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DC Implosion Timeline 1975-1978

Back in 1975, DC had this great idea to revamp their entire line, launching 57 new titles over four years. It was called The DC Explosion. What happened, however, was a cancellation of 65 titles - what has become known as The DC Implosion. Many of the titles were relaunches, and some were just bizarre but fun reads. Basically, it was throwing ideas at the wall and seeing what sticks. Sound familiar? If you said to yourself, "New 52," then we're on the same page. So let's take a trip back in time, and see what four years did to the DC line...

I went to Fanzing for their great article on the Implosion, and their timeline, but there were some date discrepancies, so I went with the cover dates.

Something I couldn't find on CV (got the pic from Milehighcomics.com):

ONLY ISSUE: (11/78) Army At War #1.

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1. Hercules Unbound

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** 1975 ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****
2. Super-Heroes Battle Super-Gorillas

RELAUNCH: (3/75) DC Special #16.
3.

DEBUT: (4/75) DC 1st Issue Special #1.
4. The Curse of Castle Hrothgar

DEBUT: (5/75) Beowulf #1.
5.

CANCEL: (5/75) Black Magic #9. This Simon & Kirby comic from 1973 is another pre-Explosion title to just disappear.
6. The Joker's Double Jeopardy

DEBUT: (5/75) The Joker #1.
7. Coming of a Dragon

DEBUT: (5/75) Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #1. This is the series that debuts Bronze Tiger AND Lady Shiva!
8. Fish Story

DEBUT: (5/75) Secrets of Haunted House #1.
9. The Sword and the Silent Scream

DEBUT: (6/75) Claw the Unconquered #1.
10. This Night, An Avenger Is Born!

DEBUT: (6/75) Justice, Inc. #1.
11.

DEBUT: (6/75) Tales of Ghost Castle #1.
12. The Beating

DEBUT: (6/75) Tor #1.
13. "Kong the Untamed"

DEBUT: (7/75) Kong the Untamed #1.
14. Quest for a Stolen Soul!

DEBUT: (7/75) Stalker #1.
15. The Invader from Hell!

DEBUT: (10/75) Batman Family #1.
16. Paperi... che passione - Paperino rapinattore... nato

CANCEL: (10/75) Korak, Son of Tarzan #59. This title will be renamed Tarzan Family with #60 (12/75).
17. The Final Problem; The Adventure of the Empty House

ONLY ISSUE: (10/75) Sherlock Holmes #1. Sherlock appears again in The Joker #6 (4/76).
18. The Demon's Here to Stay

CANCEL: (10/75) Tales of Ghost Castle #3.
19.

DEBUT: (11/75) Hercules Unbound #1.
20. The Superman-Batman Revenge Squads, Stepping Stones For A Giant Killer, Mystery of the Elongated Man!

DEBUT: (11/75) Super-Team Family #1.
21. Death Is a Wind-Up Bear

CANCEL: (11/75) Weird Mystery Tales #24. Having started in 1972, it's another pre-Explosion title to meet its fearsome fate. With a cover that reads "Death is a Windup Bear," the reason why is no weird mystery.
22. Slay Ride In The Sky

CANCEL: (12/75) Justice, Inc. #4.
23. "Forbidden Tomb", "Mars--or Bust", & "Amazon of Barsoom"

RENAMED: (12/75) Tarzan Family #60. Picking up the numbering from Korak, Son of Tarzan, two months before.
24.

CANCEL: (12/75) Young Love #120. A pre-Explosion title, YL started in 1949 at Prize Comics, and was taken over in 1963 by DC with #39. Now, the love is gone.
25.

CANCEL: (12/75) Young Romance #208. Another pre-Explosion title, having started in 1941 with Prize Comics. DC took over this title in 1963 with #125. The old flame dies with #208.
26. Isis

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27. Beware the Eyes of Baron Tyme

DEBUT: (1/76) Man-Bat #1.
28. The Plot to Destroy Washington D.C.!

CANCEL: (1/76) The Sandman #6. A pre-Explosion title from 1974, The Master of Nightmare passes into dream.
29. Invade the Inferno

CANCEL: (1/76) Stalker #4. I'd just like to point out that on the cover of #2, Stalker's horse does not have a rhino horn coming from its snout.
30. All Star Super Squad

RELAUNCH: (2/76) All-Star Comics #58. OMG! The boob window! The windowless costume DID exist first, but I didn't know the cleavage window had existed this far back.
31. Death's Right Hand

RELAUNCH: (2/76) Blackhawk #244.
32. The Enemy

DEBUT: (2/76) Blitzkrieg #1. WWII from the Nazi perspective - no joke.
33. This Savage World

DEBUT: (2/76) Warlord #1. Launched from an issue of DC 1st Issue Special, this title would survive the Implosion, all the way through #133 (9/89).
34. Labyrinth of the Grotto Minotaur!

