Detective Comics
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Cover of Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Art by Bob Kane. |
Detective Comics is a
comic book published by
DC Comics since 1937. It is, along with
Action Comics (the book that launched with the debut of
Superman), one of the company's best-known titles - in fact, the "DC" in the company's name comes from "Detective Comics". With more than 800 issues now published, it is the longest continuously-published comic book in the United States, remaining a monthly publication as of 2006. (
Action Comics, however, has amassed more individual issues due to the fact that it was published as a weekly for a period in the 1980s, and the record-holder for most issues published is
Dell Comics Four Color series, which amassed more than 1,300 issues over a 23-year run.)
Originally an anthology-style comic, featuring stories in the "hard-boiled detective" genre popular at the time, the first issue contained stories featuring the characters of Ching Lung (a
Fu Manchu-style
Asian villain),
Slam Bradley (created by
Jerry Siegel and
Joe Shuster), and
Speed Saunders, among others.
However, the fame of
Detective Comics was assured by issue #27 (May 1939), which featured the
first appearance of
Batman (as "The Bat-Man"). He would eventually become the star of the title.
Issue #38 (April 1940) introduced Batman's sidekick (billed as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" on the cover),
Robin. Robin's appearance (and the subsequent increase in sales of the book) soon led to the trend of costumed crimefighters and their young sidekicks that characterize that era.
In addition to the Batman stories, the comic also had numerous back up strips such as
Martian Manhunter which was introduced in
Detective Comics #225. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, the title was expanded in page count to include solo series like
Robin: the Teen Wonder,
Batgirl,
The Human Target and an anthology series called
Tales of Gotham City which featured the stories of ordinary people of
Gotham City.
A near mint copy of
Detective Comics #27 has risen in value from $80,000.00 in 1992 to $300,000.00 in 2003, according to Stephen Fishler, co-owner of Metropolis' Collectibles. ([
1])
The "Manhunter" series which ran as a backup in "Detective Comics" from 1973 to 1974 won the Shazam Award for Best Individual Short Story (Dramatic) in 1974 for "Cathedral Perilous" in issue 441 (with Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson).
*
DC Comics official site*
Big Comic Book DataBase*
Batman: Yesterday, Today, & Beyond - Comics
