul the character. The Batmobile was redesigned, and Batman’s costume was modified to incorporate a yellow ellipse behind the bat-insignia. The space aliens, time travel, and characters of the 1950s such as Batwoman, Ace, and Bat-Mite were retired. Bruce Wayne’s butler Alfred was killed off (though his death was quickly reversed) while a new female relative for the Wayne family, Aunt Harriet, came to live with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson.
Batman #168 CGC 7.0 Off-White to White Pages $129Batman #180 FN+ $45Batman #201 VG- $18Batman #213 VF $89
Boy Commandos spun off into their own title with a ‘Winter 1942’ date. The title sold “over a million copies each month”, and was one of DC’s “three biggest hits” alongside Superman and Batman. Jack Kirby drew around five pages a day of the title, but Jack Liebowitz requested an even faster turn-around – fearing (as happened) that the two would be drafted, as had many other industry professionals. Simon & Kirby hired “inkers, [letterers], colorists, and writers, striving to create a year’s worth of tales” (Boy Commandos was also a quarterly title until Winter, 1945). Among those hired was a young Gil Kane.
Boy Commandos ran until issue #36 (Nov/Dec 1949), and was edited throughout by Jack Schiff. Among the individuals who assisted Simon and Kirby on the title (and its covers) were future-Superman legend Curt Swan, as well as Steve Brodie, Louis Cazeneuve and Carmine Infantino.
Boy Commandos #29 CGC 7.5 Cream to Off-White Pages $225
Knight Terrors is a 2023 DC Comics crossover event written by Joshua Williamson and drawn by Howard Porter. Other creators include Guillem March and Chris Bachalo. The event was announced in February during a ComicsPRO convention on Pittsburgh.
Williamson said: “I love horror comics, and it’s been a blast bringing the energy to Dawn of DC. Knight Terrors showcases the horror side of our heroes as a brand-new villain confronts them with their worst nightmares. It’s a fun and horrific event that brings together all of the heroes and villains of DC, along with some surprises!”
Along with the core 4-issue miniseries there are various 2-issue tie-in miniseries focusing on different characters during the event. These titles replaced the main ongoing series, with many written by the same creatives working on the ongoing series.
As part of DC Comics’ DC Rebirth relaunch in June 2016, Action Comics reverted to its original numbering beginning with Action Comics #957, with the series shipping twice-monthly. The series, written by Dan Jurgens, serves as a continuation of the comic book series, Superman: Lois and Clark, which featured the pre-Flashpoint Superman alongside his wife, Lois Lane, and their son, Jonathan Kent.
Although it was deemed to be non-canon, Grant Morrison used this story in the 4-issue story “Batman and Son” in 2006. DC Comics published a new printing of Batman: Son of the Demon in 2006 featuring new cover art by Andy Kubert for the first time in standard comic book size with a cover price of $5.99 US, tying in with the “Batman and Son” arc.
Batman Son of the Demon CGC 9.8 White Pages $295Batman Son of the Demon 2006 NM $19
Doorway to Nightmare, introduced in 1978, was the last of the DC “Mystery” line of titles in the 1970s that became the forerunner of Vertigo. It did not have a consistent creative team—the intent was to create writer-artist pairings that had never occurred before, except for the cover art of Michael William Kaluta. Madame Xanadu, the star of the series, was not a host but an active participant, albeit never the main character in her stories.
In 2019, Robert Venditti took over from Snyder, relaunching the title, taking place before Snyder’s run and after Metal.
In addition, two more Justice League titles were released. A new volume of Justice League Dark featuring a team led by Wonder Woman and John Constantine. The other, Justice League Odyssey, features Cyborg, Starfire, Green Lantern (Jessica Cruz), Azrael, and Darkseid as they search for answers in the Ghost Sector in one of Brainiac‘s old starships.
Following Dark Nights: Death Metal, Endless Winter and the beginning of Infinite Frontier, Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez took over the reins of Justice League from Issue 59. While Superman, Batman, Aquaman, and Hawkgirl remained on the team, the team also includes Green Arrow, Black Canary, Black Adam, Queen Hippolyta and Naomi. It also include a Backstory for Justice League Dark.
Justice League #35 NM $4Justice League #36 NM $4Justice League #37 NM $4Justice League #38 NM $4Justice League# 39 NM $4Justice League #40 NM $4Justice League V4 #44 NM $4Justice League V4 #45 NM $4Justice League V4 #47 NM $4Justice League V4 #48 NM $4Justice League V4 #53 NM $4Justice League V4 #75 Variant NM $7
Tales from the Dark Multiverse is an American superhero/anthology comic book limited series published by DC Comics, beginning on October 16, 2019. The series takes some of the most famous events in the DC Universe and puts a twist on them.
