This Day in Comic Book History: June 18
This Day in Comic Book History: June 18
June 18 touches every era of comic book history — from a Silver Age architect who remade DC Comics to the birth of a lasagna-loving tabby cat who conquered the funny pages.
June 18, 1915: Birth of Julius Schwartz, Father of the Silver Age
Julius Schwartz Born — June 18
Revived The Flash, Green Lantern, Justice League · Launched the DC Silver Age · 42 years at DC Comics
Born on June 18, 1915, Julius Schwartz became the most important editor at DC Comics during the Silver Age, directly responsible for reviving and reimagining the superhero genre starting in 1956. Schwartz oversaw the modernization of The Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and The Atom, and shepherded the creation of the Justice League of America. Without Julius Schwartz, the superhero comics landscape as we know it would not exist.
June 18, 1923: Launch of Moon Mullins
Moon Mullins Launches — June 18
Created by Frank Willard · Ran nearly 7 decades until 1991 · Blue-collar American newspaper strip classic
On June 18, 1923, cartoonist Frank Willard launched Moon Mullins, a scrappy blue-collar comedy strip that ran until 1991. It became a beloved fixture of American newspaper comics and stands as one of the classic examples of the slice-of-life comedy tradition that defined early 20th-century cartooning.
June 18, 1978: Garfield Makes His Debut
Garfield Debuts — June 18
Jim Davis's orange tabby cat · 2,500+ newspapers worldwide · Guinness World Record most-syndicated strip
On June 18, 1978, Jim Davis's Garfield made its newspaper debut in 41 papers. The strip became one of the most commercially successful and widely syndicated comic strips in history, eventually appearing in over 2,500 newspapers worldwide and spawning a multi-billion dollar licensing empire.
June 18, 1976: Birth of Adriana Melo
Adriana Melo Born — June 18
Brazilian DC Comics artist · Wonder Woman · Birds of Prey · Supergirl
Brazilian comic book artist Adriana Melo was born on June 18, 1976, and contributed dynamic artwork to major DC Comics titles including Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey, and Supergirl, representing a generation of Latin American artists diversifying mainstream comics.
June 18: Clark Kent's In-Universe Birthday
Clark Kent's DC Birthday
Per DC's 1976 Super DC Calendar · The day Kal-El's rocket landed on Earth · Superman's human birthday
According to DC Comics' 1976 Super DC Calendar, June 18 is Clark Kent's birthday — marking the day the infant rocket landed on Earth and Jonathan and Martha Kent discovered baby Kal-El. It reflects the rich mythology DC built around their flagship character over decades of storytelling.
🏆 Top 10 Key Comics Tied to June 18 History
- Showcase #4 (October 1956) — First Silver Age Flash, edited by Julius Schwartz, born this date in 1915.
- Green Lantern #1 (August 1960) — First solo series for Hal Jordan, reimagined and edited by Julius Schwartz.
- Justice League of America #1 (November 1960) — The team Julius Schwartz created that inspired Stan Lee to create the Fantastic Four.
- Action Comics #1 (June 1938) — First Superman / Clark Kent, whose in-universe birthday falls on June 18.
- Superman #1 (Summer 1939) — First solo Superman series; Clark Kent's most important comic after Action Comics #1.
- Brave and the Bold #28 (March 1960) — First Justice League of America; Julius Schwartz-edited tryout issue.
- Atom #1 (July 1962) — First solo Silver Age Atom; another Julius Schwartz revival of a Golden Age hero.
- Hawkman #1 (May 1964) — Julius Schwartz revived Hawkman; a key Silver Age DC book.
- Birds of Prey #1 (January 1999) — First Oracle and Black Canary series; Adriana Melo (born this date, 1976) later drew with distinction.
- Superman #75 (January 1993) — Death of Superman / Clark Kent; the most culturally impactful Superman issue of the modern era.
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