10 Best DC Comics Since 2020

DC Comics has seen its brand revitalization in recent years, with the announcement of James Gunn’s DCU and line-wide revamps like Dawn of DC and DC All-In. In the process, the company has produced some of its best stories in years, with the early 2020s being one of its strongest periods for its comics released.

With the company sweeping the recent Eisner Awards season, it’s clear that they’ve had a myriad of fantastic releases over the past few years—from the intricately crafted Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons to Si Spurrier’s underrated Hellblazer saga, DC has had many of its best books in ages in such a short period of time.

10 The Warworld Saga Cemented Superman As The Champion of The Oppressed

Created By Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Daniel Sampere, Will Conrad, Riccardo Federici, Lee Loughridge, Adriano Lucas, David Lanham, & Dave Sharpe

The first appearance of Superman, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s Action Comics #1, features a text bubble midway through describing the Man of Steel as “the champion of the oppressed.” it’s a title that Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s Action Comics run, often called “The Warworld Saga,” hammered home. A true underdog story of maintaining hope and courage while dismantling evil, “Warworld” reminded everyone how amazing Superman is.

After discovering a Kryptonian refugee that escaped the shackles of Mongul— intergalactic enslaver and warlord— and fled to Earth, Clark Kent put together a team of ragtag anti-heroes to take the fight to Mongul’s doorstep, leading to a mythological epic along the likes of Hercules, Samson, or, most prevalently, Moses. Watching Superman free a small group of Kryptonian slaves and overthrow a fascist government was nothing short of inspiring— and at times hilarious, thanks to the new not-so-heroic allies of Superman, including a reformed Manchester Black and Midnighter.

9 Si Spurrier’s Hellblazer Saga Was A Gritty Return To Form

Created By Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, Jordan Bellaire, Aditya Bidikar, & Matías Bergara

While Simon “Si” Spurrier’s Hellblazer saga began at the tail-end of 2019, the bulk of its story has been some of the more memorable parts of DC’s stellar run of comics in the 2020s. John Constantine is notoriously one of DC’s darker and more mature characters to write, so Spurrier’s Vertigo-esque sensibilities mesh with him perfectly.

Both John Constantine: Hellblazer andHellblazer: Dead in America returned the character to his punk roots as witnessed in his initial run penned by Jamie Delano. Supernatural elements are clearly at play with him, yet there is an equally placed focus on real-world elements and connections to actual political issues. The art across both series, primarily done by Aaron Campbell and Matías Bergara, is grimy and realistically rendered while still having enough style to pull off the mysticism of Constantine’s adventures.

8 Aquaman: Andromeda Showed Off The Horrors of The Ocean

Created By Ram V, Christian Ward, & Aditya Bidikar

Written by Detective Comics superstar Ram V and drawn by Batman: City of Madness creator Christian Ward, Aquaman: Andromeda set an entirely new tone for the King of Atlantis— that of cosmic horror. While a sci-fi horror story might not sound like a good fit for the character due to Aquaman’s comics usually keeping a lighter and typically remaining on Earth’s ocean, Andromeda took a new direction by forcing an alien lifeform into the depths of Aquaman’s domain.

While remaining somewhat normal in its cast of characters— Aquaman and his arch nemesis Black Manta, being the most important players in the book— the introduction of an alien into Aquaman’s world shook things up, especially in how it clashed against Arthur Curry. The Darkworld, a magical Atlantean power to warp reality, was banished into space ages ago and has just now returned to wreak havoc on the ocean. Slowly driving the crew of the titular Andromeda mad and ravaging the ocean, The Darkworld found itself to be one of the most horrifying foes in Aquaman’s rogues gallery, taking something completely unexpected to beat it: a team-up of Aquaman and Black Manta.

7 The Nice House on the Lake Brought Back DC’s Horror Roots

Created By James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire, & AndWorld Design

James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno made names for themselves with 2021’sThe Nice House on the Lake, a 12-part horror anthology cataloging a fear all too real: the end of the world. Introducing one of comics’ most terrifying modern villains, taking us through terror one by one in a procedural manner, and wearing its classic horror influences on its sleeve, it’s no surprise Nice House has received immense critical acclaim.

Following Walter and his 12 friends, Nice House displays the moral quandaries that come with a being of unspeakable power exercising such ability. The truth is that Walter is not human, and his actions show this clearly. Between helping the apocalypse, trapping his friends in a purgatorial nightmare house, and being generally unsettling, Nice House has shown us that some of the scariest villains in comics don’t need to wear clown makeup.

6 Far Sector Refreshed One of DC’s Oldest Franchises

N.K. Jemisn, Jamal Campbell, & Deron Bennett

The Green Lantern franchise has always had its ups and downs, but 2021’s Far Sector was a highlight in DC’s cosmic corner. Following the adventures of a new recruit to the Green Lantern Corps, Sojourner “Jo” Mullein, the book was a welcome divergence from the typical stories told under the Green Lantern banner.

