| 1st Issue Special | |
|---|---|
 1st Issue Special #1 (April 1975), art byJack Kirby andD. Bruce Berry. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Schedule | Monthly |
| Format | Ongoing series |
| Publication date | April 1975 – April 1976 |
| No. of issues | 13 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | |
| Artist | List
|
| Penciller | List
|
| Inker | |
1st Issue Special is acomics anthology series fromDC Comics, done in a similar style to theirShowcase series. It was published from April 1975 to April 1976.[1] The goal was to capitalize on the trend that the first issues of comic book series typically sell better than subsequent issues.
WriterGerry Conway explained the series' origin: "1st Issue Special was a peculiar book concept based on [publisher]Carmine Infantino's observation that first issues of titles often sold better than subsequent issues. Carmine's brainstorm: a monthly series of nothing but first issues. It sounds like a joke, but he was dead serious."[2]
Conway has also denied that1st Issue Special was a tryout series, pointing out that tryout series run each feature for several issues so that the publisher has enough time to get sales figures before deciding whether to give the feature its own series; since each feature in1st Issue Special ran only one issue, DC would have had to either launch the new series before sales figures came in for the tryout (thus making the feature's appearance in1st Issue Special pointless) or launch the new series six months or more after the tryout issue (by which time reader interest in the feature would have faded).[3] Conway added, "We used to sit at editorial meetings and [Carmine Infantino] would say, 'Who has an idea for1st Issue Special next month?' How do you develop a project that has a potential to be a real series within 20 days? You can't."[3] Only two of the1st Issue Special features received an ongoing series:Mike Grell'sThe Warlord, which first appeared in issue #8 (November 1975),[4] and Gerry Conway andMike Vosburg'sReturn of the New Gods, which appeared in issue #13.[2]
Issues #1 (featuringAtlas) featured art and story byJack Kirby.[5] A number of issues featured existing DC characters: issue #3,Metamorpho, issue #5,Manhunter,[6] issue #7, theCreeper, issue #9, theGolden Age characterDoctor Fate, and issue #13, theNew Gods.[3] The Metamorpho feature reunited the character's creators, writerBob Haney and artistRamona Fradon. Haney and Fradon had met at the 1974San Diego Comic-Con, and while reminiscing, it emerged that both of them regarded Metamorpho as one of the features they had most enjoyed working on, leading them to ask DC if they could do one more Metamorpho story together.[3]1st Issue Special staff have not been able to answer why the Creeper story was illustrated but not written by the character's creator,Steve Ditko.[3]
Issue #12 featured a newStarman character which would later be used inJames Robinson's 1990s series focused on the characterJack Knight.[3] The character was a supporting player inJustice League: Cry for Justice in 2010.
Some stories which had been intended for publication in1st Issue Special appeared in other titles instead. ABatgirl andRobin team-up was published inBatman Family #1 (September - October 1975)[3] and aGreen Arrow andBlack Canary story was kept in inventory until it was published as a backup feature inGreen Lantern #100 (January 1978).[7]
1st Issue Special never included aletters column, instead accompanying each feature with a "Story Behind the Story" text page.[3]
DC published a hard cover collection of the series in 2020.[8]
Characters from1st Issue Special star in the 12-issue 2022-2023DC Black Label seriesDanger Street byTom King and Jorge Fornes.[9] Instead of devoting separate issues to each character or group, as in the original series,Danger Street incorporates all the different characters into overlapping narratives.[10]
| Issue # | Date | Featured character and story title | Writer | Artists |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1975 | Atlas | Jack Kirby | Jack Kirby andD. Bruce Berry |
| 2 | May 1975 | The Green Team: Boy Millionaires | Joe Simon | Jerry Grandenetti |
| 3 | June 1975 | Metamorpho, The Element Man: "The Freak and the Billion-Dollar Phantom". | Bob Haney | Ramona Fradon |
| 4 | July 1975 | Lady Cop: "Poisoned Love" | Robert Kanigher | John Rosenberger andVince Colletta |
| 5 | August 1975 | Manhunter | Jack Kirby | Jack Kirby and D. Bruce Berry |
| 6 | September 1975 | Dingbats of Danger Street | Jack Kirby | Jack Kirby andMike Royer |
| 7 | October 1975 | The Creeper: "Menace of The Human Fire-Fly". | Michael Fleisher | Steve Ditko and Mike Royer |
| 8 | November 1975 | The Warlord: "Land of Fear" | Mike Grell | |
| 9 | December 1975 | Doctor Fate: "The Mummy That Time Forgot" | Martin Pasko | Walt Simonson |
| 10 | January 1976 | The Outsiders: "Us...The Outsiders". | Joe Simon | Jerry Grandenetti andCreig Flessel |
| 11 | February 1976 | Codename: Assassin | Gerry Conway andSteve Skeates | TheRedondo Studio andAl Milgrom |
| 12 | March 1976 | Starman | Gerry Conway | Mike Vosburg and Mike Royer |
| 13 | April 1976 | Return of the New Gods: "Lest Night Fall Forever". | Gerry Conway andDenny O'Neil | Mike Vosburg |
Writer/artist Mike Grell elevated the sword-and-sorcery genre to new heights with the Warlord.