CANCEL: (3/76) Beowulf #6. Too bad. Just looking at the covers, this series fielded some cool ideas. I wouldn't mind seeing this in TPB.
35. Fangs of the Kobra!

DEBUT: (3/76) Kobra #1.
36. "Bones of the Martyr"

CANCEL: (3/76) Kong the Untamed #5.
37. Fugitive From Blind Justice

CANCEL: (3/76) Man-Bat #2. The hand positioning on this is weird. It can be done, but the foreshortening seems to be off here. It's a hard angle to draw though, I suppose.
38. Teen Titans: Monster Bait; Skis of Death

DEBUT: (3/76) DC Super-Stars #1.
39. A Time For Endings/Will The Real Black Orchid Please Stand Up?

CANCEL: (3/76) The Phantom Stranger #41. A pre-Explosion title from 1949 or 1952, depending on the source. With this issue, The Phantom Stranger is just a ghost of a memory...but he'll be back for #42 (3/10) in the Blackest Night event.
40. Lest Night Fall-Forever!

CANCEL: (4/76) DC 1st Issue Special #13.
41.

DEBUT: (4/76) Four Star Spectacular #1.
42. The Freedom Fighters

DEBUT: (4/76) Freedom Fighters #1.
43. My World Begins In Yesterday

DEBUT: (4/76) Karate Kid #1. YES! Val in the 20th Century!
44.

CANCEL: (4/76) Shazam! #24.
45.

CANCEL: (4/76) Tor #6.
46. Arena of Death

CANCEL: (4/76) Warlord #2.
47. Evil Is In The Eye Of The Beholder

RELAUNCH: (5/76) Metal Men #45.
48. Gunslinger!

CANCEL: (5/76) Secrets of Haunted House #5. Awesome cover.
49. Attend or Die

DEBUT: (6/76) The Secret Society of Super-Villains #1.
50. Those Who Worship Evil's Might!

RELAUNCH: (9/76) Green Lantern #90. From May, 1972, GL/GA is back, and will continue past the Implosion, until #205 (10/86).
51. Origin of the Tatterdemalion

DEBUT: (9/76) Ragman #1.
52. A World Made Of War

DEBUT: (9/76) Starfire #1.
53. The Earth Below

CANCEL: (9/76) Swamp Thing #24. A pre-Explosion title from 1972, this title...yeah, I have no joke here.
54. The Raid

CANCEL: (10/76) Blitzkrieg #5.
55. Long Die N'Hglthss!

CANCEL: (10/76) Claw the Unconquered #9.
56. The Cat And The Clown

CANCEL: (10/76) The Joker #9. Joke's on him.
57. The Bicentennial Villian

RELAUNCH: (10/76) Shazam! #25. After a six month hiatus, Shazam is revived as a DC TV Comic, sharing his book with Isis, just as he shared the television show. This was her first appearance, before moving on to her own series, the next month.
58.

RELAUNCH: (10/76) Young Love #121.
59. Scarab--The Man Who Would Destroy

DEBUT: (11/76) Isis #1. Straight from the pages of last month's Shazam! #25.
60. The Fury of the Super Foes

DEBUT: (11/76) Super Friends #1. This title will survive the Implosion, lasting until #47 (8/81).
61. The Man Who Toppled the Titans

RELAUNCH: (11/76) Teen Titans #44. From Feb, 1973, the Junior Justice League is back at last.
62. War Gods of Skartaris

RELAUNCH: (11/76) Warlord #3. The Warlord will fight his way well past the Implosion, lasting until #133 (Winter/88-89 [Roughly 12/88]).
63. So Long, Kotter!

DEBUT: (11/76) Welcome Back, Kotter #1.
64. A Fate Worse Than Death!

CANCEL: (12/76) Plop! #24. This pre-Explosion title from 1973 goes from plop to flop, and is now plop out of sight, out of mind.
65. "A Gift Most Deadly", "Prisoner of the Tharks" & "The Amulet, the Power, and the Hero"

CANCEL: (12/76) Tarzan Family #66.
66. Black Lightning

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67. "Wheel of Death"

CANCEL: (2/77) Blackhawk #250. The numbering will be picked up again with #251 (10/82), and run 23 issues to #273 (11/84).
68.

