DC Universe

After the enormous success of Superman's introduction in 1938, DC Comics quickly introduced a plethora of four-coloured costumed adventurers, and a clubhouse for them to play in. The DC universe became a surreal theatre of imagination where superheroes faced cunning conundrums and challenges, testing both wits and fists. A colourful cocktail of pulp elements with characterisation reduced to visual iconography. The DC stable of characters has had an enduring relationship with the moving image. In animation DC have often taken the high road garnering a number of industry awards. The budgetary restraints of television have led to a number of tongue-in-cheek interpretations which are now fondly remembered by cult afficionadoes. And DC's big two (Superman and Batman) are never far away from cinematic glory, rebooted and reimagined for each generation. Pictured: Christopher Reeve delivers the quintessential "man of steel" in "Superman - The Movie" (1978).