To put it bluntly, we read a lot of DC Comics in 2023, and now we’ve picked out our 10 Best DC Comics of 2023.
And it wasn’t easy work. All three of us who participated in this list had a longer set of books to pair down, often painfully. But we did the hard work, and we’ve settled on our favs, a list that feels pretty representative of what we enjoyed the most.
There was one book the entire team — Cori McCreery, Joe Grunenwald, and Zack Quaintance — all pegged as our favorite, and so we’ll start with that one, before then going alphabetically. You can find the full list below… enjoy!
10 Best DC Comics of 2023
Superman
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Jamal Campbell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
To me, it felt like Superman #1 — which hit in February — set the tone for DC’s entire year. It was that well-done, with a clear perspective on what long-running superhero comics should be. It added new ideas and characters, while also going back to foundational elements to move them forward, too. Plus, it looked amazing. But it wasn’t just one issue and then fizzle. This book stayed strong throughout 2023, continuing to build on the debut. It’s been a reliable treat each month, and my favorite DC Comic of 2023. —ZQ
Since the Rebirth initiative in 2016, DC has constantly been reinventing Superman’s solo adventures, from making him a father to having him reveal his secret identity to the world to sending him off-world and passing the mantle on to his son. With this year’s Dawn of DC relaunch of the series, Joshua Williamson and Jamal Campbell have reinvented the Man of Steel again, restoring Superman’s secret identity and redefining his relationship both with Metropolis in general and specifically with his archnemesis, Lex Luthor. Williamson has also delved into Luthor’s past in a way that has added new complexity to the character and his own relationship with Metropolis. It’s a fresh and exciting take on the pillars of good and evil in the DC Universe, and easily the best, most consistent series DC has published this year. —JG
So when we decided to do this end of year round-up, the biggest challenge was “Okay but who gets to write about Superman?” We all loved it, we all thought it was one of, if not, the top book of the year. So we settled by deciding that we would all write about it and three others, so that we had a full top ten. So I’m here to add my two cents about Superman. What can I say other than that Williamson and Campbell are swinging for the fences with every issue? They had the challenge of making Superman’s version of Hush, and they are absolutely making good on that challenge. This run of Superman is going to go into the annals of great runs that you can just hand someone to introduce them to a character. Well done, guys. —CM
Action Comics
Writer: Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artist: Rafa Sandoval
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Dave Sharpe
When Phillip Kennedy Johnson took over Action Comics in 2021, I was on record as worried about that decision. I was worried that Johnson’s military past would drive him to write Superman in a way that didn’t mesh with how I view the character. Now here we are three years later, and I’m happy to say it’s my favorite Superman run of the past decade, bar none. My fears were unfounded, and I’m sad to see Johnson leaving the book. His Superman, and especially his Lois have been a highlight of the past three years. Hey Phillip, sorry that I doubted you. —CM
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: Steve Wands
Mark Waid, Dan Mora and Tamara Bonvillain are really firing on all cylinders with this book, and have been since it first launched. It is undeniably fun every issue, month in and month out. The art by Mora and colored by Bonvillain make this book easily one of the best-looking books on the stands every month. Couple that with it’s Mark Waid just telling the stories he wants to tell without having to be bound by any specific era, and this is a title for the ages. —CM
Birds of Prey
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Leonardo Romero
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
We’re still early in this run, but boy-howdy is this book just a rollicking fun time. Kelly Thompson’s sense of humor is on display throughout each issue, and makes the book a joy to read each month. The chemistry of the lineup is very different from other Birds teams we’ve seen in the past, making this iteration more unique and interesting. And of course Leonardo Romero’s art is fast-paced and dynamic throughout. I find myself looking forward to more Birds of Prey every month, something that hasn’t happened in far too long. —CM
The Flash
Writers: Jeremy Adams, Si Spurrier
Artists: Roger Cruz, Fernando Pasarin, Mike Deodato Jr.
Colorists: Luis Guerrero, Matt Herms, Trish Mulvihill
Letterers: Rob Leigh, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
It’s been an interesting year for The Flash, with the end of one creative team’s run and the beginning of a new one that’s taken the character in a wildly different direction. Whether it was in an epic multi-speedster saga like “The One-Minute War” or the smaller three-issue story that followed it, Jeremy Adams concluded his two-and-a-half-year run as writer on the fastest man alive’s adventures with a clear focus on the book’s stars, Wally West and his family. Adams, joined this year by artists including Fernando Pasarin and Roger Cruz, particularly did strong work with the younger Wests, Iris and Jai, bringing them front and center for the first time and giving them unique personalities, having them carry their own storylines, and proving just how much they can add to the Flash mythos.
