{{Short description|DC Comics promotional feature}} '''''Direct Currents''''' is the name of several promotional features by [[DC Comics]], 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.<ref name="DC">''Direct Currents'' #1, p. 3</ref> In the 1970s, the feature appeared in DC's fan magazine ''[[The Amazing World of DC Comics]]''.<ref name="DC" /> From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, the name was also used for one of the features in DC's ''[[Daily Planet (DC Comics house advertisement)|Daily Planet]]'' house ads.
From November 1976 to July 1977, DC had a 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 very popular, receiving an average of 100,000 calls a week toward its end, and had to be shut down due to strain on the telephone system.<ref>{{cite book|author=Levitz, Paul|title=The Bronze Age of DC Comics|publisher=[[Taschen]]|year=2015|pages=281|isbn=978-3-8365-3579-3}}</ref>
Beginning in 1978 and lasting a little more than a year,<ref>{{cite web |date=April 22, 2008 |title=BOOKSTEVE'S LIBRARY: Direct Currents |url=http://booksteveslibrary.blogspot.com/2008/04/direct-currents.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026001809/http://booksteveslibrary.blogspot.com/2008/04/direct-currents.html |archive-date=October 26, 2011 |work=Steven Thompson}}</ref> ''Direct Currents'' was the name for a one-page newsletter.<ref name="DC" /> The newsletter, which was available by subscription, featured a 13" by 18" poster cover.<ref>{{cite web |date=November 20, 2012 |title=Super Tuesday: Direct Currents {{!}} Longbox Graveyard |url=http://longboxgraveyard.com/2012/11/20/super-tuesday-direct-currents/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121230185712/http://longboxgraveyard.com/2012/11/20/super-tuesday-direct-currents/ |archive-date=December 30, 2012 |work=Paul O'Connor}}</ref>
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]]''.<ref name="DC" /> 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]] titles, and the other containing features about titles from DC's [[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] and [[Paradox Press]] imprints.<ref>{{cite web |date=December 2015 |title=Obscurities: DC Coming Attractions |url=http://kupps.malibulist.com/2015/12/01/obscurities-dc-coming-attractions/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208133322/http://kupps.malibulist.com/2015/12/01/obscurities-dc-coming-attractions/ |archive-date=December 8, 2015 |work=Paul Kupperberg}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ComicList Archives |url=http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/news/the-all-new-direct-currents-1-electrifies-dc-comics-fans-in-november |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161006063401/http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/news/the-all-new-direct-currents-1-electrifies-dc-comics-fans-in-november |archive-date=October 6, 2016}}</ref> However, the book was cancelled after only one issue.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Johnston |first=Rich |author-link=Rich Johnston |date=April 13, 2017 |title=DC's Magazine Direct Currents Cancelled Before Its Second Issue |url=https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/13/dcs-magazine-direct-currents-cancelled-second-issue/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915185037/https://www.bleedingcool.com/2017/04/13/dcs-magazine-direct-currents-cancelled-second-issue/ |archive-date=September 15, 2017 |website=[[Bleeding Cool]]}}</ref>
==List of ''Direct Currents'' issues== ===1988-1997=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center" width="60%" !width=10%|Issue Number !width=20%|Date{{efn|Date refers to the books' shipping dates from issues 1-49, and the books' cover dates from issue 50 on.}} !width=35%|Cover Story !width=35%|Notes |- !scope="row"|1 |February 9 - March 8, 1988 |''[[Flash Gordon]]'' maxi-series | |- !scope="row"|2 |March 15 - April 5, 1988 |''[[Action Comics]] Weekly'' ongoing series; [[Superman vol. 2|''Superman'' vol. 2]] ongoing series becomes twice-monthly | |- !scope="row"|3 |April 12 - May 10, 1988 |''Power of the [[Atom (Ray Palmer)|Atom]]'' ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|4 |May 17-31, 1988 |''[[V for Vendetta]]'' maxi-series | |- !scope="row"|5 |June 7-28, 1988 |''[[Hawk and Dove]]'' vol. 2 mini-series | |- !scope="row"|6 |July 5-26, 1988 |''[[Cosmic Odyssey (comics)|Cosmic Odyssey]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|7 |August 2-30, 1988 |''[[The Prisoner]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|8 |September 6-27, 1988 |''[[Plastic Man]]'' vol. 2 mini-series | |- !scope="row"|9 |October 4-25, 1988 |''[[Invasion! (DC Comics)|Invasion!]