In 1996, comics return to its pre-1993 state.
Batman returns to a darker tone with Batman: Black and White (Volume 1) and, at the end of the year, Nightwing gets his own ongoing series, and Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Batman: The Long Halloween (Volume 1). Superman gets his own animated series alongside Batman: The Animated Series, and a new Supergirl is introduced: Linda Danvers, with Peter David's Supergirl (Volume 4). Diana is Wonder Woman again, and John Byrne introduces a new supporting cast, including the new Wonder Girl, Cassie Sandsmark. The team titles are revitalized. New Titans (Volume 1), struggling with sales for some time, is cancelled so Dan Jurgens can revamp it with Teen Titans (Volume 2). Grant Morrison writes the new JLA (Volume 1).
DC and Marvel work together with the ambitious crossover DC Versus Marvel and Amalgam Comics.
Creators
The following creative talent passed away in the year 1996:
- Alex Kotzky
- Bernard Baily
- Bo Brown
- Boody Rogers
- Cara Sherman Tereno
- Charles R. Rondeau
- Curt Swan
- H.L. Gold
- Jack Abel
- Jerry Siegel
- Joseph F. Biroc
- Malcolm Jones III
- Mark Gruenwald
- Mike Parobeck
- Paul Stubenrauch
Titles
The following comic titles debuted with a 1996 cover date:
- 100% True? (Volume 1)
- All Access (Volume 1)
- Allegra (Volume 1)
- Artemis: Requiem (Volume 1)
- Astro City (Volume 2)
- Aztek: The Ultimate Man (Volume 1)
- Backlash/Spider-Man (Volume 1)
- Batman/Grendel (Volume 1)
- Batman: Black and White (Volume 1)
- Batman: GCPD (Volume 1)
- Batman: Gordon's Law (Volume 1)
- Batman: The Long Halloween (Volume 1)
- Birds of Prey: Manhunt (Volume 1)
- Black Ops (Volume 1)
- Blood and Shadows (Volume 1)
- Blood: A Tale (Volume 1)
- Bloody Mary (Volume 1)
- Brass (Volume 1)
- Cyberella (Volume 1)
- DC Versus Marvel (Volume 1)
- DV8 (Volume 1)
- Death: The Time of Your Life (Volume 1)
- Deathblow/Wolverine (Volume 1)
- Eradicator (Volume 1)
- Essential Vertigo: Sandman (Volume 1)
- Essential Vertigo: Swamp Thing (Volume 1)
- Fire from Heaven (Volume 1)
- Firebrand (Volume 1)
- Flex Mentallo (Volume 1)
- Gen 13 Bootleg (Volume 1)
- Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes (Volume 1)
- Girl (Volume 1)
- Grifter (Volume 2)
- Grifter and the Mask (Volume 1)
- Grifter/Shi (Volume 1)
- Hazard (Volume 1)
- Heroes (Volume 1)
- Hitman (Volume 1)
- House of Secrets (Volume 2)
- Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare (Volume 1)
- Kingdom Come (Volume 1)
- League of Justice (Volume 1)
- Lobo: Death and Taxes (Volume 1)
- Man-Bat (Volume 2)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 3)
- Mythos: The Final Tour (Volume 1)
- Night Force (Volume 2)
- Nightwing (Volume 2)
- Nine Princes in Amber (Volume 1)
- Pinky and the Brain (Volume 1)
The following Comic titles were last published with a 1996 cover date:
- 100% True? (Volume 1)
- Allegra (Volume 1)
- Artemis: Requiem (Volume 1)
- Backlash/Spider-Man (Volume 1)
- Batman/Grendel (Volume 1)
- Batman: Black and White (Volume 1)
- Batman: GCPD (Volume 1)
- Birds of Prey: Manhunt (Volume 1)
- Black Lightning (Volume 2)
- Black Ops (Volume 1)
- Blood Syndicate (Volume 1)
- Blood and Shadows (Volume 1)
- Chiaroscuro: The Private Lives of Leonardo da Vinci (Volume 1)
- Cybernary (Volume 1)
- DC Versus Marvel (Volume 1)
- Damage (Volume 1)
- Darkstars (Volume 1)
- Death: The Time of Your Life (Volume 1)
- Deathblow (Volume 1)
- Deathstroke the Terminator (Volume 1)
