My Definitive List of DC Comics to Read

 So Over the years, I’ve read a lot of comics I mean a stupid amount of comics. So when some ask what should I read if want to get into comics I always draw a blank. The easy answer is to point them toward the start of a story involving a hero they like or a particular graphic novel that doesn’t need a whole lot of context. Now that doesn’t mean I don’t have a list of deep diving stories that you should read both good and bad. Some clarification before we get started many of the names on this list are either the name of the trade/storyline or specific author run that’s been collected.

So let’s start with some books that don’t fall into any one category.

• Watchmen

• Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman

• Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore

• Kingdom Come

• Jack Kirby’s New Gods

Ok, this group might need a bit of explanation. These five books don’t fit in with any hero and with Swamp Thing run is well the only bit of the story that does anything with the character. Kingdom Come is here because while this feels like a Justice League story it’s not really. That leaves an elephant in the room why did I leave off the other Alan Moore book V for Vendetta. Why the book itself is a commentary on fascism and Marget Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and while that commissary made sense in the last four years, however, because the movie became an anarchist manifesto used by hacker groups and ignores fascism and changes the commentary to being Anti Geroge W Bush. Honestly, the commentary about any government I can take or leave but the use of the movie and the book as a manifest of anarchist groups kills it for me, and honestly, I don’t encourage the spreading of a bastardization of a message.

The next list will be Batman books and Storylines.

• Batman Year One

• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns 

• Batman: Long Halloween

• Batman; Death in the Family

• Batman: The Killing Joke

• Batman: Knightfall

• Batman: Knightquest

• Batman: Knightsend

• Batman: Prodigal 

• Batman: No Man’s Land

• Batman: Hush

• Batman: Under the Red Hood

• Batman: R.I.P.

• Batman: Battle for Cowl

• Batman & Robin By Grant Morrison

• Batman: Ego and Other Tails

• Batman: White Knight

• Batman: The Court of Owls Sage

Ok, there is too much here and I blame just well how brandable Batman is. There are 18 stories here these are some of the best and most definable moments for the Batman franchise. Now the question is what about other members of the Bat-Family will they get their list? No the rest of the family while pivotal characters in the Bat-Family none of their solo runs are definitive books to the publisher and the universe as a whole. Don’t get me wrong I love characters such as Batgirl, Robin, and Nightwing but on their own, they never really did anything major as Batman.  

Moving on the from the Dark Knight to the Man of Tomorrow 

• Superman: The Man of Steel

• Superman: Death of Superman

• Superman: Funeral for a Friend

• Superman: Regin of the Supermen

• Superman: The Return of Superman

• Superman: The Wedding Album

• Superman: Blue

• Superman: For Tomorrow

• Superman: Secret Origin 

• Superman: Last Son of Krypton

• All-Star Superman

• Superman: Secret Identity 

• Superman: The Final Days of Superman

• Superman: Lois and Clark

For being the father of all superheroes he had little impact between his post-crisis origin and death. Now you might be asking why is Blue on this list it was well a bad time for Superman but it changes the status quo. Superman had a new suit new powers it was a new Superman. This list also includes The first of the new 52 books although the last story because like the death of Superman this was well death of Superman a true death of the character. Lois and Clark was well a story about the couple from the pre 52 somehow in the new timeline and raising a son and led into the Rebirth storylines.

Oh, my stars and garters (yeah I know that a line from Beast of the X-Men but come oh it fits) it time for Wonder Woman.

• Wonder Woman By George Perez

• Wonder Woman: War of the Gods

• Wonder Woman: The Hiketeia

• Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost

• Wonder Woman: Paradise Found

• Wonder Woman: Odyssey

• Wonder Woman: The Lies

• Wonder Woman: Year One

• Wonder Woman: The Truth

• Wonder Woman: Godwatch 

This is a little upsetting that there are so few storylines listed here. That is because so many writers get Wonder Woman wrong either they want to make her a powerful sex symbol looking at you Frank or just don’t get her personality. The Last four books were a huge debate for me. I a huge fan of the George Perez run and the story he established. However, those stories from the DC rebirth time frame are a smart retelling and a reintroduction to iconic Wonder Woman. So if Superman can have two origin stories why can’t Wonder Woman. 

