Detective Comics

Detective Comics is a comic book published by DC Comics since 1937. It is, along with Action Comics (the book that launched with the debut of Superman), one of the company's best-known titles - in fact, the "DC" in the company's name comes from "Detective Comics". It is also the longest continuously-published comic book in the United States.

Originally an anthology-style comic, featuring stories in the "hard-boiled detective" genre popular at the time, the first issue contained stories featuring the characters of Ching Lung (a Fu Manchu-style oriental villain), Slam Bradley (created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster), and Speed Saunders, among others.

However, the fame of Detective Comics was assured by the debut of Batman (as "The Bat-Man") in issue #27 (May 1939). He would eventually become the star of the title.

Issue #38 (April 1940) introduced Batman's sidekick (billed as "The Sensational Character Find of 1940" on the cover), Robin. Robin's appearance (and the concomitant increase in sales of the book) soon led to the trend of costumed crimefighters and their young sidekicks that characterize that era.