DC

DC traces to National Allied Publications, founded in 1934 by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, a pulp writer and former cavalry officer who wanted a comic made of original material rather than reprinted newspaper strips. His first title appeared in early 1935.

Two issues define what followed. Action Comics #1 in 1938 carried Superman and effectively created the superhero as a commercial category; Detective Comics #27 in 1939 carried Batman. The company took its familiar initials from that second title long before it adopted them formally.

DC has been part of the Warner corporate family since 1969 and sits within Warner Bros. Discovery today. The publishing operation moved from New York to Burbank in 2015, putting the comics alongside the studios that adapt them.