• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

  • Reading Orders
    • Marvel
    • My Marvelous Year
    • DC Comics
    • All Comic Book Publishers
    • Most Recent
  • Beginner Guides
    • Beginner’s Guide To Comics In 2023
    • Marvel 2023: Where to Start?
    • DC 2023: Where to Start?
    • Best of Lists
    • Tablets for Comics
    • Guides for Digital Readers
  • Reviews
    • Marvel Comics
    • DC Comics
    • Comic Book Movies
    • Comic Book TV
    • Video Games
  • Podcasts & Video
    • My Marvelous Year
    • Best Comics Ever (CBH)
    • CBH on Youtube!
  • About Me
    • My Favorite Comics of All Time
    • Columns
    • CBH Email Newsletter
  • Support Comic Book Herald
    • Ways to support
You are here: Home / Featured / Question of the Week: What’s Your Favorite Superman, Batman and DC Universe Story?

Question of the Week: What’s Your Favorite Superman, Batman and DC Universe Story?

December 8, 2014 by Dave 5 Comments

As you’re all well aware, I spend a lot of time on Comic Book Herald talking about Marvel Comics. It’s my first love, and I won’t sit here and pretend that when the great Marvel vs. DC brouhaha of 2016 breaks out I won’t be on the side of the (arch)Angels. Nonetheless, I love my share of DC stories and this leads us to this week’s doozy of a question from the comments of my DC Reading Order guide:

If you had to pick ONE for each:

1) what is your favorite Superman story arc?

2) what is your favorite Batman story arc?

3) what is your single favorite DC story arc?

Now, if we’re simply talking the best Batman story, I’d point you all in the direction of The Dark Knight Returns and go spend time with my family. Or I could sit here and nitpick the semantics and talk about comics for another hour. No-brainer.

Since the question specifically asks for my favorite stories from each, I’ll note up front that these picks will be a little different than an objective “best of” list. And since I spend so much time recommending new comics for new readers on Comic Book Herald, my picks will also lean in that direction. Ready? Let’s go.

My Favorite Batman Story For New Readers

As I said a moment ago, the obvious choices for best Batman stories are Frank Miller & David Mazzucchelli’s Year One and The Dark Knight Returns. Both absolutely flawless Batman stories, and two of the greatest graphic novels of all-time.

Batman Arkham City
The coolest

Nonetheless, if this is your first Batman story, or you’re relatively new to reading Batman comics, these stories don’t make great starting points. This is ironic for Year One since it is literally Batman’s origins, but the fact of the matter is that both graphic novels capture Batman at atypical points in his comic book crime-fighting career. He’s either very young and just learning the ropes, or he’s at the end of his rope and making one last stand. These angles are what make these such great graphic novels but they’re also why they aren’t my favorite Batman books to recommend. They’re fascinating variations of Batman, but they aren’t pure Batman. They don’t necessarily tell you if you’re going to want to read more Batman comics because there are almost no other Batman comics like them.

Support For Comic Book Herald:

Comic Book Herald is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn a qualifying affiliate commission.

Comic Book Herald’s reading orders and guides are also made possible by reader support on Patreon, and generous reader donations.

Any size contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content. Support CBH on Patreon for exclusive rewards, or Donate here! Thank you for reading!

That’s why Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale’s “The Long Halloween” is my favorite Batman story. It’s a 13 issue ongoing mystery with Batman and his villains fully formed and installed in Gotham. In addition to highlighting his skill as a detective, “The Long Halloween” also highlights Bruce Wayne the man behind the cowl (Batman’s alter ego – not the other way around).

“The Long Halloween” catches some criticism for its “villain of the week” mentality, in which new Batman villains are paraded around each issue. The potential trap here is Loeb and Sale saying “Look everyone it’s the Joker! You love the Joker!” and not really delivering anything meaningful beyond that. Personally I reject this view of “The Long Halloween,” and am unashamedly a fan of Loeb and Sale rolling out the likes of Penguin, Mad Hatter, and Solomon Grundy (yes!) for my reading pleasure. Simply put, it’s a blast to see this many Batman characters intertwined in a single mystery, which is part of the reason the Batman: Arkham video games are so much fun.

If the “Long Halloween” hits for you, it also has the upside of a sequel with another 13 issues in Loeb and Sale’s “Dark Victory.” There are plenty of great Batman stories, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s New 52 “The Court of Owls” among them, but my favorite is “The Long Halloween.”

