Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson and the Origins of DC Comics

The first issue of New Fun comics magazine, consisting of all original material, appeared on newsstands January 11, 1935, published by Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson (fig. 1). This was the beginning of his series of original comics magazines, leading to Action Comics no. 1 in 1938, which featured Superman on the cover. The Major’s comics magazines, or comic books, should be understood as a critically important continuum resulting in the emergence of superhero comics. Much of what we take for granted as the fundamental elements of modern comic books, from their business model to their design, artwork, and story lines, can be traced back to this pre-Superman period of early comics history.