DC Explosion and DC Implosion: Difference between revisions

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The DC Implosion is the popular label for the sudden cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned DC Comics series in 1978.

The name is a sardonic reference to the "DC Explosion", a then-recent marketing campaign in which DC began publishing more monthly titles and increased the number of story pages in all of its titles, accompanied by slightly higher cover prices. Many titles which had been cancelled in the 60s and earlier in the 70s had been brought back as part of the "explosion", intended to increase the company's market presence and profitability.

National Periodical Publications (DC's official name at the time) was instead experiencing ongoing poor sales. This has been attributed in part to blizzards in 1977 and 1978, a weak U.S. economy, and the quality of the titles themselves.^{[citation needed]} In response, company executives ordered that titles with marginal sales, and several new series still in development be cancelled. About 30 titles were affected. Much of the unpublished work saw print in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade, a 2 issue "series" which "published" the work in limited quantity solely to establish the company's copyright. Some of the material already produced for the cancelled publications was later used in other series, however.

Cancelled Titles

Twenty series were cancelled abruptly, with the following as their final issue:

All Star Comics #74 (#75 later published in Adventure Comics #461 and 462)
Aquaman #63 (Aquaman story from #64 published in Adventure Comics #460)
Army At War #1
Batman Family #20 ("merged" into Detective Comics)
Battle Classics #1 (reprint title)
Black Lightning #11 (#12 later published in World's Finest Comics #260)
Claw the Unconquered #12
Doorway To Nightmare #5 ("merged" into The Unexpected)
Dynamic Classics #1 (reprint title)
Firestorm #5 (#6 reworked in The Flash #294-296)
House of Secrets #154 ("merged" into The Unexpected)
Kamandi #59
Mister Miracle #25
Secret Society of Super Villains #15 (#16 appeared in 2007's Showcase Presents: The Secret Society of Super-Villains)
Secrets of Haunted House #14
Shade, the Changing Man #9 (Odd Man story appears in Detective Comics #487)
Showcase #104 (Deadman story for #105 appears in Adventure Comics #464)
Star Hunters #7
Steel: The Indestructible Man #5 (#6 story reworked for All-Star Squadron #8 and 9)
Witching Hour #84 ("merged" into The Unexpected)

Shazam! #35 ("merged" into World's Finest Comics), Karate Kid #15, and Freedom Fighters #15 were cancelled a few months before the Implosion, to make room for other titles in the DC Explosion. Similarly, the New Gods feature was concluded in Adventure Comics #459 and 460. All were announced within the comics themselves as being cancelled, and unlike Implosion titles, the Freedom Fighters and Karate Kid even had ending stories published (though the Freedom Fighters ending continued in Secret Society of Super-Villains, which did fall victim to the Implosion).

Unpublished titles

Six new series were planned, but never published:

Demand Classics (reprint series)
Deserter (a cowboy western)
Vixen (would have been the first series starring an African-American superheroine; the character later appeared in Justice League of America)
Western Classics (reprint series)
Starslayer (a Mike Grell creation later published by Pacific Comics)
Swamp Thing (a revival by Martin Pasko, delayed until 1982)

Three secondary features were planned, but the titles in which they were to appear were cancelled before the stories were produced:

