Category Archives: Universes

UNIVERSES – The DC Universe Part III – The Silver & Bronze Ages (Earth 2)

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Getting into reading and collecting comics can seem difficult to the newcomer.  What are the different universes and why are there so many?

DC Universe

After introduction of self-regulation via The Comic Code, superhero comics became one of the only viable genres and a completely new version of The Flash was introduced in 1956’s Showcase #4.  In it, Barry Allen, the new Flash named himself on his comic book hero, Jay Garrick.  Other older hero names were reused and the Silver Age was born.  And thus was born the Silver Age DC Universe.

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UNIVERSES – The DC Universe Part II – The Silver & Bronze Ages (Earth 1)

Posted on by

Getting into reading and collecting comics can seem difficult to the newcomer.  What are the different universes and why are there so many?

DC Universe

 

The Silver & Bronze Aged – Earth-One

1956 – 1986

JLA

Comics sales dropped during the 50s and DC was left with only three ongoing Superheroes, Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.  This lead DC to revamp some of their older character creating an all-new version of The Flash in Showcase #4 in 1956, and heralding the beginning of the Silver Age.  Eventually Barry Allen, the new Flash got his own comic and The Flash #123 (the number continued from the previous Flash’s numbering) Barry Allen travelled to a parallel universe and met Jay Garrick, the original Flash.  Barry named Jay’s world “Earth-Two” and his own “Earth-One” and the DC Multiverse was born.

The Multiverse continued to expand, but DC felt the need to reduce everything back to a single universe and in 1985 released Crisis on Infinite Earths, a comic book series which did just that, naking Earth-One the only Earth and combining in some of the characters from other Earths (including Earth-Two).

Characters from this era include:

  • Superman & Supergirl
  • Batman & Robin
  • Wonder Woman
  • Green Arrow & Speedy
  • Aquaman
  • The Atom (Ray Palmer)
  • The Spectre
  • The Flash (Barry Allen) & Kid Flash (Wally West)
  • Hawkman (Katar Hol) & Hawkgirl (Shiera)
  • Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) & the Green Lantern Corps
  • Martian Manhunter

~ DUG.