DC has been creating comics for over eighty years. They set the standard for superheroes and supervillains for years, and while their dominance over the comic industry has been challenged many times since the Golden Age, they're still here. Marvel may have taken the reins of the industry in the Silver Age but DC's output in the '80s created some of the greatest comics ever, completely changing superhero comics as the world knew them.
In the modern age of comics, DC has employed some of the greatest writers of all time. Those writers have influenced the company and the industry at large, creating timeless stories.
10 Frank Miller Changed Batman Forever
Writer/artist Frank Miller rose to stardom at Marvel, working on Daredevil. In 1985, he went over to DC and created two of the most important Batman stories of all time- The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One, the latter of which saw him joined by artist David Mazzucchelli. These two stories have served as the gold standard for Batman since their publication.
Miller's work influenced countless Batman writers and artists who came after him. His later work at the publisher wasn't nearly as influential or as well-received but nothing can take away how important he was to the Batman mythos in the modern age.
9 Neil Gaiman's The Sandman Helped Codify The Vertigo Imprint In The '90s
Writer Neil Gaiman is the biggest crossover star in the history of the comic industry, parlaying his comic stardom into becoming a New York Times bestselling author. One of many British creators who followed in Alan Moore's footprints, his first DC work, Black Orchid with artist Dave McKean, got his foot in the door and his next work, The Sandman, changed DC forever.
The Sandman is one of the greatest examples of a comic as literature, a seminal work that appeals to readers who would never read a comic. The Sandman helped lay the groundwork for the Vertigo imprint, transforming the '90s comic scene.
8 Mark Waid Mixed The Classic With The Modern
Mark Waid became one of the biggest writers of the '90s, working at both DC and Marvel. His run on The Flash cemented him as a superstar writer and he revitalized Wally West, helping him become a fan favorite Flash. He helped fill in on JLA during the Grant Morrison run and teamed up with the late Bryan Augustyn and artist Barry Kitson on JLA: Year One, but his biggest work in the '90s was Kingdom Come with artist Alex Ross.
Kingdom Come took place in an alternate DC future and is still one of DC's most beloved stories. Waid's greatest talent was mixing the classic and new, mixing the best of the Silver Age with modern comics.
7 Tom Taylor Is DC's Current Golden Boy
Tom Taylor has been in the DC trenches for a while now and has hit a new level of stardom in the comic industry. He came to fans' attention with Injustice and DCeased, creating great alternate DC universes that showed off just how great he was at plotting and action. After a stint at Marvel, he's returned to DC in a big way, working on the Suicide Squad with artist Bruno Redondo before being handed the keys to the kingdom.
Currently writing Nightwing, one of the best superhero books on the market, with artist Redondo and Superman: Son Of Kal-El with artist John Timms, Taylor is DC's newest golden boy. He's DC's current go-to guy and he has the chops to back it up.
6 Tom King Can Spin Gold From DC's B-List
Tom King was a former CIA agent who got his job at DC after writing a novel. Working on Grayson with co-writer Tim Seeley and artist Mikel Janin, Sheriff Of Babylon with artist Mitch Gerads, and Omega Men with artist Barnaby Bagenda, as well as The Vision with artist Gabriel Walta at Marvel, he brought a psychological approach to superheroes that earned him a stint on Batman.
Since then, he's worked on Mister Miracle, Heroes In Crisis, Batman/Catwoman, Strange Adventures, Supergirl: Woman Of Tomorrow, and The Human Target. King brings a different approach to superheroes and has written some amazing comics. He can seemingly take any DC concept and transform it into something special.
5 Scott Snyder Rose To Superstardom Because Of The New 52
Scott Snyder made a name for himself with the creator-owned American Vampire and a stint on Detective Comics before the New 52 relaunchs of Batman with artist Greg Capullo and Swamp Thing with artist Yanick Paquette. Batman made him one of DC's biggest writers and he eventually took over Justice League after writing Dark Nights: Metal.
Justice League was the main book of the DC Universe while Snyder was on it, setting up the Metal sequel Death Metal. Snyder also taught writing classes, one of his students being James Tynion IV, who also became one of DC's biggest writers while at the publisher. Snyder time at DC saw him helming the entire line.
4 Geoff Johns Heralded DC Through the 2000s
Geoff Johns started as an assistant to director Richard Donner and parlayed that into a writing job at DC in the late '90s, starting out on Stars And S.T.R.I.P.E.S. before moving over to JSA, with co-writer David Goyer. JSA made Johns a star and he took over The Flash and Green Lantern, before working on Infinite Crisis, one of DC's biggest event books of the 2000s.
Johns was DC's biggest writer, with multiple fan-favorite runs on some of DC's most iconic characters. He was one of the New 52's main architects and was DC's most important writer until the Rebirth era when he left to help on the movie and TV side of things.
3 Grant Morrison Is One Of DC's Greatest Writers
Grant Morrison was part of the late-'80s British Invasion. Working on books like Kid Eternity, Animal Man, and Doom Patrol, Morrison made a name for themself in the quirkier corners of the DC Universe and worked on books at Vertigo, including their opus The Invisibles. Morrison took over JLA in 1996 and brought the team back to prominence and since then has been one of DC's most prolific writers.
Morrison has created some of the greatest stories in DC history. They've left their mark on Superman, Batman, the Flash, and Wonder Woman, as well as crafting some of the best events and team books ever. Morrison's fertile imagination birthed concepts that made the DC Multiverse an amazing place.
2 The Team Of Marv Wolfman And George Perez Are Often Imitated But Never Duplicated
Marv Wolfman and George Perez are one of DC's most prolific writer/artist teams. They redefined the Teen Titans, making New Teen Titans one of the biggest books of the '80s. Wolfman and Perez collaborated totally, sharing plotting duties and working on scripts together. New Teen Titans was a hit, but its importance pales in comparison to Crisis On Infinite Earths.
CoIE is one of the greatest event books ever. It ended the DC Multiverse and changed DC for decades. The two then worked together on The History Of The DC Universe, laying out the new timeline of the DC Universe. For years, their work set the path for DC, and writers and artists alike still mine their work for ideas.
1 Alan Moore Is The Most Talented Writer In Comics History
If Alan Moore had just written Swamp Thing, he'd still be considered one of the greatest in the industry. However, he also wrote a little book called Watchmen, with artist Dave Gibbons, as well as V For Vendetta, with artist David Lloyd. The former changed comics forever and the latter has become an indelible part of pop culture.
Add to that number Batman: The Killing Joke, with artist Brian Bolland, and multiple other stories throughout the line. Superman, Vigilante, Green Arrow, and so many more benefited from Moore's work and his ideas are still used to this day. Few writers have made the kind of impact he has, which makes DC's treatment of him over the years all the worse.