DC Comics: A Visual History

by Daniel Wallace, Alan Cowsill, Alexander C. Irvine

For more than 70 years, DC Comics has been entertaining children and adults alike. Here, for the first time, is the chronological account of the adventures of both the characters and the company that created them.



The DC Chronicle Year by Year traces DC's fascinating story: the company's beginnings as National Allied Publications in the 1934, and its subsequent change to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1937. The book details all the major DC publishing landmarks and more, displayed clearly, month by month.



Highlighting the debuts of Superman and Batman, the geniuses that invented them, and the real-life events-like the Vietnam War, the atom bomb, the Space Race-that shaped the atmosphere of the times, DC Chronicle Year by Year follows the characters' foray into the real world through TV series and blockbuster movies.



Features original cover art by well-known DC artist Ryan Sook and a foreword by Paul Levitz, who was president of DC Comics from 2002 - 2009.



& DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

Book Details: Format: Hardcover Publication Date: 9/20/2010 Pages: 352 Reading Level: Age 17 and Up

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Dc Comics, History, Graphic Novels, Reference, Art

376 pages, Hardcover

First published September 20, 2010

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a pretty comprehensive history of DC comics covering the period from the mid thirties to the present. Very colorful, informative, great covers and more. Totally recommended.

Would loved to have seen a little more about the early period, perhaps covering the More Fun, New Comics etc a little more - as well as the ins and outs of the changing titles and characters. Also, some 'important' issues (such as the last issue etc of runs) didn't get a mention which was a pity, also perhaps more coverage of some of the minor characters such as 'Robot Man' 'Johnny Quick' issues would have been useful. Loved the references to Streaky and Rex the Wonder Dog (they definitely need a new series)

Also lots of information on the romance, crime, war comics and other genre comics

The coverage of the 50s was good and in many ways gives the impression that there was hardly any loss of the superhero or gap between the Golden Age and the Silver Age (it was only about 5 years but I assume the audience for comics was slightly different). Would love to understand why DC didn't decide to just bring back the original Flash and not the 1956 Barry Allen Flash? or the original Green Lantern (perhaps like an Atlas Revival) as well as the total neglect until well into the 60s / 70s of some of their other heroes (and villains). Perhaps not the book for those kinds of things, as well as being a pointless what-if.

The 80s and 90s etc are well covered and useful for me as that was period that I totally ignored DC comics, so most of the titles and storylines are only vaguely remembered, so this book is a really useful catchup reference

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book covering the history of DC Comics from their beginnings in the 1930’s up until 2015. It’s broken down year-by-year, covering the major themes, characters, artists, writers, and cross-over events in full color and detailed text. The look and feel (and hefty weight) of this book projects very high quality on every page. In addition, events happening in the real world are included on each page, providing a firm anchor to history.

The book is set up like an encyclopedia, making it easy to look up each year you may be interested in. I, being the sort of reader that I am, chose to read it straight through from cover to cover. I made it one of my “project” books for this year, taking all twelve months to make my way through it, generally at a pace of covering two to three chapters/years each week during the year.

This has been a great experience for me and I have certainly learned a vast amount about DC Comics. Many people these days feel the need to choose between DC or Marvel, and it seems most pick a side and stick to it. Not me. Whether we are talking about comics, movies, or television shows, I am comfortable with both as well as material from other companies. In fact, I already have the equivalent volume to this one, covering the history of Marvel Comics lined up to go for next year.

[Ernest · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an amazing work that chronicles the major events, both storytelling and publishing, year by year in the DC universe. This work may overwhelm the casual fan, but for those interested in the history of DC (especially their superhero works), this is a fantastic read. I was entertained, educated and reminisced. I was actually happily surprised (and slightly disturbed) at how much I knew about the works and events discussed, especially as I prefer Marvel over DC.

[Rich Rosell · Rating 3 out of 5]

This massive coffee table book is a comprehensive look at DC comics, from the 1930s to 2010, broken down by key issues/characters/arcs year by year. As a historical reference it's a fascinating read, though admittedly it's not an especially critical look (especially during the questionable 1990s period).

Note: this humongous oversized slip-cover edition weighs a ton - making it a challenge to find an easy to way to hold while reading. On the plus side, the artwork looks wonderful.

[Patrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great look at the history of DC comics From its inception to 2011. Overall a plethora of information and knowledge.

[Sherri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cool.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this out from the library not knowing what it was. It was interesting in places but too heavy and long as well.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good encyclopedia of DC comics year by year, illustrated all the way through.

