I thought it might be interesting to put together a list of features that started in the back pages of a title, and graduated to the lead slot, or the lead slot in another title. I'll add to the list any suggestions.
I'm counting features as eligible if they were cover-featured on their first appearance, but not regularly from their debut. For example, Black Canary was cover-featured on Flash Comics #92, when her solo feature debuted, but not thereafter.
AQUAMAN: from More Fun Comics; moved to Adventure Comics; member of JLA; try-out in Showcase; other slot moved to Detective Comics; also in Aquaman; other slot moved to World's Finest Comics; slot ended; TV cartoon; title cancelled
member of Super Friends; feature resumed in Adventure Comics, moved to Aquaman; also in DC Special Series #1, DC Special #28; title cancelled in DC Implosion
feature continued in Adventure Comics, World's Finest Comics, Adventure Comics, Action Comics; then went on hiatus until Crisis, when Aquaman became a starring character again starting with mini Aquaman
AMBUSH BUG: first as antagonist in DC Comics Presents and Supergirl; stories in Action Comics #560, #563, #565 (cover-featured each time, making him a marginal case); co-starred in DC Comics Presents #81; mini Ambush Bug; special Ambush Bug Stocking Stuffer, mini Son of Ambush Bug; featured in Secret Origins; more recently mini Ambush Bug: Year None
ARCHIE: from Pep Comics; also as star in Archie Comics; subsequently co-cover-featured then cover-featured on Pep Comics; the title's superhero features were gradually dropped in favour of humour ones; last to go was the Shield, by which point the line was a humour line badged with Archie's name
ARION, LORD OF ATLANTIS: from Warlord: starred in Arion, Lord of Atlantis; Arion, Lord of Atlantis Special; Arion the Immortal
BATGIRL (Barbara Gordon): initially in Batman stories; solo stories in Detective Comics; then went on hiatus
co-featured in Batman Family; feature then continued in Detective Comics; then went on hiatus until after Crisis
featured in Secret Origins, Batgirl Special prior to Batman: The Killing Joke
subsequent history as Oracle, incl. co-star in Birds of Prey minis, specials, ongoing; has recently resumed Batgirl role; cartoon version appeared in one-shot The Batgirl Adventures
THE BARREN EARTH: from Warlord; the story continued in the mini Conqueror of the Barren Earth
BERT AND SUE: from Super-Mystery Comics; quickly moved onto the covers and lost them to "The Unknown"
BLACK CANARY: first in "Johnny Thunder" in Flash Comics; co-featured with Johnny in the slot; solo featured there and in Comic Cavalcade; member of JSA; feature ended with Flash Comics
in Silver Age in team-ups with Starman in The Brave and the Bold
subsequently member of JLA; supporting character in Green Lantern/Green Arrow stories in Green Lantern and The Flash; solo two-parter in Adventure Comics #418-#419; supporting character and co-featured with GA in Action Comics; supporting character in second GL/GA period in Green Lantern; solo instalment of Calculator serial; solo stories and co-featured with GA in World's Finest Comics; origin story in DC Special Series #10
post-Crisis, supporting character in GA's titles; solo stories in Action Comics Weekly; featured in Secret Origins; Golden Age version featured in Justice Society of America #2 (1991); modern version in mini Black Canary and ongoing Black Canary in 1990s; subsequently co-starred in Birds of Prey minis, specials, ongoing
BLUE BEETLE (Charlton, Ted Kord): preceded by the scarab-powered version; from Captain Atom; starred in Blue Beetle (1967 series); an unpublished story was run in a CPL fanzine; team-up with the Question in Charlton Bullseye #1; used by AC; bought by DC, featured in Blue Beetle (1986 series)
BOY COMMANDOS: from Detective Comics; while appearing there starred in Boy Commandos; also in World's Finest Comics
