Press "Enter" to skip to content

Top 10 Best DC Graphic Novels


books are better when they have pictures
and pictures are better when they have
batted tell Gordon we have to talk show
us a fax welcome to watchmojo.com and
today we’re counting down our picks for
the top 10 DC graphic novels before we
begin we publish new videos every day so
be sure to subscribe for more great
content so this list we’re looking at
DC’s best graphic novels that are the
most recognized and influential we’re
not including any of the titles from
DC’s vertigo imprint so our apologies to
Sandman and V I want to sketch their
past
no one escapes judgment number 10
flash rebirth look who’s just joined the
land of the living
got a run James Barry Allen the Silver
Age flash sacrificed his life to save
the universe and for decades was gone
from the comics when he returned the
formerly happy-go-lucky speedster was
changed I’m the flash oh what’s the
flash although he was glad to see
familiar faces Barry just didn’t feel at
home anymore the flash was only jolted
out of his melancholy by the return of
his archenemy the reverse flash I’m
going to bring the shrine to your ego
down on your head
Vista various flow reveals that he was
responsible for all of the tragedies
that had befallen Barry throughout his
life and that’s only the beginning
Geoff Jones’s death scripting was
painful at times creating a new way to
look at this most optimistic DC
characters and adding a new layer of
maturity to his story
number nine all-star Superman I’m dying
I’m sorry Superman if I hadn’t tried to
steal fire from the Sun none of this
would have happened
don’t apologize you couldn’t have known
Superman’s immense power and
invulnerability often makes creating
believable menaces problematic in this
alternate world story Grant Morrison
took that to a new extreme he created
the situation in which the mana feel
became even more powerful but at a cost
the near omnipotent Superman only had
one year left to live this intriguing 12
issue miniseries is dark but it’s also
aware of the attributes which made the
character’s Silver Age story so
enthralling
Morrison juggles these two seemingly
incompatible strains and creates a
series of stories that are uniquely
compelling and paint a decades-old
character in a new light
it’s what I’ve been keeping from you
I’m dying Louis number 8 the dubious
contract Wow
when the New Teen Titans burst onto the
scene in the 1980s they quickly became a
phenomenon thanks to the dynamic team of
writer Mark Wolfman and artist George
Barret that partnership reached its apex
with this story arc earlier Wolfman had
established Deathstroke at the team’s
foremost nemesis he also added a new
character Terra
to the Titans roster in this art it was
revealed that Terra was an agent of
Deathstroke
sent to infiltrate and help destroy them
and really destroy
[Music]
I thought you’d never ask the effect
that this had on the Titans was
significant especially for changeling
who had strong feelings for the
treacherous Terra the Judas contract was
a high-water mark for the Titan I’m not
getting mad are you a Oh careful
these boys told me all about your temper
kid anger is pointless my emotions are
under control
number seven Batman year one with the
Dark Knight Returns Frank Miller looked
at Batman’s future with year one you
were visited the Basque origin and in
doing so gave birth to many future year
one retelling Miller and artist David
Matz ocelli explored the very first days
of Batman and Jim Gordon as Bruce Wayne
is learning how to dawn the cowl and
become a costumed vigilante Jim Gordon
is causing trouble for the corrupt legal
system in Gotham gonna be a little late
you may have to skip the whole night
both at times seem to be fighting an
uphill battle but their grim
determination wins out in the end
Miller script helped create the vision
of Gotham as a city corrupted on
numerous levels a vision which still
endure look around here you’ll see two
councilmen a union official couple
off-duty cops and a judge now I wouldn’t
have a second hesitation employing ahead
of right hand right now in front of them
now that’s power you can’t buy that’s
the power of fear
I’m afraid of you number six whatever
happened to the man of tomorrow with
John Burns epic reboot of the Man of
Steel on the horizon DC gave their
flagship hero an appropriate and
wonderfully touching send-off the
brilliant Allen war worked with supreme
Superman artist Curt Swan to create the
ultimate Silver Age story almost all of
the elements and major cast members
associated with Superman were brought
back in a story that showed the demise
