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Doctor Occult, DC’s legendary Ghost Detective

by Carole
Updated on February 23, 2024

John Constantine wasn’t the first occult detective in a trenchcoat at DC Comics. Long before him, there was Doctor Occult, also known as The Ghost Detective—one of the oldest characters in the DC universe. Making his debut during the Golden Age, Doctor Occult paved the way for one of the most iconic superheroes of our time.

Doctor Occult, a prototype for Superman?

Doctor Occult made his first appearance in New Fun Comics #6 in October 1935—the last issue before the title was renamed More Fun Comics. Billed as a Mystic Detective but more often referred to as The Ghost Detective, he was introduced as a trenchcoat-wearing private eye the style of Sam Spade, specializing in cases involving the supernatural.

During the Golden Age, Doctor Occult did not possess particular superpowers, but he was aided by his “mystic symbol”—a powerful magical weapon that allowed him to defend himself and launch attacks against supernatural enemies such as vampires and werewolves. Doctor Occult wasn’t battling alone; he had the help of Rose Psychic.

Who is Clea? Marvel’s Sorceress Supreme and Daughter of the Dark Dimension

by Carole
January 27, 2024

Wanda Maximoff can be considered Marvel Comics’ most famous sorceress, but she isn’t the sole possessor of mystical powers. Clea, introduced the same year, stands out as a superhuman spellcaster and illusionist, deserving readers’ attention.

She was first introduced as a damsel in distress to be saved by Doctor Strange in the Dark Dimension before she became her disciple and lover. Endowed with vast magical powers and knowledge, Clea dedicates much of her life to fighting oppression, on Earth or in her dimension, with Strange and as part of the Defenders. She fought many menaces (including her own family), led the rebellion in her dimension, took over as the new ruler, and became the Sorceress Supreme of The Dark Dimension.

Despite those prowesses, Clea appeared sporadically in Marvel Comics for a long time and was mostly used in service of other characters, mainly Stephen Strange. Her origins started to be explored only ten years after her debut, and it took many more decades before the character was offered a real chance to shine away from Strange. She had to undergo numerous tribulations, but her fate started to change in the noughties. She finally became a main character in her ongoing series in 2022, completing her transformation from the “mysterious silver-haired girl” into the Sorceress Supreme we know today.

Madame Xanadu, DC Comics’ Powerful Sorceress

by Fabien
January 13, 2024

In 1977-78, a new strategy was implemented by DC Comics, it was called the “DC Explosion.” The idea was to give readers more stories for their money and, as a result, happy customers were to buy more and put an end to the unsatisfying sales that started to worry everybody. Multiple new books were then launched. One was Doorway to Nightmare, a horror anthology series with an intriguing new character named Madame Xanadu.

The Creation of Madame Xanadu

Design by artist Michael William Kaluta who based her appearance on real-life model Cathy Ann Thiele, Madame Xanadu was herself a mystery. Co-created by David Michelinie, she was introduced as a mystical fortune teller who did tarot readings to the clients who entered her shop in Greenwich Village (originally in the East Village).

The stories in Doorway to Nightmare were about those clients with Madame Xanadu playing a secondary role. This was for only 5 issues as Warner Communications declared the end of the DC Explosion just after it was launched—barely three weeks after. It was the infamous “DC Implosion” and Madame Xanadu had to move her shop in the pages of the anthology The Unexpected (for only 4 issues). That said, she eventually got a one-shot title simply titled “Madame Xanadu” in 1981.

Uatu The Watcher, Marvel’s record keeping immortal

by Fabien
January 8, 2024

Marvel Comic books are a record of the life and times of Earth’s superheroes delivered to us for our enjoyment. But in this fictional universe exists a race of people recording everything that happens. They are the Watchers. One, in particular, is responsible for watching over Earth, his name is Uatu. You may be familiar with him as he was introduced in Fantastic Four #13 (1963) by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee–and he subsequently served as a narrator for multiple stories he observed from his home in the Blue Area of the Moon.

Who are The Watchers?

A highly evolved and ancient species in the multiverse, the Watchers are a peaceful and intellectually advanced species, and their society is built around the concept of non-interference. They believe that knowledge is the key to enlightenment, and they have dedicated themselves to observing and recording the events of the universe. It was not always the case. They tried to help another race by giving away technology which led to a catastrophe.

They learned from that mistake and took a vow to avoid repeating it. Nevertheless, one of them broke that vow in order to help Earth’s heroes. His name is Uatu.Read More »Uatu The Watcher, Marvel’s record keeping immortal

Batman Family: An Introduction to the Members of the Gotham Knights

by Carole
Updated on May 27, 2024

As one of the most iconic DC superheroes, Batman has the reputation of being a loner. The Cape Crusader has unraveled many mysteries, solved many crimes, and confronted Gotham’s villains by himself on countless occasions. But he also did the same many times over with fellow superheroes such as Superman and Wonder Woman and many more with his found family that readers affectionately called The Bat Family.

What is the Bat Family, you ask? You may have noticed that there are a whole lot of crimefighters in Gotham City to resolve cases and stop criminals. Those vigilantes, whether trained by The Dark Knight himself or operating in Gotham with his implicit approval, are generally Batman’s closest allies, constituting The Bat Family.

