Showcase (comics)

Showcase has been the title of several comic anthology series published by DC Comics. The general theme of these series has been 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. The original series ran from March 1956 to September 1970 (suspending publication with issue #93), and then was revived for eleven issues from August 1977 to September 1978.

Publication history
The Showcase series 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 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, the Hawk and Dove, Angel and the Ape, and Bat Lash.

The Spectre was revived for the Silver Age in Showcase as well. 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. The Showcase series was canceled in 1970 with issue #93, featuring Manhunter 2070.

Reprint collections
In 1992, DC Comics published a trade paperback reprint collection titled The Essential Showcase: 1956–1959 (ISBN 978-1563890796). 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.

Revival
In August 1977, Showcase was revived for eleven issues after the cancellation of 1st Issue Special, which ran from 1975 to 1976. The revived series, 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 every character that had premiered in the original run of Showcase. The series was cancelled again after issue #104 (September 1978), 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 mini-series in 1979.

New Talent Showcase
In 1985–1986, DC published New Talent Showcase, which ran for 15 issues, briefly changed its title to Talent Showcase, and then ended with issue #19. For the most part edited by Karen Berger (and for a short time by Sal Amendola), the series gave new writers and artists the chance to get their "feet wet" in the comics industry. Notable creators who made their DC debuts with New Talent Showcase include Mark Beachum, Norm Breyfogle, Tom Grindberg, Steve Lightle, Mindy Newell, and Stan Woch.

Showcase 1990s
DC revived the Showcase title in 1993 when the 1950s retailer reluctance to order new, untested series had largely vanished, and was replaced in the 1990s with reader enthusiasm for the "#1" issues of new series. The new series was published as Showcase '93, a monthly 12-issue limited series, replaced the following year by Showcase '94, etc. Showcase '96 #12 was the last regular issue.

Showcase Presents
In 2005, DC began publishing thick, black-and-white reprints of older material under the umbrella title Showcase Presents.