BROTHERS OF THE SPEAR: long-running back-up strip from Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan, both Dell and Western issues; reprints after #161 except for #202-#203; given Brothers of the Spear, with new stories, when Western lost the Tarzan franchise to DC
BUZZY: from All Funny Comics; promoted to Buzzy
CANDY: from Police Comics; starred in Candy
CAPTAIN VENTURE: from Space Family Robinson; original story in Captain Venture and the Land Beneath the Sea #2 (#1 had reprints)
CAVE GIRL: from Thun'da, King of the Congo; starred in Cave Girl, one-shot Africa
CONGO BILL: from More Fun Comics; moved to Action Comics; also starred in Congo Bill in 1954-55; became Congorilla; moved to Adventure Comics
1990s minis Congorilla, Congo Bill; more recently one-shot Starman / Congorilla
DAN BRAND AND TIPI (WHITE INDIAN): from Charles Starrett as the Durango Kid; featured in White Indian - the earlier issues were all-reprint but the GCD doesn't record the stories in the last couple as having appeared before
DREADSTAR: character introduced in serial "Metamorphoses Odyssey" in Epic Illustrated; featured in Marvel Graphic Novel #3, then starred in Dreadstar (Marvel, First) (Syzygy Darklock was introduced in a starring role in the one-shot The Price [Eclipse])
DOCTOR FATE: from More Fun Comics; also in All-Star Comics #3; member of JSA; displaced the Spectre from the covers of More Fun Comics and lost them to Green Arrow; in Silver Age as member of the JSA and team-ups with Hourman in Showcase; Bronze Age 1st Issue Special #9; origin story in DC Special Series #10; supporting feature in The Flash
DOCTOR GRAVES: from Ghostly Tales; starred as host and story character in The Many Ghost of Doctor Graves
DOCTOR SPEKTOR: first appeared Mystery Comics Digest #5; feature appeared again #10-#12; The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor started during the run; also as host Dr. Spektor Presents Spine-Tingling Tales; also Gold Key Spotlight #8
DOCTOR STRANGE: from Strange Tales; started in back pages but later treated as co-feature; starred in Doctor Strange; title cancelled; member of the Defenders, solo back-up story in Marvel Feature #1; feature revived in Marvel Premiere, moved to Doctor Strange
DOMINIC FORTUNE: variation on the Scorpion, from The Scorpion (Atlas/Seaboard); in Marvel Preview #2, Marvel Super Action #1; supporting series in Hulk magazine; featured in Marvel Premiere #56; subsequently used as supporting character (Marvel Team-Up #120 etc.); more recently mini Sable & Fortune with contemporary Fortune; orig. version in digital comic Astonishing Tales: Dominic Fortune, mini Dominic Fortune
DOVER AND CLOVER: from More Fun Comics;(1) they also appeared in All Funny Comics and were once cover-featured there; the twins and Superboy between them squeezed Green Arrow off the covers of More Fun Comics; the twins alternated on the covers with Genius Jones after Superboy etc. moved to Adventure Comics, lost covers to "Jimminy and the Magic Book"
DYNAMO: from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents; starred simultaneously in Dynamo (a marginal case as he appeared on many T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents covers, often as the dominant figure, including the first six; however many of these were ensemble covers: he was solo featured on #2, #4, #10, #16, #18)
ELONGATED MAN: initially supporting character in The Flash; solo stories in Detective Comics, The Flash, then in Detective Comics off and on; member of JLA; solo instalment of Calculator serial; solo stories in Adventure Comics #459, Detective Comics #488, Justice League of America #182, Detective Comics #500; featured in Secret Origins; starred in mini Elongated Man in 1990s
ENEMY ACE: initially in Our Army at War (cover-teased first appearance); starred in Showcase; then as lead feature in Star Spangled War Stories; subsequently appeared in Star Spangled War Stories, Men of War, Unknown Soldier as supporting feature sometimes co-cover-featured
