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1956-59 |
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Jan
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EC's Incredible
Science Fiction cancelled
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Feb
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With the demise
of the EC line and most other horror mags, National feels there’s room
for more of its own code-approved mystery books. Jack Schiff’s Tales
Of The Unexpected begins as a companion to House of Mystery.
My Greatest Adventure also takes a turn towards the weird.
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Mar
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Showcase
begins as a rotating attempt to find out what will actually sell in the
post-code marketplace. Each feature gets a one issue tryout.
The emphasis is on realistic adventure books at first, with Firefighters,
Frogmen, and the Call of the Wild.
Whitney Ellsworth asks Sheldon Mayer to create two new children's titles to breathe life into the dying line of cartoon books. Sugar and Spike and Three Mouseketeers are the result.
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Apr
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EC's Pictofiction
line cancelled (Terror Illustrated 1-2-11/55, Crime Illustrated 1-22-11/55,
Shock Illustrated 1-3-9/55 Confessions Illustrated (2 issues)
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May
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Jun
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Jackie Gleason
& The Honeymooners is Nationals’
first licensed title based on a TV show. All the previous ones have
been based on radio programs or movies.
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Jul
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EC's distributor,
Leader News goes bankrupt- Gaines switches distributors to American (Mad
28).
Ed Hamilton’s Batwoman appears in Detective 233, possibly created in response to a Martin and Lewis movie, Artists and Models (1955) which features a character called the Bat Lady. Silver Age of comics begins? All American Men of War
35 features a washtone cover by Jerry Grandenetti and Jack Adler.
The first of many spectacular covers which appear to be "painted".
Most of them appear on war comics.
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Aug
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Sep
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National revives
the Flash in response to Sterling's Captain Flash comic book. The
book is intended as a one shot, but editor Julius Schwartz decides to completely
revamp the character, rather than just continuing the previous version.
Robert Kanigher and John Broome write and Carmine Infantino and Joe Kubert
draw. Showcase 4 sells better than expected, so a follow-up
issue is scheduled for the next year.
Official Overstreet Price Guide endorsed
start of the Silver Age of Comics. Sept 21, 1956 Abraham Menin, DC lawyer and trustee, dies. |
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Oct
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Nov
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Jack Schiff’s House
Of Secrets, National’s last mystery/anthology title of the fifties,
begins.
The Davy Crocket boom ends as quickly as it began as Frontier Fighters (#8) and Legends Of Daniel Boone are cancelled (#8) 11/1/1956 Martin Goodman shuts down Atlas distribution and moves his comics to American News. (Alter Ego 49) |
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Dec
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Harvey Kurtzman
quits Mad to start Trump. Al Feldstein takes over with issue 30 featuring
Alfred E Neuman on the cover for the first time?.
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Jan
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Quality Comics goes
out of business. National acquires Blackhawk (108), Robin
Hood Tales (7), GI Combat (44) and Heart Throbs (108)
(which they assign to Arleigh) and the rights to Plastic Man although they
have no intention of using them.
Showcase changes to two issue tryouts. Joe Simon and Jack Kirby’s Challengers of the Unknown is the first, originally put together for their defunct Mainline Comics. |
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Ruth Brant becomes
romance editor.
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Mar
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Apr
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Romance comics now
have bullet that says National Romance Group..
4/25/57 Dell leaves American News and sets up its own distribution system. |
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May
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TV licensing continues
as Sgt. Bilko is added to the lineup.
5/6/57 Dell files an anti-trust suit agains American News. 5/17/57 American News closes down its distribution business. (Alter Ego 49) |
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Jun
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Mort Weisinger tries
out a book-length story in Superman 113, touted as a "3 part novel!".
6/17/1957 Martin Goodman signs a distribution with Independent News allowing him to publish 8 comics a month in addition to his magazine line. (Alter Ego 49) |
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Jul
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Lois Lane has a
two issue try out in Showcase.
Tales of the Unexpected
15 sports an Adler wash cover- the first outside the war titles.
