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1960-1965 |
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1960-1965 |
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| Jan | Mxyzptlk retconned into Superboy’s time in Superboy 78. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Feb |
Robert Bernstein's Aqualad joins Aquaman in Adventure 260. Justice League of America, a revival of the Justice Society begins a trial run in Brave and Bold 28. Brave and Bold is no longer a sword and sorcery comic, but a "tryout" comic like Showcase. Congorilla ends in Action (moves
to Adventure)- from now on only two features in Action.
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| Mar | Sgt. Bilko (#18)
and Pvt. Doberman (11) cancelled as the TV show ends.
John Broome's Star Hawkins begins as an occasional series in Strange Adventures 114. Mike Sekowsky creates the deadbeat detective's vision of the future. |
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Apr | John Broome's Elongated
Man appears in Flash 112, but Plastic Man is still nowhere to
be found. One of Carmine Infantino's masterpieces.
Lex Luthor 1st appears in Adventure 271. Jerry Siegel retcons Luthor into Superboy’s time and shows how Superboy made him bald (and bad). Otto Binder grafts some old Captain Marvel concepts onto the Bizarros and creates the Bizarro World in Action 263. The Second Batman and Robin Team is the 1st Imaginary story in Batman 131. "Dinosaurs vs Tanks! Who will
win the war of armored giants?" The
War that Time Forgot begins in Star Spangled War 90.
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| May | The Many Loves Of
Dobie Gillis begins and lasts 24 issues- National's last significant
licensed TV title, until Star Trek in 1989.
Tomahawk becomes "The Frontier Superman"
in #68
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| Jun | John Broome's Atomic Knights begin in Strange Adventures 117, perhaps the most fondly rememberd of the science fiction series of the Silver Age. Murphy Anderson illustrates. |
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| Jul | Green Lantern graduates to his own title. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Aug | Jerry Siegel's "Mr and
Mrs Clark (Superman) Kent" is the 1st official "imaginary story"
in Lois Lane 19.
National publishes its first oversized book since World's Finest 71 with Superman Annual #1, although the 84 page book is technically published by All-American Comics! Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath create Sea
Devils for Showcase 27.
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Sep | Several DC humor titles
bear an IND in the center of the bullet symbol instead of a DC logo, including
Flippity
and Flop 47, Peter Porkchops 62 (Oct) and
Three Mouseketeers
25 and 26 (Oct). All these final issues appeared after a one year
gap in publication. Indicias say Signal Publishing Corp.
Dick Lupoff publishes the fanzine Xero, which contains the first installment of the series "All In Color For A Dime". Comics fandom is officially born. |
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| Oct | Justice League Of
America gets its own title.
A Date With Judy cancelled (#79). It lasted a long time considering the radio program had been off the air for years and the TV show only lasted one season (1953). Independent News allows Goodman to increase his line to 10 books a month. (Alter Ego 49) |
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Nov | Robert Kanigher and
Irv Novick create Navaho Ace Johnny
Cloud in All American Men of War 82 November 1, 1960- Marvel releases Millie the Model 101, their only comic for the month. |
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| Dec | December 29, 1960 Marvel releases four titles -one western, two romance books and Journery Into Mystery, making it effectively two months in which Marvel mysteriously published nothing. (This is possibly related to the renegotiation of their distribution contract.) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jan | After 20 years Aquaman
gets a shot at his own comic book in Showcase 30. George Kashdan
edits, Jack Miller writes, as Aquaman visits Atlantis, probably for the
first time in the series.
TV Screen Comics is cancelled (138),
leaving
Western Comics cancelled (#85), followed by All-Star Western in June, leaving DC western-less, unless you count Tomahawk. Superman Annual #2 appears 6 months
after Annual #1!
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Feb | Features begin to be
cut from the anthology titles to make longer stories. Congorilla
ends in Adventure 280. Aquaman ends in Detective 300
(4/62)
Hawkman revived by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert in Brave and Bold 34. As usual the new version is more science fiction oriented. Hawkman and Hawkgirl become the first pair of married super-heroes. Super
Chief debuts in All Star Western 111, effectively converting
it into a super-hero title, but the book is still cancelled 2 issues later.
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| Mar | Rip Hunter, Time
Master gets his own title.
Jerry Bails publishes Alter-Ego #1, featuring Roy Thomas' Bestest League of America. the magazine carries four pages of news about upcoming comic books still "On the Drawing Board". Don and Maggie Thompson publish Comic Art #1 featuring the article "Re-Birth" in which Dick Lupoff coins the phrase "golden age of comics". Nick Cardy draws Aquaman's second appearance in Showcase 31, ending Ramona Fradon's 10 year streak on the character. |
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| Apr | Dell raises their price
to $.15 with no ads. National holds steady.
