DC has long been a pioneer in superheroes. Many famous superhero firsts came from the publisher, and though they are no longer the sales leader, they're still one of the most influential comic companies in the industry. DC has long been a kingmaker, and while their Golden Age and Silver Age dominance is long past, they're still blazing new paths in the modern age of comics.

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Since the '80s, DC has been putting out amazing stories that have changed their universe and the comic industry. Their most influential stories are some of the best in the comic industry, creating change in a sometimes hidebound industry.

10 Starman: Sins Of The Father Brought Golden Age DC Back To The Fore

Starman, Jack Knight, rides his motorcycle through the city at night.

DC's Golden Age was a fertile time for comics, but after Crisis On Infinite Earths, the heroes of the Golden Age weren't fan-favorites. DC tried to relaunch the Justice Society many times, but they all failed. The Golden Age seemed dead until Starman: Sins Of The Father, by writer James Robinson and artist Tony Harris, dropped in the mid-'90s.

After the success of the Elseworlds classic The Golden Age, Robinson brought the Starman mythos into the '90s, introducing the new Starman, Jack Knight. Starman would go on to make readers love the heroes of Golden Age DC and would lead to the revitalization of the Justice Society in the 2000s.

9 Batman: Year One Recreated Batman's Origin For The Post-Crisis DCU

Bruce Wayne kneeling by his parents' bodies in Batman: Year One

Batman: Year One is a stone-cold classic and changed the way Batman was perceived forever. Written by Frank Miller with art by David Mazzuchelli, Year One took the familiar Batman origin and expanded upon it. It reimagined Gotham for the modern ages, introducing James Gordon, Catwoman, Sarah Essen, and, of course, Bruce Wayne into this gritter version of Gotham City.

It's classic hard-boiled Miller, but it's Mazzuchelli's pencils that make it truly special. It's become the de facto Batman origin ever since and continues Miller's reimagining of Batman that started with The Dark Knight Returns.

8 Countdown To Infinite Crisis #1 Built Toward The Epic Event And Started A New Trend At The Publisher

Batman carries Blue Beetle's body in Countdown To Infinite Crisis in DC Comics

Countdown To Infinite Crisis, by writers Geoff Johns, Ed Rucka, and Judd Winick and artists Ed Benes, Rags Morales, Jesus Saiz, Ivan Reis, and Phil Jimenez, sets events into motion towards Infinite Crisis, setting up over a year of DC's storytelling. However, the book also had a lot more influence in DC in the years to come.

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Countdown To Infinite Crisis #1 began DC's proclivity to use oversized single issues to introduce a new status quo to readers. It's now a pretty normal part of the DC line and something that Marvel tried to replicate and failed at with Marvel Legacy #1. It's become so fundamentally DC it's impossible to see DC Comics without it.

7 The Death Of Superman Started A Big Trend In '90s DC

The Death Of Superman

The Death Of Superman is a classic for '90s DC fans. It's the ultimate truth in the advertising title, as it did kill Superman, with the Man of Steel battling the monstrous Doomsday. Running through all four Superman titles and Justice League America, it's a massive epic slugfest that began something that would define DC throughout the '90s and the Big Two in recent years.

The Death Of Superman and its aftermath Reign Of The Supermen's sales success saw DC clone this approach, replacing their classic heroes with new versions. This defined the publisher through the '90s and made a big comeback in the 2010s both at DC and Marvel.

6 Flashpoint Started The New 52

Other-Side-DC-Flashpoint- The Flash running while his costume shreds off

The New 52 was DC's attempt to revitalize their comic line—  a la Crisis On Infinite Earths — and Flashpoint, by writer Geoff Johns and artist Andy Kubert, was how it all began. While the book's reception has changed over the years, it's impossible to deny just how influential it was to the DC Universe. Flashpoint brought massive changes, some of which are still felt to this day.

Flashpoint introduced a new world to the DC Multiverse and the fan-favorite Flashpoint Batman. While the New 52 is still controversial, it shook up the status quo and set the tone of the DC Universe for years.

5 Infinite Crisis Laid The Groundwork For A Silver Age Resurgence

DC Infinite Crisis Cropped

Infinite Crisis, by writer Geoff Johns and artists Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Ivan Reis, and Jerry Ordway, is one of the best DC events books of the 21st century. The sequel to Crisis On Infinite Earths, the story pit the fractured heroic community against Alexander Luthor and Superboy-Prime. It had a solid build-up and was the epitome of everything an event book should be.

It ended with a reunification of the DC heroic community and changed the continuity, bringing back Silver Age story elements CoIE did away with. Its success spurred DC on to keep bringing back pieces of Silver Age DC, creating a DC Universe that combined the best of the past and present.

4 JLA: New World Order Made The Justice League Important Again

Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman in JLA: New World Order.

After the JLI years, the Justice League fell from grace and fell hard. The team consisted mostly of B-list heroes with usually one Justice League stalwart A-lister in the group and fans just didn't care very much for the League. The team needed a shot in the arm, which is where JLA: New World Order, by writer Grant Morrison and artist Howard Porter, came into play.

The story brought back the Big Seven League- Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. This back to basics approach put JLA back at the top of the sales charts and made Morrison one of the most important League writers in history. It's influenced every Justice League incarnation that came after it.

3 The Dark Knight Returns Redefined Batman

dark-knight-returns-trade-featured

Writer/artist Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns is one of the most important comics ever. Released in 1985, it represented a more adult take on Batman, borrowing from the Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams and Steve Englehart/Marshall Rogers portrayal of Batman more than the '60s TV show, adding in Miller's own hard-boiled take on superheroes.

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One of the crown jewels of the 1985 maturation of superhero comics changed how the world looked at Batman in all forms of media. The current Batman mythos would be very different without TDKR.

2 Watchmen Changed The Comics Industry Forever

Watchmen Alan Moore Cast.

Watchmen, by writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons, is an undisputed classic. A demarcation line can be drawn using it as a reference, as DC and the comic industry were very different places before and after Watchmen. The book brought maturity to comics, both in sex and violence as well as in the way it was written.

Watchmen cemented Moore's place as a creative genius and would motivate DC to bring over UK creators like Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, and more to the publisher. While DC and the industry learned a lot of bad lessons from Watchmen, it birthed a lot of amazing stories and new approaches to comics.

1 Crisis On Infinite Earths Is One Of The Biggest DC Stories Ever

The Crisis On Infinite Earths

Crisis On Infinite Earths, by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Perez, did something that few event books since have actually done-introduced real change. The changes wrought by CoIE lasted decades, with the post-Crisis DC Universe bringing in legions of fans. So many DC stories have used it and its ideas in the years since, and it's one of the best event books ever created.

CoIE is a masterpiece even all these years later. It ended the DC Multiverse and the Silver Age and redefined DC for the modern age. Its impact is greater than just about every other comic made by either of the Big Two ever.

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