- Direct Currents (Volume 1)
- Egypt (Volume 1)
- Eradicator (Volume 1)
- Extreme Justice (Volume 1)
- Fate (Volume 1)
- Fire from Heaven (Volume 1)
- Firebrand (Volume 1)
- Flex Mentallo (Volume 1)
- Gen 13: Ordinary Heroes (Volume 1)
- Girl (Volume 1)
- Goddess (Volume 1)
- Grifter (Volume 1)
- Grifter and the Mask (Volume 1)
- Grifter/Shi (Volume 1)
- Guy Gardner (Volume 1)
- Hawkman (Volume 3)
- Hazard (Volume 1)
- Heroes (Volume 1)
- Industrial Gothic (Volume 1)
- Judge Dredd (Volume 1)
- Justice League America (Volume 1)
- Justice League Task Force (Volume 1)
- Justice League: A Midsummer's Nightmare (Volume 1)
- Kingdom Come (Volume 1)
- League of Justice (Volume 1)
- Life, the Universe and Everything (Volume 1)
- Man-Bat (Volume 2)
- Millennium Fever (Volume 1)
- Mister Miracle (Volume 3)
- New Teen Titans (Volume 2)
The following One Shots were published with a 1996 cover date:
- Alpha Centurion Special #1
- Amazon #1
- Arsenal Special #1
- Assassins #1
- Azrael Plus Question #1
- Batman: Dark Allegiances
- Batman: Dark Knight Gallery #1
- Batman: Death of Innocents
- Batman: Demon
- Batman: Scar of the Bat
- Batman: Two-Face
- Big Bruisers #1
- Birds of Prey: Black Canary/Oracle #1
- Bruce Wayne, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #1
- Bullets and Bracelets #1
- DV8 Rave #1
- Detention Comics #1
- Dhampire: Stillborn #1
- Doctor Strangefate #1
- Gen 13 'Zine #1
Characters
Selected 1996 character debuts. See all.
- John Cooper Hawksmoor (Wildstorm Universe)
- Linda Danvers (New Earth)
- Cassandra Sandsmark (New Earth)
- Jennifer Sparks (Wildstorm Universe)
- Hershel Goldstein (Wildstorm Universe)
- Gaius Marcus (New Earth)
- Kaizen Gamorra (Wildstorm Universe)
- Alberto Falcone (New Earth)
- Jennifer Gold (Wildstorm Universe)
- Cody Driscoll (New Earth)
- Antonia Monetti (New Earth)
- Mister Mind (New Earth)
- Rose Tattoo (Wildstorm Universe)
- Isaiah Crockett (New Earth)
- Joshua Saunders (New Earth)
- Grayven (New Earth)
- Dana Dearden (New Earth)
- Audrey Spears (New Earth)
- Frederick von Frankenstein (New Earth)
- Hero Cruz (New Earth)
- Deborah Perkins (New Earth)
- The Poison Stamp Extortionist (New Earth)
- Amentep (New Earth)
- Uno (New Earth)
- Ernest Kelleher (New Earth)
- Lyle Bolton (New Earth)
- Belyllioth (New Earth)
- Burton Thompson (New Earth)
- Slizzath (New Earth)
- Yarrow (New Earth)
- Philbert Hoskins (New Earth)
- Know Man (New Earth)
- Jake Ketchum (New Earth)
- Wallace Johnson (New Earth)
- Helena Sandsmark (New Earth)
- Carla Falcone (New Earth)
- Dusk (New Earth)
- James Tilton (New Earth)
- William Pettit (New Earth)
- Chain Lightning (New Earth)
- Quentin Taylor (Wildstorm Universe)
- Mr. Truman (New Earth)
- Ringo Chen (New Earth)
- Dalkriig-Hath (New Earth)
- Nina Skorzeny (New Earth)
- Hardcore (New Earth)
- Susan Kent (New Earth)
- Misa (New Earth)
- Amanda Spence (New Earth)
- Perdoo (New Earth)
Teams
Selected 1996 team debuts. See all.
- Birds of Prey (New Earth)
- Legion of Doom (New Earth)
- Hellenders
- Helix Commission
- StormWatch Prime
- Event Horizon (New Earth)
- Scare Tactics (New Earth)
- Stormwatch Red
- StormWatch Black
- Shadow-Force (New Earth)
- Ravers
- Parliament of Worlds
- Graveyard Shift
- Parliament of Flames
- Speed Metal
- Cell Block
- Voodoo Crew (New Earth)
- InterC.E.P.T.
- Freaks (Wildstorm Universe)
- Red Shift
- Corpse Corps
- Parliament of Vapors
- Patty-Patty Bang-Bang (New Earth)