THE FABULOUS WORLD OF KRYPTON; from Superman; arguably gave rise to two minis pre-Crisis, World of Krypton (1979) and Krypton Chronicles (World of Krypton starred Jor-El, but sometimes "The Fabulous World of Krypton" did too); another World of Krypton mini appeared post-Crisis
FAT AND SLAT: at DC, short items (one or two pages) in many AA issues and featured in Ed Wheelan's Joke Book (all short items); at EC short items (one to four pages) in several EC titles and featured in Fat and Slat (short items and a handful of longer stories)
FIREHAIR (Fiction House): starred in Rangers Comics, her feature was placed in the lead slot of Rangers Comics from its start but she didn't begin to appear on the covers for awhile; Firehair Comics was a reprint title, but she subsequently also starred in Pioneer West Romances and Firehair, which continued its numbering
FLIPPITY AND FLOP: from cartoons; in Real Screen Funnies/Real Screen Comics/TV Screen Cartoons; starred during run in Flippity & Flop; also stories in Comic Cavalcade, The Fox and the Crow
GENIUS JONES: from Adventure Comics: also in All Funny Comics, where he was thrice cover-featured; alternated with Dover and Clover on the covers of More Fun Comics after he was moved there from Adventure Comics, lost covers to "Jimminy and the Magic Book"
GHOST GALLERY: long-running feature in Jumbo Comics; displaced Sheena from the covers the title's last year; also story in Ghost Comics #7
GINGER: from Zip Comics; on a few ensemble covers early on; resumed in Suzie Comics; also in Ginger; other titles
THE GHOST RIDER (ME): from Tim Holt/Red Mask (makeover of Tim Holt's "The Calico Kid"); solo cover-featured #17; featured in The Ghost Rider; also co-cover-featured on Best of the West; also stories in other titles
GOLDEN ARROW: from Whiz Comics; while appearing there starred intermittently in Golden Arrow/Golden Arrow Western; also stories in other titles
GREEN ARROW (original version): from More Fun Comics; also Leading Comics (as part of the SevenSoV) and World's Finest Comics; displaced Dr Fate from the covers of More Fun Comics and lost them to Dover and Clover and Superboy; moved (with Superboy etc.) to Adventure Comics; member of JLA; lost Adventure Comics slot but continued in World's Finest Comics to start of 1964 (for later history see appendix)
GRIMJACK: from Starslayer (First)(2); promoted to Grimjack; graphic novel Demon Knight; further First appearances; more recently mini Grimjack: Killer Instinct (IDW) and webcomic/mini Grimjack: Manx Cat (Comicmix/IDW)
GROO THE WANDERER: appeared in Destroyer Duck #1 (Eclipse), Starslayer #5 (Pacific) prior to first series, Groo the Wanderer (Pacific)
GYRO GEARLOOSE: introduced in Donald Duck stories; supporting series in Uncle Scrooge (Dell); featured in issues of Four Color; further Dell one-shot Gyro Gearloose in 1962; also stories in other titles
THE HEAP: initially antagonist in "SkyWolf" in Air Fighters Comics/Airboy Comics; given supporting feature in Airboy Comics; often cover-featured in Airboy Comics from v.9 #3 (#98)
HERBIE: irregularly in Forbidden Worlds; cover-featured last two appearances there; starred in Herbie
HOPALONG CASSIDY: from books and movies; in Master Comics, tried during run in one-shot Hopalong Cassidy; subsequently Hopalong Cassidy resumed appearing as an ongoing; the feature was briefly restored to Master Comics; slot moved to Real Western Hero/Western Hero (cover-featured before title change, alternating issues after); slot moved to Six-Gun Heroes (cover-featured #1-#3); when Fawcett stopped publishing comics Hopalong Cassidy was continued by DC; Fawcett also published Bill Boyd stories in Western Hero and Bill Boyd Western
HOWARD THE DUCK: supporting character in Man-Thing story in Fear #19/Man-Thing #1; appeared in back-up stories in Giant-Size Man-Thing #4-#5; starred in Howard the Duck, Marvel Treasury Edition #12, Howard the Duck magazine; also appeared in Crazy Magazine; also newspaper strip; also movie adaptation and brief revival of comic 1980s
IBIS THE INVINCIBLE: from Whiz Comics; while appearing there starred in Ibis; further stories in other titles
THE INHUMANS: first appeared as supporting characters in Fantastic Four; starred in back-ups in Thor; co-feature, then solo feature, in Amazing Adventures; subsequently in The Inhumans
JET DREAM: from The Man from U.N.C.L.E.; one-shot during run Jet Dream
JOHNNY PERIL: from Comic Cavalcade (first in #22, but the "Johnny Peril" feature succeeded "Just a Story", and the reprint of the "Just a Story" instalment from #19 in Justice League of America #116 identified its unnamed protagonist with Peril); also in All-Star Comics; next Danger Trail #5, Sensation Comics, Sensation Mystery where cover-featured from #112
in Silver Age in The Unexpected where cover-featured #106-#108, #112, #117
in Bronze Age in The Unexpected where featured #200, #205-#213 and cover-featured up to #208
J'ONN J'ONZZ: from Detective Comics (titled "John Jones Manhunter from Mars"); moved to House of Mystery as lead feature (retitled "J'onn J'onzz Manhunter from Mars"); lost covers to non-series stories and "Dial H for Hero"
KATY KEENE: from Wilbur Comics; also Laugh Comics, Pep Comics/Pep, Suzie Comics, other titles; starred in Katy Keene, Katy Keene Annual, Katy Keen Pinup Parade, Katy Keene Fashion Book Magazine (two series), other Katy Keene titles
in 1980s new stories in Katy Keene Special (opening issues all-reprint), Katy Keene, other titles
more recently stories in Archie & Friends, trade paperback Katy Keene Model Behaviour vol. 1
LANCE O'CASEY: from Whiz Comics; feature dropped from Whiz Comics; revived in Lance O'Casey; after title ended feature resumed in Whiz Comics; further stories in other titles
THE LAST OF THE VIKING HEROES: in Silver Star #1, #5-#6 (Pacific) prior to The Last of the Viking Heroes and The Last of the Viking Heroes Summer Special (Genesis West)
THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES: initially supporting characters in Superboy, Superman and Supergirl stories; given a feature in Adventure Comics #300; cover-featured on that issue and occasionally over the next year, but only became the regular cover feature from #311 (there were two more covers for Superboy stories, on #315 and #327); moved to the back of Action Comics to make way for Supergirl; in the 1970s introduced into Superboy; soon co-featured; title became Superboy & the Legion of Super-Heroes; title became Legion of Super-Heroes, Superboy's feature continued elsewhere
LI'L JINX: from Pep Comics; longtime a staple filler feature in Archie titles; starred in Li'l Jinx, issues of Archie Giant Series Magazine, Li'l Jinx Giant Laughout
LOIS LANE: back-up series "Lois Lane Girl Reporter" in Superman in 1944-46; featured in Showcase; starred in Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane; afterwards in The Superman Family, back-ups in The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl; mini post-Crisis
MICHAEL MAUSER: supporting character in E-Man; back-up features in Vengeance Squad, Charlton Bullseye #6, E-Man #4, #23 (First), E-Man #1 (Comico), Noir #2; featured in the mini The P.I.'s: Michael Mauser and Ms. Tree and the one-shots The New Crime Files of Michael Mauser, Private Eye and Mike Mauser Files; unpublished story Charlton Spotlight #6 (Argo Press)
NOMAN: from T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents; starred simultaneously in NoMan (like Dynamo, often on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents covers in ensembles; solo featured on #7, #9, #15, #17)
NUTSY SQUIRREL: from Funny Folks/Hollywood Funny Folks/Nutsy Squirrel; after a couple of earlier cover appearances cover-featured from #9; also in Comic Cavalcade, where he often appeared on ensemble covers; also stories in Animal Antics/Movietown's Animal Antics, Peter Porkchops, The Dodo and the Frog; also 1980s Funny Stuff Stocking Stuffer #1 incl. on ensemble cover
OSS: from G.I. Combat, featured in Showcase #104; also appeared in DC Special Series #22
PENNILESS PALMER: from Star Spangled Comics; also All Funny Comics, where he was irregularly cover-featured up to #8 and regularly from #10-#19