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Aug
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Tales of the
Unexpected is converted into
an SF title.
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Sep
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Jack Kirby creates
the DNA Project, Mobius Chair, and Kamandi’s world for Harvey's Alarming
Tales #1.
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Oct
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Oct 4, 1957 Russians
launch Sputnik, 1st earth orbiting satellite, prompting science fiction
revival in America (which National seems to have anticipated).
National's Independent News begins distributing EC's Mad with issue 35 due to the collapse of American News. Buzzy cancelled (#76). National begins canceling their line of kids comics beginning with Dodo and Frog (92), Nutsy Squirrel (72) and the Raccoon Kids (64). Last few issues of these titles came out very sporadically. |
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Nov
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Adventures Of
Dean Martin And Jerry Lewis
renamed Adventures Of Jerry Lewis (#41) after the breakup of the
famed comedy team.
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Dec
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Jan
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Phyllis Reed becomes
romance editor.
Detective Comics
251 begins a string of "aliens vs Batman" stories generally looked down
upon by fans today.
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Feb
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Tomahawk
starts to get weird as he battles "The Lost Tribe of Tiny Warriors" (54)
and four issues later, there’s a dinosaur on the cover.
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Mar
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Superman's Girlfriend,
Lois Lane gets her own title,
the first Showcase tryout to make the grade.
Flash is brought back for a two issue try out in Showcase (13-14). Big Town
cancelled (#50)
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Apr
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Jack Kirby's Challengers
Of The Unknown gets its own title.
Jackie Gleason And The Honeymooners cancelled (#12) as the tv series ends. Otto Binder's Legion of Super Heroes first appears in Adventure Comics #247. My Greatest Adventure
pushes science fiction (20)
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May
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The New Adventures
Of Charlie Chan begins, based
presumably on the popularity of tv reruns. Julie Schwartz edits,
but the book only lasts six issues.
Ross Andru takes over the art inside Wonder Woman from Harry G. Peter (98). |
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Jun
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Sgt. Bilko's
Pvt. Doberman begins, a spin-off
from the popular tv show.
Once All-American's best -selling title, National determines Mutt & Jeff is getting long in the tooth and allows the rights to expire. (103) Harvey picks them up and continues it to 1965. |
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Jul
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Space Ranger debuts
in Showcase 15. One of two series co-created by Ed Hamilton
and Gardner Fox, at the request of the editiorial staff who wanted one
future series and one contemporary one.
Jack Kirby takes over the art on Green Arrow in Adventure 250. Otto Binder creates Brainiac and Kandor
in Action 242
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Aug
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Peter Panda
cancelled (#31).
House of Secrets
turns towards science fiction, with a Kirby cover even (11).
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Sep
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Letters pages begin
to appear, starting with Superman 124. The change over from
two page text stories to readers' letters is gradual, as some editors,
notably Kashdan and Boltinoff are resistant to the concept. Weisinger
and Schwartz embrace letters pages and use them to guage reader preferences.
Fans use the letters pages to contact each other and "organized" fandom
is born. The interaction of fans and professionals brings about the
Silver Age of Comics.
Otto Binder turns Jimmy Olsen into Elastic Lad in Jimmy Olsen 31. No sign of Plastic Man, though. |
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Oct
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Leave It To Binky
cancelled (#60).
House of Mystery takes a decided turn towards science fiction. Matt Savage Trail Boss debuts in Western 77 First comic book appearance of Bizarro in Superboy 68, based on the Superman newspaper strip story by Alvin Schwartz. Dinosaurs appear on the cover of Tomahawk 58! |
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Nov
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Ed Hamilton's and
Gardner Fox's Adam Strange follows Space Ranger in Showcase 17.
Tryouts are now extended to three issues.
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Dec
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Gang Busters
cancelled (#58).
National moves to 575 Lexington Ave. National published 410 books in 1958, a number that would not be reached again until 1983. Cutbacks continue to decrease the size of the line until 1962. |
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Jan
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Mr. District
Attorney cancelled (#67).
