I'm looking to expand my superhero comic reading into some more of the DC titles. I've been mostly reading the Batman related titles for the past year or so, but I am getting curious about some other things that have been published.
I used to read about everything DC right after the original Crisis on Infinite Earths, but I have not kept up for years.
I've been reading some JLA related things like the Justice, Identity Crisis and Earth 2 mini-series along with a couple of trades from the JLA run like Tower of Babel and Crisis of Confidence. I checked out but was not overly impressed with the newer issues of Justice League of America.
My next things to look into are some recent issues of Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corp, All Star Superman, Superman and Action as it seems those seem to be fairly well liked. I'm also waiting on the first two issues of Green Arrow: Year One so I can read that mini-series.
What else is out there new or in back issue runs can you recommend?
I'd also like to read the Kirby Fourth World books and then maybe check out Simonson and Byrnes titles they did in the 90s.
Some older DC stuff that I would love to re-read would include the following:
Wolfman/Perez on New Teen Titans John Byrne's run on Superman/Action etc. The Question The Shadow Grant Morrison's Animal-man (I read the first year or so of that one, I missed his Doom Patrol, so I would like to eventually check that one out.) Moore/Bissette/Totleben's Swamp Thing early issues of Hellblazer Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters
I never thought it was the best thing ever, except the artwork was really sharp, but I am actually curious to re-read the original Crisis on Infinite Earths again.
I'd also like to read the story where they outline how Bruce Wayne/Batman sets up the Brother I satillite and the OMAC. I kind of like how they have made Batman the paranoid Ozymandias character of the DC Universe, so I would like to know where they outline the whole Brother I/OMAC storyline.
― earlnash, Friday, 28 December 2007 01:32 (eighteen years ago)
You mentioned Morrison's Animal Man... are you counting loosely-DCU Vertigo comics too? (I know that Animal Man started as a DC imprint, but it switched to Vertigo sometime after Morrison.)
Also, check out Steve Englehart's Detective Comics run (esp. Milgrom's art). Some stuff I loved when I was younger; Peter David's Supergirl run, especially the beginning when it was still Supergirl + the Occult = awesomesauce. Totally underrated? The post-Death of Superman Superboy (when he moved to Hawaii and fought Hawaiian-shirt clothed sharks) and the trippy Superboy and the Ravers.
Seven Soldiers was on the DC imprint, too.
― Mordechai Shinefield, Friday, 28 December 2007 01:58 (eighteen years ago)
"You mentioned Morrison's Animal Man... are you counting loosely-DCU Vertigo comics too?"
Might as well, they don't seem to count John Constantine and Swamp Thing in the DC Universe much these days, but that is definitely where they started.
I've read the Englehart run on Batman. I had that on the reprints they did in the 80s, but just recently re-read them in the trade a month or so ago.
― earlnash, Friday, 28 December 2007 02:24 (eighteen years ago)
Someone else will probably do a better job of filling in some of the older stuff. But here are some good trades: Crisis on Infinite Earths, of course. If for nothing else, at least for the Animal Man resonances. Mark Waid's Kingdom Come New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract (You mentioned this already, so I'm seconding it) Green Lantern: Emerald Dawn JSA: The Golden Age
― Mordechai Shinefield, Friday, 28 December 2007 02:51 (eighteen years ago)
The first three or four trades of the early 00s Green Arrow run are pretty decent. The Phil Hester/Ande Parks art is pretty dynamic and effective. And if you like 70s/80s DCU stuff, then the first Kevin Smith book (Quiver) will be right up yr alley. The O'Neill/Cowan Question series is only just now being collected in trades, so hurrah for timing. I think I noticed somewhere that DC is putting out new collections of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League in the new year, and that's pretty much THE BEST STUFF EVER (esp if your were about 11 when that shit was hot off the presses). I wouldn't bother too much with Batman/nu-OMAC stuff. The Rucka series is okay, but it's intrinsically tied to way too many shitty Infinite Crisis fuckups.
Speaking of which, Geoff Johns wrote some pretty decent Flash stuff a few years ago. My favourite is collected in "Ignition".
As for actual current stuff, the new Blue Beetle and Booster Gold series are both quite good
― Dr. Superman, Friday, 28 December 2007 05:32 (eighteen years ago)
get this dude http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/510CMW5G30L._SS500_.jpg
― chaki, Friday, 28 December 2007 06:28 (eighteen years ago)
YES. It is 100% unfuckwithable.
― Dr. Superman, Friday, 28 December 2007 07:39 (eighteen years ago)
I don't know if they were ever collected, but back issues of the Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle Batman and Detective runs should be cheap and great. And read Morrison's 'Doom Patrol' soon!
― James Morrison, Saturday, 29 December 2007 00:38 (eighteen years ago)
In the past couple of days, I have read the Green Lantern: Rebirth tpb and the first six issues of the new series. It is a pretty good read. I think Johns did a good job of cleaning up the stable and resetting the series.
They need to get that guy to do the same thing and just bring back Barry Allen as the Flash. I have not kept up on the Flash, but seeing that glimpse within the JLA Lightning Saga storyline, I think I would bring back Barry Allen to present from right at the moment when he died in the first Crisis. I think playing up the whole man out of time for the fastest man alive could be interesting.
I also read Superman/Batman Generations by John Byrne. I thought it was also a pretty good read.
I'm going to start on Kingdom Come tomorrow. I picked it up and a big bunch of 50 cent back issues including about a year long run of Nightwing and a nice run of the JSA series, issues 5 to 10 of the 80s Justice League and some issues of All Star Squadron.
― earlnash, Monday, 31 December 2007 05:03 (seventeen years ago)
get the new Showcase Presents Brave & the Bold Vol. 2 it's BATMANTASTIC
― Dr. Superman, Monday, 31 December 2007 22:23 (seventeen years ago)
I have to add a few more to the search pile.
I really liked Grant Morrison's All Star Superman. I thought it was a bit more clever than just a silver age pastiche that some reviews say about it. My favorite issue was #5 where Clark Kent is interviewing Luthor in the middle of the prison riot. That one was real fun.
On the Superman front, I also have re-read Man of Steel and the first couple of issues of the 80s Superman title by John Byrne. Those were as good as I remembered. I remember probably liking that run as good as anything he did back then.
I also read the One Year Later storyline in Action and Superman called "Up Up and Away" and a few recent issues of those titles. I think all of those issues were quite good. I'm going to get caught up on the two main Superman titles.
I have the Kingdom Come book but have not yet given it a read.
I have tracked down Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters and as soon as I find a copy of Green Arrow: Year One #6, I am going to read those two mini-series back to back.
― earlnash, Wednesday, 9 January 2008 23:02 (seventeen years ago)