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|10 |November 1-29, 1988 |''[[Black Orchid (comics)|Black Orchid]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|11 |December 6-20, 1988 |''The Greatest [[Joker (character)|Joker]] Stories Ever Told'' hardcover | |- !scope="row"|12 |January 3-31, 1989 |''[[Huntress (Helena Bertinelli)|The Huntress]]'' ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|13 |February 1989 |''[[Justice League Europe]]'' ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|14 |March 1989 |"The [[Janus Directive]]" crossover | |- !scope="row"|15 |April 1989 |''[[Skreemer]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|16 |May 1989 |''[[Lex Luthor: The Unauthorized Biography]]'' one-shot | |- !scope="row"|17 |June 1989 |''The [[Batman (1989 film)|Batman]] Movie Adaptation'' one-shot | |- !scope="row"|18 |July 1989 |''[[Avenger (pulp-magazine character)#Comics|Justice, Inc.]]'' vol. 2 mini-series | |- !scope="row"|19 |August 1989 |''[[The Shadow]] Strikes!'' ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|20 |September 1989 |''The [[Legion of Super-Heroes]]'' vol. 4 ongoing series; ''The Legion of Super-Heroes: [[The Great Darkness Saga]]'' trade paperback | |- !scope="row"|21 |October 1989 |''[[Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth]]'' graphic novel | |- !scope="row"|22 |November 1989 |''[[Deadman (character)|Deadman]]: Love after Death'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|23 |December 1989 |''The Greatest [[Golden Age of Comic Books|Golden Age]] Stories Ever Told'' hardcover | |- !scope="row"|24 |January 1990 |''[[Adam Strange]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|25 |February 1990 |''[[Batman: Digital Justice]]'' graphic novel | |- !scope="row"|26 |March 1990 |''The Butcher'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|27 |April 1990 |''[[Hawkworld]]'' vol. 2 ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|28 |May 1990 |''[[Etrigan the Demon|The Demon]]'' vol. 3 ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|29 |June 1990 |''[[World's Finest Comics|World's Finest]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|30 |July 1990 |''[[Enemy Ace]]: War Idyll'' graphic novel | |- !scope="row"|31 |August 1990 |''The [[Doom Patrol]]'' vol. 2 #37 ([[Rhea Jones]] awakes from her coma) | |- !scope="row"|32 |September 1990 |''[[Twilight (comic book)|Twilight]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|33 |October 1990 |''[[Batman]] 3D'' graphic novel | |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|34 |rowspan="2"|November 1990 |''[[The Books of Magic]]'' mini-series |rowspan="2"|Flip book |- |''[[Robin (character)|Robin]]'' mini-series |- !scope="row"|35 |December 1990 |''The Greatest [[The Flash|Flash]] Stories Ever Told'' hardcover | |- !scope="row"|36 |January 1991 |''[[Angel and the Ape]]'' vol. 2 mini-series | |- !scope="row"|37 |February 1991 |''[[Kid Eternity]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|38 |March 1991 |''[[Armageddon 2001]]'' mini-series and crossover | |- !scope="row"|39 |April 1991 |''[[Star Trek]]'''s 25th anniversary (''Star Trek: The [[Mirror Universe]] Saga'' trade paperback) | |- !scope="row"|40 |May 1991 |[[Impact Comics]] line debuts (''The Legend of the [[Shield (Archie Comics)|Shield]]'' ongoing series) |Includes 16-page Impact Comics preview |- !scope="row"|41 |June 1991 |Impact Comics line continues (''[[Comet (Impact Comics)|The Comet]]'' and ''[[Jaguar (Archie Comics)|The Jaguar]]'' ongoing series) | |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|42/43 |July 1991 |''[[War of the Gods (comics)|War of the Gods]]'' mini-series and crossover |rowspan="2"|Double issue flip book |- |August 1991 |''The Psycho'' mini-series |- !scope="row"|44 |September 1991 |[[Dream (character)|Sandman]]-related releases | |- !scope="row"|45 |October 1991 |''Robin II: The Joker's Wild'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|46 |November 1991 |''The [[Lobo (character)|Lobo]] Paramilitary Christmas Special'' one-shot | |- !scope="row"|47 |December 1991 |''[[Batman Versus Predator]]'' mini-series, ''[[Batman: Master of the Future]]'' one-shot, ''Batman: Blind Justice'' trade paperback, and DC Comics hologram buttons | |- !scope="row"|48 |January 1992 |''Batman: [[Gotham City|Gotham]] Nights'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|49 |February 1992 |New creative teams on ''[[Justice League International|Justice League America]]'' and ''Justice League Europe'', ''[[Justice League]] Spectacular'' one-shot, and other Justice League-related