THE PEACEMAKER: from Fightin' Five; starred in The Peacemaker (which replaced Fightin' Five, so "Fightin' Five" became the back-up feature)
PHANTOM LADY: at Quality, in Police Comics (and crossover with the Spider Widow in Feature Comics); at Fox, starred in Phantom Lady; also stories in All Top Comics; at Farrell, starred in Phantom Lady
PLASTIC MAN: from Police Comics; part of the debut line-up, quickly won covers from Firebrand; also starred in Plastic Man; continued in that title after a new line-up displaced the existing features from Police Comics
POW-WOW SMITH: from Detective Comics; moved to Western Comics as lead feature (displacing the Wyoming Kid from the covers); lost covers to Matt Savage, Trail Boss
POWERHOUSE PEPPER: from Joker Comics; starred in Powerhouse Pepper Comics; also in other titles
THE QUESTION: from Blue Beetle (Charlton); starred in Mysterious Suspense #1; an original story with art by Alex Toth appeared in a CPL fanzine; a team-up with the Blue Beetle appeared in Charlton Bullseye #1; used by AC; bought by DC, starred in The Question
PICTURE STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY: from DC (AA) titles; the source of Picture Stories from American History (EC), which reprinted instalments and apparently added new ones
PICTURE STORIES FROM HISTORY: from DC (AA) titles; apparently the source of Picture Stories from World History (EC), but I don't know if the issues reprinted any DC (AA) instalments
THE RACCOON KIDS: from Animal Antics/Movietown's Animal Antics/The Raccoon Kids; first cover-featured #3, featured most issues from #6; also in Comic Cavalcade, where they often appeared on ensemble covers; also 1980s Funny Stuff Stocking Stuffer #1 incl. on ensemble cover
RADAR: from Master Comics, cover-featured on debut in #50; co-cover-featured a few times thereafter; starred in Comics Novel #1
RED HAWK: from Straight Arrow, Bobby Benson's B-Bar-B Riders; one-shot Red Hawk #11; also in Best of the West #12
RED TORNADO (android version); introduced in Justice League of America; member of JSA, afterwards JLA; solo stories in World's Finest Comics; starred in mini Red Tornado in 1980s; another mini Red Tornado more recently
THE ROCKETEER: from Starslayer (Pacific); then co-feature in Pacific Presents; then The Rocketeer Special Edition #1; then The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine (Comico); then The Rocketeer Adventure Magazine (Eclipse); recently comics from IDW
SCRIBBLY: first appeared in Dell's Popular Comics and The Funnies; continued at DC in All-American Comics; Red Tornado introduced into feature and quickly co-billed; feature also appears in Comic Cavalcade and The Big All-American Comic Book; feature ended in 1944; revived in 1948, without the Red Tornado, in Scribbly; Red Tornado also in framing pages in All-Star Comics #3
SHEENA, QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE: from Wags; pages reused in Jumbo Comics; the reprints gave way to new stories; Sheena became the regular cover star; also in Sheena, Queen of the Jungle; also re-dialogued reprints other titles
SPY SMASHER: from Whiz Comics; while appearing there starred in Spy Smasher; also in America's Greatest Comics; also stories in other titles; remodelled post-war into Crime Smasher; a year after the feature ended appeared in one issue of Crime Smasher
STANLEY AND HIS MONSTER: from The Fox and the Crow; placed first inside from debut but at first only featured in subordinate boxes on covers; soon co-cover-featured then solo cover-featured; title renamed Stanley and His Monster and "The Fox and the Crow" dropped; mini Stanley and His Monster 1990s
STREAK THE WONDER DOG: the Golden Age Green Lantern's dog; introduced in Green Lantern #30 (cover-shown with GL); solo stories in Green Lantern #34-#38 and Sensation Comics #91-#93; included here because he alternated with GL on the covers of Green Lantern from #34; probably the model for Rex the Wonder Dog but they were both preceded by Rang-A-Tang in Blue Ribbon Comics
