DC ANIMATION
From Screen to Page
A wealth of incredible cartoons have brought the characters at DC Comics to life over the years. And while these cartoon tales adapted many elements from the four-color source material, the same animated adventures also added new elements and names to the DC Comics lexicon (and to DC Comics continuity itself!). Personalities, designs, origins, etc., have been born from the assorted animated adaptations featuring DC Comics’ finest, some of which have had major impacts on pop culture (does the name “Harley Quinn” ring a bell?). Unfortunately, there’s also plenty of jumps that flew well under the radar. Continue below for a near-complete list below of some of the most notable characters to jump off of the animated screen and into the four-color page!
Please note this list is for “in-continuity/” “in-canon” appearances in DC Comics, with exception, and does not count appearances in the animated tie-in titles (ie: The Batman Adventures, and so on, etc.) published by DC Comics to support their respective animated programs.
Red Claw
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “The Cat and The Claw, Part 1,” September 5, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Catwoman #43 – May 2022
Nora Fries
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Heart of Ice,” September 7, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman: Mr. Freeze – May 1997
Summer Gleeson
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Heart of Ice,” September 7, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: “Batman: No Man’s Land Secret Files” #1 – December 1999
Harley Quinn
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Joker’s Favor” – September 11, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman: Harley Quinn #1 – October 1999
Renee Montoya
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Joker’s Favor” – September 11, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman #475 – March 1992
Temple Fugate
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “The Clock King,” September 21, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Teen Titans #56 – April 2008
Sewer King
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “The Underdwellers,” October 21, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: 52 #25 – October 2006
The Gray Ghost
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Beware The Gray Ghost,” November 4, 1992
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Gray Ghost (costumed persona) – Batgirl #9 – April 2010
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Simon Trent/Gray Ghost – Gotham Academy – January 2015
Veronica Vreeland
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Birds of a Feather,” February 8, 1993
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: DC’s Beach Blanket Bad Guys Summer Special #1 – July 2018
The Phantasm/Andrea Beaumont
First animated appearance: “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” – December 25, 1993
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman/Catwoman #1 – December 2020
Roxy Rocket
First animated continuity appearance (comic): The Batman Adventures Annual #1 – September 1994
First animated continuity appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “The Ultimate Thrill” – September 14, 1998
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Detective Comics #822 – October 2006
Baby-Doll
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Baby-Doll,” September 10, 1994
First DC Comics appearance: Batman: White Knight #2 – January 2018
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Harley Quinn 30th Anniversary Special #1 – September 2022
Lock-Up
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Lock-Up” – November 19, 1994
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (cameo): Robin #24 – January 1996
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (full): Detective Comics #694 – February 1996
Condiment King
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series “Make ‘Em Laugh,” November 5, 1995
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Birds of Prey #37 – November 2001
Mercy Graves
First animated appearance: Superman: The Animated Series “A Little Piece of Home,” September 14, 1996
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Detective Comics #735 – August 1999
Livewire
First animated appearance: Superman: The Animated Series “Livewire” – September 13, 1997
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Action Comics #835 – March 2006
Farmer Brown
First animated appearance: Batman: The Animated Series – “Critters,” September 19, 1998
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: “Batman: Streets of Gotham” #4 – November, 2009
Volcana
First animated appearance: Superman: The Animated Series “Where There’s Smoke” – September 19, 1998
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Superman 80-Page Giant – May 2010
First animated appearance: Batman Beyond “Rebirth, Part 1” – January 10, 1999
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (cameo, alternate version): Superman/Batman #22 – October 2005
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (full, alternate version): Superman/Batman Annual #4 – August 2010
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (official): The New 52: Futures End #1 – May 2014
Inque
First animated appearance: Batman Beyond “Black Out” – January 30, 1999
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman Beyond #8 – October 2011
Ebon
First animated appearance: Static Shock “The Breed,” October 10, 2000
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Static: Shadows of Dakota #1 – February 2023
Warhawk
First animated appearance: Batman Beyond “The Call, Part I,” November 11, 2000
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Batman Beyond #9 – February 2016
The Imperium
First animated appearance: Justice League “Secret Origins, Part 1” – November 17, 2001
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Wonder Woman #793 – November 2022
Anansi
First animated appearance: Static Shock “Static in Africa” – February 8, 2003
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Static Shock Team-Up: Anansi #1 – June 2023
Cinderblock
First animated appearance: Teen Titans “Divide and Conquer” – August 2, 2003
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Titans #17 – November 2009
Red X
First animated appearance: Teen Titans “Masks” – September 20, 2003
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Future State: Teen Titans #1 – January 2021
Más y Menos
First animated appearance: Teen Titans “Titans East, Part 1” – January 15, 2005
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Teen Titans #38 – September 2006
Devil Ray
First animated appearance: Justice League Unlimited “I Am Legion,” September 17, 2005
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Black Manta #1 – November, 2021
The Music Meister
First animated appearance: Batman: The Brave and the Bold “Mayhem of the Music Meister!” – October 23, 2009
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: DC Pride 2022 #1 – June 2022
Kaldur’ahm (Aqualad)
First animated appearance: Young Justice “Independence Day” – November 26, 2010
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Brightest Day #4 – August 2010
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance (revamped): DC Rebirth #1 – May 2016
The Light
First animated appearance: Young Justice “Fireworks” – November 26, 2010
First DC Comics in-continuity appearance: Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths #7 – December 2022
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