New Adventures of Superboy begins, as Julius Schwartz, Cary Bates and Kurt Schaffenberger try to recapture the sixties.

Superboy Spectacular #1 becomes DC's first title offered to the Direct Market only, (although it was actually created for the Scholastic Book Club.)

Jonah Hex and Other Western Tales Digest cancelled (#3)

Adventure Comics reverts to 36 pages and features Starman and Plastic Man, in anticipation of the new animated series.  Steve Ditko draws Starman, a new character unrelated to the Golden Age hero in any way.

Mike Friedrich's Star Reach, the first "independent" comic book, is cancelled after 19 issues, just on the verge of the direct market explosion.  Friedrich would go on to become an artist and writer agent, the first in the industry.

Unexpected reverts to 36 page size, while Detective goes monthly and stays a giant. 

Men Of War cancelled (#26).

Dick Dillin, long time artist of Blackhawk and Justice League, dies. (3/2/80)

Gold Key pulls their comics from newsstand distribution and sells them only in plastic bags through toy stores.

Roy Thomas leaves Marvel for DC as part of the continued fallout from Jim Shooter's try to consolidate all editorial power.

Firestorm becomes a member of the JLA 179 as Gerry Conway tries to save his cancelled character from oblivion.

Weird Western Tales cancelled (#70).

Mystery In Space returns (#111) as a way to use up the Time Warp inventory.

Steve Trevor again returns from the dead in Wonder Woman 271.

DC increases art pages to 25 (from 17, raising the price to $.50) allowing for back-up strips and longer stories.  New strips include: Whatever Happened to...(reviving old, forgotten heroes) in DC Comics Presents, Firestorm in Flash, Scalphunter in Jonah Hex, Aquaman in Adventure, Nemesis in Brave and Bold, Adam Strange in Green Lantern, Huntress in Wonder Woman and Omac in Warlord.

Independent News changes its name to Warner Publisher Services.

Whitney Ellsworth dies 9/8/80.

Charlton offers young artists the chance to have their work printed for free.

John Byrne and Chris Claremont kill Jean Grey, one of the founding members of the X-Men under orders from Jim Shooter in X-Men 137.  This new tendency towards "realism" in super hero stories attracts the attention of a new generation of fans and helps boost sales of X-Men astronomically.  Beginning of Iron Age of comics?

Marv Wolfman and George Perez's New Teen Titans debut as a special free 8 page insert in DC Comics Presents 26. First of a number of new marketing experiments DC tries to expose new titles to readers.

Marv Wolfman's first Superman scripts start showing up in 352.

Detective Comics returns to 36 page size (#496), as the Dollar Comic experiment begins winding down.

Marv Wolfman takes over writing Green Lantern #134, restoring the strip to its former sixties glory.  Joe Staton handles the art.

Creature Commandos begins in Weird War Tales 93. Marc DeMatteis has three GIs volunteer to be converted into monsters to help the war effort.

Deathstroke the Terminator is introduced in New Teen Titans 2.

An attempt is made to breathe new life into the horror titles by giving each one a lead feature and individual personality.  Mr E begins in Secrets of Haunted House 31 by Bob Rozakis and Dan Spiegle. Dr 13, Ghost Breaker returns in Ghosts 95, by Paul Kupperberg and Michael Adams and Johnny Peril returns in Unexpected 205. 

Space Ranger, an almost forgotten hero of the early sixties, returns in the pages of Green Lantern136, allowing DC to protect their trademark.

The Spectre guest stars in the Dr 13 story in Ghosts 97-99.

Feb 9,1981, Jay Emmett, nephew of Jack Liebowitz and former head of National's Licensing Corp of America, and current VP of Warner, pleads guilty to two felony counts of money laundering at the Westchester Theatrea company Warner owned stock in.  Shortly thereafter, he resigns.

I, Vampire! -by Marc DeMatteis and Tom Sutton provides the last horror book, House of Mystery (290) with a hero of its own.

Mystery In Space cancelled (#117)

Marvel releases Dazzler #1 available through comic shops only.  This is a test to see if direct sales can sustain a title without newsstand distribution.  Initial orders are for 400,000 copies.  Now available in quarter bins everywhere.

Marvel publishes Superman vs the Amazing Spider-Man as Marvel Treasury Edition 28.

Dick Giordano returns to DC as Batman (#337) editor.  Also Brave and Bold and Detective.

GI Robot begins in Weird War Tales 101 by Robert Kanigher, no stranger to robots in khaki since the sixties.

Dr 13, (Ghosts102), Mr E (Haunted House 40), and Johnny Peril (Unexpected 213) end, as DC decides adding series characters didn't help the horror titles sales at all.

Super Friends cancelled (#47).  Plastic Man moves to World's Finest.

