DC has been a trendsetter in the comic industry for over eighty years. They basically created the superhero as modern readers know it and brought concepts like the superteam and the multiverse to comics. Over the years, DC has put out some of the greatest comics of all time, telling stories that resonate with audiences and critics alike.
Right now, there are a plethora of DC books in print, both collected editions and new books, that are legitimately amazing. DC's back catalog is full of gems, and while it doesn't publish nearly as many monthly books as it once did, there is a lot to love in its current line.
10 Watchmen Is A Classic
Widely considered one of the best comics of all time, Watchmen is writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons' masterpiece. Constantly placed on best-of-all-time lists, both comic and literary, Watchmen showed just what could be done with comics as a storytelling medium and changed the comic industry forever. Few books can match it.
Watchmen is an indelible part of the comic world and while the fact that it's never gone out of print is a bone of contention for creator Alan Moore and DC, it's impossible to deny its greatness. Watchmen is basically required reading and there's always a copy somewhere to buy.
9 The Sandman Elevated The Artform
The Sandman is a masterpiece. Writer Neil Gaiman took the baton from Alan Moore and ran with it, working with artists like Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberg, Kelley Jones, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess, P. Craig Russell, Michael Zulli, Shawn McManus, Marc Hempel, and so many more to create something truly special. The Sandman made a huge argument for comics as literature and no one has looked back since.
Across twelve volumes, fans follow the story Dream and his family, the Endless. There are few stories out there that match it and with a show coming to Netflix, The Sandman will stay in print for years to come.
8 All-Star Superman Is The Greatest Superman Story Ever Told
All-Star Superman, by writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely, is the greatest Superman story ever. Few comics so perfectly encapsulate everything great about Superman like this one. Morrison doesn't try to humanize Superman; they don't need to because he's already human. He just happens to be the most powerful man on Earth and this story is his last will and testament.
All-Star Superman is full of perfect Superman moments, amazingly rendered on the page by Frank Quitely. This is a comic that has everything. There's really no other way to describe it. It has a scope and majesty that make it truly super but it doesn't forget the man either.
7 Crisis On Infinite Earths Is The Greatest Event Comic Of All Time
DC didn't invent event comics but it made the best one. Crisis On Infinite Earths, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, delivered in ways that no event book before or since has, giving readers the cataclysmic happenings of the greatest superheroes of five Earths fighting one all-powerful foe. It also gave them something else and that's long-lasting change.
CoIE created the modern event book as readers know it and yet went farther than any of them. It did exactly what it promised and changed DC Comics forever while delivering an entertaining and epic story that has never been matched.
6 JLA: New World Order Is The Quintessential Justice League Story
The Justice League is the greatest team in the DC Multiverse and one of its best stories is JLA: New World Order, by writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter. Pitting the Justice League against the Hyperclan, this one has it all and really shows why the Justice League is one of comics' greatest teams.
Morrison was already an expert at superheroes by the time they were put on JLA and this comic shows why. It brought the Justice League back to prominence and began a trend towards widescreen action that would change the comics industry forever. Porter's art is amazing and this was his star turn. For anyone who doesn't get why the Justice League is great, this comic will make them believers.
5 Justice League's current run Is Team Comics Done Right
Justice League gives readers a double helping of Justice League goodness. Starting with #59, writer Brian Michael Bendis took over the book and has been killing it, bringing in new members like Black Adam, Hippolyta, and Naomi and throwing new threats at the League. Working with artists like David Marquez, Phil Hester, and more, Bendis's Justice League is great.
That's not all readers get, as the Justice League Dark backup by writer Ram V and artists like Xermanico and Sumit Kumar pit that team against Merlin in a war that is still brewing and often steals the show. Both the main and the backup are the creme de la creme of superhero team comics.
4 The Swamp Thing Is A New Take On The Monster
The Swamp Thing, by writer Ram V and artists Mike Perkins and John McCrea, is a new take on the monster starring an all-new Swamp Thing. Instead of Alec Holland, new host Levi Kamei defends the Green as the new Swamp Thing, with V pitting him against new foes and bringing in familiar faces. V has been proving he's an amazing talent and this book is a perfect illustration of that.
Any time a new Swamp Thing book starts, there's a lot of pressure on the new creative team because of Alan Moore's legendary run. V is proving a worthy successor to that legacy; The Swamp Thing is often casually brilliant, with the fifth issue being one of the best comics of 2021.
3 Superman: Son Of Kal-El Is Changing The Way People Look At Superman
Jon Kent has been a fan favorite from the beginning and he's proving to be a new kind of Superman. Taking over for a weakening Clark Kent, Jon is following in his father's footsteps but doing it his way in Superman: Son Of Kal-El, by writer Tom Taylor and artists John Timms and Daniele Di Nicuolo. This book has been making waves since it began, but there's more to it than just that.
Jon's decision to be a more socially conscious Superman is great in today's world and is a welcome evolution of the Superman concept. Taylor is pulling out all the stops on this one and doing an amazing job of setting up a wonderful, exciting story. The art by Timms and Di Nicuolo is amazing and is the icing on the cake.
2 The Flash Has Brought Wally West Back To The Mantle & It's Wonderful
The Flash, by writer Jeremy Adams and artists Brandon Peterson, Christian Duce, Fernando Pasarin, Will Conrad, and more, has brought fan favorite Wally West back as the Flash and it's fantastic. Beginning with a story about Wally trying to stop a Speed Force surge from destroying the Earth, Adams has set an interesting new status quo for the speedster and reminded readers why they love him so much.
The Flash shows just how great superhero comics can be. It's an action-packed, entertaining look at Wally West and his new life, finally taking the promise of DC: Rebirth #1, where Wally was cast as the rebirth of hope, and making it a reality.
1 Nightwing Is One Of The Best Books On The Shelves
Nightwing #78 started a new era for Dick Grayson. Writer Tom Taylor and artist Bruno Redondo came aboard and shook things up, bringing Barbara Gordon into the cast, giving him a dog, and netting him billions of dollars inherited from Alfred. Using the money, Nightwing sets out to do more than beat up criminals, using the money to change Bludhaven from the ground up.
Dick Grayson has always been Batman's greatest accomplishment and Taylor shows why. Nightwing is a hero in more ways than one and this book does an amazing job of illustrating that. On top of that, it's just an amazing superhero book, with amazing and kinetic art from Redondo. Few books on the shelves match it.