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Lantern, Th e Flash , Wonder Woman, and the Justice Society of America. DC
consolidated other areas of their publishing and distribution ventures, ultimately creat-
ing one company, National Periodical Publications, although it continued to publish
books as DC.
Th rough the late 1940s and early 1950s, comics were coming under scrutiny from
public health authorities, such as Dr. Fredric Wertham, whose book Seduction of the
Innocent would ultimately lead to a public backlash against comics, which included
public hearings led by U.S. Senator Estes Kefauver, devoted to pursuing the question
as to whether comic books — specifi cally crime and horror comics—inspire juve-
nile delinquency in children. DC escaped heavy scrutiny, although the company did
face some negative criticism. Wertham specifi cally refers to the characters Wonder
Woman, Batman, and Robin as potential negative infl uences on children in Seduction
of the Innocent. DC also came under fi re for its hiring of psychological professionals
on its advisory board; which, as some accused, amounted to DC paying for psycho-
logical authorities to publicly advocate and testify on DC’s behalf. With the outcome
of the hearings came the creation of the Comics Code, which eff ectively established
self-censorship in comic books for decades.
Meanwhile, in 1946, Harry Donnenfeld hired Julius Schwartz to perform editorial
and writing duties on several DC titles. Schwartz was an infl uential voice in science
fi ction and fantasy fan culture in the United States. He participated in the publishing
of fanzines in the 1930s, and was an agent for, and friend of, noteworthy writers such as
Ray Bradbury and the reclusive H. P. Lovecraft. At DC, Schwartz added science fi ction
titles to the publishing roster such as Strange Adventures in 1950 and Mystery in Space
in 1951. In 1954, Schwartz revived and revamped the original Flash character into a
more sleek, modern look for DC’s anthology title Showcase #4, thus initiating what
collectors recognize as the Silver Age of comics, which lasts from the 1950s into the
1970s. Th e Silver Age of comics is signifi cant as the rebirth of popularity for superhero
comics after the backlash that led to the establishing of the Comics Code. Schwartz
became one of DC’s most important editors, eventually becoming the chief editor of all
of the Superman titles, along with various other titles published by DC.
In 1960, inspired by the 1940s Justice Society of America, DC released Justice
League of America #1. Th e title attracted readers because it featured virtually all of
DC’s superhero roster as a unifi ed team. Justice League of America was another hot
seller for DC, which is rumored to have inspired Martin Goodman of Marvel Comics
to respond with his own superhero team title, Fantastic Four.
In the 1970s, comics readers were becoming older and more sophisticated,
and were becoming less interested in the campy style of Silver Age comic books.
Among DC’s attempts to create more realistic, socially relevant content was the
Green Lantern/Green Arrow run beginning in Green Lantern #76. Edited by Julius
Schwartz, written by Dennis O’Neil and drawn by Neal Adams, this series featured
the two superheroes’ exploration of American culture, including stories about envi-
ronmentalism, race and racism, labor issues and religion. One two-issue storyline
