Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes #[nn]
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freePublished in 1976 by Crown/Harmony Books, this oversize hardcover (with a simultaneous Warner Books softcover edition) was DC's direct answer to Simon & Schuster's enormously successful 'Origins of Marvel Comics' line, gathering eighteen Golden Age and Silver Age origin stories across ten hero chapters under one roof at a time when most readers had no practical way to access those decades-old source comics. Beyond the reprints themselves, Dennis O'Neil's introductory essays broke meaningful ground by crediting Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster by name for Superman — at a moment when DC had officially suppressed that byline — and by naming Bill Finger before Bob Kane as Batman's co-creator, an acknowledgment DC would quietly retreat from for decades afterward. The book also bridged the company's multiverse by pairing each character's Golden Age origin with its Silver Age counterpart, making the Earth-1/Earth-2 structure tangible and accessible to a mass audience for the first time.
In this gripping tale from *Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes* #nn, Batman’s investigation into a transport company leads him to confront Joe Chill—the man who murdered his parents—years after the tragedy. As Batman closes in on the truth, he makes a bold move, revealing his identity to Chill and vowing to bring him to justice. The moment sets off a chain of events that forces Chill to flee, but his own gang may not be as loyal as he thought.
In "Mystery of the Human Thunderbolt!", Barry Allen’s life changes in an instant when a lab accident with chemicals and lightning unleashes his incredible speed, transforming him into the Flash. Now racing against time, he must confront a bizarre new threat—the Turtle Man, known as "The Slowest Man Alive"—in a battle where speed and slowness collide.
In "Creature of a Thousand Shapes!", Thanagarian officers Katar and Shayera track a shape-shifting fugitive named Byth to Earth, where they enlist the help of Police Commissioner Emmett to go undercover. As they work to bring the criminal to justice, their time on Earth begins to change their plans—and their lives—in ways neither of them expected.
In "The Birth of the Battling Bowmen," archaeologist Oliver Queen finds himself stranded on Lost Mesa, where he meets Roy Harper, a young boy raised by Quoag, his father’s loyal servant. When a band of ruthless thugs arrives hunting for a hidden gold mine, Oliver and Roy must rely on their archery skills and Quoag’s teachings in Indian lore to survive the deadly ambush.
In "The Green Arrow's First Case," Oliver Queen, stranded on Starfish Island, transforms his isolation into a crucible of skill, mastering the bow and crafting clever trick arrows. Years later, when an expedition arrives to explore the island, he tests their resolve with a devious ruse using a fake-uranium arrow—turning the tide of their mission with nothing but wit and precision.
In "Birth of the Atom!", scientist Palmer faces a desperate moment when he and his students are trapped in a cave-in, forcing him to risk using his experimental reducer lens on himself. With no other way to save them, he activates the device—and instead of being destroyed, he transforms into a human atom, gaining the power to navigate the microscopic world. The story follows his unexpected journey as he grapples with his new form and the strange possibilities it unlocks.
In "Introducing Captain Marvel," young Billy Batson is whisked away by a mysterious stranger to meet the ancient wizard Shazam, who grants him the powers of Captain Marvel. With his new abilities, Billy uncovers a shadowy figure known only as the Phantom Scientist and sets out to expose the threat, heading straight to the head of Amalgamated Broadcasting Company.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The volume grew out of Crown Publishers' earlier successful single-character reprint collections of vintage Superman and Batman material, but its true catalyst was the commercial juggernaut of Stan Lee's Marvel Origins books, which Carmine Infantino — then DC's Publisher — wanted to replicate for DC's roster. Infantino was ousted as Publisher before the book actually shipped in mid-1976, meaning the introduction he wrote appeared under the byline of a man no longer in the role. Dennis O'Neil wrote the behind-the-scenes historical text for each chapter, and the book was dedicated to veteran editor and creator Sheldon Mayer; the cover was newly commissioned from Neal Adams. The Captain Marvel chapter presented a unique bibliographic curiosity: the story technically reprinted is traced back through the Fawcett ashcan editions — Thrill Comics #1 and Flash Comics #1 — with all references to the original name 'Captain Thunder' editorially changed to 'Captain Marvel' throughout, mirroring what DC had done in its earlier Famous 1st Edition facsimile.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Published in 1976 by Harmony Books / Crown Publishers as a hardcover (ISBN 0-517-52489-9) and simultaneously in a softcover edition by Warner Books; runs approximately 238–240 full-color pages at 8.5" × 11".
- Edited and narrated by Dennis O'Neil, with a publisher's introduction by Carmine Infantino and a cover by Neal Adams depicting the assembled Bronze Age DC roster.
- Contains eighteen reprinted origin stories across ten hero chapters: Superman (Action Comics #1 + Amazing World of Superman 1973 edition), Batman (Detective Comics #33 pages + Batman #47), Wonder Woman (Wonder Woman #1 + Wonder Woman #206), Flash (Flash Comics #1 + Showcase #4), Green Lantern (All-American Comics #16 + Showcase #22), Green Arrow (More Fun Comics #89 + Adventure Comics #256), Hawkman (Flash Comics #1 Golden Age story + Brave and the Bold #34), The Atom (All-American Comics #19 + Showcase #34), Captain Marvel (Whiz Comics #2), and Plastic Man (Police Comics #1).
- O'Neil's Superman introduction credited Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster by name at a time when DC had officially suppressed their byline from the books; the Batman introduction named Bill Finger ahead of Bob Kane — an extraordinary acknowledgment for 1976 that DC would not consistently honor for many years.
- The Wonder Woman section reprinted Wonder Woman #206 (1973, Cary Bates / Don Heck / Vince Colletta), one of the very few collected appearances of that story and the one that most fully developed the character of Nubia — Diana's long-lost sister, raised by Ares as a weapon against the Amazons.
- The Captain Marvel chapter contains an editorial quirk documented by the Grand Comics Database: the source material traces through the Fawcett ashcan editions (Thrill Comics #1 / Flash Comics #1), and all occurrences of the original name 'Captain Thunder' were changed to 'Captain Marvel' for this reprint.
- The Batman reprint contains a bibliographic misattribution noted by the GCD: the book credits the story to Detective Comics #33, but the actual source was the version printed in Batman #1, which substituted the splash panel from Detective Comics #34.
- The book is dedicated to Sheldon Mayer, the Golden Age DC editor widely credited with shepherding Superman, Wonder Woman, and other foundational characters into print — a significant editorial tribute in a volume aimed at honoring that creative heritage.
- The Silver Age Green Arrow origin reprinted is Adventure Comics #256, whose interior art was drawn by Jack Kirby — one of several major Golden/Silver Age artists (alongside Curt Swan, Gil Kane, Jack Cole, Joe Kubert, and Harry G. Peter) whose work appears in the collection.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Action Comics #1 (1938), Flash Comics #1 (1940), Whiz Comics #2 (1940), Batman #1 (1940), All-American Comics #16 (1940), All-American Comics #19 (1940), Police Comics #1 (1941), Wonder Woman #1 (1942), More Fun Comics #89 (1943), Batman #47 (1948), Showcase #4 (1956), Adventure Comics #256 (1959), Showcase #22 (1959), The Brave and the Bold #34 (1961), Showcase #34 (1961), The Amazing World of Superman, Metropolis Edition #[nn] (1973), Wonder Woman #206 (1973)
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