THE SUB-MARINER: from Marvel Comics/Marvel Mystery Comics; first cover-featured on #4; next appeared fighting the Torch on #9; further solo covers after that or appeared with the Torch, but the Torch starred more usually; in ensemble covers on a couple of late issues
subordinate co-feature on early issues of The Human Torch; starred in Sub-Mariner Comics; also used as Human Torch antagonist; stories in many Golden Age Marvel titles; in ensemble covers on All-Winners Comics, All Select Comics; also with the Torch (and Toro) on Daring Comics; member of All-Winners Squad
1950s stories in Young Men, The Human Torch, Men's Adventures; starred in Sub-Mariner Comics
Silver Age revived as antagonist; co-feature in Tales to Astonish; starred in Sub-Mariner
Bronze Age member of Defenders; Sub-Mariner cancelled; starred in Giant-Size Super-Villain Team-Up/Super-Villain Team-Up; member of Invaders; starred in Marvel Spotlight #27; mini Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner; story in Marvel Fanfare; member of Avengers
SUPERBOY: from More Fun Comics; debuted in #101, not cover-featured until #104, first solo cover-featured #105, became the regular cover hero when the slate moved across to Adventure Comics; subsequently also starred in Superboy
SUPERGIRL: from Action Comics; sometimes cover-featured (but with some version of Superman in the image somewhere); moved to Adventure Comics as lead feature; moved to Supergirl; then to The Superman Family; then The Daring New Adventures of Supergirl/Supergirl
SUPERMAN: THE IN-BETWEEN YEARS: from Superman, gave rise to the mini Superman: The Secret Years
SUPERSNIPE: in Shadow Comics, Army and Navy Comics and Doc Savage Comics prior to starring in Supersnipe Comics; one story each in Shadow Comics and Super-Magician Comics after the title started
SUZIE: from Top-Notch Laugh Comics/Laugh Comix/Suzie Comics; regularly on ensemble covers early on, including on her debut issue, so she's another very marginal case; cover-featured from #44; also Pep Comics, Laugh Comics, other titles
TALES OF ASGARD: from Journey into Mystery/Thor; assimilated into main feature and assimilated main feature; Warriors Three story Marvel Spotlight #30; ToA revived Thor #252-#253; revived again early 80s; Marvel Fanfare #13; Marvel Graphic Novel #15 - Raven Banner: A Tale of Asgard; revived again late 80s-early 90s; boyhood of Thor phase arguably model for Thor: Son of Asgard; also note the 1980s mini Balder the Brave, and such Thor stories as the new story in Journey into Mystery Annual #1, the lead story in Bizarre Adventures #32 etc.
TALES OF THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS: DC Explosion feature in Green Lantern #107; inventory instalments used in #130-#132; name used for mini Tales of the Green Lantern Corps; back-up feature in Green Lantern from #148; name used for Tales of the Green Lantern Corps Annual #1; Green Lantern retitled The Green Lantern Corps (first on covers, later in indicia); "Tales"-style stories in The Green Lantern Corps Annual #2, Green Lantern Annual #3, Green Lantern Corps Quarterly
T-MAN: from Police Comics, first as "Treasury Agent Trask", then "T-Man Trask", and finally "T-Man"; starred in T-Man
TOMAHAWK: from Star Spangled Comics; also appeared in World's Finest Comics; displaced Robin(3) from the covers of Star Spangled Comics and lost them to Dr 13, Ghost Breaker; also starred in Tomahawk; Tomahawk long outlasted the feature's other slots; the title taken over by "Son of Tomahawk" for its last year and a half
TOMMY TOMORROW: proto-episodes in Real Fact Comics (twice co-cover featured, including the first instalment); as a regular feature, in Action Comics; moved to World's Finest Comics; subsequently a five-issue run in Showcase
TRAGG: first Mystery Comics Digest #3, #9; starred in Tragg and the Sky Gods; also Gold Key Spotlight #9
