2019 has been a challenging year for DC Comics, with operational changes leading to layoffs throughout the publishing arm, and high profile series like Heroes in Crisis suffering from extensively negative reviews. Many of the publisher’s most memorable 2019 events are exercises in crisis control, from Batman: Damned‘s “Bat-Penis” controversy (see also: sentences I’ve always dreamed of writing) to the early removal of Tom King from Batman. [Read more…] about Best DC Comics of 2019
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Geoff Johns DC Comics Reading Order
Few writers, artists, or creative minds have influenced the DC Universe of the 2000’s the same way as Geoff Johns. Across era defining works like Green Lantern: Rebirth, Infinite Crisis, Blackest Night, and Flashpoint, Johns has dramatically shaped DC Comics as we know the today. [Read more…] about Geoff Johns DC Comics Reading Order
Essential DC Comics Elseworlds & Alternate Realities!
The Elseworlds were DC’s test kitchen, providing a place for authors and artists to tweak, remix, or utterly break and rebuild certain characters. The stories were meant to deliver stories that were impossible in normal continuity, or to allow characters to break from their normal constraints and… say… fight Lovecraftian monsters or level whole cities.
Below are just a few of the notable works, helpfully sorted into categories for easy perusing. [Read more…] about Essential DC Comics Elseworlds & Alternate Realities!
Grant Morrison DC Comics Reading Order!
Starting around Marvel’s 2015 Secret Wars, I started thinking more about the concept of creative visions creating their own shared universe tapestry within Marvel or DC Comics. This came on the heels of what I viewed as the cohesive-yet-separate visions of a Hickman-verse, Remender-verse, and Bendis-verse within the broader boundaries of Marvel.
Of course, the grandaddy of all modern creative visions is Grant Morrison’s now thirty-plus year writings across the DC Universe. The Morrison-verse is genuinely captivating entirely on its own terms, without reading much DC in between (not that that’s a *bad* idea!). [Read more…] about Grant Morrison DC Comics Reading Order!
Where to Start With DC Comics In 2019
DC Comics has been publishing Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman comics starting all the way back in the late 1930s (Whereas Marvel Comics has a relevant continuity dating back to a paltry 1961). If you want some context around Superman and Batman’s longevity, the characters’ creation predates World War II, the Cleveland Indians’ World Series drought (Go Cubs!), and TELEVISION.
As a result, DC Comics has a heckuva long publication history that can be a challenge for new readers to navigate. [Read more…] about Where to Start With DC Comics In 2019