Witness History
Apr 2, 2025
In 1976, Jenette Kahn took on one of the biggest roles in comic books - publisher of DC Comics, home to superheroes like Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. She was only 28, and the first female boss.
Her first mission was to change the company name. For decades it had been known as National Periodical Publications but, with sales stalling, Jenette reverted back to the original name: DC Comics.
It wasn’t her only shake-up. The illustrator Milton Glaser created a new logo, and rules were brought in to make sure artists kept the rights to their own characters and ideas.
The changes worked, bringing in more comic titles, new characters and a wider readership. Jenette was later promoted to president of the company, and then editor-in-chief, eventually leaving in 2002.
By the time she left, the staff had grown from 35 people to 250, half of whom were women. Jenette tells her story to Jane Wilkinson.
With movie trailer excerpts from the Warner Brothers films: Superman (Dir: Richard Donner, 1978), Batman Forever (Dir: Joel Schumacher, 1995) and Wonder Woman (Dir: Patty Jenkins, 2017).
Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive. Witness History is for those fascinated by the past. We take you to the events that have shaped our world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes every day, we take you back in time and all over the world, to examine wars, coups, scientific discoveries, cultural moments and much more.
Recent episodes explore everything from football in Brazil, the history of the ‘Indian Titanic’ and the invention of air fryers, to Public Enemy’s Fight The Power, subway art and the political crisis in Georgia. We look at the lives of some of the most famous leaders, artists, scientists and personalities in history, including: visionary architect Antoni Gaudi and the design of the Sagrada Familia; Michael Jordan and his bespoke Nike trainers; Princess Diana at the Taj Mahal; and Görel Hanser, manager of legendary Swedish pop band Abba on the influence they’ve had on the music industry. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the time an Iraqi journalist hurled his shoes at the President of the United States in protest of America’s occupation of Iraq; the creation of the Hollywood commercial that changed advertising forever; and the ascent of the first Aboriginal MP.
(Photo: The DC Comics superheroes. Credit: ABC Photo Archives/Disney General Entertainment Content/Getty Images)
