Most times, fans can easily get caught up in the mythology of their favorite heroes and villains – each week, eagerly awaiting to see what new direction their favorite character title will go. Since Action Comics #1, these stories often pull from some small basis of real-life situations, fears, and events; however, they are difficult to relate to when focusing on characters who have super powers.
While there are plenty of stories to choose from, here are the best DC storylines which inject doses of reality-based issues and situations, making the stories – regardless of time and location – still relevant. (NOTE: There are spoilers in the descriptions.)
10 SWAMP THING #45
Written by the legendary writer, Alan Moore, Swamp Thing #45 explores the legend of the supposedly haunted Winchester house, once the residence of Sarah Winchester, widow of the firearm maker William Winchester – in this comic, it’s the Cambridge house. The house is a haunting ground for all of those whose lives were ended due to the famous rifle. The story (which barely features Swamp Thing) starts like a usual scary house story with four friends going in search of some thrills only to be separated by the apparitions. By the end, the once timid man of the four is seen buying his own rifle, going home to murder his cheating girlfriend. It’s a chilling testament to both the seduction of – and destruction by – such a weapon.
9 HEROES IN CRISIS
Ex-CIA officer Tom King uses post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a muse for this story which focuses on Sanctuary, a place Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman created for heroes who need time to rest and heal from the emotional and psychological wounds they encounter in their line of work. At its heart, the story is a murder mystery, but peppering the 9-issue story is deeply heart-wrenching explorations of the human psyche – particularly of soldiers and those who survive traumatic experiences and what can happen when our thoughts and feelings get the best of us.
8 SUPERMAN #27 & 28
While Superman goes beyond representing just America, now standing up for all of humanity, he is still American. In these Rebirth issues, Clark takes his son, Jon, and Lois on a road trip to visit important historical American landmarks and monuments. From discovering real-life unsung heroes such as Deborah Sampson to discussions of religion and protesting to visiting Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials, these two issues touch on important subject matters, giving an insight into Superman’s views. The end is a touching testament to what Superman truly represents: empathy.
7 HARLEY QUINN #25
Even though Harley Quinn was first introduced in Batman: The Animated Series, her popularity has grown to comics as well as TV and movie media. What’s revealed in the classic “Mad Love” storyline is Joker’s abusive relationship with Harley. Even though Harley is academically and street smart, she falls into the kind of crazy relationship consisting of repeatedly breaking up and making up … until 2013's #25 of Harley’s solo title, when she realizes she’s had enough of Joker’s abuse. The dysfunctional relationship is an example that this kind of thing can happen to anyone and everyone.
6 FEMALE FURIES
Wonder Woman and Harley Quinn have been in the DC Comics spotlight when feminism and women’s equality comes to mind; however, writer Cecil Castellucci’s and Adriana Melo’s 2019 6-issue series focuses on the infamous all-woman warrior crew under the lead of villain Granny Goodness as they deal with misogyny, inequality and sexism. The furies – created by Jack Kirby – have mostly been known for their villainy under Darkseid, but Castellucci’s story not only explores a pre-heroic Big Barda in her search for freedom, but it also explains what has lead Barda to become the infamous warrior.
5 GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW
In 1970, writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams teamed up to bring about the team up of these two emerald crimefighters and friends. The title only lasted for 14 issues and was not a commercial success at the time, but its run has been rediscovered by new audiences, finding a relevance which sadly still holds today. The story follows conservative Hal Jordan and liberal Oliver Queen as they team up and traverse the country, dealing with real-world issues such as racism, religious extremism, child abuse, and, most famously, drug abuse (issues #85-86).
4 ACTION COMICS #987
This issue may be the beginning of “The Oz Effect” storyline, but throughout it, Mr. Oz facilitates several emergencies for Superman to deal with – including a guerilla war in a third world country, an oil tanker spill, sweat shops employing kids, the attempted ruination of valuable medicine, poachers, a prison riot, and – in a reflection of the recent immigrant issue – a gunman attempting to kill immigrant workers he blames for taking his job. After a quick save, Superman correctly points out the only person responsible for the man’s misfortune is the man himself.
3 THE WORLD’S GREATEST SUPER-HEROES
Writer Paul Dini and artist Alex Ross put out separate graphic novels for Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Captain Marvel/Shazam. In each installment collected here, the heroes separately deal with issues not involving super villains, giant monsters, or robots. Rather, Dini’s focus is on human issues. Superman deals with world hunger; Batman deals with everyday crime and its aftershock on a young boy; Wonder Woman struggles with trying to help people and work with them rather than above them; and a disheartened Captain Marvel tends to sick and abused kids.
2 EXIT STAGE LEFT: THE SNAGGLEPUSS CHRONICLES
In this reimagining of Hanna-Barbera cartoons, the pink mountain lion Snagglepuss is a closeted gay playwright living during the Red Scare in 1950s America, going through the McCarthy witch-hunt communism hearings. This is not the goofy cartoon people remember as, throughout the story, utilizing other characters such as Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw, and Augie Doggie, explorations of homosexuality and intolerance are the focal point. Mark Russell’s writing is both witty and heartbreaking, taking a somewhat comedic idea, mixing it with a serious topic and creating a compelling, important piece of literature.
1 GREEN LANTERNS #15
When writer Sam Humphries took on Green Lanterns – teaming new Green Lantern Jessica Cruz up with Simon Baz – issue #15 explored Cruz’s anxiety, admitting right at the beginning how getting out of bed is a struggle. From her narration explaining how Simon doesn’t understand to having to console herself during a showdown with an alien to the wonderful ending, the story masterfully handles a topic still misunderstood by society today as Cruz deals with her anxiety and fears, admitting this is not something she gets better from, but something she fights daily.