Summary
DC Special was a comic book anthology series published by DC Comics originally from 1968 to 1971; it resumed publication from 1975 to 1977. For the most part, DC Special was a theme-based reprint title, mostly focusing on stories from DC's Golden Age; at the end of its run it published a few original stories.
| DC Special | |
|---|---|
 Cover of DC Special #1 (December 1968), art by Carmine Infantino. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Quarterly, then bimonthly |
| Format | Ongoing |
| Publication date | December 1968–November – December 1971 Spring 1975 – August–September 1977 |
| No. of issues | 29 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | List
|
| Penciller(s) | |
| Inker(s) | List
|
| Colorist(s) | List
|
| Editor(s) | List
|
Publication history edit
DC Special began publication with an issue focusing on the work of artist Carmine Infantino and cover dated October–December 1968.[1] Some of the themes the title covered were special issues devoted to individual artists such as Infantino and Joe Kubert, strange sports stories, origins of super-villains, and stories of historical literary adventure characters such as Robin Hood and The Three Musketeers. Issue #4 featured many supernatural characters and writer Mark Hanerfeld and artist Bill Draut crafted the first appearance of Abel,[2] who later became (along with his brother Cain) a major character in Neil Gaiman's The Sandman. The series was cancelled with issue #15 (November–December 1971).[3]
The book was revived four years later and continued the numbering of the original series.[1] The final three issues featured all-new stories. Issue #27 was a book-length Captain Comet and Tommy Tomorrow story by Bob Rozakis and Rich Buckler. Artist Don Newton began his career at DC Comics with an Aquaman story in DC Special #28 (July 1977).[4] That same issue introduced the Quakemaster, an enemy of the Batman co-created by writer Bob Rozakis and artist John Calnan.[5] Paul Levitz and Joe Staton finished the series with a Justice Society of America story which revealed the team's origin.[6]
With DC Special's cancellation following issue #29 (Aug.–Sept. 1977),[1] DC immediately begin publishing the umbrella one-shot title DC Special Series, which lasted until Fall 1981.
The issues edit
| Issue | Title | Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | All-Infantino Issue | Fall 1968 | Reprints The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog #29, The Brave and the Bold #45, Detective Comics #327, The Flash #148, and Mystery in Space #57 |
| 2 | Top Teen Favorites | Winter 1969 | Reprints Everything Happens to Harvey #4 |
| 3 | All-Girl Issue | Spring 1969 | Reprints stories from Action Comics #304, Green Lantern #16, and Strange Adventures #18. Also includes previously unpublished Black Canary and Wonder Woman stories.[7] |
| 4 | 13 Shock-Ending Stories | July–Sept. 1969 | Original framing story followed by reprints from House of Mystery #2, 5, 15, 19, 26, 30, 62–63, 68; Sensation Comics #114; and Tales of the Unexpected #1, 16–17. First appearance of Abel (of Cain and Abel). |
| 5 | The Secret Lives of Joe Kubert | Fall 1969 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #18, 35; Our Army at War #113; and Showcase #2 |
| 6 | The Wild Frontier! | Winter 1970 | Reprints stories from Detective Comics #178; Frontier Fighters #4, 6; The Legends of Daniel Boone #1; and World's Finest Comics #69 |
| 7 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | Spring 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #45–46, 48–49; and Mystery in Space #39 |
| 8 | Wanted! The World's Most Dangerous Villains | Summer 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #36, The Flash #130, Green Lantern #7, and World's Finest Comics #129 |
| 9 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | Fall 1970 | Reprints stories from The Brave and the Bold #45–48 |
| 10 | Stop!... You Can't Beat The Law! | Jan.–Feb. 1971 | Reprints stories from Gang Busters #33, 40, 58, 61, 65; and Showcase #1, 5 |
| 11 | Beware... The Monsters Are Here! | March–April 1971 | Reprints House of Mystery #70, 85, 97, 113, 116, and 175 |
| 12 | The Viking Prince | May–June 1971 | Also featuring the Silent Knight, Robin Hood, and the Golden Gladiator. Reprints The Brave and the Bold #1, 5, 9, and 16 |