Referred to at times as the Gotham Knights, the Bat Family is an informal name, and there is no official first appearance although we could argue that the earliest appearance would be with the introduction of Robin in Detective Comics #38 (April 1940).

Follow the guide as we introduce you to the members of one of the most important families of the DC Universe!

The 10 Best Spider-Man Stories To Read

by Fabien
December 12, 2023

Spectacular or Amazing, Spider-Man has been slinging his web through a lot of adventures for more than 60 years. That’s a lot, but Peter Parker is more than familiar with his responsibilities and uses his powers to entertain us as much as he can. Of course, it’s not always a hit. As a matter of fact, some years have been difficult.

Nevertheless, there’s still a lot to enjoy in Spider-Man comics and there are a lot of Spider-Man comics to enjoy. Therefore, you may ask: what are the ones that are the best? What are the must-read stories any Spidey fan can enjoy?

The Hulk Family Tree: Who’s Who? From the Banners to the Walters

by Fabien
December 5, 2023
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If you are a reader of Marvel’s Hulk’s Adventures, you may already be familiar with the fact that Bruce Banner has family issues and not just with his abusive father. His extended family is not always on good terms with him—even his own multiple personalities can’t seem to tolerate each other. It’s complicated.

Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was introduced in Incredible Hulk #1 in 1962—and you can read a lot more about his origins in the article dedicated to his creation. Since then, his family has grown, he made new friends, and a lot of monsters appeared, some were totally normal family members and acquaintances at first, which can complicate things even further.

Anyway, after more than 60 years of smashing, Hulk’s family evolved and, today, we are taking a look at it, exploring Bruce Banner, Jennifer Walters, and others, plus their green (or red) monstrous alter egos.

Donald Duck’s Family Tree: Who’s Who, from Grandma Duck to Scrooge McDuck?

by Fabien
November 22, 2023

One of Don Rosa’s most notorious illustrations is the Duck Family Tree, a genealogical representation of Donald Duck’s family. Being one of the most influential writers/artists to have contributed to the development of the mythology surrounding the legendary Scrooge McDuck and his relatives, Rosa added more than a few ducks to the tree. Of course, the one who really planted the seed and helped it grow to a massive size was Carl Barks.

Their stories are classics—and you can take a look at our reading order for the Fantagraphics collection to see if you missed some of them—and took us through time and around the world more than once. During the small and big adventures of Donald, Scrooge, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, we met more Ducks, MacDucks, Coots, Gooses, and Ganders.

But who are all those characters who are represented in the famous “Duck Family Tree”?

25 Best DC Comic Books to Read: Our selection of the best DC Comics

by Carole
Updated on October 23, 2024

Everybody knows Batman and Superman and with the DC Universe expanding on the big screen, the general public has been introduced to less familiar characters such as Shazam and Blue Beetle.

Like the Marvel Superheroes, those characters have lived decades of adventures on paper before. As DC is also renowned for its complicated timeline, those characters have been rebooted and rewritten (some more than others) throughout the years, making it sometimes more discouraging for new readers to dive into this world.

It would be regretful to miss out on great stories because of some temporal shenanigans that, more often than not, are not so important to enjoy the wild, fun, and diverse style of adventures you can find on the DC Universe. From some good detective stories to adventures in time and space, horror, comedy, and more, there is something for everybody.

To help you find some of the best DC stories out there, Comic Book Treasury has made a selection of 25 of the Best DC Comics to read. This is not an exhaustive list, and there are easily more great stories from DC out there.

Whether you are a new reader, an old one, or someone who read DC Comics for some past decades and wants to reconnect with the characters, we hope you’ll find something you want to read or re-read in this list.

As said above, this is not an ultimate list, so don’t hesitate to leave your own suggestions for the best DC Comics in the comments below!

Here is our selection of what we consider 25 of the best DC comics to read (in chronological order):

Who is Monica Rambeau? From Captain Marvel to Photon, a brief history of Marvel’s heroine

by Carole
Updated on May 7, 2024

What do you know about Monica Rambeau? As the character is back on the big screen with the release of The Marvels, we take a new interest in the Marvel superheroine created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr. who has been known as Captain Marvel, Pulsar, Photon or Spectrum and a leader of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

With four decades of history behind her, Monica Rambeau has proved more than once that she was worth reading about!

The Creation of Monica Rambeau

Her story started in the late 1960s, when Marvel gained the trademark “Captain Marvel”, leading to the creation of the first Captain Marvel comic book. But Captain Marvel was not popular, and the decision was made to kill him in one of Marvel’s first-ever graphic novels, The Death of Captain Marvel, in 1982.

If Marvel wanted to keep ownership of the name “Captain Marvel”, the company needed to use it. Enters the scene: Monica Rambeau. Created by Roger Stern and John Romita, Jr., Monica was conceived to take the mantle of Captain Marvel, though she had no connection with the First Captain, Mar-Vell. Even her powers were different. Monica was still a trailblazing in her own right, as a black female superhero was rare then, but Marvel never intended to give her her own series.

It didn’t mean Monica Rambeau wasn’t destined for great things. On the contrary, since her first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16, Monica joined and ultimately became the leader of the Avengers. She has also been a member of Nextwave and the Ultimates. Her superhero identity has evolved throughout the years, leaving the Captain Marvel name behind her to take other aliases: Photon, Pulsar, and recently Spectrum being the most famous of them.