In Vigilante 20, Adrian Chase retires when he becomes a judge, only to be replaced by a mysterious new Vigilante who is even more of a murdering lunatic than the Chase was.

Krypton Chronicles 3-issue mini. E Nelson Bridwell has Superman investigate his ancestors in order to attract the huge genealogy audience to comic books.

Superman's Fortress of Solitude by Roy Thomas and Ross Andru looks like an All-New Collector's Edition tabloid, but it's really DC Special Series 26.

Jack Adler retires 9/1/81. Bob Rozakis replaces him as DC’s production manager.

DC raises price to $.60 for regular issues.

Adam Strange ends in Green Lantern146 to be replaced by the immensely popular Green Lantern Corps.

Dr Fate becomes the new backup in Flash (306)

The Phantom Zone 4-issue mini by Steve Gerber and Gene Colan, gets the Phantom Zone confused with the Twilight Zone, but is a generally well-received expansion of the original idea (kicking around since 1948).

Roy Thomas and Gene Colan take over Wonder Woman as her costume is redesigned for the first time since the forties In Wonder Woman 288 (Feb).  A free 16 page preview appears in DC Comics Presents 41.

Eclipse releases Destroyer Duck #1 by Steve Gerber and Jack Kirby- it's first standard sized newsprint color comic book.  Proceeds go to pay for Steve Gerber's lawsuit against Marvel over ownership of Howard the Duck.

Free 16 page previews are all the rage as Roy Thomas' Captain Carrot appears in New Teen Titans 16.

Ka-Zar the Savage, Moon Knight(?) and Micronauts become Marvel’s first direct sales  only titles.

Initially planned to be the start of a new children’s line, Roy Thomas’ Captain Carrot & His Amazing Zoo Crew begins.  The rest of the line never appears.

Paul Levitz returns to writing the Legion with 285.  This is considered by many to be the start of the Legion's period of true greatness. Keith Giffen takes over the art in 287.

Secrets of Haunted House cancelled (#46)

A third independent publisher launches itself as Capital Publications issues Nexus the Liberator #1 by Mike Baron and Steve Rude.  This is a black and white magazine.

Ghosts (#112) and The Unexpected cancelled (#222) leaving DC with only one horror title left, House of Mystery. (And Weird War Tales).

Tales of the New Teen Titans is a 4-issue mini, spotlighting the newer members of the Titans, including Changeling, Cyborg...

Marvel begins licensing GI Joe. The comic, based on a set of toys, and a tv show,  runs till 1994, helping to increase Marvel's strong presence with younger readers.

DC releases it's first ever in house published trade paperback- The Great Superman Book Collection.

DC produces a comic book called Atari Force that can only be obtained by purchasing the computer video game, Defender.

A character called the Monitor first appears in New Teen Titans 21.  This shadowy character would pop up in comics over the next two years, mostly as one-panel cameos as a foreshadowing to the Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Eclipse moves into full color comics full force with Don McGregor's Sabre and Steve Englehart's Scorpio Rose (based on unused Madame Xanadu material).

DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest cancelled (#24)

"The Great  Darkness Saga" begins in Legion of Super-Heroes 290 as the Legion faces Darkseid and his clones of the greatest heroes of the 20th century.

Superman Family cancelled (#222)

World's Finest is reduced to 36 pages once again.  Only GI Combat remains as a dollar book.  Green Arrow continues as the only back-up feature.

Chris Claremont and Frank Miller bring Len Wein's Wolverine from X-Men into his own mini-series, adding Japanese manga twists to his background.  Miller's ultra-violent approach to super-hero comics sparks strong interest from a new generation of readers.  Beginning of the Iron Age?

Unknown Soldier cancelled (#268)

The annual JLA/JSA crossover expands to include the All Star Squadron.  Also featuring Per Degaron, the Crime Syndicate of America and the Cuban Missile Crisis.  Four parts: JLA 207-8 and All Star Squad 14-15.

Marvel and DC Present: The Uncanny  X-Men and the New Teen Titans, the first intercompany crossover to be published in standard comic book size on the the new white paper.

Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl begins, as Paul Kupperberg and Carmine Infantino turn the clock back and make Supergirl into a teen ager entering college again.  Long-time fans' heads spin.

Dick Giordano promoted to Vice Presiden-Executive Editor.

World's Finest drops its last back-up and becomes a straight Superman/Batman title.

Masters of the Universe is a 4-issue mini series based on the popular collection of action figures.

With the departure of Laurie Sutton, DC allows certain writers to once again edit their own work, as Gerry Conway takes over Firestorm and Roy Thomas takes over Arak and Captain Carrot.

Ambush Bug first appears in DC Comics Presents 52, by Paul Kupperberg and Keith Giffen.

Marvel begins dumping white paper reprints of seventies comics on the direct sales market, begining with Jim Stalin's Warlock.

Harvey declares bankruptcy.

Batman 387 by Gerry Conway and Don Newton introduces a new young boy into Bruce's life, Jason Todd.

Archie re-enters the super hero market with the Mighty Crusaders, updated for the direct market.

Warren magazines cease publication.

First Comics is another new entry in the direct sales market, starting off with Joe Staton's E-man, formerly published by Charlton, and Mike Grell's Sable.

Bill Black's Americomics issues Americomics #1, an anthology series soon to include new stories featuring the Charlton heroes of the 60s.

Capitol Comics' Nexus moves to standard color comics size, and is now printed on white paper, starting over with a new number 1. 

Amethyst, Princess Of Gemworld 12-issue mini. Was supposed to be part of a line of female oriented comics including Pandora Pann by Len Wein.  However, the other books never materialized. Written by Dan Mishkin and Gary Cohn with art by Ernie Colon. A 16 page promo section was included in Legion of Super-Heroes 298 to kick off the series.

Green Arrow 4-issue mini by Mike Barr and Trevor Von Eeden.

Roger Slifer and Keith Giffen introduce Lobo in Omega Men 3.

Cary Bates and Marv  Wolfman redesign Superman's two greatest enemies, Lex Luthor and Brainiac, in Action 544, a special double-length issue.  The revamped villains are supposed to be modernized and made more menacing.

Doug Moench leaves Marvel because of disagreements with Jim Shooter and becomes the new Batman writer with issue 360.

Brave And The Bold cancelled (#200). Last issue features a 16 page preview of the new title Batman and the Outsiders.

Superman III- the movie, with Richard Pryor is released.

In Flash 324, the Flash kills Professor Zoom in order to save the life of his fiancee.  This leads into the 26 part story-line, "The Trial of the Flash."

Americomics Special 1 features Captain Atom, Blue Beetle, Nightshade and the Question in a story originally scheduled for Charlton Bullseye.

Americomics #3 features a battle between the Dan Garrett Blue Beetle and the Ted Kord Beetle as well as an appearance by the Beetle from the forties.

Adventure Comics cancelled (#503)  DC's second oldest and longest running titles, finally bites the dust.

Night Force cancelled (#14)

Green Lantern and Green Arrow, a 7-issue mini series for the direct market, printed on white paper, begins a trend of flooding the market with reprints to help recapture revenue which might be diverted to the new direct-only publishers.

House of Mystery cancelled (#321).  DC's last horror anthology titles. 

DC's first graphic novel is Star Raiders by Elliot Maggin and Jose Luis Garcia Lopez. ($5.95 for 64 oversized glossy pages and a binding that will fall apart before you finish reading it.)

Captain Carrot cancelled (#20)

The New Teen Titans (minus Robin) appear in a special anti-drug story originally produced for the President's Drug Awareness Campaign and financed by Keebler.

Thriller begins, By Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden. 12 issues.  No one ever did figure out what is was about.

Power Lords, a 3-issue mini is a licensed title based on a set of action figures by Mike Fleisher and Mark Texeira.

Daring New Adventures Of Supergirl renamed Supergirl (#14).

DC buys Charlton’s super-hero characters, primarily to keep them from  being licensed to one of the new independent publishers.

New Talent Showcase begins, a series designed specifically to develop the talents of amateurs trying to break into the professional ranks.  All the characters featured are new creations. Roger Slifer edits the first three issues- then Karen Berger.

Nathaniel Dusk, Private Investigator is a new mini-series written by Don McGregor and shot directly from Gene Colan's pencils. Alan Gold edits

Jason Todd becomes Robin in Batman 368.

Star Trek #1 by Mike Barr and Tom Sutton brings DC back into the licensed comic book business. Marv  Wolfman edits.

Archie drops out of the direct market and shifts its super-hero titles back to standard newsstand newsprint format.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles begins from Mirage Studios.  First black and white comic to incur substantial sales.

Marvel launches the Secret Wars, a 12 part series featuring all of their heroes, which is supposed to change the lives of their characters forever.

Blue Devil 1 by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and Paris Cullins is a not-quite serious look at the supernatural. Alan Gold edits.

New Adventures Of Superboy cancelled (#54). Supergirl is cancelled in September with #23, two months before the debut of the film!  Originally the intention is to combine the two features into one giant- size book but the plan is dumped due to the decision in early 1985 to revamp the entire DC line.

Jack Kirby returns to DC with the covers to the Super Powers 5-issue mini series by Joey Cavalieri and Adrian Gonzales.  A toy-tie in book, Kirby's involvement in designing action figures based on his New Gods characters results in his receiving royalties for his characters for the first time. Andy Helfer edits.  Kirby does covers.

Dick Grayson picks a new grown-up identity in Tales of the Teen Titans 44.

Superman and Action Comics revamped to feature new talent (a la New Talent Showcase).  Stories are targetted towards younger readers and most issues feature two to three stories patterned after the stories of the early Sixties.