| 13 | Strangest Sports Stories Ever Told! | July–Aug. 1971 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #47, 49; Mystery in Space #7, 9; and Strange Adventures #94, 125 |
| 14 | Wanted! The World's Most Dangerous Villains! | Sept.–Oct. 1971 | Reprints The Flash #140, Superman #47, and World's Finest Comics #55 |
| 15 | Plastic Man | Nov.–Dec. 1971 | Reprints Plastic Man #17, 25-26; and Police Comics #1, 13 |
| 16 | Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas | Spring 1975 | Reprints Detective Comics #339, The Flash #127, Superman #138, and Wonder Woman #170 |
| 17 | Presents Green Lantern | Summer 1975 | Reprints Green Lantern #2, 6, and 26 |
| 18 | Presents... Earth Shaking Stories | Oct.–Nov. 1975 | Reprints Action Comics #342, Captain Marvel Adventures #122, and Green Lantern #43 |
| 19 | War Against the Giants | Dec. 1975–Jan. 1976 | Reprints Action Comics #343, Green Lantern #53, Strange Adventures #28, and Wonder Woman #106 |
| 20 | Green Lantern | Feb.–March 1976 | Reprints Green Lantern #2, 8, and 30 |
| 21 | Super-Heroes' War Against the Monsters | April–May 1976 | Reprints Action Comics #326, Green Lantern #3, Marvel Family #7, and Star Spangled War Stories #132 |
| 22 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | June–July 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #6, and Robin Hood Tales #14 |
| 23 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Aug.–Sept. 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #9, and Robin Hood Tales #7 |
| 24 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Oct.–Nov. 1976 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #11 and 15 |
| 25 | The 3 Musketeers and Robin Hood | Dec. 1976–Jan. 1977 | Reprints The Brave and the Bold #7-8, and 15 |
| 26 | Enemy Ace | Feb.–March 1977 | Reprints Our Army at War #151, and Star Spangled War Stories #143 |
| 27 | Danger: Dinosaurs at Large! | April–May 1977 | Original Captain Comet and Tommy Tomorrow story |
| 28 | Earth Shattering Disasters | June–July 1977 | Original stories featuring Batman, Aquaman, and the Legion of Super-Heroes |
| 29 | The Untold Origin of the Justice Society | Aug.–Sept. 1977 | Original story about the Justice Society of America |
Collected editions edit
- Black Canary Archives includes the Black Canary story from DC Special #3, 224 pages, December 2000, ISBN 978-1563897344
- Secret Society of Super Villains Vol. 2 includes DC Special #27, 328 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401231101
- Legion of Super-Heroes Archive Vol. 13 includes the Legion of Super-Heroes story from DC Special #28, 240 pages, May 2012, ISBN 978-1401234393
- Justice Society Vol. 1 includes DC Special #29, 224 pages, August 2006, ISBN 1-4012-0970-X
- Showcase Presents: All-Star Comics Vol. 1 includes DC Special #29, 448 pages, September 2011, ISBN 978-1401233037
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c DC Special at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ McAvennie, Michael; Dolan, Hannah, ed. (2010). "1960s". DC Comics Year By Year A Visual Chronicle. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 134. ISBN 978-0-7566-6742-9.
Writer Mark Hanerfeld and artist Bill Draut introduced readers to Abel.
{{cite book}}:|first2=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sacks, Jason; Dallas, Keith (2014). American Comic Book Chronicles: The 1970s. TwoMorrows Publishing. p. 57. ISBN 978-1605490564.
- ^ Don Newton at the Grand Comics Database
- ^ Manning, Matthew K. (2014). "1970s". In Dougall, Alastair (ed.). Batman: A Visual History. London, United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. p. 125. ISBN 978-1465424563.
A lead feature by writer Bob Rozakis and penciller John Calnan starring Batman as Gotham City suffered earthquakes.
- ^ McAvennie "1970s" in Dolan, p. 175: "The genesis of comics' first superhero team...had been a mystery since the JSA's debut...Writer Paul Levitz and artist Joe Staton decided to present the definitive origin story".
- ^ "DC Special #3". Grand Comics Database.
External links edit
- DC Special (1968) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- DC Special (1975) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)
- DC Special at Mike's Amazing World of Comics
- Daily Planet, volume 77, #2 (January 10, 1977) house advertisement for DC Special #27 at Mike's Amazing World of Comics