releases | |- !scope="row"|50 |May 1992 |''Lobo's Back'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|51 |June 1992 |''[[Green Lantern]]'' vol. 3 #25 ([[Hal Jordan]] versus [[Guy Gardner (character)|Guy Gardner]]), ''[[Green Lantern Corps]] Quarterly'' and ''[[Green Lantern: Mosaic]]'' ongoing series, and other Green Lantern-related releases | |- !scope="row"|52 |July 1992 |''[[Batman: Shadow of the Bat]]'' ongoing series and other Batman-related releases | |- !scope="row"|53 |August 1992 |''[[Batman Returns]] Movie Adaptation'' one-shot | |- !scope="row"|54 |September 1992 |''[[Team Titans]]'' ongoing series | |- !scope="row"|55 |October 1992 |''Batman: Sword of [[Azrael (DC Comics)|Azrael]]'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|56 |November 1992 |''Green Lantern: [[Ganthet]]'s Tale'' one-shot | |- !scope="row"|57 |December 1992 |''Robin III: Cry of the Huntress'' mini-series | |- !scope="row"|58 |January 1993 |''Superman'' vol. 2 #75 ("[[The Death of Superman]]") | |- !scope="row"|59 |February 1993 |''Batman: Seduction of the Gun'' one-shot | |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|60 |rowspan="2"|March 1993 |''The Legacy of Superman'' one-shot |rowspan="2"|First DC/Vertigo flip book |- |[[Vertigo (DC Comics)|Vertigo]] imprint launches |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|61 |rowspan="2"|April 1993 |[[Milestone Media]] debuts (''[[Hardware (character)|Hardware]]'' and ''[[Blood Syndicate]]'' ongoing series) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Sandman Mystery Theatre]]'' ongoing series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|62 |rowspan="2"|May 1993 |''The Atom Special'' one-shot |rowspan="2"| |- |''Kid Eternity'' vol. 2 ongoing series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|63 |rowspan="2"|June 1993 |''Adventures of Superman'' #500 (Superman returns from the dead) and the "Reign of the Supermen!" storyline |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Sandman'' vol. 2 #50 (anniversary issue) |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|64 |rowspan="2"|July 1993 |"[[Bloodlines (comics)|Bloodlines]]" crossover |rowspan="2"| |- |''Skin Graft: The Adventures of a [[Tattooed Man]]'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|65 |rowspan="2"|August 1993 |''[[Catwoman]]'' vol. 2 ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Jonah Hex]]: Two-Gun Mojo'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|66 |rowspan="2"|September 1993 |''[[Hawkman]]'' vol. 3 ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |Vertigo's "Second Wave" (Vertigo-related releases and improvements to existing titles) |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|67 |rowspan="2"|October 1993 |''Batman'' #500 (conclusion of the "[[Batman: Knightfall|Knightfall]]" storyline) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Hellblazer]] Special'' one-shot |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|68 |rowspan="2"|November 1993 |''Robin'' vol. 2 ongoing series, plus the ''Robin: Tragedy and Triumph'' trade paperback |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[The Sandman: Fables & Reflections]]'' hardcover |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|69 |rowspan="2"|December 1993 |''Lobo'' vol. 2 ongoing series, plus the Lobo standup and Lobo: Smokin'! poster |rowspan="2"| |- |"[[The Children's Crusade (comics)|The Children's Crusade]]" crossover |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|70 |rowspan="2"|January 1994 |"Shadow War" crossover |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Death: The High Cost of Living]]'' hardcover, ''[[Death (DC Comics)|Death]] Gallery'' one-shot, Death T-shirt, and Death watch |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|71 |rowspan="2"|February 1994 |''[[Conner Kent|Superboy]]'' vol. 3 and ''[[Steel (John Henry Irons)|Steel]]'' ongoing series, ''[[Supergirl (Matrix)|Supergirl]]'' vol. 3 and ''Legends of the World's Finest'' mini-series, and other Superman-related releases |rowspan="2"| |- |The Sandman vol. 2 #57 (beginning of "[[The Sandman: The Kindly Ones|The Kindly Ones]]" storyline) and ''The Sandman: Fables & Reflections'' trade paperback |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|72 |rowspan="2"|March 1994 |''[[The Power of Shazam!]]'' graphic novel |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Swamp Thing]]'' vol. 2 #140 (writing team of [[Grant Morrison]] and [[Mark Millar]] begins) |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|73 |rowspan="2"|April 1994 |''Green Lantern'' vol. 3 #51 ([[Kyle Rayner]] becomes Green