Detective Comics is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011, is best known for introducing the superhero Batman in Detective Comics #27.
Detective Comics #1 (March 1937). Art by Vin Sullivan.
Cover of Detective Comics #140 (October 1948), the first appearance of the Riddler. Art by Win Mortimer.
Writer Peter Tomasi at a 2019 signing for the series' 1,000th issue at Midtown Comics in Manhattan
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of Action Comics, which included the debut of the superhero Superman. This was followed by a superhero boom that lasted until the end of World War II. After the war, while superheroes were marginalized, the comic book industry rapidly expanded and genres such as horror, crime, science fiction and romance became popular. The 1950s saw a gradual decline, due to a shift away from print media in the wake of television and the impact of the Comics Code Authority. The late 1950s and the 1960s saw a superhero revival and superheroes remained the dominant character archetype throughout the late 20th century into the 21st century.
German refugee child at N.Y. Children's Colony, 1942, reading a Superman comic book.
The Yellow Kid in McFadden's Flats (1897)
Comic Monthly #1 (Jan. 1922)
Famous Funnies: A Carnival of Comics (Eastern Color Printing, 1933)