| Fifty Who Made DC Great | |
|---|---|
 Fifty Who Made DC Great, cover art byCurt Swan,Murphy Anderson, and Arne Starr. | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | DC Comics |
| Format | One-shot |
| Genre | |
| Publication date | 1985 |
| No. of issues | 1 |
| Creative team | |
| Written by | Joey Cavalieri Thomas Hill Barry Marx |
| Artist | Steven Petruccio |
| Editor | Barry Marx |
Fifty Who Made DC Great is aone-shot published byDC Comics to commemorate the company's 50thanniversary in 1985. It was published incomic book format but contained text articles with photographs and backgroundcaricatures.
As explained by DC's then-President and PublisherJenette Kahn, the profiles were of "fifty people and companies who have helped make DC Comics great. [W]e have chosen representatives from those who have pioneered new territory and who, by doing so, have shaped our past or our future". The articles were written by Barry Marx, Thomas Hill, andJoey Cavalieri and caricatures were provided by Steven Petruccio. Barry Marx was also the book's editor.Neal Pozner was the design director. Thecover art, featuringClark Kent holding the "DC Bullet", was drawn byCurt Swan,Murphy Anderson, and Arne Starr.[1]
| Name | Field | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| M. C. Gaines | publisher | Co-owner ofNational Allied Publications. |
| Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson | writer, entrepreneur | Founder of National Allied Publications, the precursor company to DC Comics. |
| Harry Donenfeld | publisher | Co-owner of National Allied Publications. |
| Jack Liebowitz | publisher | Co-owner of National Allied Publications. |
| Jerry Siegel | writer | Co-creator ofSuperman. |
| Joe Shuster | artist | Co-creator of Superman. |
| Bob Kane | writer, artist | Co-creator ofBatman. |
| Bill Finger | writer | Co-creator ofBatman.[2] |
| Warner Publishing Services | distribution company | DC sister company responsible for newsstand distribution, formerly known asIndependent News Company, Inc.[3] |
| Sheldon Mayer | writer, artist, editor | Creator ofSugar and Spike. |
| Sol Harrison | executive | DC's president 1976-1980. |
| Erwin M. "Bud" Budner | distributionagent | Founder of Delmar News Agency. |
| Gardner Fox | writer | Co-creator of theJustice Society of America and theJustice League of America. |
| William Moulton Marston | writer | Co-creator ofWonder Woman with his wifeElizabeth Holloway Marston. |
| Emile Keirsbilk | publisher | Publisher of DC Comics inFrance. |
| Carroll Rheinstrom | publishing agent | Responsible for licensing DC's international publishing rights. |
| Fleischer Studios | animation studio | Produced the1940sSuperman cartoons. |
| Bud Collyer | actor | Portrayed Superman in theAdventures of Superman radio program, the Fleischer Studios 1940s cartoons and in theFilmationThe New Adventures of Superman television series. |
| Kirk Alyn | actor | Portrayed Superman in the 1948 filmserialSuperman, and its 1950 sequelAtom Man Vs. Superman. |
| Mort Weisinger | editor | Editor ofSuperman during the mid-1950s to 1970; co-creator ofAquaman,Green Arrow, andJohnny Quick. |
| Whitney Ellsworth | writer, editor | Producer and story editor on theAdventures of Superman television series. |
| George Reeves | actor | Portrayed Superman in theAdventures of Superman television series. |
| Wayne Boring | artist | Artist onSuperman from the late 1940s through the 1950s. |
| Curt Swan | artist | Artist most associated with Superman during theSilver andBronze Ages of comic books. |
| Bernard Trout | editor | Editor of DC Comics in France. |
| World Color Press | printing company | In 1985, the largest player in the comic and newsstand special-interest publication market.[4] |
| Robert Kanigher | writer, editor | Co-creator ofSgt. Rock. |
| Julius Schwartz | editor | Oversaw the revival of characters such as theFlash,Green Lantern,Hawkman, andthe Atom; longtime editor of theBatman andSuperman comic book lines. |
| Jerry Bails | popular culturist | A primary force in establishing 1960s comics fandom. |
| Roy Thomas | writer, editor | Co-creator ofAll-Star Squadron andInfinity, Inc. |
| Adam West | actor | Portrayed Batman in the1960s television series. |
| Burt Ward | actor | Portrayed Robin in theBatman television series. |
| Licensing Company of America | licensing company | Merchandising rights for DC's characters. |
| Carmine Infantino | artist, executive | Co-creator of theSilver Age Flash; editorial director and publisher. |
| Neal Adams | artist | Artist ofBatman andGreen Lantern/Green Arrow features of the 1970s. |
| Denny O'Neil | writer, editor | Writer ofBatman andGreen Lantern/Green Arrow features of the 1970s. |
| Adolf Kabatek | publisher | Publisher of DC Comics inGermany. |
| Hanna-Barbera Productions | animation studio | Producer of theSuper Friends television series. |
| Ilya Salkind | film producer | Co-producer of theSuperman film series. |
| Alexander Salkind | film producer | Co-producer of theSuperman film series. |
| Christopher Reeve | actor | Portrayed Superman in the film series. |
| Lynda Carter | actress | Portrayed Wonder Woman in the1970s television series. |
| Phil Seuling | distributor, fan convention organizer | Developed the concept of thedirect market distribution system for getting comics directly into comic book specialty shops. |
| Bud Plant | distributor | Early direct market distributor. |
| Marv Wolfman | writer, editor | Co-creator of theNew Teen Titans, writer ofCrisis on Infinite Earths. |
| George Pérez | artist | Co-creator of theNew Teen Titans, artist ofCrisis on Infinite Earths. |
| Frank Miller | writer, artist | Creator ofRonin. |
| Helen Slater | actress | Portrayed Supergirl in the1984 film. |
| Superman Peanut Butter | product | DC's first food related licence. |
| Kenner Products | toy manufacturer | Manufacturer of theSuper Powers Collection toyline. |
Brief statements made by several prominent individuals were included as "Celebrity Reminiscences". These included comments byDaniel P. Moynihan,Richard Corben,Ray Bradbury,Gloria Steinem,Mort Walker,Milton Glaser,Walter Koenig,Gene Siskel,Stephen King,Gene Simmons,Jim Henson,David L. Wolper,Stan Lee,Susan Stamberg,Roger Ebert,Brooke Shields,Carol Bellamy, andWhoopi Goldberg.
Fifty Who Made DC Great has been used as a cited reference source for several books. Among these are the following:
The Federal Trade Commission has set aside 1960 orders against Warner Publisher Services, Inc. (formerly, Independent News Company, Inc.).
Fifty Who Made DC Great 1985.