It starts in the 1930s and continues to the summer of 2014.

It is very heavy on Superman and Batman (of course) followed by Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Arrow, and Green Lantern. It's interesting following the story lines through all the years and all the universes, going through the shake-ups and the reinvented origins of the superheroes, not to mention their deaths and resurrections and imposters. As it is written by DC, they definitely "toot their own horn" so to speak, but that's to be expected. They do admit when a character or series didn't make it or weren't popular with fans. They do talk about the ups and downs of the comics world through the 20th century into today.

Of most interest to me were the minor characters of the DC universe and the Vertigo comics line. Yes, I wish they would have spent more time on those comics but Vertigo has it's own encyclopedia which I am reading. I did like the blurbs on the bottom of the pages telling about the current events of the real world as these comics were being written. Also, the writers and artists of each comic that was featured were mentioned and that was appreciated.

I was surprised by the many typos in this book. Not the kind of book I figure would have that many mistakes. Also, the original encyclopedia must have come out a few years ago. In a series from 2006, they would say "scheduled for a 5 year run". Not sure if it made it that far. You could tell that the later chapters were added as they happened without any editing of the previous year's pages. Still, that's a minor quibble and this book had me fascinated for days.

It's a heavy tome! Hard to fit on my lap to read. I kept it on a pillow but it still made my arms and legs go numb. I tried reading it on a table, but that got old pretty quick.

Recommended for DC comics fans and those trying to figure out why there is more than one Green Lantern, more than one Green Arrow, more than one Flash. . . .

[Jessica-Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This DC comics chronicle is fascinating, even for a new girl to the comic book world. Whenever a discussion of DC and its many past adventures pops up in geek conversation it's easy to get really lost, really fast for those of us who haven't been around since the hight of comics. I didn't grow up with DC and I didn't have my very own comics Yoda to teach me the ways of the ever evolving and remastered stories, so coming across DC Comics Year by Year was something I couldn't pass up reading.

When I first got this from the library I was very impressed with what I had found. I wasn't expecting it to be as expansive and beautiful as it really was. The art on each page is printed beautifully, it is a huge book and has pages upon pages of interesting facts and useful information. I actually busted out my post it notes so I could tab the comic mentions that I personally found interesting so I could Google them the nearest chance I got.

This book wasn't only incredibly fun to read and just look at, but it had so much information that even though it could be tiring at times to sift through, was well worth it for the most surprising little facts and notations. From the evolution of characters and their books, to the evolution of art, tone, style, politics, everything you can think of is covered here. The general history of DC comics and all the sunshiny, awe inducing stuff you love to see from your favourite heroes.

I have a lot to learn when it comes to comic books and I found this visual chronicle to be one of the best resources I've come across. Diving head first into years upon years of comic book history can be intimidating, especially since this is only a small part of a much bigger picture but this was as fun and informative as I needed it to be.

Recommended for anyone looking to take a expansive glimpse at all of DC's properties past and present.

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really interesting read. It was also a really HEAVY one. It is a coffee-table style book with thick glossy pages, but that is actually a good thing since it allows the reader to get a really good look at all the graphics that are included on all the pages. Basically, the book is broken down into chapters by year, sections by decade. This allows the reader to get an overview of the most important things that happened in the DC Universe between 1935 and 2010.

The presentation is really easy to read and interesting. The information is part commentary and part history that talks about all the major characters (superheroes and otherwise) that popped up in the various titles owned by DC. That included the Wildstorm and the Vertigo imprints as well as other companies that DC ended up gobbling up.

The book does not summarize all of the storylines that took place, but it does highlight most of the major ones while also talking about the evolution of various characters and how their looks and histories changed. These included those from the horror, romance, Western, and animal kingdoms as well as their more famous superheroes.

I was really glad I read this one!

[Rog Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have never been a great fan of DC comics though I did read a lot of them in the early 1960s and I did read some of their titles in the late 1980s. I saw this in a bookshop and it looked interesting so I bought a copy. It's a good read and I especially enjoyed the earlier decades as I had come across some of the characters in black and white UK annuals. I was a bit disappointed that some of the titles I had enjoyed were only mentioned in passing but that was hardly surprising.

[Chris Aylott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost useless as comics history, but a fun visual tour of classic DC characters and covers. One thing that leaps out is that while many of the ideas that DC tried out went nowhere, there were very few years where they didn't come up with at least one lasting character or story. That said, the last 10 years look pretty crappy, with very few new ideas and a lot of overblown crossovers.