Following the Source Wall being shattered at the end of Dark Nights: Metal, the mysterious watcher known as Tempus Fuginaut (introduced in Sideways) begins trying to recruit several “heroes” from across the Dark Multiverse in the wake of a coming crisis.
Tales from the Dark Multiverse – Batman Knightfall NM $6Tales from the Multiverse – Crisis on Infinite Earths NM $6Tales from the Dark Multiverse – Flashpoint NM $6Tales from the Dark Multiverse – Batman Hush NM $6Tales From the Dark Multiverse Infinite Crisis #1 NM $6Tales from the Dark Multiverse – Dark Nights Metal NM $6Tales From the Dark Multiverse The Death of Superman #1 NM $6Tales from the Dark Multiverse – Wonder Woman War of the Gods NM $6
With issue #174, EC Comics veteran Joe Orlando was hired by DC to take over as editor of House of Mystery. As the Comics Code Authority was now being challenged by both DC and Marvel over content restrictions, the series returned to its overt horror themes. The first issue under Orlando would be a reprint issue of old horror/suspense stories, as the new direction would truly begin with #175 (July–August 1968). The issue would introduce a new figure to the series, Cain, the “able care taker” of the House of Mystery who would introduce nearly all stories that would run in the series before its cancellation. Cain would also host the spin-off humor series Plop! and later become a recurring character in Blue Devil and The Sandman.
Artist Bernie Wrightson‘s first professional comic work was the story “The Man Who Murdered Himself” which appeared in issue #179 (March–April 1969)
House of Mystery was in the Dollar Comics format for issues #251 (March–April 1977) to #259 (July–August 1978). House of Mystery featured stories by writers T. Casey Brennan (#260, 267, 268 and 274) and Scott Edelman (#257, 258, 260, 264, 266, 270, 272, 273). Orlando’s tenure as editor ended with #257 (March–April 1978).
House of Mystery #199 VG+ $14House of Mystery #204 FN $18House of Mystery #209 FN $24House of Mystery #215 FN+ $14House of Mystery #218 FN-VF $16House of Mystery #219 VG $8House of Mystery #220 FN+ $12House of Mystery #222 VF- $12House of Mystery #223 VF- $12House of Mystery #224 VG+ $14House of Mystery #226 VG+ $14House of Mystery #228 FN+ $24House of Mystery #229 FN $19House of Mystery #240 FN-VF $13House of Mystery #242 VG-FN $10House of Mystery #244 FN-VF $15House of Mystery #246 VG-FN $10House of Mystery #249 VG $5House of Mystery #250 FN-VF $10The House of Mystery #251 FN $11The House of Mystery #252 FN+ $12The House of Mystery #254 VF $16The House of Mystery #255 FN- $8House of Mystery #258 VF- $16The House of Mystery #259 FN+ $10House of Mystery #260 VG+ $7House of Mystery #262 FN $8House of Mystery #263 VF $6House of Mystery #265 FN- $6House of Mystery #266 VF-NM $10House of Mystery #267 VF+ $8House of Mystery #268 VG-FN $5House of Mystery #269 VF- $5House of Mystery #270 FN $6House of Mystery #271 VF- $5House of Mystery #272 FN $5House of Mystery #273 VF-NM $12House of Mystery #274 VF $6
The initial Justice League lineup included seven of DC Comics’ superheroes who were regularly published at that time: Superman, Batman, Aquaman, Flash, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter, and Wonder Woman. Rarely featured in most of the stories, Superman and Batman did not even appear on the cover most of the time. Three of DC’s other surviving or revived characters, Green Arrow,the Atom, and Hawkman were added to the roster over the next four years.
The title’s early success was indirectly responsible for the creation of the Fantastic Four. In his autobiography Stan Lee relates how in 1961, during a round of golf, DC publisher Jack Liebowitz mentioned to Marvel-Timely owner Martin Goodman how well DC’s new book (Justice League) was selling. Later that day Goodman, a publishing trend-follower aware of the JLA’s strong sales, told Lee, his comics editor, to come up with a team of superheroes for Marvel.
Justice League of America #45 VG $10Justice League of America #50 FN+ $18Justice League of America #52 FN $12Justice League of America #69 VG- $8
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