Showcase (comics)
Showcase is a comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of the series was to feature new and minor characters as a way to gauge reader interest in them, without the difficulty and risk of featuring untested characters in their own ongoing titles. Showcase is regarded as the most successful of such tryout series, having been published continuously for more than 14 years, launching numerous popular titles, and maintaining a considerable readership of its own. The series ran from March–April 1956 to September 1970, suspending publication with issue #93, and then was revived for eleven issues from August 1977 to September 1978.
Original series
Showcase featured characters in either one-shot appearances or brief two or three issue runs as a way to determine reader interest, without the financial risk of featuring "untested" characters in their own ongoing titles. The series began in March–April 1956 and saw the first appearance of several major characters including the Silver Age Flash, the Challengers of the Unknown, Space Ranger, Adam Strange, Rip Hunter, the Silver Age Green Lantern, the Sea Devils, the Silver Age Atom, the Metal Men, the Inferior Five, the Creeper, Anthro, Hawk and Dove, Angel and the Ape, the Silver Age Spectre, and Bat Lash.In 1962, DC purchased an adaptation of the James Bond novel and film Dr. No, which had been published in British Classics Illustrated, and published it as an issue of Showcase. It was the first American comic book appearance of the character.
Showcase stood out from other tryout series in that it maintained its own readership; readers who liked a feature would buy the series when it came out, but would often continue buying Showcase as well. The series was canceled in 1970 with issue #93, featuring Manhunter 2070.
Full list of issues
Reprint collections
In 1992, DC Comics published a trade paperback reprint collection titled The Essential Showcase: 1956–1959. This collection reprints selected stories/characters from issues #1, 4, 6, 9, 11, 13, and 17 of the original Showcase series. Several other issues were included in other reprint collections.| Title | Issues collected | Publication date | ISBN |
| Showcase Presents: Showcase Vol.1 | #1–21 | July 2012 | |
| Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol. 1 | #4, 8, 13–14 | May 2007 | |
| The Flash Archives Vol. 1 | #4, 8, 13–14 | May 1998 | |
| The Flash Chronicles Vol. 1 | #4, 8, 13–14 | September 2009 | |
| Flash Rogues: Captain Cold | #8 | August 2018 | |
| Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 1 | #9 | March 2006 | |
| Showcase Presents: Superman Family Vol. 2 | #10 | February 2008 | |
| Showcase Presents: Challengers of the Unknown Vol. 1 | #6–7, 11–12 | September 2006 | |
| Challengers of the Unknown Archives Vol. 1 | #6–7, 11–12 | July 2003 | |
| Adam Strange Archives Vol. 1 | #17–19 | March 2004 | |
| Showcase Presents: Rip Hunter, Time Master Vol. 1 | #20–21, 25–26 | August 2012 | |
| Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 1 | 22–24 | October 2005 | |
| Green Lantern Archives Vol. 1 | 22–24 | 1993 | |
| The Green Lantern Chronicles Vol. 1 | #22–24 | May 2009 | |
| Showcase Presents: Sea Devils, Vol. 1 | #27–29 | July 2012 | |
| Aquaman Archives Vol. 1 | #30–31 | February 2003 | |
| Showcase Presents: The Atom Vol. 1 | #34–36 | June 2007 | |
| The Atom Archives Vol. 1 | #34–36 | July 2001 | |
| Showcase Presents: Metal Men Vol. 1 | #37–40 | September 2007 | |
| Metal Men Archives Vol. 1 | #37–40 | May 2006 | |
| Crisis on Multiple Earths: The Team-Ups Vol. 1 | #55–56 | January 2006 | |
| Showcase Presents: Enemy Ace Vol. 1 | #57–58 | February 2008 | |
| Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 1 | #59 | April 2006 | |
| Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Vol. 1 | #59 | October 2003 | |
| Showcase Presents: The Spectre Vol. 1 | #60–61, 64 | May 2012 | |
| The Creeper by Steve Ditko | #73 | April 2010 | |
| Showcase Presents: Bat Lash Vol. 1 | #76 | July 2009 | |
| Showcase Presents: Phantom Stranger Vol. 1 | #80 | October 2006 |
Revival
In August 1977, Showcase was revived for 11 issues after the cancellation of 1st Issue Special, which ran from 1975 to 1976. Writer Paul Kupperberg reminisced, "1977 was an expansionary time at DC, and Jenette Kahn was supportive of trying new things. There were a lot of new ideas being thrown around at that time. A lot of books came around, lasted a few issues, and then went away. decided to create Showcase for the very same reason it was originally created, to have a place to experiment, and if sold, great. If not, they were already on to the next idea."The revived Showcase, using the original numbering, began with issue #94 and published the first appearance of the new Doom Patrol and the solo adventures of Power Girl. Issue #100 had a cameo by almost every character that had premiered in the original run of Showcase in a story co-written by Paul Kupperberg and Paul Levitz and drawn by Joe Staton. The series was cancelled again after issue #104, as part of what is commonly called the "DC Implosion". Issues #105 and #106 saw print in Cancelled Comic Cavalcade and #105 was later published in Adventure Comics. Issue #106 was included in The Creeper by Steve Ditko hardcover collection published by DC in 2010. Two other series were announced before the series cancellation: The Huntress, which would have spun out of her feature in Batman Family; and World of Krypton, which was published as DC's first miniseries in 1979. According to editor Paul Levitz, at the time of the cancellation there were still no Huntress stories in production, and the slated content for Showcase #107–109 was Gerry Conway's Western adventure The Deserter.