National Comics Publications (NCP; later known as National Periodical Publications Inc. or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company. It was the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics.
| Formerly |
|
|---|---|
| Company type | Subsidiary[1] (1967–1977) |
| Industry | Publishing |
| Predecessors |
|
| Founded | September 30, 1946 |
| Founder | |
| Defunct | 1977 |
| Fate | Rebranded as DC Comics in 1977 |
| Successor | DC Comics |
| Headquarters | New York City, U.S. |
| Products | Comic books |
| Parent |
|
History
The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied Publications Inc. (also known as National Allied Newspaper Syndicate Inc.[3] and later Nicholson Publishing Co., Inc.[4]) which was founded by Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson in 1935[5][6][7] to publish New Fun,[note 1] the first American comic book with all-original material rather than comic strip reprints, and Detective Comics Inc.,[6] which was founded on December 31, 1936[8] by Wheeler-Nicholson with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz to publish Detective Comics.[9] Wheeler-Nicholson fell into deep debt to Donenfeld and Liebowitz, and in 1938, Donenfeld and Liebowitz petitioned Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied into bankruptcy and seized it, and as a result, Liebowitz took over and folded National Allied into Detective Comics.[10][11]: 20 [12]
Max Gaines' All-American Publications and Detective Comics Inc. merged to become National Comics Publications Inc.[13] on September 30, 1946.[14][11]: 50 [15] National Comics was renamed "National Periodical Publications Inc." in 1961.[11]: 102 [16][17]
Despite the official names "National Comics" and "National Periodical Publications", the company began branding itself as "Superman-DC" in the early 1940s.[18]
In 1967, National Periodical Publications was purchased by Kinney National Services.[19] In 1977, the company changed its name to DC Comics.[20]
See also
Notes
References
Further reading
- Charles Wooley (1986). Wooley's History of the Comic Book, 1899-1936: The Origin of the Superhero. Lake Buena Vista, Florida. 1986.