My Favorite Superman Story For New Readers

Superman catches a lot of flak for being “boring,” but there’s really no shortage of fun Superman comics. Choosing a favorite is actually very difficult. Even something as wacky and Bizarro (not literally) as Tom Taylor’s recent “Injustice” is a completely fascinating take on Superman finally taking over Earth as its benevolent Dr. Doom tyrant. Or, Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen’s “Secret Identity” isn’t technically even a Superman comic, and yet the four issue miniseries is one of the most affecting, enjoyable takes on the Man of Steel in all of DC. And if you got to read only a single Superman issue, that would undoubtedly have to be Alan Moore’s classic “For the Man Who Has Everything.”

Absolute All Star Superman
Supes

Yet the fact of the matter is that one book wins the favorite Superman story competition by a landslide: All-Star Superman.

The only hesitation I have in selecting All-Star Superman is the concern that Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s brilliant 12 issue Superman story is too “in the weeds” for a new reader. The first time I read All-Star Superman I was not as well versed in DC lore, and I found this out-of-canon Superman story intriguing yet confusing. Jimmy Olsen… wears fun coats?

Nonetheless, selecting anything else would be crazy. When I returned to the Absolute All-Star Superman a few years later, I couldn’t put it down. This is a bright, shining love letter to Superman and his greatness, and the greatness he represents as the heroic ideal. Morrison and Quitely take on everything we love about Superman, pulling in Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, Bizzaro, and Kryptonite and making them all fresh and exciting for a new audience and era.

So if you’ve ever said to yourself Superman is boring, give All-Star Superman a shot.

Favorite DC Universe Story For New Readers

I could spend a lifetime trying to figure out the answer to this one, both in terms of narrowing down DC stories I’ve already enjoyed and reading new favorites. If we expand the question to include Vertigo titles like Watchmen or Sandman the choice would be easy (read Watchmen; like right now), but considering those “DC Universe” is a big stretch.

The list of titles I would consider here off-hand looks something like this, and again, this is based on a completely non-complete consumption of all things DCU:

Green Lantern / Green Arrow: Hard-Travelin’ Heroes

The Legion of Superheroes: Great Darkness Saga

Crisis on Infinite Earths

Grant Morrison’s Animal Man

Mark Waid’s Flash

Starman

DC: The New Frontier

Batman & Robin

Green Lantern: Rebirth

Even with all those options, my choice right this very moment is Grant Morrison’s lengthy run on JLA (Justice League of America). I’ve finally gotten around to enjoying JLA this year, and it’s pretty astonishing just how good these issues are. Morrison’s imagination vibrates with life, breathing new thrilling story after new thrilling story into the pages of all your favorite DC Universe heroes.

There are plenty of late 90’s specific comic book references that might be mildly confusing to the modern passer-by. Superman wears a completely baller (and dare I say SUPERIOR) electric blue costume, Wonder Woman disappears for months, and Aquaman is handless as HECK. Nonetheless, the story arcs in these pages are gold, and drive the same kind of thrilling Justice League excitement we’d see a few years later in the Justice League Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited.

 

There you have it. My favorite Batman, Superman, and DC Universe stories. What do you think? Great picks? Dead wrong? Way too Morrison heavy? Do what feels right to you in the comments.

Filed Under: Featured, Question of the Week Tagged With: Batman, DC Comics, Superman, The Dark Knight Returns

Heroically Support Comic Book Herald!

If you like Comic Book Herald, and are able to donate, any small contribution will help keep CBH alive and full of new comics guides and content. Donate here! Or, support CBH on Patreon for exclusive rewards! Thank you for reading!

Become a Patron!

About Dave

Dave is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Comic Book Herald, and also the Boss of assigning himself fancy titles. He's a long-time comic book fan, and can be seen most evenings in Batman pajama pants. Contact Dave @comicbookherald on Twitter or via email at dave@comicbookherald.com.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Eric says

    December 8, 2014 at 11:44 am

    Awesome!

    Reply
    • Eric says

      December 8, 2014 at 11:55 am

      After reading Dark Knight Returns (per your suggestion – thank you! it was excellent), I decided to also jump into Superman with “Superman: Doomed” and currently about halfway through. Good so far – kinda like a mashup of Superman and the Hulk.

      Reply
      • Dave says

        December 8, 2014 at 3:38 pm

        Glad you enjoyed Dark Knight Returns!

        I haven’t checked out Superman: Doomed yet, I’ll have to add it to the (immense) list 🙂

        Reply
  2. KaioShin says

    December 8, 2014 at 8:22 am

    Interesting choices!

    I’m not too engulfed in the DC Universe myself yet (come on DC. when will you finally offer something like Marvel Unlimited?) but from the Batman stuff I definitely wholeheartedly agree. The Long Halloween + Dark Victory is a fantastic starting point and the art style also perfectly fits Batman like a glove. I’d especially recommend the art for those older readers who grew up on the Animated Series.