Moving from an amazon princess to the King of the Seas

• Aquaman by Peter David

• Aquaman: The Waterbear

• Aquaman: Sub-Diago

• Aquaman: The Trench

• Aquaman: The Others

• Aquaman: Throne of Atlantis or Aquaman: War for the Throne

• Aquaman: Death of A King

For being the king of Atlantis and a founding member of the Justice League there are not a lot of big stories for Aquaman. The Peter David run may be one of the most pivotal runs because it gave him long hair and took away his hand. It essentially made him Jason Momoa be for Jason Momoa  The Waterbear and Sub-Diago where status quo changes he had a new magic water hand given to him and moved him to the west coast. The last four stories are the Geoff Johns

run during the New 52. These stories are the inspiration for the Aquaman movie starring Jason Momoa.

From the Dark depths of the seas to blackest nights.

• Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight

• Green Lantern: Rebirth

• Green Lantern: The Sinestro Corps War

• Green Lantern: Rage of the Red Lanterns

• Green Lantern: Secret Origin

• Green Lantern: Agent Orange

• Blackest Night: Green Lantern

So this is a weird part as this list starts with the iconic Green Lantern becoming a villain and killing the rest of the corp. Then speeds forward to his return and a huge retcon as to why he turned evil. Another thing you might notice is Geoff Johns most of this list is his works and he will be popped in a little above and will definitely be seeing more of him. The problem with GL is some many of his stories before the Emerald Twilight story were boring space cop stories that were not in space.  Johns’s work on the series not only redeemed the character Hal Jordan, but also reestablished the corp, and started what became known as to war of light.

From the guardian of light to running fast than light.

• The Flash by Geoff Johns

• The Flash: Rebirth

• The Flash: The Dastardly Death of the Rogues

• The Flash: The Road To Flashpoint

Remember that Johns guy I mentioned above well yeah every book here is written by him. The run with just his name focuses on the third Flash Wally West  Everything else is the return of Barry Allen and leading into the event that would change everything. This is also where Johns biggest flaw and a flaw most comic writers have is this weird love of “Silver Age” stories.  

So no interesting bit of segway here because. The next two categories are teams and events. The teams will mostly include Justice Society, Justice League, and Teen Titans/The Titans. Event books were a last-minute addition as originally I only had one event but looking back on it there are more events worth looking at.

• Justice Society of America: The Demise of Justice

• JSA by Geoff Johns

• Justice Society of America: The Next Age

• Justice Society of America: Thy Kingdom Come

• Earth 2

• Earth 2: World’s End

• Earth 2: Society

• Justice League International: Born Again

• JLA: New World Order

• JLA: The Tower of Babel

• JLA: Earth 2

• Justice League New 52 run

• Justice League by Scott Snyder

• JLA/Titans

• New Teen Titans

• Teen Titans by Geoff Johns 

• Titans Hunt 

• Titans: The Return of Wally West

Now the events

• Crisis on Infinite Earths

• Zero Hour: Crisis in Time

• The Final Night

• 52

• Blackest Night

• Flashpoint

• Forever Evil

• Dark Knights: Metal

• Dark Knight: Death Metal

OK so Let’s address the elephant in the room where are the other three Crisis books. Well, I have to address them each on their own. Identity Crisis was left off because all it really did was explain away bad writing of the early 90s and completely assassinated the character of Jean Loring ex-wife of the Atom.  Infinite Crisis while being an excellent follow-up to Crisis on Infinite Earths had no real impact on the universe as a whole and turn Superboy-Prime into a joke about entitled fans.  Final Crisis was left off because while an interesting story to reintroduce the New God it is only remembered for Batman’s “death”. 

The books above are some of the best that the publisher has put out. If you are a fan of any of their characters/teams above these are books you should have on your shelf or in your long box.  Two books that I will mention now that I recommended you also read because of how momentous they are and they will never happen again DC versus Marvel Comics and JLA/Avengers. Good luck finding those because neither company can reach an agreement on publishing them again. I’m sorry this is so long but this was a work of passion and I promise I will start working on Marvel soon.