Get ready, because the story of how than DC's humble beginnings.

Many fans may know that the publisher takes its so that DC Comics could run. But what was National Allied Publications and how did an assassination attempt change comic book history as the world knew it?

National Allied's Founder Near Dearly Died After Criticizing the Military

How a Close Call Changed Comic Books Forever

Years before National Allied Publications ever existed, its founder, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson served in the United States Calvary. Wheeler-Nicholson was a hard-working and devoted soldier and, for his time, even became one of the youngest majors to serve. But even though he was heavily involved in missions from to Siberia, Wheeler-Nicholson wasn't afraid to criticize the institution. He was a writer and penned an open letter to President Warren G. Harding, made accusations against superior officers, and even brought a lawsuit against West Point Superintendent Fred Winchester Sladen.

The Major was shot by a guard who claimed he mistook Wheeler-Nicholson for an intruder.

Wheeler-Nicholson was court-martialed for his open letter, but that was nothing compared to what happened next. In early 1922, Wheeler-Nicholson was the victim of a shooting while he was sleeping in his quarters at Fort Dix. The Major was shot by a guard who claimed he mistook Wheeler-Nicholson for an intruder. Wheeler-Nicholson's family, on the other hand, claimed it was a sanctioned assassination attempt, due to the Army fearing what the Major could expose due to his time as an intelligence officer. Wheeler-Nicholson survived, but his court-martial proceeded and he was convicted, leading to the Major reg in 1923.

With his military career over, Wheeler-Nicholson continued writing, mostly non-fictional military s and westerns. However, he noted the emergence of comic books in the mid ‘30s and decided to pursue that as a career path. Wheeler-Nicholson founded a new comic book publishing company, National Allied Publications. Rather than repackage old, syndicated comic strips like other comic books were doing, Wheeler-Nicholson’s series, New Fun, became the first comic book to contain all-original material. Unfortunately, Wheeler-Nicholson publications faced market difficulties, leading to him incurring a number of debts to stay afloat.

Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson also created Adventure Comics.

How Circumstances Transformed National Allied Publications into DC Comics

And How the Major Created, and Was Forced Out, of DC Comics

Times got hard for Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson fast. Books featuring untested material were a hard sell to readers and, in addition to poor sales, he quickly began accruing debts that caused financial backers to drop him. With no other option, Wheeler-Nicholson turned to publisher Independent News Company, where he started working with Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz. Donenfeld had previously worked as a producer of pornographic pulp stories before Liebowitz convinced Donenfeld to turn to legitimate publishing. And their meeting with Wheeler-Nicholson would lead to their greatest success, but the Major’s ultimate downfall.

Wheeler-Nicholson approached Donenfeld and Liebowitz to finance his comics, and the businessmen agreed. However, Wheeler-Nicholson was told that his next title, Detective Comics, could only be published under a new company, Detective Comics Incorporated. It wasn’t uncommon for new companies to be founded alongside new titles, but this came at a heavy loss to Wheeler-Nicholson. The former military man was forced to take on Donenfeld and Liebowitz as business partners at Detective Comics Inc., as well as hand over the rights to the stories.

Before Batman even made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27, Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson was forced out of his company. In 1938, Harry Donenfeld sued Wheeler-Nicholson for nonpayment while the latter was on vacation, plunging Detective Comics Inc. into bankruptcy and allowing Donenfeld and Liebowitz to buy all the assets. They also bought up what was left of National Allied Publications, giving Wheeler-Nicholson only a percentage of his title More Fun Comics. Liebowitz and Donenfeld found great success with Action Comics and Detective Comics, while Wheeler-Nicholson quietly returned to writing war stories.

It Was Tragedy After Tragedy For the Man Who Built DC Comics' Foundation

And It All Started With Speaking Truth to Power

It's honestly amazing how much drama there was in the early days of one of the biggest institutions of comics, but unfortunately, it's not surprising. Comics were an incredibly cutthroat business in the early days and history is littered with horror stories of people who, for lack of a better word, were screwed out of what was theirs. It happened to Bill Finger. It happened to Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. It even happened to the King of Comics, Jack Kirby. But while those stories are awful in their own right, what happened to DC Comics’ forerunner is especially awful.

...DC Comics wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson.

It's especially shocking to think that this entire story all got back to Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's military career and his willingness to criticize those in power. The public may never know if Wheeler-Nicholson was actually targeted for his open letter to the President. But the shot that nearly took his life changed the Major's life forever and put him on the path that ultimately led him to meet Harry Donenfeld and Jack Liebowitz, leading to the creation of DC Comics. It’s just a shame that Wheeler-Nicholson’s troubles simply couldn’t have ended with his near-death experience in the Army.

History can't be changed, but it's important to recognize the events that shaped the world that exists today. Today, DC Comics stands out as one of the biggest and most influential superhero story publishers on the market. But DC Comics wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson. It was his experiences that helped usher in DC Comics and, while nothing can change the awful treatment he lived through, everyone can look back and at least acknowledge his contributions to comic history.