10 comics or graphic novels every DC fan should read

With around 90 years of storytelling under its belt, it can be overwhelming to look at the world of DC and the many comics and graphic novels that are available to read and determine where you should start. With countless heroes, universes, authors, and so forth, you might not know the best places to begin. That's why I've pulled together this list of 10 comics that are great places to kick off your DC journey, some of which may become very popular as the DC Universe continues to take shape. In no particular order, let's begin.

All-Star Superman

We're starting with this one because come summer everyone will be talking about the Man of Steel yet again, when the James Gunn-directed, David Corenswet-headlined Superman arrives in cinemas. While it will no doubt have a few creative liberties, that film is based on the All-Star Superman tale, a fantastic story about a veteran Superman who is coming to terms with his own mortality following a tricky encounter with Lex Luthor. This story is all about Superman performing breath-taking heroic deeds, while also bracing and preparing humanity for a world without its strongest and most admirable protector. Considering Grant Morrison is part of the creative force behind this story, you can be assured it will not disappoint.

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow

We've also in part selected this story for its apparent future connection with the DC Universe. After Superman in July, the next major DC film will be Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and yes, that's also the name of this relatively new and wonderful cosmic adventure starring Kara Zor-El. This is a fantastic introduction to Supergirl, a comic that follows the famed heroine as she travels across the stars hunting a vicious criminal in the hopes of aiding an alien girl in her quest for revenge. It's a colourful, beautifully drawn and thrilling story that shows that some of the best comics are brand-new and not just timeless staples of the 90s or before.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

Bats will feature prominently here, mostly because the Caped Crusader is the subject of many of DC's greatest and most engaging works. One of these, in fact one of the most influential comics of all-time, is Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, a story that sees an aging Bruce Wayne donning the cowl again and unretiring after a new wave of criminals begin to grip Gotham City without any concern for the police and law enforcers. This is quite a brutal tale that depicts an older Batman that has lost his already questionable moral compass, and shows him dishing out shockingly cruel levels of violence on the scum of Gotham.

Watchmen

This is arguably the greatest DC graphic novel of all-time, and also a firm contender for the greatest graphic novel ever, period. Alan Moore's story takes us to a twisted and dark world where vigilantes have been exiled and relegated to the past, and then follows a collection of former heroes as they attempt to unravel a series of shocking events and hunt down whoever has been brutally killing them. This is one example that will make you realise just how complex and brilliant graphic novels can be, as the storytelling is truly unmatched and keeps you guessing along the journey, while supporting it with rich and conflicted characters operating in a detailed world. It's frankly unmissable.

The Sandman

Perhaps Neil Gaiman's magnus opus, the conflicted author's series of graphic novels, looks to delve into a world beyond gods, exploring the existence of the ethereal beings known as the Endless. The Sandman documents how the physical embodiment of Dream slots into the world and commands responsibility and respect from gods, demons, monsters, and of course, the oblivious mankind. It's a long-spanning tale that features countless twists and turns and takes the reader to places it would never have conceived, all while playing on their perception of reality and how we judge the supernatural and the divine. It's also a very creatively drawn series that will keep you engaged as you plug away at its 10+ chapters and additional spinoffs.

Batman: Year One

Once again, we return to Bats. Many have attributed this story as the one that Matt Reeves' The Batman took inspiration from. While there is a lot that separates the movie and comic, one thing that is for certain is that this tale gives us perhaps the best and most entertaining take on Batman's origin story. There's a reason why this is called Year One, and that's because it delves into the hard and demanding first year of the Caped Crusader, and how he had to become more than he ever expected be to help protect the people of Gotham City from its rising and increasingly cruel criminal habitants.

Kingdom Come

While anti-heroes are very common today, they weren't always so. In the 90s, they began their proper rise to stardom and this led many of the established writers to want to take a stand and show that there should be that degree of clear good and evil between heroes and villains. Kingdom Come is a direct shot at anti-heroes as it takes place in a future after the Justice League have retired and left their duties to a new wave of increasingly violent replacements. After a series of incidents, the Justice League members return to the fold by founding various factions in an attempt to bring the world back into order, only to launch into a major conflict where the existence of metahumans altogether is brought into the equation. This is a heavy story with long-ranging outcomes, and it's also fantastically entertaining to read.

Saga of the Swamp Thing

Remember Alan Moore, the man who wrote the amazing Watchmen? Well, one of Moore's other brilliant efforts hones in one of DC's more unusual characters, Swamp Thing. This tale set the precedent for how we know and regard this conflicted monster, by delivering a story that merged modern-day environmental, societal, and political issues with adult horror. It's an origin story that paints this strange character in a new light and shows the many trials and tribulations he had to endure on the path to determine who and what he is. This was a story that came before Watchmen for Moore, and showed glimpses at how the legendary author has always had a knack for rich and unforgettable comic stories.

V for Vendetta

While we're on the topic of Alan Moore, why not mention another one of his greatest works: V for Vendetta. You may have seen the film starring Hugo Weaving and Natalie Portman, but that was based on the graphic novel from Moore and illustrator David Lloyd. It revolves around a totalitarian United Kingdom, a country that after a brutal nuclear war shattered into a fascist police state. It then turns its attention to the revolutionary V, an anarchist that wants to smash this established order and instead return the country back to its roots, all by killing the powerful, inspiring the many, and ultimately sculpting a young woman to be his protegee and take over should his efforts result in a grave outcome. V for Vendetta is a fantastic sci-fi tale that is perfect for those interested in 1984-like alternate worlds, and instantly memorable heroes.

Batman: Arkham Asylum

When we think about comics and graphic novels, we think about their boxed format and the structure they take on. Grant Morrison's (also known for All-Star Superman) Batman: Arkham Asylum looks to throw that out of the window, by instead providing a take on a singular hellish night for Bats in the form of harrowing yet striking artwork with minimal overlaid text. This is without question one of the most unique comic stories you will ever experience, and while it won't be for everyone, it definitely leaves a mark on the reader, one where you begin to properly see the Batman in the same way as Gotham City's tormented criminals, as a conflicted and terrifying creature without any warmth in its heart.