Robert Kanigher and Russ Heath create the Haunted Tank in GI Combat 87. Bill Finger and Sheldon Moldoff create Bat-Girl in Batman 139. Robert Bernstein adds Kryptonian criminals
to the "Empty Doom" from the second Superman serial and comes up with the
Phantom Zone in Adventure 283.
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| May | Wonder Tot debuts in Wonder Woman 122 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Jun | All-Star Western
cancelled (#119).
Tales of the Bizarro World begins in Adventure 285. Aquaman moves to Detective. Congorilla ends. Roy Raymond ends in Detective 292 after 12 years. "Superboy's Big Brother" Mon-El is introduced
in Superboy 89.
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| Jul | Robert Kanigher combines
Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl and Wonder Tot into an "Impossible Tale" in Wonder
Woman 124.
National expands its line of 84 page books with Secret Origins #1 and Batman Annual #1. Jerry Siegel begins a Supergirl serial
in Action 278 that will last for six months, Mort Weisinger continues
to explore longer format storylines.
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Sep | Sea Devils begins
its own title. To capture the look of being undersea, almost every
issues sports an Adler wash cover.
The Golden Age Flash returns in Flash 123's- "Flash of Two Worlds!" Gardner Fox and Julius Schwartz create the concept of Earth 2. Gil Kane's Atom
begins in Showcase 34, a revival of the Golden Age character Doll
Man. The letters page contains an illustration of the first JSA cover
(All Star 3), introducing the concept to a whole new generation
of readers. Gardner Fox writes.
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| Nov | National Comics becomes
National Periodical Publications, a publicly traded corporation.
Signal titles, Girls' Love (83) and Girls' Romances (80) moved to Arleigh. Arleigh becomes a wholly owned subsidiary of National Periodical Publications. Jerry Siegel's famous "Death of Superman" imaginary story appears in Superman 149. Showcase 35 contains 1st? comic book reference to the "Golden Age". Canaam Publishers Sales Corporation publishes
Fantastic Four #1, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Last possible date
for the Silver Age to begin.
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| Dec | National raises price to $.12! Dell drops their price to $.12 soon after. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jan | Aquaman graduates from Showcase to his own title. He also gains his own person pixie, Quisp. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Feb | Jerry Siegel reveals
Supergirl’s existence to the world in a book length story in Action
285.
The "Origin of the Justice League" appears
in Justice League 9.
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Mar | Robert Kanigher creates
the Metal
Men over a weekend to fill in for a late issue of Showcase (#37).
Ross Andru illustrates.
Last Tommy Tommorow in World's Finest. Replaced by Aquaman. |
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| May | Romance comics bullet
changed to Superman-DC National Comics (same as everyone else).
The JLA guest star in Adam Strange and
don’t even get to be on the cover of Mystery In Space 75!
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| Jun | The Atom begins,
following his Showcase run.
Hawkman comes back for a second 3 issue
run in Brave and Bold 42.
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| Jul | Murray Boltinoff and
George Kashdan become full editors, (instead of Jack Schiff’s assistants).
Boltinoff takes over House of Secrets (55), My Greatest Adventure
(71), Tomahawk (82) and Challengers of the Unknown (28).
Kashdan takes over Aquaman (5), Rip Hunter (10). House
of Mystery (126) and Tales of the Unexpected (73). Schiff,
at this point, keeps Batman, Detective, World’s Finest
and Blackhawk.
A Yellow Submarine appears on the cover of Superman 154. DC Comics are prominently featured in the Beatles movie Help. Is this the source of John Lennon's "Yellow Submarine"? You decide. Miss Liberty appears in Tomahawk 81- 1st revolutionary era costumed hero. |
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| Aug | First Lois Lane Annual. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Sep | The Legion begins its
own feature in Adventure 300, ousting Bizarro World.
Supergirl meets Super Horse in Action 292. |
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| Oct | Green Lantern’s girl friend Carol Ferris becomes the super-villain Star Sapphire in Green Lantern 16. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Dec | Dell splits with Western
which launches its own line, Gold Key.
Last Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (80 pg Giant). Tomahawk’s Rangers introduced as "The GIs of 1775" (83). |
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| Jan | Lightning Lad dies in
Adventure
304.
Arnold Drake begins a new direction for Mark Merlin in House of Secrets 58 as he gets an origin and a swing towards the occult. DC introduces a new company mascot, Johnny DC. |
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| Mar | Kid Flash gets a new costume in Flash 135 that is not identical to Flash’s. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Apr | Metal Men awarded their own series. | |||||||||||||||||||||
| May | Tomahawk battles King Colosso the giant gorilla (86) | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Jun | Arnold Drake and Bob
Haney create the Doom
Patrol, the World’s Strangest Super Heroes" for My Greatest Adventure
80.
