What is the longest running comic book title?

**Kirk G** · 10-30-2007, 12:00 PM

Without spliting hairs or qualifing too much, what is the longest running monthly comic book? (I'm just curious...)

Would it be Fantastic Four? 550 issues and counting....

Action Comics?

Detective Comics?

Gold Key?

Spider-Man?

X-Men?

Please give your suggestions and rationale...

**Michael P** · 10-30-2007, 12:01 PM

Currently running? Either Action or Detective.

All-time? Dell Four Color.

**Jeff Brady** · 10-30-2007, 12:05 PM

Detective (1937) has been around longer. Action (1938) has more issues (it went weekly for a while in the early 90s).

Dell Four Color ran from '39 to '62, but has produced more than 1,000 issues.

**Slam_Bradley** · 10-30-2007, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by Michael P

Currently running? Either Action or Detective.

All-time? Dell Four Color.

Four Color had more issues, but started after both Action and Detective. Mulitiple issues of Four Color would come out in any given month.

**Cei-U!** · 10-30-2007, 12:27 PM

If by "longest" you mean calendar years, Detective Comics has been in continuous publication since January of 1937. Nothing else comes close. Even Action Comics was briefly suspended just before the Byrne reboot (plus its status as a weekly in the late '80s jacked up its numbering).

Cei-U!
That's the facts, Jack!

**Charles RB** · 10-30-2007, 12:30 PM

It's either going to be Detective Comics or The Dandy - I'm not sure what month in 1937 the Dandy started though, so probably Detective.

**king mob** · 10-30-2007, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by Charles RB

It's either going to be Detective Comics or The Dandy - I'm not sure what month in 1937 the Dandy started though, so probably Detective.

December 1937 was when the first issue of The Dandy was released. Wikipedia says Detective Comics started March 1937, so Detective Comics wins by nine months.

**Dizzy D** · 10-30-2007, 01:01 PM

If you go outside the U.S., Spirou magazine has been weekly since 1938 and is somewhere between issues 3500-4000 right now.

**SUPERECWFAN1** · 10-30-2007, 01:06 PM

Adventure Comics would have likely been where Detective is had DC not cancelled it in 1983. It was at 503 when they ended it.

**Nick Soapdish** · 10-30-2007, 02:08 PM

What about Archie Comics?

**Slam_Bradley** · 10-30-2007, 02:36 PM

Originally Posted by Nick Soapdish

What about Archie Comics?

Archie didn't appear until December '41. And that was in Pep Comics.

If you're looking at continuous publication, it's Detective...at least as far as American comics go.

**Magneto X** · 10-31-2007, 08:32 PM

What's the longest that is still running now?

**Jeff Brady** · 10-31-2007, 09:09 PM

Originally Posted by Magneto X

What's the longest that is still running now?

Detective Comics.

**Green Lantern wannabe** · 10-31-2007, 10:38 PM

Google can be your friend. Type in "longest running comic title" and you can get the following:

In March 1937, Detective Comics #1 came out. This comic was the first true DC comic book. This issue was the first production of two companies that formed the DC company. Comic producer Major Malcolm Wheeler wasn't making much money with his comic books (New Fun being one of them). So Wheeler collaborated with his printer/distributor Harry Donenfeld to produce this book. By 1938, Donenfeld bought out Wheeler's books to become the sole owner. DC is the longest running comic book title ever. This is due to another character who took over the title some time later...

Batman, of course, is the character that would give Detective Comics that honor. But it's not the longest running comic - that honor belongs to someone else. I googled "longest running comic" and got the following:

THE LONGEST RUNNING COMIC STRIP
THE LONGEST LIST OF THE LONGEST STUFF AT THE LONGEST DOMAIN NAME AT LONG LAST

What is the longest running comic strip in the world?

The Katzenjammer Kids starring Hans and Fritz made it's debut December 12 1887 in the American Humorist, a part of the New York Journal. It is running still, being published in over 50 newspapers world wide.

Fascinating! You learn something new every day.