Created in 1955

1955 closes the Golden Age on a strange and wonderful note: a super-dog and a shape-shifting alien sidekick arrive just before the Silver Age dawns. This page lists the 1955 creations entering the U.S. public domain in 2051 — and any already there.

Entering the Public Domain in 2051 (Created in 1955)

Krypto
Krypto, created by Otto Binder and Curt Swan, debuted in Adventure Comics #210,in March 1955. Krypto will enter the public domain on January 1, 2051.

Martian Manhunter
Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz), created by Joseph Samachson and Joe Certa, debuted in Detective Comics #225 in November 1955. Martian Manhunter will enter the public domain on January 1, 2051.

Already in the Public Domain (Created in 1955)

None at this time.

1955: Context & Fun Facts

• Krypto represents the last gasp of Golden Age whimsy.
  A superpowered dog from Krypton is exactly the kind of earnest, big-hearted weirdness that made early DC so distinctive.
• Martian Manhunter quietly becomes DC’s first true sci-fi superhero.
  Debuting undercover and out of place, J’onn J’onzz introduces themes of aliens, identity, and cosmic storytelling that will define the Silver Age.
• Both characters foreshadow comics’ shift toward broader, bolder world-building.
  You can feel the medium stretching — from small-scale mysteries and masked crime-fighters to the cosmic, the extraterrestrial, and the mythic.