Inevitably, the Justice Society is revived
in Flash 137.
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| Jul | Bob Haney’s Eclipso (Hero and villain in one man!) begins in House of Secrets 61 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Aug | Prize/Crestwood leaves
the comic book business. National's Arleigh Publishing subsidiary
takes over their two ailing romance titles, Young Love (39) and
Young
Romance (125). Larry Nadle takes over the romance comics from
Phyllis Reed.
Justice League 21 has the first
team-up of the Justice League and Justice Society, "Crisis on Earth
-1"- continued in JLA 22.
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Sep | X-Men, "the World’s
Strangest Super-Heroes" debuts from Marvel.
Mary
Robin, RN by Robert Kanigher and Johnny Romita, begins in Young
Love 39: National’s first continuing series in a romance title.
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| Oct | Bonnie
Taylor, Stewardess begins in Young Romance 126.
Flash Annual #1 appears. Brave and Bold (50) becomes a team-up book, starting with Green Arrow and Martian Manhunter, abandoning the Showcase concept. George Kashdan edits. Luthor forgoes a certain chance to kill Superman in order to save the inhabitants of an alien planet in Superman 164, thus completing the conversion of the formerly blood thirsty killer into a tragic anti-hero. Ed Hamilton writes. |
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Nov | Alex Toth returns and
takes over the art in Eclipso. (House of Secrets 63).
Hawkman gets his own series in Mystery In Space 87. Murphy Anderson takes over the art. |
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| Dec | Last new Superboy story in Adventure. Reprints backing up new Legion stories begin. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Mar | My Greatest Adventure
renamed Doom Patrol (#86).
Arnold Drake introduces the Brotherhood of Evil. Coincidentally, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduce the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in X-Men #4 in the same month. Sgt Rock’s Prize Battle Tales #1 is the first war book annual. Wendy Winthrop, Television Model is the third romance comic continuing series in Girls’ Romances 99. George Kashdan takes over Sea Devils from Bob Kanigher with #16. Howard Purcell replaces Irv Novick on the art. |
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| Apr | Hawkman begins own title. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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May | Robert Kanigher’s Captain
Storm begins. Irv Novick draws.
"New Look" Batman begins as Julius Schwartz becomes editor of Batman and Detective. Carmine Infantino becomes the first artist other than Bob Kane to be credited with drawing Batman. Infantino draws every other issue of Detective. Kane’s ghost, Sheldon Moldoff is instructed to make "Kane’s" work look more like Infantino. Elongated Man replaces John Jones in the back of Detective. Infantino pencils and inks most of these stories. Jack Schiff takes over Strange Adventures (164), and Mystery In Space (92) from Julie Schwartz. Also, Tales of the Unexpected from Kashdan (83) and House of Secrets from Boltinoff (66). Schiff moves Space Ranger into Mystery In Space, sharing with Adam Strange. Star Rovers, Atomic Knights and Space Museum are dropped from Strange Adventures. The only series that continues is Star Hawkins. Mort Weisinger takes over World’s Finest (141). Mort’s deal gains him an assistant editor (E. Nelson Bridwell) and an agreement that he can use reprints in the back of two books a month to cut his workload. Initially the two books are World’s Finest and Adventure, but eventually he sprinkles them throughout the super titles so they’re less obvious. Green Arrow loses his feature spot and doesn’t get it back again until the 70’s. Murray Boltinoff takes over Blackhawk
from Jack Schiff (196). New Look Blackhawks begin as traditional blue/black
outfits are replaced by red and green uniforms. The Blackhawks now
work for Mr.
Cipher.
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Jun | National subsidiary
All-American Printing buys Mad Magazine.
Jack Schiff takes House of Mystery (143) back from Kashdan and puts Martian Manhunter into the book and occasionally on the cover. Schiff now edits all 5 mystery/sf anthology titles. Larry Nadle dies. Murray Boltinoff takes over Sugar and Spike (53). Jack Miller becomes editor of the romance titles. Bob Hope (86) and Jerry Lewis go to Murray Boltinoff. Arnold Drake takes over writing and introduces cast changes- (Harvard Harvard III, Bob’s talking dog.) Boltinoff also takes over Fox and Crow. Robin , Kid Flash and Aqualad team up in Brave and Bold 54 (Kashdan and Haney). Sales on this issue would lead to the Teen Titans. Amy Ames by Robert Kanigher and Gene Colan, begins in Secret Hearts 96. Superboy Annual #1 is added to the
giant issue schedule.
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| Jul | April O’Day, with art by Bob Oksner, begins in Girls’ Love Stories 104. | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Aug | In an attempt to increase
sales in Canada, National reconfigures their annuals as a separate comic
series, 80-Page Giant. (Canada taxes Annuals as if they were
books.)