External links

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-The '''DC Implosion''' is the informal label for the dramatic number of sudden cancellations among [[DC Comics]] publications in 1978.
+The '''DC Implosion''' is the popular label for the sudden cancellation of more than two dozen ongoing and planned [[DC Comics]] series in 1978.
-The name is a natural one to choose, since DC had not too long before announced the "DC Explosion", an equally dramatic marketing strategy of publishing more monthly titles and increasing the number of story pages in all titles (accompanied by slightly higher cover prices).  Many titles which had been cancelled in the 60s and 70s were brought back as part of the "explosion."
+The name is a sardonic reference to the "DC Explosion", a then-recent marketing campaign in which DC began publishing more monthly titles and increased the number of story pages in all of its titles, accompanied by slightly higher cover prices.  Many titles which had been cancelled in the 60s and earlier in the 70s had been brought back as part of the "explosion", intended to increase the company's market presence and profitability.
-After low sales, partly attributed to [[Blizzard of 1977|blizzards in 1977]] [[Blizzard of 1978|and 1978]] as well as poor quality of the titles themselves, in 1978 National Periodical Publications (DC's official name at the time) ordered that titles with marginal sales be cancelled. About 30 titles were cancelled, some before they were even published.  Much of the work that was unpublished saw print in [[Cancelled Comic Cavalcade]], a 2 issue 'series' which 'published' the work for the sake of copyright purposes.  A few titles and works would see print in later series, however.
+National Periodical Publications (DC's official name at the time) was instead experiencing ongoing poor sales.  This has been attributed in part to [[Blizzard of 1977|blizzards in 1977]] and [[Blizzard of 1978|1978]], a weak U.S. economy, and the quality of the titles themselves.{{fact|date=March 2008}} In response, company executives ordered that titles with marginal sales, and several new series still in development be cancelled.  About 30 titles were affected.  Much of the unpublished work saw print in ''[[Cancelled Comic Cavalcade]]'', a 2 issue "series" which "published" the work in limited quantity solely to establish the company's [[copyright]].  Some of the material already produced for the cancelled publications was later used in other series, however.
-==Canceled Titles==
+==Cancelled Titles==
+Twenty series were cancelled abruptly, with the following as their final issue:
 * ''[[All Star Comics]]'' #74 (#75 later published in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #461 and 462)
 * ''[[Aquaman]]'' #63 (Aquaman story from #64 published in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #460)
 * ''Army At War'' #1
-* ''Batman Family'' #20 ('merged' into ''[[Detective Comics]]'')
+* ''Batman Family'' #20 ("merged" into ''[[Detective Comics]]'')
 * ''Battle Classics'' #1 (reprint title)
 * ''[[Black Lightning]]'' #11 (#12 later published in ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' #260)
 * ''[[Claw the Unconquered]]'' #12
-* ''Doorway To Nightmare'' #5 ('merged' into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
+* ''Doorway To Nightmare'' #5 ("merged" into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
 * ''Dynamic Classics'' #1 (reprint title)
 * ''[[Firestorm (comics)|Firestorm]]'' #5 (#6 reworked in ''[[The Flash]]'' #294-296)
-* ''[[House of Secrets]]'' #154 ('merged' into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
+* ''[[House of Secrets]]'' #154 ("merged" into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
 * ''[[Kamandi]]'' #59
 * ''[[Mister Miracle]]'' #25
@@ Line 26: / Line 27: @@
 * ''Star Hunters'' #7
 * ''[[Steel (comics)|Steel: The Indestructible Man]]'' #5 (#6 story reworked for ''[[All-Star Squadron]]'' #8 and 9)
-* ''Witching Hour'' #84 ('merged' into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
+* ''Witching Hour'' #84 ("merged" into ''[[The Unexpected]]'')
+''[[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Shazam!]]'' #35 ("merged" into ''[[World's Finest Comics]]''), ''[[Karate Kid (comics)|Karate Kid]]'' #15, and ''[[Freedom Fighters (comics)|Freedom Fighters]]'' #15 were cancelled a few months before the Implosion, to make room for other titles in the DC Explosion.  Similarly, the ''[[New Gods]]'' feature was concluded in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #459 and 460.  All were announced within the comics themselves as being cancelled, and unlike Implosion titles, the Freedom Fighters and Karate Kid even had ending stories published (though the Freedom Fighters ending continued in ''Secret Society of Super-Villains'', which did fall victim to the Implosion).
-===Unpublished titles===
-These titles were planned, but never published.
+==Unpublished titles==
+Six new series were planned, but never published:
 *''Demand Classics'' (reprint series)
 *''[[Deserter]]'' (a cowboy western)
-*''[[Vixen (comics)|Vixen]]'' (later to appear in the [[Justice League of America]])
+*''[[Vixen (comics)|Vixen]]'' (would have been the first series starring an African-American superheroine; the character later appeared in ''[[Justice League of America]]'')
 *''Western Classics'' (reprint series)
-*''[[Starslayer]]'' (''[[Mike Grell]]'' creation later debuted as a ''[[Pacific Comics]]'' title)
+*''[[Starslayer]]'' (a [[Mike Grell]] creation later published by ''[[Pacific Comics]]'')
-*''[[Swamp Thing]]'' revival by ''[[Martin Pasko]]'' didn't occur until 1982.
+*''[[Swamp Thing]]'' (a revival by [[Martin Pasko]], delayed until 1982)
-''[[Captain Marvel (DC Comics)|Shazam!]]'' #35 ('merged' into ''[[World's Finest Comics]]''), ''[[Karate Kid (comics)|Karate Kid]]'' #15, and ''[[Freedom Fighters (comics)|Freedom Fighters]]'' #15 were not part of the mass cancellations of the Implosion.  These titles were cancelled a few months earlier to make room for other titles in the DC Explosion.  Similarly, the ''[[New Gods]]'' feature was concluded in ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' #459 and 460.  All were announced within the comics themselves as being cancelled, and unlike Implosion titles, Freedom Fighters and Karate Kid even had ending stories published (though the Freedom Fighters ending continued into Secret Society of Super-Villains, which did fall victim to the Implosion).
-These features were planned, but the titles were cancelled before the stories were produced.
+Three secondary features were planned, but the titles in which they were to appear were cancelled before the stories were produced:
-*''[[Manhunter from Mars]]'' in ''[[Aquaman]]''
-*''[[Vigilante]]'' in ''[[Aquaman]]''
-*''[[Metal Men]]'' in ''[[Adventure Comics]]''
+*[[Manhunter from Mars]] in ''[[Aquaman]]''
-==See also==
+*[[Vigilante]] in ''[[Aquaman]]''
-*[[Cancelled Comic Cavalcade]]
+*[[Metal Men]] in ''[[Adventure Comics]]''
 ==External links==