''Direct Currents'' is the name of several promotional features by

DC Comics DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...

, including a long-running newsletter.

History

''Direct Currents'' was first used as the name of a text feature appearing in DC's comics beginning in 1966.''Direct Currents'' #1, p. 3 In the 1970s, the feature appeared in DC's fan magazine ''

The Amazing World of DC Comics ''The Amazing World of DC Comics'' was DC Comics' self-produced fan magazine of the mid-1970s. Running 17 issues, the fanzine featured DC characters and their creators, and was exclusively available through mail order. Primarily text articles, with ...

''. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the name was also used for one of the features in DC's ''

Daily Planet The ''Daily Planet'' is a fictional newspaper appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with Superman. The newspaper was first mentioned in ''Action Comics'' #23 (April 1940). The ''Daily Planet'' build ...

'' house ads. From November 1976 to July 1977, DC had its own toll-free phone number called the Direct Currents Hot-Line, where fans could hear pre-recorded messages from DC staff about upcoming titles. The phone number was so popular (it was receiving an average of 100,000 calls a week toward its end) that it had to be shut down due to strain on the telephone system. Beginning in 1978 and lasting a little more than a year, ''Direct Currents'' was the name for a one-page newsletter. The newsletter, which was available by subscription, featured a 13" by 18" poster cover. In 1988, ''Direct Currents'' became the title of a free monthly newsletter distributed by comic book stores, containing articles about DC Comics titles being released that month as well as a checklist of the month's new releases. It was a replacement for DC's previous newsletter, '' DC Releases''. Unlike ''DC Releases'', which was printed in black and white and magazine-sized, ''Direct Currents'' was printed in color and was the size of a regular comic book. Eventually, ''Direct Currents'' contained a flipbook format, with one side containing features about

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lante ...

titles, and the other containing features about titles from DC's

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties ...

and

Paradox Press Paradox Press was a division of DC Comics formed in 1993 after editor Mark Nevelow departed from Piranha Press. Under the initial editorship of Andrew Helfer and Bronwyn Carlton the imprint was renamed. It is best known for graphic novels like ...

imprints. The newsletter ran for a total of 92 issues, ending in 1995, and also produced two specials. Beginning in November 2016, the name was used for a free quarterly magazine offering sneak peeks of every DC title. However, the book was cancelled after only one issue.

List of ''Direct Currents'' issues

1988-1997

2016

Notes

References