Friday Recommendation: Multiversity vs the DCnU

As Multiversity vs the DCnU week comes to a close, we’ve decided to end up with a fond look at the past as we welcome the inevitable future. This week’s Friday Rec features the entire Multiversity staff looking at their shelves and long boxes and deciding definitively what their favorite DC story is. While some of these classic tales might get “erased” in the upcoming rebootlaunch, let it not be said that the worth and importance of a story is always decided by the reader and not the company, and while some (if not all) of these will probably no longer be “canon”, they will always matter – at least, to us.

Take a look after the cut for a collection of our favorite runs, graphic novels, and stories.

Matthew: Jack Kirby’s Fourth World

This wasn’t my first pick. It wasn’t even my second. However, a recent purchase and package arrival left me sitting on the floor reading stories that I had not even perused in such a long time. I remember when I took home the first Fourth World Omnibus from the local library and sat at home, gazing over it’s awesomeness and wishing I was able to afford such a grandiose collection. Now that I have all four, and have been able to sit down with them as an entire beast, I can say definitively: this is the most important run I have in my entire collection, and for that it earns my ever loving adoration and affection.

I don’t think it’s a very big secret my respect of talents like Morrison, or my fandom towards the Cosmic sectors of each respective universe of either of the Big Two. A huge element of that is, without even the slightest of hesitation or doubt from my part in discussing, what Jack Kirby brought to the table when he developed both the Marvel and DC cosmic universe. And while the Marvel U has the Celestials and the Eternals, Kirby’s work at DC in developing the New Gods has always felt infinitely more poignant and special, to the point that it has forever remained a relevant staple within it’s respective universe. Kirby came to the scene with these brilliant ideas of a grandiose space opera and left a definitive mark on the DC Universe, forever influencing some of my favorite creators today and showing in 1971 how comics could still be more intriguing, intense, and grandiose than the average comic on the shelves today.

The feat of the endeavor alone is incredible. Kirby was writing and illustrating three books simultaneously to intertwine with his saga, and even worked on a fourth book starring Jimmy Olsen. This is something that no creator can boast today, and something that we will probably never see again. It’s absolutely incredible to see what Kirby alone was capable of, when left in charge and allowed to work with his own devices of infinite creativity. The Fourth World pushed the boundaries of the conceptual realm of comic books, with Kirby literally reinventing the concept of God (for the second time) into a more weighty representation of good and evil and their influence over our own lives and destiny.

But – and most importantly? – these comics were just incredibly fun. Yes, Kirby created an incredibly important and landmark work in the history of the medium, but these books are accessible. You can pick it up at any point, read, and smile. I find that I can grab my various omnibi and open to a random point, picking up along immediately and just enjoying the heck out of the story. Kirby defies expectations as a storyteller in a way that has been lost to the evolution of the medium, and as much as some may try comics will never be like this. Not anymore, not ever again.

So yes, on some levels this is the easy pick. It’s almost even painfully obvious for those that know me; I adore the concepts, and have been a devout follower of Grant Morrison as he helped usher in the Fifth World and laid the saga of the New Gods to rest (even if I wish there were still new stories). But considering I didn’t really get into DC comics until my college years (with Johns’ Green Lantern and Morrison’s Batman/pre-Final Crisis work), the New Gods became an intricate part of my history lesson of entering the DCU.

That and I will never ever forget watching that one episode of the 90’s animated Superman cartoon where Apokolips comes to Earth and Superman fights Darkseid. I was floored by the character and the battle between the two characters, and I still always am to this day.

David: Impulse

Don’t get me wrong…I love all kinds of other top DC books. Morrison and Quitely’s All Star Superman, Loeb and Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween, Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli’s Batman: Year One…there are so many books out there that are all-time amazing books that it is quite difficult to choose just one.

Yet when I get down to it, Mark Waid and Humberto Ramos’ run on Impulse in the mid 1990’s is the one I go back to the most. It was comic books for me at the time I arguably most loved comics. Humberto Ramos made me want to draw, Mark Waid made me want to live in this world with Bart Allen, and they both made me absolutely love a book that could have been completely forgettable.

Sure, no one will ever talk about it in the pantheon of great comics. But for me, DC Comics and all that it means to be a book there is most well defined by a book about a young kid who doesn’t know how to be a teenager yet, let alone a hero.

Gil: JLA/Avengers

This is a little bit of a cheat, I’ll admit. A Friday Rec about the best DC has to offer, and I choose a book that was also published by Marvel. But hear me out.

