The History of DC Comics

Known for producing some of the greatest comic books of all-time, DC Comics, Inc. have shaped the industry into what it is today. Founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1934, what was then known as 'National Allied Publications' released the first ever comic book made up entirely of original content.

There were various name changes over the years, but it wasn’t until 1977 that DC Comics became their official title. 'DC' came from an abbreviation of Detective Comics, one of their most recognisable comic book series to date, featuring the heroic vigilante Batman. But it was the unveiling of the earlier series Action Comics, which presented the sensation that is Superman. Paving the way for many other much-loved characters, DC’s oldest daredevil was responsible for creating the costumed superhero genre.

DC Comics: A universe of timeless heroes and villains

The last 30 years have seen DC Comics publish some of the most important comics of all-time, and these remain the foundation of the DC universe. Despite competition from other publishers over the years, the one thing that has remained the same is the fans’ love for this exciting world of timeless heroes and villains.

Whether you’re a Marvel maniac or a DC devotee, there's no denying that when it comes to movies, DC have some catching up to do. In this golden age of superhero franchises, it’s not easy to keep up with who we’ll be seeing leap from the printed page to the silver screen. But we can expect big things from DC Comics at the movies in the future.

DC films and the cinematic universe

Over the next few years DC Comics and Warner Bros plan to build up their cinematic universe by bringing some of our favourite heroes to the big screen. DC have an opportunity to continue to establishing their place in Hollywood, with the launch of a timeline which sees two new movies being released every year up to and including 2020.

Upcoming DC films

So what are the titles that make up this impressive schedule? Here’s a look at the exciting line-up, from Autumn 2017 onwards:

Justice League – 17th November, 2017

Aquaman – 21st December, 2018

Shazam – 5th April, 2019

Wonder Woman 2 - 1st November 2019

Cyborg – 3rd April, 2020

Green Lantern Corps – 24th July, 2020

The Success of DC Comics’ films

It’s fair to say that the superhero genre has taken Hollywood by storm. Like Marvel, DC plans to bring dozens of characters to the big screen in interwoven storylines. Creating this expansive universe takes some serious planning, but, with more than eighty years of history, there’s plenty to work with.

It's 2008’s The Dark Knight that holds the record as the biggest out of all the DC films, making $533,345,358 at the box office and $158,411,483 in the opening weekend. But can any of the upcoming films be a contender to knock this off the top spot?