[Alex E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. I half expected a quick and general overview of DC throughout its history. What I got instead was a year by year, month by pretty much month account of what was being released and some of the background info on that release. This is a thorough, fascinating read about the origins all the way up to the present day (well about 2010) of DC comics.

It presents month by month what was being released at the time, with an accompanying article written about the book. It has decade overviews and yearly overviews. It has hi res full page images of famous DC covers or panels. It really gives you a solid look at how DC started out, to what it is today.

I really enjoyed this.

I've never been a fan of Golden age books, but this gives me a general overview of what was occurring at the time and how the stories reflected that. And it gave brief explanations of the plots that were being written to the point that it now makes me want to go back and modern books that reference these golden age stories. Stories from Grant Morrison, Neil Gaiman, Mark Millar, they all make subtle references or loud outcries to the golden age, and I feel like I have a more solid foundation in regards to DC where I would appreciate those nods and references to the Golden age.

The only thing I found lacking was that I wish they would give a bit more info on creators, maybe like sidebars with quick bio's on the writers and artists that we keep reading about who worked on these books.

But nevertheless, put aside some time to read this, because it has alot of information and it takes its time to tell you the history. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys the history of comic books.

[Joe Davoust · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a massive book that emphasizes the artwork of almost 90 years of DC Comics, which is wonderful especially when displaying full spread two-page images. But the text is at the same time both too thorough and not thorough enough. It gives lots of information on lots of comic titles, but I still have basic questions about characters, continuity, reboots and retcons. I wish this would have gone into more detail about fewer comics. I've read a lot of comics and have always had problems with keeping storyline straight between all the different issues that feature the same hero. For a time there were six or seven different comics all featuring batman, and many had different sometimes conflicting plots, and I wanted this book to look more into inconsistencies like these. Instead it just plods through the years telling us what was released when, with just a bit of insight that always made me want more detail. But to do so they would have to replace illustrations with text and this no longer would be the big beautiful book that it is. Visually this book is five stars. The writing is probably two stars. Difficulty of maneuvering the book into a position where it can be enjoyed is 1 star (this book is large and heavy). Gives us an average of just less than 3 stars.

[Adam Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 / 5 for 'DC Comics Year By Year: A Visual Chronicle'

Absolutely fantastic chronicle of DCs history, chronicling the main stories, characters, big issues and important creators that have shaped the progress of DCs massive comic universe.

Wonderfully informative text, alongside excellent pieces of artwork, including important covers, individual comic panels and impressive splash pages.

This is a big book, but is completely engrossing, covering everything from DCs somewhat quaint earlier output, right up to the most recent New 52 and Rebirth periods.

Highly recommended!

5 / 5

[Ian Massey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This suffers (in my opinion) from the same problems as the Marvel equivalent that I read recently - a focus on the comics and not much on the back story of the company and its creators. Having said that, I've always been more of a DC fan and, therefore, I enjoyed this book more, especially revisiting details of stories that have been languishing in my collection for years (and, in some cases, decades).

[Anthony Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great history of DC comics though as it got to modern day it heaped on more praise than I feel the company deserves. Not a book for anyone not a comic enthusiast or with at least a good knowledge of the DC comics universe.

[GaP · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice little Quantum Leap through my personal comic-reading history. Learned a lot...

[Trey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I enjoyed the idea of reading this book more than actually plowing through it. The earlier years were a little more interesting to me, when I could pick up information I didn't already know. I did learn a few nuggets about the progression of popularity of superhero, romance, war, and funny animal comics, but I think I would have preferred an overview that wasn't created in-house as a tribute to DC's work.

Each decade gets a preview blurb, and as the title suggests, each year in the history of DC Comics is highlighted. Each year gets its own summary, and shows a its most important hits, noted by a title, issue number, cover image, and a blurb (the length depending on the importance of the event). There are multiple problems with these issue summaries. Often the cover image is very small, to accommodate several other issues per page. This cuts down on the details of the image and the readability of the word balloons. Often, it looks like the very edges of the cover have been cropped to zoom in on the image in an attempt to combat this problem, but I was often more distracted by that than appreciative of the main picture being 1% larger. Sometimes the write-up of the issue was a good indication of why that issue or series was important to DC's history, but often (expecially in the later years) it would devolve into a list of what titles were involved in the ensuing crossover, who wrote those various titles, and who drew them. I suppose that's useful information if you don't have any other way of crediting the writers and artists, but it wasn't very interesting and it took up space that could have been put to better use. Occasionally, the blurb would be about a little-known, short-lived series that didn't make it. I was torn between being interested and upset by those; didn't they have anything more important to talk about than five issues of Pat Boone comics in 1959? Although, if they don't mention those series, I guess no one would ever know they existed.

