if you read anything, read from this list! i've read thousands of comics so you know i've done my research. trust me when i say these are the essentials and must-reads, okay? note that this list includes series and runs, but not individual arcs.
geoff johns' green lantern saga (2004–2013) — this run redefined green lantern comics in the cleverest, most fantastic way, all while staying incredibly faithful to canon!!! as you can probably tell from my url, i'm pretty solidly of the opinion that his creation of the star sapphire corps is one of the best moves in modern comics.
the flash: the fastest man alive (2006) — possibly the most important flash run of the post-crisis era. it has great writing, beautiful romance, and sooo much tragedy. the series that brought back wally west!
grant morrison's batman saga (2008–2013) — some people hate it, some people love it... ultimately a groundbreaking iconic work that has essentially defined batman comics. it was — and still is — notable for centering female and nonwhite characters, which had never really been done before in comics.
red hood and the outlaws (2011) — this series (and the 2016 second volume) is hands down one of the best to come from the new 52 era. i've never known anyone who read this and didn't enthusiastically liveblog it.
justice league: elite (2004) — this limited series, which spun out from joe kelly's landmark superman run, features an amazing cast of characters that includes manchester black, oliver queen, and maybe even cassandra cain (🤫). fantastic writing.
tom taylor's run on nightwing (2016) (#78–118) — possibly one of dc's most popular runs. this is probably the one you saw those screenshots from on twitter. and for good reason. so faithful to canon and SO many feels ❤️
dark crisis: young justice (2019) — the long awaited reunion of young justice!!! brought back conner kent in the best way and is just genuinely so fun to read. the writing and attention to canon are both impeccable.
batman: wayne family adventures — some people will argue that this isn't a "real" comic, but if it walks like a duck, and talks like a duck... 🤷♀️ really fun, clever, and honestly adorable; i'd almost describe this webtoon as a love letter to dc canon. mainline dc editorial needs to take notes so bad.
final crisis (2008) — the MOST important, groundbreaking event since crisis on infinite earths. just so incredibly clever and memorable. no lie, final crisis made such an impression on me that i still see it in my dreams.
i know comics can be so confusing (trust me. i Know.) but hopefully this little reclist helps anyone who needs it ❤️❤️❤️
please remember that this list is by no means exhaustive! if you want any more recs please shoot me an ask. i love recommending fantastic runs like these ones!!! now if you'll excuse me, i'm off to reread war games 🤭
and of course you can’t forget Batman: Court of Owls!! incredibly clever and creative, and i love the spin on crime and corruption in gotham being manufactured rather than systemic 🥰
sometimes when reading classic superhero porn fic scenario "hero is auctioned off to a group of bad guys who are bidding for the right to do evil 😉 things to them 😍" i'm like i love this but man it's so common, who started this trope? what porn fic got this thing going? is it from the livejournal era, perhaps? from the days of print zines? and then i pick up an innocent dc comic to read and like okay nevermind dc was stroking it to that idea before any of us got the chance to invent it
The answer to “where did superhero comics fandom get this weird/fucked up and/or porn fantasy fic trope is always, always “an actual real comic that Marvel or DC actually published.”
in light of me HORRIBLY FAILING my womens month creator spotlights (i will... do more... soon... just... probably not in march god help me survive finals...) everyone should go read some of my fav devin grayson comics:
lassocounty
rootingformephistopheles
