Adventure Comics was a comic book published by DC Comics from 1935 to 1983. It was the fifth longest running DC comic book series ever, behind Detective Comics, Action Comics, Superman and Batman.

History

New Comics was the second comic book series published by National Allied Publications, now DC Comics. Originally a humor series, the series, which was retitled New Adventure Comics with its seventh issue, gradually shifted to a serious adventure series. Issue 32 saw the title again changed to Adventure Comics, which would remain the book's name for the duration of its existence. The series' focus gradually shifted to superhero stories starting with the debut of The Sandman in issue 40. Other superheroes who appeared in the early days of Adventure included Manhunter and Starman.

A pivotal issue of the series was issue 103, when Superboy, Green Arrow, Johnny Quick and Aquaman moved from More Fun Comics (which was being converted to a humor format) to Adventure. Starman and Sandman's stories were canceled to make room for the new features. Superboy became the star of the book, and would appear on each cover until 1969.

Issue 247(April 1958) is one of the most valuable issues of the series. In the Superboy story, the Boy of Steel meets the Legion of Super-Heroes, a team of super-powered teens from the future. The group became popular, and would soon take over the Superboy feature. The book would change its lead feature with issue 381(June 1969), in which Supergirl migrated from the back-up in Action Comics to a starring feature in Adventure. In 1973, the book's theme changed from superhero adventure to supernatural adventure. The Spectre and Black Orchid were the stars of the book during this era. Before long, though, conventional superheroes returned to the book. The last decade of Adventure featured numerous features, such as Aquaman, a new Starman, and Dial H for Hero. The book closed out its run as a digest-sized anthology reprinting various stories.

Notable features

• Sandman (issues 40-102)
• Hourman (issues 48-83)
• Manhunter (issues 58-72)
• Starman (issues 61-102)
• Shining Knight (issues 66-166)
• Superboy (issues 103-380)
• Aquaman (issues 103-284, 441-452)
• Green Arrow (issues 103-269)
• Johnny Quick (issues 103-207)
• Krypto's First Appearance and Origin (issue 210)
• The Legion of Super-Heroes (issues 247, 267, 282, 289, 290, 293, 300-380)
• Supergirl (issues 381-424)
• Black Orchid (issues 428-430)
• The Spectre (issues 431-440)
• Justice Society of America (issues 461-466)
• Starman (issues 467-478)
• Plastic Man (issues 467-478)
• Dial H for Hero (issues 479-490)