The ultimate DC Gorilla strip is created, as Robert Bernstein converts Whitnery Ellsworth's hackneyed Congo Bill into Congorilla in Action 248. |
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Feb
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National finally
decides to take the plunge and Flash Comics is revived (#105), renamed
The Flash. The 29 month gap between first appearance in Showcase
and first issue is the longest in the series' history. Beginning
of the Silver Age?
Jack Miller(?) creates Lady Blackhawk
in Blackhawk 133.
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Mar
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Robert Kanigher’s
Gunner and Sarge begins in All American Men of War 67. First
continuing characters in the war comics. They appear twice, then move to
Our Fighting Forces 45, May 59.
Whitney Ellsworth no longer listed as editor of all titles. Actual editors listed from this point onwards. Mort Weisinger takes over editing the back features in Adventure and Action from George Kashdan. Mort Weisinger states in the Superboy 71 letters page, that there will be no more anachronisms in Superboy stories. They will accurately reflect the world of the early thirties. |
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Apr
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Robert Kanigher's
Wonder Girl is revived in Wonder Woman 105, 75 issues after her
last appearance.
According to E. Nelson Bridwell, "Superman vs the Futuremen" in Superman 128 is the last "Earth 2" story, because the plot precludes the existence of Superboy. |
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May
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Otto Binder's Supergirl
begins in Action Comics #252.
Tommy Tommorow moves to World's Finest, replacing Tomahawk.. Hopalong Cassidy cancelled (#135). Bill Finger creates Bat-Mite in Detective 267 Jack Miller's Rip Hunter, Time Master begins in Showcase 20. |
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Jun
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George Reeves dies.
Sgt Rock series begins in Our Army at War 83. |
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Jul
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Real Screen Comics
renamed TV Screen Comics (#129).
Jack Kirby leaves National after Challengers #8 due to a dispute with editor Jack Schiff over the Sky Masters comic strip. He freelances among a number of comic companies before finally settling at Marvel. Wonder Girl begins a string of cover appearances on Wonder Woman 107. Mort Weisinger begins to experiment with continued stories starting with a Bizarro two-parter in Action 254-5. |
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Aug
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Jack Miller and
Mort Meskin’s Mark Merlin debuts in House of Secrets 23.
Madamoiselle Marie begins in Star-Spangled War 84. Adam Strange and Space Ranger aren't arwarded their own books after their Showcase stints but they do get the lead spots in Mystery In Space 53 and Tales of the Unexpected 40. Superman's golden age pest, Mxyzptlk is revived with a slightly different name in Superman 131, presumably because no one could remember how to spell it. Joe Simon brings super-heroes back to the Archie Company with the Adventures of the Fly and the Double Life of Private Strong. Jack Kirby contributes a few pages. |
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Sep
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Pat Boone
gets his own comic book as National tries to cash in on the Teen rock n'
roll boom. The book is more a fan magazine than a comic book.
Despite heavy promotion in the romance titles, it is put out of its misery
after five issues.
Finally convinced that super-heroes might be making a comeback, National allows John Broome and Gil Kane to recreate Green Lantern in Showcase 22. Julie Schwartz edits. The new version is science-fiction rather than magical. National continues to go to the dogs as- Pooch is added to the cast of Gunner and Sarge in Our Fighting Forces 49. |
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Oct
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Otto Binder uses
a super -computer to project what Superman's life would have been like
if " Krypton Lives On!" in Superman 132, a prototype of the imaginary
story.
First appearance of Super Monkey in Superboy 76. |
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Nov
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Jerry Siegel returns
to write for National again with two stories in Superman 133.
Adventures Of Rex The Wonder Dog cancelled (#46) After 4 years of keeping his existence a secret the Martian Manhunter’s presence is revealed to the world in Detective 273. |
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Dec
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The Flash gains
a protege when Kid Flash debuts in Flash 110.
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