TRAIL COLT: from Manhunt; cover-featured on his debut in Manhunt #8, but not afterward; the title went on hiatus after #11 (and was a reprint title when it returned); he was cover-featured on the two issues of Trail Colt and appeared in new stories in the title with other features
WAMBI: from Jungle Comics; starred in Wambi, Jungle Boy
WEIRDWORLD: prototype story in Marvel Super Action #1; Marvel Premiere #38; as "Warriors of the Shadow Realm" in Marvel Super Special #11-#13; serial in Epic Illustrated; Marvel Fanfare #24-#26
WILBUR: from Zip Comics; continued in Top Notch Laugh Comics/Laugh Comix; also in Wilbur Comics; also Laugh Comics, Pep Comics, other titles
ZATANNA: first in Zatanna's search series and as supporting character in Justice League of America; back-up serial in Adventure Comics; further stories in Adventure Comics, Supergirl, Superman's Girl Friend Lois Lane; member of JLA; learned Zatara's origin in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #5; solo stories in World's Finest Comics; starred in Zatanna Special; featured in Secret Origins; starred in mini Zatanna 1990s; also more recent one-shot, mini, ongoing
Appendix One: former stars or try-outs that became leads after a back-pages period
THE ANGEL (Golden Age): debuted in Marvel Comics #1, cover-featured on Marvel Mystery Comics #2, #3, #6, #8, #12, but not afterwards, although the feature continued to #79; subordinate co-feature on early issues of Sub-Mariner Comics; in All-Winners Comics #1 and on ensemble cover; cover-featured Mystic Comics (1944 series) #1-#3; Daring Comics #10
FIRESTORM: debuted in Firestorm; title cancelled in DC Implosion; member of JLA; feature resumed in The Flash; promoted to new title, The Fury of Firestorm/Firestorm; given substantial makeovers in later issues
GREEN ARROW (bearded version): remodelled in The Brave and the Bold #85; member of JLA; co-starred in Green Lantern; GL/GA instalments in The Flash; solo supporting series in Action Comics; resumed co-starring in Green Lantern when title resumed; solo instalment of Calculator serial; solo stories and co-featured with Black Canary in World's Finest Comics; dropped from Green Lantern; continued in World's Finest Comics solo; moved to Detective Comics; appeared in mini Green Arrow during run
post-Crisis starred in Green Arrow: the Longbow Hunters and ongoing series Green Arrow
GREEN LANTERN (Hal Jordan): debuted in Showcase; member of JLA; starred in Green Lantern; teamed with Green Arrow; title cancelled
feature resumed appearing in the back pages of The Flash, briefly with GA co-starring; Green Lantern revived with Green Arrow co-starring; also in solo stories in Adventure Comics; Green Lantern made GL's solo title; also starred in mini Tales of the Green Lantern Corps; John Stewart replaced Hal as GL
during Crisis Hal resumed being a GL; title renamed The Green Lantern Corps; cancelled when feature moved as "Green Lantern" to Action Comics Weekly; after Green Lantern Special #1-#2, mini Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn, new ongoing Green Lantern
MOON KNIGHT: first as antagonist in Werewolf By Night; try-out in Marvel Spotlight #28-#29; series in Hulk magazine; featured in Marvel Preview #21; ongoing Moon Knight
NYOKA THE JUNGLE GIRL: serial heroine; initially starred in Jungle Girl #1, but her series continued in the back of Master Comics and appeared for a year there before her own title resumed, as Nyoka the Jungle Girl; the Master Comics series continued to the title's penultimate issue, her eponymous title slightly outlasted it; Charlton reprinted stories in a couple of titles and then did new ones in one of them, Nyoka the Jungle Girl
THE SANDMAN (Golden Age): debuted in New York World's Fair Comics #1; subsequently appeared in Adventure Comics, where he was often cover-featured early on; then Hourman mostly took over the cover slot, then Starman took over the cover slot; also in New York World's Fair Comics #2; also in All-Star Comics #1-#3; member of JSA; also in World's Finest Comics
