DC Comics Seventieth Birthday

[Ian_Levine]

DC's own site, www.dccomics.com , has a section called "Ask The Editors", like an electronic version of their old classic letters pages in the comics.

 

I just sent them the following - lets see if they're unbiased enough to print it. I feel very strongly about this NEGLIGENCE to recognise their Seventieth Birthday at all - they've already passed their cover date for the anniversary, and ignored it.

 

 

________________

 

 

The very first ever DC comic was New Fun 1, with a cover date of February 1935.

 

You are already previewing the comics for December 2004, which have a cover date of February 2005.

 

These are DC's Seventieth Birthday isues.....

 

Yet NO mention of anything exciting, no thrilling new specials to mark the auspicious anniversary, no reactivating of Adventure Comics, All Star Comics, or More Fun Comics, or any of the other classic DC stalwart titles, which is what everyone's been predicting you might do for the birthday (imagine Adventure Comics, which ran for fifty years, taking up again with issue number 504 - wouldn't THAT be a fan's dream ).

 

HOW could you guys just miss out your Seventieth Birthday in such a shameless way ??

 

It should be an awesome celebration of the rich heritage of Seventy Years of DC Comics.

 

Please wake up......

[Fan4Fan]

Well, they're not alone.

 

Marvel really did little to honor the 40th of the Fantastic Four.

 

Thanks,

Fan4Fan

[Foolkiller]

wow... i can't believe that. of course, I didn't even realize that it was their 70th birthday. I would have expected them to do something sort of special.

[Ian_Levine]

Well, they're not alone.

 

Marvel really did little to honor the 40th of the Fantastic Four.

 

 

 

With the greatest of respect, there's a bit of a difference between the 40th birthday of one single comic title, and the Seventieth Anniversary of the longest running comic company ever in the world, who have put out over thirty one thousand comics over a continuous and uninterrupted period of seventy years - a lifetime of comics.

[Fan4Fan]

Well, they're not alone.

 

Marvel really did little to honor the 40th of the Fantastic Four.

 

 

 

With the greatest of respect, there's a bit of a difference between the 40th birthday of one single comic title, and the Seventieth Anniversary of the longest running comic company ever in the world, who have put out over thirty one thousand comics over a continuous and uninterrupted period of seventy years - a lifetime of comics.

 

True, but it was actually the launching of Marvel's superhero universe... so a bit more than one comic title.

 

And besides, I read more Marvel books than DC...

 

 

It seems DC has moved away from these fun events of late...

[Ian_Levine]

wow... i can't believe that. of course, I didn't even realize that it was their 70th birthday. I would have expected them to do something sort of special.

 

Er..... yes. So would I.

Maybe they've decided to re-write history and pretend that February 1935 isn't their birthday at all. Maybe they've decided to call it June 1938, and ignore the three years and four months of comics that they released prior to Action 1.

 

But they recognised the date of February 1935 for their fiftieth birthday, back in the time when comics had a cover date of February 1985, so that can't be it.

And they recognised the date of February 1935 for their sixtieth birthday, back in the time when comics had a cover date of February 1995, so that can't be it.

 

I guess they just don't care.

[Ian_Levine]

It seems DC has moved away from these fun events of late...

 

Sadly so.

 

Can anyone join me in stirring up a bit of a protest ?

[FFB]

wow... i can't believe that. of course, I didn't even realize that it was their 70th birthday. I would have expected them to do something sort of special.

 

Er..... yes. So would I.

Maybe they've decided to re-write history and pretend that February 1935 isn't their birthday at all. Maybe they've decided to call it June 1938, and ignore the three years and four months of comics that they released prior to Action 1.

 

But they recognised the date of February 1935 for their fiftieth birthday, back in the time when comics had a cover date of February 1985, so that can't be it.

And they recognised the date of February 1935 for their sixtieth birthday, back in the time when comics had a cover date of February 1995, so that can't be it.

 

I guess they just don't care.

 

Maybe they're waiting for the 75th Birthday?

[goldust40]

Well, they're not alone.

 

Marvel really did little to honor the 40th of the Fantastic Four.

 

 

 

With the greatest of respect, there's a bit of a difference between the 40th birthday of one single comic title, and the Seventieth Anniversary of the longest running comic company ever in the world, who have put out over thirty one thousand comics over a continuous and uninterrupted period of seventy years - a lifetime of comics.

