Fanservice is not always a bad thing. After all, a story in service of fans shows that the writers respect their readers. However, anything that focuses solely on fan desires without any thought of character or narrative is sure to spike, then ultimately be forgotten.
Fortunately, over their long publication history, DC Comics have produced a long list of story arcs, limited series, and more that featured a fantastic narrative with a plethora of elements to satisfy fans to this day. Good fanservice can easily be found in the larger DC Comics crossover comic events, and while some are better than others, many DC arcs and series are both visually stunning and narratively strong: two things fans always want to see.
10 Worlds Lived & Worlds Died In Crisis On Infinite Earths
Revolutionary for its sheer scale and ambition, Crisis on Infinite Earths, written by Marv Wolfman with art by George Peréz, saw the collapse of the DC multiverse into a singular universe with a singular history. Now, the Golden Age heroes of the Justice Society co-exist in the same world as the Justice League.
Histories changed, characters changed, and the status quo of DC Comics would change for over two decades. Crisis is one of the most epic comic book stories of all time and paved the way for comics to go bigger and bolder. All bets are off once the multiverse is susceptible to death.
9 Worlds Returned In Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis, written by Geoff Johns, acts as a soft sequel to Crisis on Infinite Earths. Published in 2005, Infinite Crisis features many returning heroes and villains from the original crisis, including the Anti-Monitor and Superboy Prime.
This story is every bit as epic as the original, featuring characters spanning the entirety of DC's history. The art depicts grand-scale battles, with as many as one hundred heroes and villains on a single page, but at the heart of this story is the battle for preservation: Supermen of different Earths fighting to assert their world as the dominant, singular Earth.
8 Heroes & Villains Join The Corps In Blackest Night
Geoff Johns is no stranger to epic crossover comic events, and his long run on Green Lantern proved he knows what he's doing. Blackest Night was a crossover event that bled into other titles. The mythology of the Green Lantern Corps and the Emotional Spectrum of the universe was fully explored and showcased here.
DC's most famous heroes and villains were chosen, just as Hal Jordan once was, to join the various Lantern Corps. Barry Allen joined the Blue Lanterns of Hope with Lex Luthor joining the Orange Lanterns of Avarice, and so on. The entire book is eye candy and depicts heroes in ways readers hadn't seen them before.
7 A Brave New World Is Explored In Injustice
The Injustice: Gods Among Us video game was a huge success, spawning a tie-in comic book series that cataloged the five years leading up to the beginning of the game's narrative. As the comic continued each month, the series and the Injustice alternate world grew more and more popular.
Alternate worlds are commonplace at DC Comics, and Superman is certainly no stranger to going rogue from time to time. However, the Injustice storyline stands out from others because of its lack of restraint. Anything goes in Injustice. Characters die, unexpected allegiances form, and the creators take these characters to new extremes.
6 Flashpoint Gives Birth To The New 52
What began as a contained, limited issue series exploded into various one-shots and three-shots that explored different characters and factions in what's known as the Flashpoint reality. After Barry Allen travels back in time to prevent his mother's murder, he inadvertently changes more aspects of the world than he meant to.
Aquaman and his Atlanteans are at war with Wonder Woman and her Amazonians, Superman's pod crashed in the middle of Metropolis, and Bruce Wayne died in the alley the night his parents were murdered. Geoff Johns created a fascinating story that expanded Barry's character and origin while the secondary books showcased this new world that later launched the New 52.
5 Classic Characters & Storylines Converge
Convergence is a comic book crossover event told through a limited series that spawns one-shots. The event focused on characters from "forgotten timelines" such as Zero Hour and Flashpoint. Parallax Hal Jordan returned along with Superman, Lois, and their son, Jonathan.
Similar to the many Crisis events that came before, Convergence successfully brought multiple worlds together into a fun, epic story. Seeing familiar faces no longer in the present canon and publication was exciting and heartwarming, especially when several characters survived the event and permanently crossed over into the main continuity.
4 Explore The Dark Multiverse In Dark Nights: Metal
Continuing their fantastic work that began in the New 52's Batman series, writer Scott Snyder and artist Greg Capullo present Dark Nights: Metal – a limited series event that crossed over into other titles and spawned a plethora of affiliated one-shots.
Dark Nights: Metal introduced the "Dark Multiverse" – a collection of evil and horrific worlds filled with alternate versions of Batman who, for one reason or another, adopted the twisted traits of his fellow Justice Leaguers. The most famous of these is The Batman Who Laughs, who is now a common villain in the main DC Comics universe. This series serves fans by offering incredible, unique, and villainous takes on Batman.
3 Unseen Worlds Are Explored In The Multiversity
The Multiversity, written by Grant Morrison, is a large-scale event spanning a series of one-shots that focus on a previously unexplored or rarely explored world in the DC Comics multiverse. This limited series is such a treat. It features a guidebook with never-before-seen, easy-to-follow information charting the worlds of the multiverse and who or what inhabits them.
The one-shots feature stories of Captain Marvel on Thunderworld, the future children of modern superheroes (now spoiled by their powers and lineage), characters from Charlton Comics, and more. These stories pay tribute and expand on characters and histories that rarely see the spotlight.
2 Frank Miller's Dark Knight World Returns In Master Race
Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most influential, iconic, game-changing comics of all time. It not only redefined Batman; it redefined how comics should be made and what they can write about. While the book's sequel The Dark Knight Strikes Again and prequel All-Star Batman and Robin, The Boy Wonder comics were poorly received. However, Miller returned for one final installment in 2016 with Dark Knight III: Master Race.
Beautifully illustrated by Andy Kubert, Master Race returned to Miller's Gotham. It's a fun, bombastic return to the world and characters as readers see what's become of them in the years since, including how their ideologies have changed.
1 Superman Meets Dr. Manhattan In Doomsday Clock
The DC Comics universe and Watchmen universe collide in Doomsday Clock, giving fans a crossover few thought would ever officially happen. Geoff Johns and Gary Frank captured the flow and design of Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' original Watchmen book. Everything from tone to panel layouts paid homage to the legendary graphic novel.
Seeing Rorschach walk side by side with Batman, Adrian Veidt confront Lex Luthor, and Superman charge at Dr. Manhattan were fun, memorable scenes and visuals. This book answered the question, "what if the Watchmen met the Justice League?" But it's presented as more than just a battle of strength. It's a battle between philosophy and morality.