Also, the choice of issues to discuss leans very, very heavily toward #1 issues. In any given year, you are looking at 90% or more #1's. Certainly talking about the kickoff of a series is important, but the overwhelming promotion of #1 issues left me feeling like I was back in the '90s collector's market. The lack of discussion of events from the middle of so many series makes me wonder if anything of import ever happened. Are the DC milestones measured in events in the characters' lives or in sales figures?

Ultimately, this volume is a glorified commercial for DC. They rarely mention failures, and when they do, they are often couched in softened language. They never admit that anything other than story and character drove their company (I guess it was only the other companies shoveling foil-covered garbage onto the market in the late '80s and '90s), and they never discuss their position relative to Marvel. You would think after reading this that DC dominated the sales charts from 1935 through 2010.

[Richard Zaric · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a DC fan you will appreciate this thick, large, glossy coffee table book that highlights the history of one of comics' most important companies, right from it's origins in the mid-'30s when the medium was it's its infancy all the way to 2015.

And is it heavy! It comes with a hard-cover slipcase. You can knock someone out with this book if you whacked them on the head. My edition features a glossy Jim Lee print that fits in an sleeve on the inside front cover. It's the same image of Superman that's on the front cover, which makes me wonder if other copies of the book feature the other character adorned on the cover?

The book itself is presented chronologically by decade. Each year is given two or four pages with the earlier years almost all being just 2 pages while the last several decades are all four pages per year. I would have preferred more detail on the earlier years and it's the early years I found most interesting when DC tried publishing different genres. There was a time when superhero comics weren't the top sellers. I found the discussion in 195os and 1960s areas most interesting, especially when contrasted with how comics are today. The entire 'Seduction of the Innocent' era was a fascinating time.

Each year contains entries for comics that were of interest at that time, so along the way the reader learns about key #1s, first appearances and other notables. From time to time there is a two-page spread highlight particularly important events in DC's history. Examples include the growth of western-themes books in the '50s, the introduction of the New Teen Titan in the '80s or 'Crisis on Infinite Earths.'

Of course, being a book dedicated to the celebration of comic books would not be complete without stunning visuals, usually comic book covers. I also like the glossary at the back.

I more appreciated the earlier portions of the book, especially DC's early history. It might be partially because I'm not as familiar with the company's beginnings, but I think part of it is because there was more diversity in types of titles. The later years are almost all dominated by superhero titles. The book bogs down around the late '80s and early '90s when there seems to be a repetitiveness about what DC was offering. While the DC events (Crisis, etc) are covered in detail, I wonder if fans began to lose interested. I got the impression that all the big events blended into each other. You really notice it in this book as they are discussed in just about every year.

If you are looking for a critical examination of anything DC had released, you won't find it here. This book is strictly a celebration of everything they had published. There is the occasional 'this story was controversial,' but that's as far as it goes. As you know, not everything DC had produced is considered a gem.

Still, I found this book more enjoyable that the similar Spider-Man Chronicles. It must be because the DC book looks at the entire company, not just one character.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did you know that dc created their own mickey mouse chronological then, you should read Dc Comics A Visual History Updated edition to find out more about it. It talks a lot about your favorite superheroes and background of the creation. Dc Comics A Visual History Updated edition was written by multiple people, for example, Matthew K Manning, Alan Cowsill, Alexander C. Irvine, Mike McAvennie, Daniel Wallace. It is an informational graphic novel of your favorite superhero The book goes in detail about how the company starts to present.


The book is like an encyclopedia of chronological order from previous to now. For example, Dc was not the original name it was National Allied Publication, but eventually, evolve to what we know them as today Dc or Detective Comic. It also in a sense written like a graphic novel because of all the comic sketch with a footnote describing the comics and when created. It has a great index to help you identify the of your topic. But sadly it does not have any glossary because I had a hard time with some word.


In my opinion the author's intent to give not just a full summary of dc history but want to give information on every important event through seventy-five of Dc comics information event. As they started from 8 in the second paragraph it states “this book isn’t just a brief history. ” They also consider Dc comic as Americans greatest, longest comic book publisher. For example on page 8 in the second paragraph, it states "Americans greatest and longest running comic publisher: month by month. "


In my opinion, I think the book is great and that Dc comic is one of the greatest comic, longest. I love reading the book because it has a lot of knowledge who is recently got into the comic at the age of 10 years. To get to know the unknown like the beginning to know dc comic was also fun. I didn't like how it did not have a glossary to lookup word with was a struggled. But overall it was good and a blast reading Dc comics A visual History Updated edition.