of the legendary superhero yet kind of
happy ending anyway more storytelling
and pace has never been better yet it
still has a sense of fun but it’s more
serious work slack this graphic novel
was a perfect way to say goodbye to this
phase of the icons history number 5
Batman the long Halloween
nothing comparable my hair is now
another story set early in Batman’s
career so long Halloween details a
year-long mystery that gets deadlier
with each month the new holiday killer
is grotesquely murdering victims on one
holiday each month
Batman’s old villain the calendar man
knows the killer’s identity but won’t
share it and so Batman must track the
killer down before the next holiday so
we involve many familiar faces from the
Batman mythos in a taut gripping story
with a complex plot that is full of
surprises a testament to writer Jeph
Loeb skill that skill with creating an
intriguing mystery would be demonstrated
almost a decade later in the hush
storyline you’re a killer a psychopath I
will stop you really but you look just
like Bruce Wayne number four Kingdom
Come
many of these graphic novels have
focused on the question of power trust
and responsibility
Kingdom Come took this to a new level it
takes place in an alternate future one
in which Superman and the heroes of his
generation have retired they’ve been
replaced by a new generation of
metahumans who aren’t all is Justin
virtuous at their old world counterpart
it becomes harder to tell the heroes
from villains but one thing is certain
Justice Society member Magog is the
latter finally the old guard is
compelled to return and Matt sets in
motion a super-powered battle that
becomes increasingly dangerous to
everyone on earth mark waves provocative
tale is perfectly realized by Alex
Ross’s stunning art in this disturbing
work number 3 Batman The Killing Joke
I want to talk one of the most
controversial of DC’s graphic novels The
Killing Joke is also one of its most
powerful author Alan Moore has in later
years expressed his regret at the brutal
treatment he put characters through
especially Barbara Gordon
in the story Barbara is paralyzed and
graphically route alized by the Joker
who uses pictures and recordings of this
event to torture her father Jim Gordon
The Joker strategy is to demonstrate
that any man including Gordon or Batman
can become a monster
psychologically potent and written with
remorseless intensity The Killing Joke
is intensely disturbing but well worth
the discomfort it causes
all take one that number to the dark
night returned nearly coinciding with
Gordon’s retirement tonight also marks
the tenth anniversary of the last
sighting of the Batman most of our
younger viewers now think of him as a
myth this is arguably the work that
justified the term graphic novel and as
one of the most influential comics ever
published a massive seller it set the
tone for the Batman series for years and
impacted cinematic versions of the
character as well set in a future in
which Batman has been retired for a
decade after the death of Jason Todd aka
Robin Gotham has descended into madness
with a gang known as the mutants
terrorizing the street I got my knife
anything moves out Batman comes out of
retirement buddy’s grimmer and darker
than ever before although many found
Miller’s work to be kind of over-the-top
and some felt like it even justified
fascist action the novel was undeniably
vibrant and enthralling just an
operating table and I’m the surgeon
before we reveal our top pick here a few
honorable mentions
[Music]
number one watchman father economist DC
originally wanted a series using some
old Charlton Comics characters they
owned but Alan Moore took those
characters and created his own using
them as templates he also created a
masterpiece in the process when you walk
down a street in a city dying of rabies
past the human cockroaches talking about
their own a child pornography you really
feel fun taking place during the Cold
War costumed heroes most of which
possess no superpowers at all has been
outlawed for years but when it appears
that someone may be killing these former
heroes they have to come out of hiding
and unravel the conspiracy
this brief plot description doesn’t even
begin to describe the complexity of the
story the characters involved or do
justice to the exceptional writing you
just have to read it for yourself to
understand she says I’m not good cause
now I tell her I don’t think there is a
cot and if there is I’m nothing like him
do you agree with our picks check out
these other great clips from WatchMojo
and subscribe for new videos every day
Please follow and like us: