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Who Are The New Gods in the DC Comics Universe?

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In 1970, after failing to get Marvel to recognize his true value and the extent of his contribution, Jack Kirby joined DC Comics–certainly one the major event of the time in the industry. After lengthy negotiations, he signed a three-year contract and was ready to create new worlds, and also some magazines. The magazines were quickly canceled after only one issue though.

Everything started with Kirby taking over Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen. With issue #133 (Oct. 1970), he launched the “Fourth World,” a saga that will encompass multiple series (The Forever People, Mister Miracle, and The New Gods), and introduced numerous revolutionary concepts and characters that still influenced the way the DC Universe worked to this day.

Based on ideas he developed during his run on Marvel’s Thor, Jack Kirby introduced us to The New Gods.

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Black Lightning Reading Order

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Created by writer Jenny Blake Isabella (who writes under the names Tony Isabella and Jenny Blake) and artist Trevor Von Eeden, Jefferson Pierce made his first appearance in Black Lightning #1 (April 1977). This Afro-American schoolteacher from the crime-ridden Suicide Slum area of Metropolis gained electrical superpowers and started fighting crimes under the name Black Lightning as a response by DC Comics to the success of Marvel’s Luke Cage.

This didn’t work exactly as DC envisioned it, as financial difficulties put a quick end to the title, but Black Lightning survived and started to appear in other series and fight crimes as part of a team.

Originally, Tony Isabella had been tasked to retool a series called The Black Bomber with a strange and disturbingly bad premise that the writer described as DC’s first black superhero being a white bigot. He didn’t want to touch that and convinced DC to change the story. To draw the new title, the company recruited a young prodigy. Trevor Von Eeden was only 16 when he was offered the job–at the time, though, Von Eeden didn’t know if he got the job for his talent or because he was black.

Through the years, Jefferson Pierce’s origin story evolved. His powers first came from a technologically advanced power belt, and the schoolteacher also had an Olympic athlete background. He needed something like that because his powers were not the result of a mutation or a science experiment. This didn’t stay that way as it was later revealed that the character possesses a latent metagene.

At first, Black Lightning fought criminals in his neighborhood, especially the members of the criminal organization called The 100. His stories often addressed social issues head-on, from urban crime and gang violence to racial injustice. Black Lightning is not your typical superhero, he’s also a father–and his two daughters also became superheroes, Thunder and Lightning. Pierce is certainly a team player, and he worked alongside Batman as a founding member of the Outsiders superhero team.

In 2018, Black Lightning was adapted into a live-action television series on The CW, starring Cress Williams as Jefferson Pierce. The show ran for four seasons and also introduced his daughters, Anissa and Jennifer, as Thunder and Lightning, further expanding the Pierce family legacy.

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Titans Beast World Reading Order, a Titans crossover for the Dawn of DC era

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Following the events of Dark Crisis, the Justice League decided to disband and let the younger superhero take care of the world instead. So, Titans became the world’s premier superhero team, with their new Titans Tower based in Bludhaven. As the new number-one team, it was only a matter of time before they found themselves embroiled in an event!

The World is naturally in peril and it seems that the only superhero who can save it is… Beast Boy?! At least, this is what DC teases in their official synopsis: “Clawing its way out of the pages of Titans comes an unprecedented threat to the DC Universe. Superman, Wonder Woman, Starfire—all are powerless to stop the Necrostar from ending all life on Earth. The only hero who can save the world is…Beast Boy?! With Nightwing, Raven, Cyborg, and the Titans beside him, can Garfield Logan rise to battle an ancient evil? What will Amanda Waller do to take advantage of the situation as millions of people are changed into rampaging creatures? Can humanity survive all-powerful heroes and villains transformed into ferocious beasts? Friends will fall. Heroes will rise. And nothing will ever be the same again. Earth is about to become…Beast World.”

Starting in October, this event is brought to you by the creative team of writer Tom Taylor and artist Ivan Reis.

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Batman: The Animated Series: A Look Back at The Best Adaptation That Ever Is (and ever will be?)

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We chose to publish this article today as this is the third Saturday in September, which means it is Batman Day! For more Batman-related articles and reading orders, we invite you to check out our Batman archives!

Batman Logo (pré New 52)

During the 1980s, as Disney dominated the afternoon on TV, some affiliate stations contacted FOX to ask if the young network wouldn’t be interested in entering that market. This led to the creation of the Fox Kids Network which debuted on September 1990. Margaret Loesh who was head of Marvel Productions at that time was recruited to launch the new venture. To achieve her goals, she started working with Warner Bros. Animation.

It started slow, but things became serious in the third season with shows that eventually impacted a generation of kids and the comic book industries: X-Men and, of course, Batman: The Animated Series!

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Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War Reading Order

The Dawn of DC line is full of events to the point that one is spinning off the other. Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War is indeed taking place right after the Nightmares of Knight Terrors: Batman.

In Gotham City, a concerted effort has reduced violent crime, but at what cost? Villains disperse as their lives under the new rule start to fall apart. One name comes to Batman’s mind as he recovers from his epic struggle through the Multiverse and the horrors of Knight Terrors. Catwoman is the driving force behind this new, safer Gotham.

The Bat-Family will be torn apart when a feud that has been festering for well over a year finally breaks out on the streets!

Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War is a crossover event that takes place in Batman and Catwoman, as well as in special one-shots and a miniseries. Mostly written by Chip Zdarsky and Tini Howard, with art by Jorge Jimenez, Mike Hawthorne, Nico Leon, and Adriano Di Benedetto, the story is sold as an all-out war between the Bat and the Cat.

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Scooby-Doo Comics, Your DC Comics Reading List

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Scooby-Doo is one of the most famous fictional dogs, the star of his own popular franchise launched in 1969 and still ongoing.

This journey began with the original Hanna-Barbera Productions series Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, created by Joe Ruby and Ken Spears. The Saturday morning cartoon series focused on four teenagers named Fred, Daphne, Velma, and Shaggy, as well as their talking Great Dane, Scooby-Doo. They traveled in their Mystery Machine van to solve mysteries involving seemingly supernatural creatures, only to learn that the culprit was a disguised human looking to profit from a local tale or myth – or for personal gain.

Gold Key Comics released the first Scooby-Doo comic book only three months after the television premiered. The comics began with adaptations of episodes before transitioning to original storylines. It ran for 30 issues until being canceled in 1974.

This was merely the beginning of the Scooby Gang in comic book form, as additional titles would be released throughout the years. Charlton Comics took over in 1975, followed by Marvel Comics from 1977 to 1979.

In 1993-1994, Harvey Comics released various reprints and specials, while Archie Comics began publishing a monthly Scooby-Doo comic book in 1995. the series came to an end when Warner Bros.’ DC Comics acquired the rights to produce comics based on Hanna-Barbera characters in 1997. Since then, there has always been a Scooby-Doo comic book series in print.

This article is devoted to the Scooby-Doo comics published by DC Comics. Following is a reading list of what the publisher released since owning the rights.

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Wonder Woman, The Origin Story: The Inspirations and Multiple Retcons Behind the Amazon’s Creation

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She’s the most recognizable female superhero in the history of comic books, and even beyond that. Wonder Woman was not the first one, but she certainly is the first to find success. Her story began a long time ago…

At the end of the 1930s, the kids read comic books in masse, especially Superman and Batman! But as it is always the case, some people thought that these stories full of heroes fighting criminals would transform a generation of children into hardened criminals themself, probably resorting to violence before anything else. Not everybody feared the worst. In fact, psychologist William Moulton Marston thought that comics were wonderful and made it known. This led him to get recruited by Maxwell Charles Gaines–then publisher of All-American Publications, aka DC–into the Editorial Advisory Board of the company.

As a consulting psychologist, Marston was in a position of influence and convinced Gaines to try a female superhero to discredit a good part of the arguments used against the violent men of comics. It turns out that Marston was a hardened feminist with a particular lifestyle (living with 2 wives, and 4 comics-reading children) and was in search of a way to disseminate his views.

Using the pen name Charles Moulton, he started to develop the story of “Suprema, The Wonder Woman”–editor Sheldon Mayer quickly got rid of the Suprema name. Inspired by the way the women’s suffrage movement used the myth of the Amazons to develop the narrative behind the changes they wanted, his beliefs in the superiority of women, his work in lie detection and in the spectrum of emotions, his interest in bondage, and a lot of elements taken directly from his life (and the ones of the women in his life), William Moulton Marston was determined to build a feminist tale.

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Who is The Penguin? The Origin Story of Oswald Cobblepot

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The Penguin has long been a fixture in Batman’s rogues gallery. With villains like The Joker, he is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable among the public, thanks to some iconic appearances on television and in movies.

The Penguin thrived as a more traditional villain during the Golden Age and Silver Age of comics. His criminal exploits often revolved around stealing precious items, frequently with bird-related themes. Unlike many of Gotham’s criminals, The Penguin is depicted as sane, relying on his intellect and persona to set himself apart and achieve his ambitions.

The Penguin’s popularity soared to new heights with the 1960s Batman television series, where Burgess Meredith memorably portrayed him. This iconic depiction influenced future iterations of the character, infusing the Penguin with more explicit bird-like features and distinctive personality quirks. Behind the appearance and the campiness hides a criminal mastermind and one of the more obscure villains in the Batman comics.

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The Phantom Stranger: What are the origins and powers of the mysterious guardian of the DC Universe?

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In 1952, there was a boom in the horror comic genre and National Comics Publications (the previous name of DC Comics) wanted its slice of the cake. Created by writer John Broome and artist Carmine Infantino in the comics’ Phantom Stranger #1 was part of the strategy to capitalize on the craze—the series was canceled after six issues though.

Nevertheless, this was the introduction of the Phantom Stranger, a mysterious figure—wearing a blue fedora and overcoat—who, at first, used to prove that supernatural events were hoaxes perpetrated by criminals. His most evident talent was his capacity for appearing where and when he was needed before simply disappearing.

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DC Comics Timeline, Your Guide to each era from the Golden Age to DC All In

DC Comics, one of the biggest American comic book companies today, began under a different name in 1934. Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson established National Allied Publications in order to produce New Fun: The Big Comic Magazine #1 (February 1935), subsequently renamed More Fun, the first comic book to feature original tales in several genres rather than comic strip reprints.

Soon after, Wheeler-Nicholson launched a second magazine, New Comics, which later became Adventure Comics. His third and last title was Detective Comics, which debuted in March 1937 and is credited with introducing Batman to the world. Wheeler-Nicholson had to collaborate with magazine distributor Harry Donenfeld to produce this third title since he was in debt. Detective Comics, Inc. was founded at the time, but Wheeler-Nicholson’s financial difficulties persisted, and he was forced out a year later. After National Allied declared bankruptcy, Detective Comics, Inc. purchased it.

Not long later, Action Comics #1 was published, creating the Superman universe. As the character gained popularity, the Golden Age of Comic Books began, and the publisher launched an array of new superheroes. Throughout the history of comic books, DC Comics has been forced to reestablish its universe and main continuity several times, with various events bringing in a new era each time.

The following is a presentation of each era, consisting of amazing comics, dreadful comics, bizarre, humorous, and much more.

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