August, 1984 - Eight years after DC had begun returning all its inventoried original art to its creators Marvel finally offers to return 88 pages of art to Jack Kirby, if he'll sign a statement renouncing all claims to having anything to do with creating the Marvel Characters.  The agreement also forbids him from copying, printing, selling, or even displaying the art in any manner.  Kirby refuses to sign.

Jemm, Son Of Saturn 12-issue mini by Greg Potter and Gene Colan.  Originally intended to be called Son of Mars, but management decided that they didn't want to mess with the Martian Manhunter's continuity (yet).

Marvel continues to sock in their hold on younger readers by adding Transformers, based on the toy line.  The title lasts till 1991.

JLA Detroit begins in JLA Annual 2 as Gerry Conway dumps all the big stars from the team and replaces them with "cool" teen-agers: Vibe, Gypsy, Steel and Vixen.

New Talent Showcase cancelled.

Blackhawk cancelled.

John Stewart replaces Hal Jordan as Green Lantern (#182).

The last issue (#6) of the white paper New Gods reprint series includes a new story by Jack Kirby.

Jack Kirby also draws the Justice League in Super Powers #5.

Pacific Comics suspends publication.

The Flexographic process involved using water based ink instead of oil based ink and resulted in much brighter colors on the same paper.  Several problems were immediately apparent.  First, the brighter coloring  made it clear how poor the separation work was, especially registration errors.  Second, the rubber plates used had a much shorter lifespan than the previous plates did, resulting in really bad printing at the end of the print run.
Third, the bright colors were really bright, making many books look like your little brother had attacked them with his Crayolas.

Archie drops their super-hero line altogether.

America VS. The Justice Society 4-issue mini focuses on the history of the team as told through Bruce Wayne's diaries - by Roy Thomas with as many artists as the JSA has members.

The Immortal Dr. Fate 4-issue mini is mostly reprints of backup stories that appeared in Flash.

Robotech Defenders 2-issue mini is based on a Japanese cartoon series and toy line.

Wonder Woman becomes a bi-monthly, as the book begins its countdown to cancellation.

Conqueror Of the Barren Earth 4-issue mini, by Gary Cohn and Ron Randall. Continued from the back-up strip in Warlord.

Jonni Thunder A.K.A. Thunderbolt 4-issue mini, by Roy Thomas and Dick Giordano, a female detective series that's supposed to cross film noir with super-heroics.

Superman: The Secret Years 4-issue mini, by Bob Rozakis, focuses on Superman's college years.  Art by Curt Swan and Kurt Schaffenberger.

Supergirl: The Movie Special by Joey Cavalieri and Gray Morrow.

The first issue was printed using the Flexographic process, and the outcry from fans (including artist George Perez) over the resulting loss of detail caused DC to abandon using the Flexographic Press altogether.

Marvel begins the Star Comics line aimed at children and utilizing most of Harvey's former talent.

Shadow War of Hawkman 4-issue mini by Tony Isabella and Richard Howell.  Alan Gold edits.

Newcomer Todd McFarlane becomes penciller of Infinity Inc. with issue 14.

Steve Englehart takes over writing Green Lantern with #188.

Ambush Bug #1 by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming.  Satire and silliness.  An actually funny, funnybook. Julie Schwartz edits.

Charlton returns for the last time with a bunch of reprints and some new Ditko material, Charlton Action featuring Static.

Hex begins, as the western anti-hero Jonah Hex is transported into a dystopian future, by Michael Fleisher (writer/editor) and Mark Texiera.  16 issues.

A second Super Powers  6-issue mini is released to promote more toys. Jack Kirby draws this one, still edited by Andy Helfer.  Written by Paul Kupperberg.

Arion, Lord of Atlantis cancelled (#35)

Nathaniel Dusk II 4-issue mini. Mcgregor (writer/editor) and Colan (pencils only).

The Flash cancelled (#350).  Tied in to the death of Flash in Crisis #8.

New Talent Showcase cancelled (#19)

The Outsiders begins, joining Legion and New Teen Titans in the direct sales only/ newsstand reprint a year later format.  At the same time, the decision is made to remove Batman from the team.  Sales plummet.

Arak, Son Of Thunder cancelled (#50)

11/19/85 DC Comics releases a letter supporting Jack Kirby's right to the return of his Marvel Comics artwork.  DC's letter, signed by Jeannette Kahn, Dick Giordano and Paul Levitz, says the art belongs to Kirby and Marvel has no right to "negotiate" over its return.

Mask 4-issue mini. This is a toy tie-in. Andy Helfer edits.

DC Science Fiction Graphic Novel begins. The last project edited by Julie Schwartz, features adaptions of works by classic science fiction writers.  Originally planned for bookstore distribution, most were dumped in comic shops and never reached the intended audience.