The story page count in the regular size titles drops to 24. Sam Moskowitz's biography of Mort Weisinger "The Superman behind Superman" appears in Amazing Stories. Moskowitz attempts to minimize the contributions of Siegel and Shuster and give all the credit for the character's success to Weisinger. The article would be reprinted in Moskowitz's 1966 book "Seekers of Tomorrow". |
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| Sep | 1st Giant Jimmy Olsen (80 Page Giant #2) | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Oct | The Many Loves Of
Dobie Gillis is cancelled (#26). DC leaves the licensed TV show
business to Gold Key.
Aquaman marries Mera (18) in DC's (or anybody's?) 1st super-hero wedding. Zatanna,
daughter of Zatarra, debuts in
Hawkman 4 and begins a quest to find
her father that will take her through appearances in most of Julie Schwartz’s
super-hero titles. 1st crossover series?
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| Nov | Arnold Drake introduces
Renfrew, Jerry’s nephew in Jerry Lewis 85.
1st Tales
of the Green Glob in Tales of the Unexpected.
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Dec | Warren begins Creepy
Magazine
Tomahawk 101 cover bills the "Rip Roaring Rangers" but he’s still battling ghosts, dinosaurs, monsters and giant gorillas. Bob Haney’s Metamorpho
debuts in Brave and Bold 57 (Kashdan edits). Ramona Fradon
draws.
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| Jules Feiffer's the
Great Comic Book Heroes is published by Dial Press. In addition to
his memoir, the book includes the first generally available golden age
reprints, including early Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman
and Wonder Woman stories. National's Jack Adler did the art restoration.
Feiffer is single handedly responsible for turning fandom against teen
age super-heroes and sidekicks.
The 1943 Batman movie serial is re-released to theatres and inspires talk of a new Batman tv series. |
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Feb | Harry Donenfeld dies.
He had been ill for at least 3 years and had no input into company operations.
Robert Kanigher’s Enemy Ace debuts in Our Army at War 151. |
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| Mar | Showcase 55 teams up Dr Fate and Hourman. |
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| Apr | 1st Batman team-up in Brave and Bold 59, with Green Lantern. | ||
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May | Witch
Kraft introduced in Jerry Lewis 88.
The Riddler revived from the forties in Batman 171. Challengers get new bright yellow uniforms
in Challengers 43.
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| Jun | 1st appearance of the
Teen
Titans in Brave and Bold 60: Kid Flash, Robin, Aqualad and Wonder
Girl.
Roy Thomas works for National for two weeks as Mort Weisinger's assistant before quitting to go to work for Marvel. |
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| Jul | Metamorpho gets
his own title.
Enemy Ace gets a shot at Showcase
57
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Aug | Wonder Woman
converted from a girl's comic to a fan-boy oriented super hero book.
Sales plummet (WW156). "The Brain Pirate of the Inner World" is a take
off on the Golden Age style artwork of Harry G. Peter, vaguely based on
Sensation
82.
Gene Colan begins working for Marvel on Sub-Mariner (as Adam Austin). Starman and Black Canary team up in Brave and Bold 61. Last Gunner and Sarge in Our Fighting
Forces 94.
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| Sep | Mark Merlin becomes
Prince
Ra-Man in House of Secrets, as the book is converted into
a Marvel style double feature. Bernard Baily draws.
Dave Woods' Animal Man debuts in Strange Adventures 180. Carmine Infantino draws the first tale. |
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Oct | Arnold Drake introduces
Bob's nephew
Super-Hip in Bob Hope. Bob Kanigher and Irv Novick introduce Larry Rock, Fighting Devil Dog in Our Fighting Forces 95. Fox and Crow 94 introduces the Brat Finks. |
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Nov | National changes their
art standards. Original art is no longer done twice the size of the
printed book, but only 1 1/2 times the size. This saves on production
costs, but a lot of artists complain about loss of detail. The change
was instituted slowly across the line. One way to tell whether a
book was done before or after the change is to look at the top of each
page. If the book title and DC bullet appears, the art was done twice
up. If not, 1 1/2.
Rip Hunter, Time Master cancelled (#29) 1st Justice League "annual" (JLA 39- 80 Page Giants are now included in the regular series numbering.) Adam Strange and Space Ranger are booted out of Mystery In Space and replaced by Dave Wood's Ultra-the Multi-Alien. Steve Savage, Balloon Buster begins in All American Men Of War 112 (Kanigher and Heath). Last "Impossible Tale" in Wonder Woman 158. |
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| Dec | Arnold Drake’s Stanley and his Monster begins in Fox and Crow 95 | ||
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