This book may share publishing credits with “The Other Guys,” but it felt very much like a Justice League book. A sprawling cast, huge bombastic plots that threaten not only the world, but the universe? Yeah, it’s so DC. The only thing I could say Marvel has that could compare is the Infinity Gauntlet. And the writer, Kurt Busiek, found a way to make the hugely disparate worlds co-exist in a way no one really considered. Who would win a race between The Flash and Quicksilver? The answer is definitively answered once and for all, whether or not Geoff Johns likes it or not. Who is the only character to be both an Avenger and a Leaguer? You’ll find out here! And pair Busiek with hands down the best artist in the game, George Pérez, who is STILL the man (seriously, the man is like Hulk Hogan in his prime taking on The Gobbledygooker, that level of awesome) and you have one of the greatest adventures either team have ever been on.

If for some reason you haven’t read this book, then you need to. Right now.

Brandon: 52

After having started my life as a Batman fanatic I quickly shifted to Marvel upon discovering the X-Men animated series of the 90’s. I had taken a break from DC for years because I felt that there just wasn’t much of interest for me in their universe. Then came Identity Crisis and Infinite Crisis and finally 52. I became instantly engrossed in the DCU and it’s no wonder that some of my favorite characters in the DCU or even in general spring from these series but most of all from 52. It’s a series I have reread once or twice a year since it’s release and I don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. 52 was a title I eagerly anticipated on a weekly basis for a whole year.

There are a few reasons I love this book. First and foremost, this book had THE best line up of writers that any project has ever had. I know Amazing Spider-Man had the Webheads but the writers of 52 were awe-inspiring. The writers consisted of Grant Morrison, Geoff Johns, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid. You also had Keith Giffen doing layouts and J.G. Jones providing some of my all time favorite covers. The talent level here is undeniable. Each writer wrote to their strengths and provided some compelling stories involving characters that were often times overlooked.

Here were characters like Booster Gold, Ralph Dibny, Black Adam, Animal Man, Starfire and others who were all considered lower tier characters. It allowed for things to actually happen and matter. It wasn’t like a book with Batman where you knew there was no way he was going to die and stay dead. Ralph Dibny dying though was huge and had such a resounding emotional impact because it felt permanent and real. The fact that these characters were considered lesser by the end of the title allowed for them to grow and in some cases, my main man Booster for example, allowed for them to become staples of the DCU.

Lastly, this title was so fun because of the hype around it. You had this weekly comic and everyone, I mean everyone, was just waiting for it to derail and miss a shipping date. It never happened though! It was so exciting to see them make the finish line without any delays. It was an awesome feat! The weekly coverage on Newsarama helped to keep people primed as well. Actually, the DC media hype produced for this book hasn’t been touched until just recently with the DCnU announcements as far as I’m concerned.

Is it the most popular DC book ever? No. But it was groundbreaking and it did have an impact. The return of the Multiverse anyone? Hell, with 52 #1’s launching in August/Septemper who is to say it isn’t still having an impact? You gotta admit the 52 number seems a little purposeful doesn’t it? Either way I will personally always love this series.

Walt: No Man’s Land

As I said the other day, I’m a Batman fan. There’s no denying that. Now, when you think recommended Batman stories, there’s typically some standards that come to mind. Year One. The Dark Knight Returns. The Killing Joke. Arkham Asylum. When you’re talking about a character with such an extensive history, though, there are certainly things that are going to fall through the cracks. And so I draw your attention to a Batman story that you’ve probably heard of but not read if you only recently got into comics: “No Man’s Land.”

“No Man’s Land” itself was more like Marvel’s “Dark Reign” than anything else. Yes, there were stories that crossed over between titles, but it was more a giant change in the status quo. Each individual story contributed to the advancing of the overall narrative, yet were entities unto themselves. And of these many stories, the vast majority of them are great. This is where Greg Rucka really got his foot in the door as a big name comic writer, and with good reason. Rucka’s stories set in this semi-crossover are almost uniformly the best Batman issues of the late 90s, and lay down the groundwork for his later work with Renee Montoya in Gotham Central. Rucka isn’t alone, though. Big name Batman writers such as Devin Grayson, Larry Hama, Chuck Dixon, and a little someone you might know named Denny O’Neil made contributions, as well as quite a few other people.

“No Man’s Land” also marks the first appearance of Cassandra Cain, so if you’re interested in why the character has such a massive cult following, this is a definite must read. If you consider yourself a fan of the character and haven’t read “No Man’s Land”… well, I’m not going to go so far as to say “You’re not a true fan!” (only those who try to make comics some kind of exclusionary club say that), but I will admit that I’m baffled.

The crossover/event/general-status-quo-shaker was the result of a few years of crossover after crossover in the Batman books, but you don’t particularly need to read the buildup to “No Man’s Land.” In fact, it might make things even more confusing, considering DC hasn’t collected some very important issues. All you need to know is this: Gotham has suffered a devastating earthquake, and is now off limits to anyone. That’s not so difficult to work with, is it? There are five trades out collecting various stories set in the broken city, but it looks like DC is going to be releasing larger trades sometime soon. Either way, this is a must-have for anyone who wants to read some great Batman comics.