Rather than a high-flying adventure, Far Sector was a detective story that occurred entirely on another planet, revolving around the first murder committed on an alien planet in 500 years. Jo was introduced to us as a new recruit to the Green Lantern Corps, dispatched to solve the case with limits on the capabilities of her ring. With the combination of a new type of Green Lantern story, the dynamic art of Jamal Campbell, and a layered protagonist in Jo herself, Far Sector has all the makings of a modern classic.

5 Arkham City: Order Of The World Was A Living Nightmare

Created By Dan Watters, DaNi, Aditya Bidikar, & Dave Stewart

Dan Watters has ingrained himself as one of the best of DC’s recent talents, and his work in Gotham proves this— especially when one looks at his work on the miniseries Arkham City: Order of the World. A very promising title, as its name overlaps with one of the Batman: Arkham games, Order of the World was a self-contained powerhouse that lived up to its expectations.

Quiet and contemplative, the book looked at the adventures of various inmates after having escaped the ruins of Arkham Asylum, trying to be contained by their psychiatrist, Dr. Joy. Order of the World showed a side of Gotham that was gothic, dark, and derelict everywhere one looked, making the city come off as its own rich character. It also established the anti-hero Azrael as a looming threat to the Arkhamites, drowning in his own religious madness before the events of Watters’ follow-up series, Sword of Azrael.

4 The Swamp Thing Was A Modern Classic

Created By Ram V, Mike Perkins, Aditya Bidikar, Mike Spicer, June Chung, & John McCrea

Swamp Thing is a character made famous by having consistently top-tier comics, most notably his run by Alan Moore— a comic that introduced one of the most famous and profound comic retcons, where Swamp Thing was not a man who became a plant, but a plant who believed himself a man.

With this in mind, it’s clear that a huge bulk of Swamp Thing’s history is built on change. Author Ram V had this mentality in mind while creating a new character to take on the legacy of the Green in his 2021 series. Levi Kamei was a character who had a complicated past with his family and morality, making him a fascinating pick to lead a story about industrialization’s impact on both human and plant life.

3 Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow Deserves Its Movie Adaptation

Created By Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Clayton Cowles, & Mat Lopes

While Tom King has put out many acclaimed DC books in the 2020s, from The Human Target to Wonder Woman, Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow is perhaps his best so far, even being greenlit for a feature film adaptation in James Gunn’s new DCU shortly after release.

It’s easy to see why Woman of Tomorrow was so good, even if it didn’t have the widest reception at the onset. The narrative followed an alien girl named Ruthye, who enlisted Supergirl’s help to track down Krem, her father’s killer. Each issue felt episodic and self-contained, acting as building blocks in the wider journey. Bilquis Evely‘s art throughout was ethereal and dreamlike, suiting the story’s space adventure perfectly. King’s writing was also some of his best— the style of narration used across his books to explore the idea of a hero on a pedestal was some of his best here, not to mention the excellently written themes of revenge.

2 Detective Comics Was A Gothic Triumph

Created By Ram V, Simon Spurrier, Dan Watters, Rafael Alburquerque, DaNi, Dave Stewart, Ariana Maher, Stave Wands, Hayden Sherman, Ivan Reis, Casper Wijngaard, Stefano Raffaele, Francesco Francavilla, Aaron Campbell, Liam Sharp, Jason Shawn Alexander, Christopher Mitten, & Evan Cagle

With many recent forays into Detective Comics getting a lukewarm reception by fans and critics, the title seemed suited best for filler or events for a long period— that is, until Ram V’s handling of the series made it an instant fan favorite. Titled Gotham Nocturne, this run on Detective Comics is truly an epic for the modern day.

Structured like an opera, with an overture and intermezzo to match, Gotham Nocturne returns Batman and his world to their gothic roots. While the story is a slow burn, taking its time with the narrative and many characters within, all the setup pays off in satisfying, compelling ways. In a way, it feels like a return to form for Batman in terms of quality while soundly blazing a new trail forward for the character and comics overall.

1 Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons Was A Lavish Epic

Kelly Sue DeConnick, Phil Jimenez, Clayton Cowles, Gene Ha, Nicola Scott, Annette Kwok, Arif Prianto, & Hi-Fi

Unfortunately, Wonder Woman is not a character who receives many secondary titles, but whenever she does, they are usually triumphs—as seen in the case of Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons. A three-part epic released between 2021 and 2022, Historia was a story meant to explain the history of the Amazons in exceptional detail, which it did with great success.

While every issue was done with new artists, each panel was lovingly rendered with divine skill, taking full advantage of the square pages of Black Label. The writing by Kelly Sue DeConnick underwent a similar treatment, with the story’s leads— including the gods of the Olympian Pantheon— fleshed out in immense detail. The tragedy of the Amazons struck hard across the story, with DeConnick diving deep into the oppression and pain that led to their existence. And while the story seems it may end on a dour note, the birth of Princess Diana on the shores of Themyscira indicates a promising future for both the Amazons and the Historia series.