[Hannah Stubbs · Rating 1 out of 5]

The books okay if you want to learn about some characters in the DC universe. But there are a few factual errors that make me wonder if there are more that I missed, one example is that it lists two of the founding members of the Justice League as being the 3rd Flash and 5th Green Lantern when in reality it was Barry Allen and Hal Jordan in those roles (the second of both identities). There are other examples of fact checking done badly scattered throughout, like Arrowette isn't mentioned as one of the original members of Young Justice when Empress wasn't even in the comics until #19 (neither were really the "original" members though but I found it weird to mention Empress and not Arrowette).

There's also a bias towards certain characters (5 pages for Batman!) while others feel under appreciated (Deathstroke - one of DC's best villains - only gets a few mentions in other characters sections, as does John Constantine and both Wondergirls) and some characters that are quite well known don't even get mentioned (Jonah Hex, Static, Icon and Rocket, Flamebird... I could go on). I get the book can't name all the DC characters but more could have been fit in if Superman and Wonder Woman didn't have four pages each.

So, this book did teach me a few things but there were too many mistakes and exclusions to really show off and "guide" someone through the DC universe.

[T R Alexander · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gives an overview of the history of DC Comics from February 1935 with the publishing of New Fun magazine to August 2014’s Superman [third series] #32. The book mostly focuses on major milestones such as the introduction of famous characters, storylines and comics. As someone who has always been interested in the DC Universe, but never followed it religiously, I found this book quite interesting, even if it doesn’t go into quite as much detail about some things as I would have liked and glosses over some of the controversies that I have heard about. The book also has two-page focus articles in at various points that cover subjects such as the Comics Code, important series and imprints such as Vertigo Comics, all of which are quite interesting.

One of my favourite parts of the book was comic covers from all the years the book details as I love to see how the art styles have changed and developed over the years.

[Kelvin Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed "DC Comics: A Visual History: Updated Edition," a heavy, 10.5 x 12.5, 376-page book. It’s a definitive history of the vast DC empire, showcasing its modest origins, beginning in 1935—before it was “DC”—and presenting its subsequent reinventions and ventures into numerous enterprises including various publishing formats, radio, TV, movies, merchandising, and the Internet. Naming every writer and illustrator of each featured comic slowed the flow of the narrative, but the artwork is fascinating. Strongly recommended.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely beautiful book about the history of DC comics, year by year (up until 2014). This thing is a treasure trove of artwork and stories. It weighs about 20 pounds, comes in a slipcase, and is is a book I will love forever. I am a huge fan of DC comics (even as I admit that Marvel movies are superior to DC movies), and reading the origin stories, as well as the many, many permutations in the evolution of my superhero friends, was wonderful. I could not have enjoyed a book more than I did this one.

[Gary Pilkington · Rating 5 out of 5]

While it isn't a complete catalog of all DC comics from the earliest imprints, this book does give you a really well done, year-by-year breakdown of a good deal of what was published in any given year. I'm not a fan of large format, coffee table books, but this particular one is really well done and should be considered a must purchase for all but the most obsessive DC fan. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift... just sayin'!

[reveurdart · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a lifelong DC Comics fan this was heaven! What I like about this book is that it's easy to look something up, so for example: if I want to see what month a game-changing comic was released, then I can. This guide is not just a look at DC Comics year by year, but also by month. Near perfect for what it's supposed to be, and I therefore warmly recommend it.

A little taster:

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

DC Comics Year by Year is another coffee table book celebrating DC Comics and its 75 years of publishing. A truly wonderful book with two page spreads chronicling the major (and some minor) story lines and milestones in the comic publisher's history.

Just plain good stuff for the DC Comics fan or fans of the comic book itself.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This giant volume does what its predecessors could not - finally encapsulate the DC Comics universe. Rather than focusing on characters and stories, this volume highlights each year of the company's existence. Touchstone characters and events and referenced, trivia abounds, and even real-world ties are included. Though hefty in size, it is a great reference volume.

[Dan Trudeau · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own many coffee table books on DC and its characters' histories, including Les Daniels book on the company's first sixty years, and this is the best one I've ever read. The summaries are well written and have just the right amount of insight. The double page spreads are particularly beautiful.