DC Comics has been putting out amazing comics for a long time now. Creating comics can be a difficult thing, even with the right creators, and there have been DC books where everything seemed perfect, but one thing was lacking. Oftentimes, this was the ending. They can be rather tricky things, and sometimes the best comics have endings that leave something to be desired. However, when an ending hits correctly, it's a thing of beauty.
There are some DC stories that definitely fit that bill. These stories' endings put a perfect bow on the events of the book and created something truly special.
8 Animal Man #26 Is A Lesson In Kindness
Writer Grant Morrison's Animal Man is a seminal classic. Working with artists Chas Troug and Tom Grummet, it's a metafictional masterpiece, and the ending is well known by now. Having wandered through Limbo, Animal Man finds a house and walks in to find Morrison themself. Issue 26, with artist Troug, sees the two have a conversation, one where Morrison reveals Animal Man's fictional nature to the character.
The whole thing is about how humanity treats its fiction. Morrison put Animal Man through the wringer in order to entertain the readers, destroying his life for dramatic purposes. Morrison realizes what a hypocrite this makes them and resurrects the Baker family, putting Animal Man back where he belongs in a sincere act of kindness.
7 Kingdom Come's Ending Promises A Return To Heroism
Kingdom Come, by writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross, is one of the highlights of '90s DC. The Elseworlds masterpiece takes place in a future where the heroes of the old guard have retired and been replaced by a new, more violent breed. A disaster brings Superman out of retirement, followed by the heroes of his generation, and they set out to make things right.
The book is full of Easter eggs for DC fans as it pits the resurgent Justice League against the villains of the Legion of Doom and Batman and his own group of heroes. The whole thing comes to a head at the League's super prison, with the League battling the new generation of heroes broken free by a mind-controlled Shazam and Batman's side trying to defuse the situation as a nuclear strike threatens all. Shazam breaks through his brainwashing to save the day, leaving the heroes left behind recommitted to making the world a better place by following his example.
6 JSA: Black Reign Is A Rare Loss For The Classic Team
Few stories end with the heroes losing, which is why it's so great when they do and it goes right. JSA: Black Reign, by writer Geoff Johns and artists Don Kramer and Rags Morales, pits the team against Black Adam, Atom Smasher, Nemesis, Brainwave, and the Eclipso controlling Alex Montez. Adam and company deposed the violent dictatorship of Kandaq, and the JSA steps in to assuage the fears of the world over superheroes meddling in affairs of state.
Eventually, it all comes down to a battle between the team and Adam, one which sees him run through the entire team pretty much on his own. Atom Smasher steps in and keeps Adam from hurting the team too much, allowing them to retreat. Kandaq is free, and the JSA is defeated. It's a perfect way to end one of the most important Black Adam stories of all time.
5 Superman: Red Son's Ending Is Completely Unexpected
There are some amazing Superman stories out there, but a standout is Superman: Red Son, by writer Mark Millar and artists Dave Johnson and Killian Plunkett. Taking place in a world where Superman landed in Soviet Russia instead of America, it casts the Man of Steel as the successor to Stalin. Standing against him is America's greatest hope — Lex Luthor.
The story ends with Luthor and Superman teaming up against the Man of Steel's former ally Brainiac, with the Kryptonian supposedly sacrificing himself. Luthor goes on to do amazing things for the world, but Superman is still there, watching the whole time. In the far future, the Luthor family, called the Ls, send their son back in time to before the Earth's sun turned red, where he lands in Russia, starting the whole cycle over again.
4 Infinite Crisis Sees The Trinity Rebuilt Stronger Than Ever
Infinite Crisis was the biggest event DC book of the 2000s. Written by Geoff Johns with art by Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, it saw the return of Earth-2 Superman and Lois Lane, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor, vowing to fix the broken DC Universe. Of course, for Prime and Luthor, fixing it had meant meddling in things for years to position everything the way they want it.
The heroes' response is as fractured as they are, but they're able to come together in the end, stopping the Luthor planned villain attack on Metropolis and Prime's attempt to destroy everything, although Earth-2 Superman and Lois die. The end of the book sees Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman decide to take a year off and return better than ever, re-building their Trinity into something better than before.
3 Crisis On Infinite Earths Pokes Fun Of People Afraid Of Change
Crisis On Infinite Earths is one of DC's most influential modern storylines. Written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Perez and Jerry Ordway, it pits the heroes against the Anti-Monitor with all existence on the line. By now, everyone knows the ending: the Anti-Monitor is defeated by Earth-2 Superman, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor, who all go to a paradise dimension with Earth-2 Lois, and the five main Earths are made into one.
However, it's the last page of the book that is the best part of the ending. Psycho-Pirate is committed to an asylum after babbling about the events of the book, which only a handful of people remember. He complains about how different things are about to be and the way that the world is never going to be the same again. It's a subtle jab at hidebound fans afraid to embrace change that hits just right.
2 The Final Night Sees A Heroic Redemption
The Final Night, by writer Karl Kesel and artist Stuart Immonen, is one of DC's most underrated events. When the sun is eaten by a Sun-Eater, the heroes of the Earth do everything they can to try to save all life on Earth. There's no big bad to fight; it's just an old-school disaster comic, one that sees the heroes realize that they're powerless to save the day. Until Parallax shows up, that is.
Hal Jordan has made himself an enemy to his old friends, but he makes the ultimate sacrifice, using his great power as Parallax to reignite the sun. It makes Jordan a hero again in the eyes of many of the heroes, an act that would lead to his eventual redemption and return as the Spectre before taking up the mantle of Green Lantern again.
1 Final Crisis Actually Could Serve As A Great Last DC Story Ever
Final Crisis, by writer Grant Morrison and artists J.G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, and Doug Mahnke, was sold as the day evil won. Darkseid and his minions, their bodies destroyed and desperate to take vengeance on creation, attack the universe with the Anti-Life Equation, barreling through everything in their way. Meanwhile, the Monitors face a threat of their own, one that could devour all creation.
Morrison and company structure the story as the final crisis of the DCU. The ending sees the heroes band together and end the threats, with the promise of a new world dawning. It's a simple, almost cliché ending, but it works brilliantly. It's not only one of the best Crisis events, but it also could serve as a perfect last DC story, leaving the universe in a good place and in better hands.