Josh: Identity Crisis

There are so, so many quality stories that have floored me, made me think, made me laugh and made me cringe to come out of the DC Canon, but when it comes to the story that has impacted me the most, it has to be Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales, if only because it was the first DC story I can ever recall reading. It was January 2nd, 2005 and I had been a devout Marvel Zombie my entire life. The mini-series had just wrapped and on a whim, I bought up a reprint of the first issue. By around a week later, I tracked down the remaining seven issues and Marvel officially needed to share my love. Beginning with the brutal death of a beloved DCU character, Meltzer and Morales weaved a tale that shed an immensely sobering light on the world of super heroics.

So many stories claim to “change everything forever”, but I can’t recall a single story that literally made me rethink the way I look at some of the most prominent heroes in the history of comics. The ideas put forward here are controversial, to say the least: villains raping heroes, heroes lobotomizing villains and mind-wiping their colleagues when they object? Reprehensible acts perpetrated in the name of love? Under a less sincere pen, this story would have fallen flat, but Meltzer not only made the events slip perfectly into DC history, but made every single ghastly turn of events make perfect sense (which only served to make them even more ghastly). Truly, this book is a masterpiece that will long outlive even the continuity it worked with and manipulated.

Patrick: John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad

I don’t really have any particular favorite mainstream DC stories per se. If what items I’ve saved for my permanent exhibition (so to speak) instead of just selling them on eBay are any indication, my DC tastes have long skewed more toward the Ex Machina and Vertigo and Paul Pope-y Elseworlds ends, rather than in-continuity story arcs. I would argue that this is with good reason, but I am also biased.

What I do have in these boxes, though, are runs of complete titles (or at least, “complete by such-and-such writer”). Not many. Just a couple, in fact. But those runs are ones that I just can’t bear to break apart. Over the past couple years, I’ve sold off most of my comic book collection, picking and choosing what stays and what goes: “oh, I love this arc of Comic Book Man but I could take or leave that one; to eBay it goes.” A few series confound me and stop me in my tracks when I try to separate them into pieces. They demand wholeness, and I find myself powerless but to oblige.

Best of all: John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad. This is, for my money, the best thing DC ever made. The original 66 issues (plus various add-ons) are an unparalleled run of sly subversion. Unlike, say, Doom Patrol, every costume fits — sometimes it’s an espionage comic, sometimes it’s a straight superhero one. But underneath the spandex layers is such a complex web of morality, pride, duty and justice that you just can’t get from, say, Superman fighting Conduit or whatever the hell. Secret Six can try all it likes but it’ll never even come close to touching the issue where Deadshot is charged to stop an assassin from killing a senator at any cost — so he shoots the senator himself, thereby keeping the assassin from being able to do it. In fact, in his own weird way, Deadshot is the core of this book just like Tony Soprano held together his TV series, or Walter White in Breaking Bad, or Michael Corleone in The Godfather movies, or any other thing you hear about that routinely gets more respect than comic books. Look in the right places and you’ll find surprising depth, and in Deadshot, we find the nihilism that lies at the core of superheroes’ idea that problems can be solved through violence.

Witness the last page of the series, when Count Vertigo ponders ending his life through Deadshot’s guns. “Are we doing this?” the indifferent Deadshot asks. “No,” Vertigo replies after a pause. “We’re not.” And so, with that rebukement of self-sacrifice and rejection of violence, the adventures end. DC will never get that good or that introspective (even accidentally) ever again.

Ryan Closs: Starman

When I got asked “What’s my favourite DC story pre-relaunch” I initially had a hard time coming up with one. Then I walked over to my shelf and saw the Starman Omnibi (Omnibu? Omnibuses? Omnibots?) and immediately knew there was no other choice.

Starman tells the story of Jack Knight, the latest in a long line of Starmen (including his father, brother and a few unrelated people bearing that name) and initially he thinks he’s too cool to be a superhero, eschewing the usual costume and opting for a leather jacket and goggles. In the first few arcs he begrudgingly gets involved in superheroics in his home town of Opal City, but after that Robinson unfolds an extremely rich world centred around Opal, fleshing out the Shade, Solomon Grundy, and tying all the Starmen together into one whole. His story spans space and time and it has a finite end, something you don’t see anywhere near enough of with normal superhero books.

James Robinson is clearly a long-time fan of the DC Universe and a big proponent of the Golden Age characters, in the yearly “Jack meets his dead brother” issues we see lots of the original JSA members. It’s a shame that Opal City and its cast of characters haven’t really been touched on since Robinson’s Starman run so I hope if he ever does write a new Shade story that we’ll get to see more of Bobo Bennetti, and the O’Dare’s again. I really can’t recommend this story enough, it’s the perfect mix of Vertigo style with DC superheroes.