1939 saw the debut of Batman in Detective Comics #27, one of the most popular characters in American fiction. He would get his own title the next year.
This year, two new publishers entered the market: All-American Publications, a joint venture between M.C. Gaines and Harry Donenfeld and tangentically related to Detective Comics, Inc., and the independent Fox Features Syndicate, formed by former National Allied accountant Victor A. Fox.
Creators
The following creative talent are known to have been born in 1939:
- Alan Hanley
- Arthur Ranson
- Dennis O'Neil
- Grass Green
- Greg Hildebrandt
- Harvey Pekar
- Jeannot Szwarc
- Joel Schumacher
- John Badham
- John Cleese
- Joyce Katz
- Leslie Newman
- Michael Moorcock
- Neal McPheeters
- Pat Bastienne
- Ray Lovejoy
- Rico Rival
- Sanho Kim
- Sondra James
- Tim Hildebrandt
Titles
The following comic titles debuted with a 1939 cover date:
- All-American Comics (Volume 1)
- Blue Beetle (Volume 1)
- Feature Comics (Volume 1)
- Movie Comics (Volume 1)
- Mutt & Jeff (Volume 1)
- Mystery Men Comics (Volume 1)
- New York World's Fair Comics (Volume 1)
- Smash Comics (Volume 1)
- Superman (comic strip) (Volume )
- Superman (Volume 1)
The following Comic titles were last published with a 1939 cover date:
Characters
Selected 1939 character debuts. See all.
- Bruce Wayne (Earth-Two)
- Wesley Dodds (New Earth)
- Ultra-Humanite (New Earth)
- Abigail Hunkel (New Earth)
- Karl Hellfern (New Earth)
- James Gordon (Earth-Two)
- Darrel Dane (Quality Universe)
- Dala Vadim (New Earth)
- Hop Harrigan (New Earth)
- Tyrone Fortune (Quality Universe)
- Niccolai Tepes (New Earth)
- Martha Roberts (Quality Universe)
- Crossart (Earth-Two)
- Batu (Quality Universe)
- Abdul Ibn Bey (Quality Universe)
- Hugh Hazzard (Quality Universe)
- Kent Thurston (Quality Universe)
- Von Thorp (Quality Universe)
- Mara Hani (Quality Universe)
- John Law (Quality Universe)
- Mortimer Jibbet (New Earth)
- Joe Chill (Earth-Two)
- Bozo the Iron Man (Quality Universe)
- Professor Roberts (Quality Universe)
- Flash Fulton (Quality Universe)
- Martha Wayne (Earth-Two)
- Gargantua T. Potts (Earth-Two)
- Thomas Wayne (Earth-Two)
- Alan Kane (Earth-Two)
- Kichung (Earth-Two)
- Scribbly Jibbet (New Earth)
- Cotton Carver (Earth-Two)
- Chic Carter (Quality Universe)
- Berhener (Earth-Two)
- Sir Goof (Earth-Two)
- Ted Dolliver (Earth-Two)
- Madame Doom (Quality Universe)
- Professor Lutyens (Earth-Two)
- Socko Strong (Earth-Two)
- Julie Madison (Earth-Two)
- Gary Concord, Sr. (Earth-Two)
- Clip Carson (Earth-Two)
- Wings Wendall (Quality Universe)
- Carl Kruger (Earth-Two)
- Frenchy Blake (Earth-Two)
- Green Lizard (Quality Universe)
- Vlamir Koran (Quality Universe)
- Biff Bronson (Earth-Two)
- Gary Concord, Jr. (New Earth)
- John O'Malley (Earth-Two)
Teams
Selected 1939 team debuts. See all.