The Flash #800 saw the end of Adams’s run and the beginning of new creative team Si Spurrier, Mike Deodato Jr., Trish Mulvihill, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou’s time on the series, and after a two-month break for Knight Terrors the series relaunched and Spurrier and Deodato Jr. hit the ground running (no apologies for punning) with a new direction for The Flash, one that has so far leaned into the super-science of The Speed Force and the sci-fi horror of being able to travel across dimensions on a whim. It’s a take that has worked exceptionally well at doing something new without ignoring anything that’s come before. At a time when DC has proven they’re more than willing to take big swings, turning The Flash into a horror book may be the biggest they’ve taken yet. So far, in the hands of Spurrier, Deodato, and co., it’s been a home run, and I’m excited to see what else they have in store as the series progresses. —JG
Gotham City: Year One
Writer: Tom King
Penciller: Phil Hester
Inker: Eric Gapstur
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Eisner winner Tom King wrote a number of books for DC this year, from limited series like The Human Target to Danger Street to taking over the regular writing chores on the monthly Wonder Woman series. But far and away his best DC work of 2023 was on Gotham City: Year One. King, penciller Phil Hester, inker Eric Gapstur, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Clayton Cowles’s six-issue series follows private detective Slam Bradley as he investigates the kidnapping of young Helen Wayne, a story set against a backdrop of racial tension in 1960s Gotham. Here King utilizes similar noir tropes to those used in The Human Target, but in service of a much more compelling story. Hester’s artwork is perhaps the best it’s ever been on this series, Gapstur’s inks enhancing the linework beautifully, and Bellaire’s colors fitting the tone of the story and the artwork flawlessly. It’s an alchemy of creators at the top of their game, adding a fascinating new layer to one of comics’ most familiar cities. —JG
Peacemaker Tries Hard
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Hey, how novel is Peacemaker Tries Hard — a humor comic that’s actually funny? And this book was certainly that. From the hilarious SFX to the characterization — plucked expertly from the much-loved HBO television show — to the occasional invention of new verbiage for sex acts…this book was just funny, the type of funny that makes you chuckle while you’re reading it alone. Hey, I’m chuckling right now remembering some of my favorite jokes, too. —ZQ
Poison Ivy
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Marcio Takara
Colorist: Arif Prianto
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
The easiest way to explain how successful this book has been is to note that Poison Ivy started as a six-issue miniseries and just hit #17 this year, with no end in site yet. With superhero comics, it often feels a little empty to call a book “character-driven” — like 90 percent of them have their lead character’s name splashed on the cover — but this one really is. It’s interested in who Poison Ivy is, what she’s going through, and the ripple effect of the many choices she has made/keeps making. It’s just one of those books that goes to show the right creators can make any character a book-of-the-month candidate. —ZQ
The Sandman Universe – Nightmare Country: The Glass House
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Lisandro Estherren
Colorist: Patricio Delpeche
Letterer: Simon Bowland
This book essentially takes the tone of some of the creepier corners of Sandman, and applies it to modern Bay Area tech oligarch culture. It’s a combination that works, and works really well. Plus, there’s everyone’s favorite Sandman villain, The Corinthian. I’ve enjoyed each issue of what James Tynion and co. cooked up in this book, and I’d recommend it to any fans of Sandman — new and old — looking for an interesting and updated take on some of the ideas and characters. —ZQ
SHAZAM!
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Dan Mora
Colorist: Alejandro Sánchez
Letterer: Troy Peteri
It feels like DC has struggled of late to figure out what to do with Billy Batson and his heroic alter ego. Enter the World’s Finest team of Mark Waid and Dan Mora, with an approach that hearkens back to the earliest days of the character while still pushing him forward. “Meet The Captain!,” the first arc of the series, finds Billy no longer able to share his abilities with his siblings, and at odds with the very gods who give him his powers. It’s serious stuff for the character, but it’s nested within a heaping helping of fun in the form of alien dinosaurs, hyper-intelligent apes, and Garguax, the emperor of The Moon, just to name a few things. Waid and Mora, joined here by colorist Alejandro Sánchez and letterer Troy Peteri, blend the drama and humor of the situations perfectly, Mora’s visuals bringing it all to life with interesting page layouts and emotive characters. This book would also make our best-of list if only for the introduction of “The Captain” as SHAZAM’s new nickname. We’re so close to him being Captain Marvel again, and with Mary Bromfield officially adopting the name Mary Marvel during Lazarus Planet, maybe Billy will follow suit? Lawyers be damned! —JG
Miss any of our earlier reviews? Check out our full archive!
“I was worried that Johnson’s military past would drive him to write Superman in a way that didn’t mesh with how I view the character.”
Wait, what???? Way to dis your active duty/retired/veteran military readers, dude.
Unbelievable.
I’m far more concerned with Johnson’s inability to write more than variations on one plot. I am appalled at how bad and inept the writing in both the Superman and Batman lines have gotten. With the exception of Waid’s work on World’s Finest, this may be the worst the books have been in their 80-year history.
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