Lantern) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[The Mystery Play]]'' graphic novel |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|74 |rowspan="2"|May 1994 |''Batman/[[Spawn (character)|Spawn]]: War Devil'' one-shot |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Books of Magic'' vol. 2 ongoing series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|75 |rowspan="2"|June 1994 |''Superman/[[Doomsday (DC Comics)|Doomsday]]: Hunter/Prey'' mini-series |rowspan="2"| |- |''Witchcraft'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|76 |rowspan="2"|July 1994 |"[[Worlds Collide (comics)|Worlds Collide]]" crossover |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Heart of the Beast'' graphic novel |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|77 |rowspan="2"|August 1994 |"KnightsEnd" storyline |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Vamps (comics)|Vamps]]'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|78 |rowspan="2"|September 1994 |''[[Zero Hour: Crisis in Time!]]'' mini-series and crossover |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[The Invisibles]]'' ongoing series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|79 |rowspan="2"|October 1994 |Zero Month (every DC title gets a #0 issue) |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Sandman: A Gallery of Dreams'' one-shot |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|80 |rowspan="2"|November 1994 |''[[Starman (Jack Knight)|Starman]]'' vol. 2 ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |''Shadows Fall'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|81 |rowspan="2"|December 1994 |''Batman Versus Predator II: Bloodmatch'' mini-series |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch]]'' graphic novel |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|82 |rowspan="2"|January 1995 |''[[Batman: Bloodstorm]]'' graphic novel |rowspan="2"| |- |[[Paradox Press]] imprint launches |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|83 |rowspan="2"|February 1995 |''Azrael'' ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Tainted (comics)|Tainted]]'' one-shot |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|84 |rowspan="2"|March 1995 |''The Power of Shazam!'' ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |''Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|85 |rowspan="2"|April 1995 |''Flash'' vol. 2 #100 (anniversary issue) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Preacher (comics)|Preacher]]'' ongoing series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|86 |rowspan="2"|May 1995 |''Superman'' vol. 2 #100 ("The Death of Clark Kent" storyline) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Tank Girl (film)|Tank Girl]] Movie Adaptation'' one-shot |- !scope="row"|Special 1 |1995 | | |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|87 |rowspan="2"|June 1995 |''Justice League America'' #100 (anniversary issue) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Tank Girl]]: The Odyssey'' mini-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|88 |rowspan="2"|July 1995 |''[[Sovereign Seven]]'' ongoing series |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo da Vinci]]'' maxi-series |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|89 |rowspan="2"|August 1995 |''[[Batman Forever]] Movie Adaptation'' one-shot and other Batman-related releases |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Sandman'' vol. 2 #70 ("[[The Sandman: The Wake|The Wake]]" storyline) |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|90 |rowspan="2"|September 1995 |''[[Wonder Woman]]'' vol. 2 #101 ([[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] takes over as writer/artist) |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Sandman Midnight Theatre]]'' one-shot |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|91 |rowspan="2"|October 1995 |''Batman: [[Man-Bat]]'' mini-series |rowspan="2"| |- |''[[Stuck Rubber Baby]]'' graphic novel |- !scope="row" rowspan="2"|92 |rowspan="2"|November 1995 |''[[Underworld Unleashed]]'' mini-series and crossover |rowspan="2"| |- |''The Tragical Comedy or Comical Tragedy of Mr. Punch'' softcover |- !scope="row"|1997 Special |1997 | | |}
===2016=== {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align: center" width="60%" !width=10%|Issue Number !width=20%|Date !width=35%|Cover Story !width=35%|Notes |- !scope="row"|1 |Winter 2017 |''Justice League vs. Suicide Squad'' mini-series | |}
==See also== * ''[[Comic Shop News]]'' * ''[[Marvel Age]]''
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
[[Category:DC Comics titles]] [[Category:1988 comics debuts]]