DC Comics: A Celebration Of The World’s Favourite Comic Book Heroes by Les Daniels (book review).
I have to confess I picked up this book, ‘DC Comics: A Celebration Of The World’s Favourite Comic Book Heroes’ by Les Daniels, several years ago because it has an Alex Ross cover. There’s also a double-page spread of his artwork at the back of the book.
Bear in mind that this book is 21 years old now, and the focus is on DC Comics characters more than creators, so there is a wealth of comic book covers, films, and merchandise from the early days to 2001. However, with what we know now, many events have been given a sanitary wipe on accuracy.
When it glosses over Mort Weisinger’s attitude, let alone Bob Kane taking all the credit for Batman, keep your bottle of salt ready. Considering how Dave Cockrum updated the costumes and 30th-century designs for the Legion of Super-Heroes, he gets no mention at all. It isn’t like there wasn’t room in the only two pages allocated to them. Apart from the main five, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, the Flash and Green Lantern, other characters are lucky to get a couple of pages.
What makes this book useful is observing the various elements related to the comic books presented here. Obviously, this includes the various films and serials that are available in cinemas and on TV, as well as the extensive merchandise that DC Comics sells. Batman bread did raise an eyebrow; however, I believe this is merely a preliminary glimpse. Daniel’s comment that merchandise generates more revenue for DC Comics than their comic books is significant; however, if we look 21 years into the future, we can see how much more money films make compared to comic books, reaching an even broader audience. In a wider examination, I suspect this is true of all core characters’ story sources. Arthur Conan Doyle would be immensely wealthy had he lived today.
Looking at this book in its entirety, DC Comics has several phases of growth, each building on each other. If it hadn’t been for their implosion, Jeanette Kahn’s tenure would have been unblemished. I was surprised that there was no mention of the double issues and different paper qualities for the ‘Titans’ and ‘Legion Of Super-Heroes’, especially considering their move into comic shops and the fact that they also jumped 12 issues. It was quite startling at the time, far more than the various mini-series that came out. Then again, back in the day, in the UK, there was a greater dependence on comic shops if we were to get imports.
If you are reading this book to obtain a complete history of DC Comics, it may not be the best choice for you. As a highlights book up to the turn of the century, then it is useful but not comprehensive. A new book is certainly needed to cover the developments that occurred in the 21 years following this one. Alas, Les Daniels is no longer among the living. There has been a lot more merchandise, films, and TV series since then. Having a taste for the roots might at least point you in the right direction.
GF Willmetts
August 2025
(pub: Virgin Books, 2004. 272 page illustrated softcover. Price: varies. ISBN: 0-7335-0905-9).