CANCEL: (2/77) Four Star Spectacular #6. What a cover to go out with! That's worth the cancellation!
69. The Crack in the World Conspiracy

CANCEL: (2/77) Kobra #6.
70.

CANCEL: (2/77) Our Army At War #301. Obviously a pre-Explosion title, this title earned its rest.
71. Black Lightning

DEBUT: (4/77) Black Lightning #1.
72. Vengence For A Fallen Gladiator!

DEBUT: (4/77) Jonah Hex #1. This series will survive the Implosion, shooting through the West until it rides off into the sunset, with #92 (8/85).
73. Grave Situation

RELAUNCH: (6/77) Secrets of Haunted House #6.
74. Multi-Man's Master Plan

RELAUNCH: (7/77) Challengers of the Unknown #81. This pre-Explosion title is revived from July, 1973.
75. Junkyard of Death

CANCEL: (7/77) Ragman #5. This series was surprisingly decent. Don't worry though, Ragman reappears sixteen months later in Batman Family #20.
76.

RENAME/ RELAUNCH: (7/77) Return of the New Gods #12. Picking up from New Gods #11 (10/72), the New Gods return as part of the DC Explosion.
77. Escape to Battleground Earth!

DEBUT: (7/77) Shade, the Changing Man #1.
78.

CANCEL: (7/77) Young Love #126. Young love fades away again...how apropos.
79. Code Name: Gravedigger

DEBUT: (8/77) Men of War #1. This series will survive the Implosion, fighting on to #26 (3/80).
80. A Life for a Life

RELAUNCH: (9/77) Aquaman #57. From the deep of March, 1971, Aquaman resurfaces.
81. The Untold Origin of the Justice Society

CANCEL: (9/77) DC Special #29. What a way to go, with "The Untold Origin of the Justice Society!" Features Hitler with the Spear of Destiny - an idea that will be picked up again in All-Star Squadron, in 1981.
82. 5-Star Super-Hero Spectacular

DEBUT: (9/77) DC Special Series #1. (5 Star Super-Hero Spectacular) This is kind of a series of one-shots, but it will last until #27 (1981) - BATMAN VS. THE INCREDIBLE HULK!
83.

CANCEL: (9/77) Hercules Unbound #12.
84. It's All in the Mine

RELAUNCH: (9/77) Mister Miracle #19. Having been trapped in the limbo of cancellation in March of 1974, Mister Miracle escapes, and provides some escapism for us.
85. The Doom Patrol Lives Forever!

RELAUNCH: (9/77) Showcase #94. (The New Doom Patrol) Picking up from #93 (9/70), the show goes on from here.
86. The Dwellers Of The Dark Domain!

CANCEL: (11/77) Starfire #8.
87. Junkworld!

DEBUT: (11/77) Star Hunters #1.
88.

CANCEL: (12/77) Richard Dragon, Kung-Fu Fighter #18.
89. Firestorm

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90. Darkly Through the Mutant's Eyes

CANCEL: (1/78) Isis #8. COVER: "You cannot stop me, Isis -- for I have the mutant power to change best friends into hated enemies!" ...<snicker> BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HAAAA!
91. Deadman and the Phantom Stranger

CANCEL: (2/78) DC Super-Stars #18.
92. Doorway to Nightmare

DEBUT: (2/78) Doorway to Nightmare #1.
93.

CANCEL: (2/78) Tarzan #258. DC published Tarzan from #207 (4/72) until this issue. So the Lord of the Jungle is now lord of the back issue bins.
94. "In the Beginning..."

CANCEL: (2/78) Teen Titans #53.
95. Make Way for Firestorm!

DEBUT: (3/78) Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #1.
96. The Inheritor Kills

CANCEL: (3/78) Metal Men #56.
97. From Hell is Forged ...a Hero!

DEBUT: (3/78) Steel, The Indestructible Man #1.
98. The Führer of Chicago

REVAMP: (4/78) Shazam! #34. The title loses the DC TV logo. As if to emphasize the departure from Saturday mornings: CMJr: "It's over, Captain Nazi -- you deserve to DIE!" CAPTAIN MARVEL: "No, Junior! Even though he's a murderer -- if you kill HIM -- I'll have to hunt YOU down!"
99. Gulliver Effect!

CANCEL: (4/78) Super-Team Family #15.
100. As the Woodman Turns!

CANCEL: (4/78) Welcome Back, Kotter #10.
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