 

The F.F. was basically the title that kickstarted the Marvel Age, so I'd say the fortieth anniversary of that book can never be underestimated.

 

As for DC's indifference to their 70th birthday, maybe they didn't gain much on their 60th, or maybe they feel that their current readership (which is what counts to them when it comes to the DM) don't really care either.

 

Not every current DC reader is an amateur historian of the company - maybe they just want to be entertained. It's not as if continuity matters anyway, what with Crisis and Zero Hour.

[Zonker]

I wonder if that's it. They did that big Millenium Comics reprint project in 2000-- maybe that lost them money and they've decided there just aren't enough Ians and Zonkers out there still buying books to make something historical in nature worthwhile right now in 2004/2005?

[Ian_Levine]

I wonder if that's it. They did that big Millenium Comics reprint project in 2000-- maybe that lost them money and they've decided there just aren't enough Ians and Zonkers out there still buying books to make something historical in nature worthwhile right now in 2004/2005?

 

 

But seventy years is such a big birthday, they could at least do SOMETHING.

Superman and Batman are household names.

[goldust40]

I really liked the Millenium editions, and thought they were a nifty way to introduce people to DC's back catalogue inexpensively (those Archives are great but pricey).

 

My other thought is that "70th anniversary" doesn't really mean that much in terms of milestones. The next major birhtday would of course be their centennial in 2035, FWIW.

 

Ian will have bought another house by then to store all the comics he'll have to have bought over the next thirty years. Assuming DC are still with us then.

[Ian_Levine]

My other thought is that "70th anniversary" doesn't really mean that much in terms of milestones. The next major birhtday would of course be their centennial in 2035

 

I seem to remember Walt Disney's Seventieth Birthday being the biggest celebration they ever had.

 

And the thought of waiting thirty years ................................................................... UGH !!!!

 

[goldust40]

I wonder if that's it. They did that big Millenium Comics reprint project in 2000-- maybe that lost them money and they've decided there just aren't enough Ians and Zonkers out there still buying books to make something historical in nature worthwhile right now in 2004/2005?

 

 

But seventy years is such a big birthday, they could at least do SOMETHING.

Superman and Batman are household names.

 

I guess you'll have to go over to 1700 Broadway in NYC and picket DC's offices then Ian. I for one do think it a little sad that they're ignoring the birthday, but I'm sure they'll do something special for Action #1,000 and 'Tec #1,000.

[Darthdiesel]

Maybe they're waiting for the 75th Birthday?

[Darthdiesel]

They did that big Millenium Comics reprint project in 2000--

 

 

I thought DC did their Millenium project in 1988- 89?

[Ian_Levine]

I'm sure they'll do something special for Action #1,000 and 'Tec #1,000.

 

Based on their current track record, they'll probably cancel them both and start all over again from number one, because it might attract new readers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Fan4Fan]

I'm sure they'll do something special for Action #1,000 and 'Tec #1,000.

 

Based on their current track record, they'll probably cancel them both and start all over again from number one, because it might attract new readers !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

So, you ARE a closet Marvel reader, then?

[burntboy]

i just sent them a letter mentioning the facts that you've included here.

 

i've been buying DC's since 1956. the first book i can be absolutely certain that i purchased off the shelves was Detective # 233, the first appearance and origin of Batwoman.

 

i find it a shame that they seem to be ignoring a date in their history that they celebrated both 10 and 20 years ago..............

[Kevin Boyd]

I guess the question on my mind is whether or not DC traditionally celebrates the anniversary on the month the company was founded or whether or not they did so in the year of it's anniversary. They may do it in the year, which gives them 12 months to come up with something. It's an out, I suppose, in case they did forget.

 

I see that Marvel has a 65th anniversary special shipping this week along with it's Daredevil 40th anniversary special. It could be argued that the 500th issues of Spidey, FF and Avengers were their anniversary specials. Marvel Comics #1 was published in October 1939.

 

Marvel has also planned to celebrate their 65th Anniversary by releasing a steady stream of Golden Age Masterworks, starting with Marvel Mystery and Captain America, and presumably Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch (maybe even All-Winners and All-Select) in 2005.