new costume introduced in Adventure Comics #69; Simon and Kirby took over the feature from #72; cover-featured from #74 (except for Manhunter covers #73, #79); continued to appear with JSA and in World's Finest Comics; feature ended when Superboy etc. were moved across from More Fun Comics
gasmasked version revived in Silver Age; post-Crisis featured in Secret Origins; next starred in Sandman Mystery Theatre
Appendix Two: features regularly cover-featured from their second issue
CAT-MAN: debuted in Crash Comics Adventures #4, cover-featured #5, the last issue; subsequently starred in Cat-Man Comics
CORPORAL COLLINS: debuted Blue Ribbon Comics #2, cover-featured #3-#5, but not afterwards although the feature continued; also as a supporting character in Sgt. Boyle stories in Jackpot Comics (co-billed #2) and Pep Comics
THE DODO AND THE FROG: debuted Funny Stuff #18, usually cover-featured from #19; title renamed Dodo and the Frog from #80; also in Comic Cavalcade, where they often appeared on ensemble covers; also stories in Movietown's Animal Antics/The Racoon Kids, Peter Porkchops, Leading Comics/Leading Screen Comics; also 1980s Funny Stuff Stocking Stuffer #1 incl. on ensemble cover
MINUTE MAN: debuted Master Comics #11, cover-featured or co-cover-featured #12-#14, #16-#18, but not afterwards, although the feature continued; also starred in Minute Man; also in America's Greatest Comics, where he appeared on some ensemble covers
NERO FOX: debuted Leading Comics #15 (=the first issue with a comedy slate), cover-featured from #16, dropped after #22
THE WYOMING KID: debuted Western Comics #1, cover-featured from #2, lost covers to Pow-Wow Smith; also in World's Finest Comics
Pep Comics #22: Archie's first appearance
Wonder Woman first appeared in All-Star Comics #8, but that was a preview.
I'm discounting characters - Hop Harrigan, Johnny Quick - who starred on some covers but were never regular cover-stars
(1) I've always assumed they debuted in More Fun Comics #98, which has a cover showing them introducing themselves to Green Arrow. Not so: it was #94. Likewise the Boy Commandos debuted not in Detective Comics #65, which has a cover showing Batman and Robin greeting them, but #64.
(2) Wikipedia tells me John Ostrander much later identified a shadowy figure in the "Sargon Mistress of War" instalment from Warp #5 as Grimjack, revealing that as his first appearance.
(3) Several of the late Robin covers represent the feature as a Batman and Robin one. The GCD indicates it was still "Robin" inside.
My acknowledgements to the GCD, Wikipedia and Toonopedia for their information.
This post displaced the thread A Cut From a Cover from the homepage.
Replies
Does Black Canary count?
Black Canary was featured on the cover of Flash Comics #92, when her solo feature started, but the covers went back to alternating the Flash and Hawkman after that. She didn't become a lead character - a title's anchor character - until the 1990s, when she received a mini and a series.
Green Arrow illustrates what I have in mind: he debuted in More Fun Comics #73 and took the covers over from #77. Johnny Thunder II isn't eligible as he debuted as a lead character, in All-American Comics #100.
I'll add Archie, Aquaman, Scribbly, Streak the Wonder Dog, Arion, "The Barren Earth", "Brothers of the Spear" and Dr Strange, and a note on Firestorm.
The Ted Cord Blue Beetle started as Captain Atom's back-up then got his own book.
And Howard the Duck was the back-up of Giant-Size Man-Thing.
Green Lantern lost his book, became the back-up of The Flash then got his own book again!
Thanks, Philip.
Philip Portelli said:
The Ted Cord Blue Beetle started as Captain Atom's back-up then got his own book.
Following this, The Question debuted in the (Ted Cord) Blue Beetle and then had a book-length issue of his own in Mysterious Suspense #1 (OCT68). It was the only issue of that title.
Thanks, Richard.
I've added those suggestions, and the Legion of Super-Heroes and Nyoka.
I've added "Ghost Gallery" and the Sandman.
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