    I haven’t read any Superman comics (I’m afraid I’m guilty of the “he’s boring anyway” prejudice) but I’ve played the game Injustice and watched the animated movie for All-Star Superman and both were entertaining.

    A lot from these lists seems to be older material, what’s your take on DC’s New 52 reboot? I gathered that the Snyder penned new Batman is awesome, but other than that I haven’t heard definite things yet. I read some New 52 Wonder Woman, but while it had nice art is really didn’t blow my mind content wise.

    Reply
    • Dave says

      December 8, 2014 at 2:59 pm

      New 52 Wonder Woman was one of the DC books I stuck with the longest. As you mention, I really enjoyed Cliff Chiang’s style and particularly his interpretations of Greek mythology. I thought Azzarello’s story as a whole was a unique way of tackling Wonder Woman (a perpetually challenging book), essentially placing the focus on Zeus and the Greek gods instead of Diana herself. I think the series hits a nice stride issues 6 through 10, so if you’re not feeling it by the second volume, it probably won’t do it for you.

      Otherwise, I liked a fair amount of New 52 launches, all of which proceeded to fade after a few story arcs. Geoff John and Ivan Reis’s Aquaman was pretty impressively good. I also read all of Jeff Lemire’s Animal Man, although that really dropped off for me down the stretch. Swamp Thing was very good with Synder writing, and even stayed relatively interesting through a muddled crossover with Animal Man. And if you’re looking for an under the radar book, I really liked Dial H for Hero before it was abruptly cancelled.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

The Comic Book Herald Podcast!

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsRSS
My Marvelous Year reading club helps Marvel fans become comic book experts

Recent Posts

  • Pax Americana and The Infinite Loop Of Imperiums March 25, 2023
  • Fall of X Teasers & Al Ewing’s Sins of Sinister | Comic Book Herald Live! March 24, 2023
  • “Sins of Sinister” Part 6: Immoral X-Men #2—in Review! March 23, 2023
  • DESTINY OF X | The Krakoan Empire Divided March 22, 2023
  • “Secret Identity” with Alex Segura | CBH Interviews #107 March 21, 2023
  • 2002 Pt. 3: Daredevil & Elektra March 20, 2023
  • Immoral X-Men #2 and Wolverine vs. Dark Beast! | Comic Book Herald Live! March 17, 2023
  • X-Men: The Animated Series Season 2 Rewatch! March 16, 2023
  • “Sins of Sinister” Part 5: Nightcrawlers #2—in Review! March 15, 2023
  • My Marvelous Interview: Paul Jenkins on Wolverine Origin, Inhumans, Spectacular Spider-Man, & More! March 13, 2023
  • The Dark Knight Trilogy 15 Years Later: Film & Comic Influences! March 11, 2023
  • Sins of Sinister: Nightcrawlers, X-Men #20, New Mutants: Lethal Legion #1 | Comic Book Herald Live! March 10, 2023
  • 2002 Variant A: Ant-Man & Wasp Quantumania TAKEDOWN! March 6, 2023
  • Steve Orlando’s Marauders #1-5—Annotated! March 4, 2023
  • “Sins of Sinister” Part 4: Immoral X-Men #1 in Review! March 3, 2023

Popular Articles

DC Rebirth Guide

Batman Reading Order

DC New 52 Reading Order

Marvel Ultimate Universe Guide

Civil War Reading Order

Marvel Cosmic Reading Order

The Best Comics of All Time!

Deadpool Reading Order

Justice League Reading Order

Complete Thanos Reading Order

X-Men Reading Guide (Modern Era)

Age of Apocalypse Reading Order

Modern Marvel Universe in 25 Trades

Best Tablet For Digital Comics

Is Marvel Unlimited Worth It?

Footer

New to Comic Book Herald?

Hey there - my name's Dave and this is my comic book blog. It's my way of sharing my borderline obsessive addiction to the comic book medium, and I hope you like some of what's going on here.

Most people that come here are looking for my (WIP) Marvel reading order guide. You can probably also get a sense if CBH is for you by taking a look at some of my columns.

If you like what you see, let's connect on Facebook or Twitter. Or, leave a comment on the blog here, I'm always looking for new awesome people in the comic book community.

More on Comic Book Herald

  • Home
  • About
  • Support CBH
  • My Marvelous Year
  • Join!
Privacy Policy
Terms of Service

Recent Posts

  • Pax Americana and The Infinite Loop Of Imperiums
  • Fall of X Teasers & Al Ewing’s Sins of Sinister | Comic Book Herald Live!
  • “Sins of Sinister” Part 6: Immoral X-Men #2—in Review!
  • DESTINY OF X | The Krakoan Empire Divided
  • “Secret Identity” with Alex Segura | CBH Interviews #107

Copyright © 2023 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in