1958
From DC Database
1958 showed steady sales for DC's ongoing publications with virtually no cancellations. Genres such as war, science-fiction and western comics rose in popularity, gradually nudging out demand for super-hero comics. Although the super-hero genre was slowly waning in popularity, milestone characters such as Superman still dominated the spinner racks. Superman was featured in no less than seven monthly titles. He was the feature character in Action Comics and Superman (Volume 1), shared the spotlight with Batman in World's Finest Comics, and was a supporting character in Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane and Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, appearing in every issue of each title. A younger Superman also made monthly appearances in Superboy (Volume 1) and Adventure Comics. Only slightly less popular than the Man of Steel was the Dynamic Duo, Batman and Robin. Batman was the spotlight character in his own eponymous title, and dominated the title-card in Detective Comics. Like Superman, Batman and Robin shared the spotlight in World's Finest Comics.
1958 also ushered in the era of the "Imaginary Story", a unique writing convention that allowed writers to convey tales set outside the mainstream DC Universe, often with strange twists that would never take place in the continuity of the regular titles. Such imaginary stories later paved the way for DC's Elseworlds imprint in the 1990s. In 1958, the Legion of Super-Heroes made their first appearance in the pages of Action Comics #247. Although they only made one appearance that year, they would return in subsequent years, making several guest appearances, quickly gaining in popularity, much to the surprise of DC editors. Eventually, the popularity (as well as roster) of the Legion of Super-Heroes proved strong enough that they were regularly featured in the pages of Adventure Comics and eventually, their own title. To accommodate space for his rapidly growing gallery of friends and foes, Superman also required a larger place to hang his cape. In June of 1958, Superman established his private headquarters in the frozen North - the Fortress of Solitude.
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Creators
The following creative talent are known to have been born in 1958:
The following creative talent passed away in the year 1958:
Titles
The following comic titles debuted with a 1958 cover date:
Great Action Comics Vol 1 · Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane Vol 1
The following Comic titles were last published with a 1958 cover date:
The following One Shots were published with a 1958 cover date:
- No One Shots were published in 1958.
Characters
The following characters debuted with a 1958 cover date:
Adam Strange (Earth-One) · Adam Strange (New Earth) · Alanna Strange (Earth-One) · Alanna Strange (New Earth) · Albert Desmond (New Earth) · Albrecht Raines (New Earth) · Bizarro III (New Earth) · Cryll (Earth-One) · Darius Tiko (New Earth) · Diana of Paradise Island (Earth-One) · Fuzzy the Mouse (Earth-One) · Garth Ranzz (Pre-Zero Hour) · Henri Roc (New Earth) · Hippolyta (Earth-One) · Imra Ardeen (Pre-Zero Hour) · Jax-Tor (Earth-One) · Julian Day (New Earth) · Kil-Lor (Earth-One) · Kimda (Earth-One) · Klax-Ar (Earth-One) · Koko (Earth-One) · Montgomery Moran (New Earth) · Orana (Earth-One) · Richard Starr (Earth-One) · Rokk Krinn (Pre-Zero Hour) · Roy Pinto (New Earth) · Simon Ecks (New Earth) · Super-Girl (Earth-One) · Vril Dox (Earth-One) · Vril Dox I (New Earth)
Teams
The following teams debuted with a 1958 cover date:
Legion of Super-Heroes (Pre-Zero Hour) · Terrible Trio
Ongoing
The following DC Comics titles were in publication in 1958.
Action Comics, Adventure Comics, All-American Men of War, Batman, Detective Comics, G.I. Combat, House of Secrets, My Greatest Adventure, Mystery in Space, Our Army at War, Our Fighting Forces, Showcase, Star-Spangled War Stories, Superboy, Superman, Superman's Girlfriend, Lois Lane, Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen, Western Comics, Wonder Woman, World's Finest Comics
Chronology
The following events were published by DC Comics in the year 1958. This does not necessarily indicate that these storylines took place in the year 1958. The passage of time in the DC Universe is nebulous and subject to change and interpretation. Events from historical time periods are indexed under their corresponding years.
Date Unknown
| Event | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Doctor Emery Zackro passes away. Note: Date of death indicated on tombstone. | Secret Society of Super-Villains #2 | 8.76 |
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| Event | Source | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Olsen finds a magic totem that grants him three wishes. He creates a "Super-Girl" to help out Superman and briefly sends him back in time to meet his parents. Thieves steal the totem and use a wish to temporarily take away Superman's powers. | Superman #123 | 8.58 |
