The Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2016

2016 was a... tumultuous year.

This probably was one of the most memorable years recently and sadly, not in a good way. Several relevant people passed away during this period, so many that it would take way too long to name them all. People that were really influential to history in terms of music, cinema, TV and entertainment as a whole to the point that it has basically become a meme to hate 2016.

Not only that but 2016 also was the year where the U.S.A. Elections took place and let's just say that the results make even someone like me who lives in another country worried about the outcome and ramifications for the next few years. Sure, some people do exaggerate the current state (and some are even responding to such acts in a way that doesn't make them better than what they supposedly hate) but there are still concerning aspects here without a doubt.

Why do I bring this up? Well, just as I mentioned in the past, sometimes people need to be reminded of the good stuff to make them forget the bad times at least for a little while. I'm personally not a fan of escapism since I don't believe someone should ignore real life no matter how terrible it can be but is good to have a hobby that brings joy to at least mitigate its effect.

And speaking about comics, there was a lot to love in 2016.

Yes, I already made my The Top Ten Worst DC Comics of 2016 list and while there I mentioned that there was a lot to despise during this period, there was EVEN MORE to adore. The DC Rebirth initiative started in full force and brought several good books that are necessary to mention, that deserve to be mentioned and so people can pay the attention they so much require.

You should know how things work at this point, only titles that have at least half a year worth of issues, and without further ado, let's say goodbye to this terrible, yet wonderful year!

10. Greg Rucka/Nicola Scott's Wonder Woman.

Funny story here, when this title started I thought it was going to be at the top of this list.

There were good reasons to support it. After the disaster that Meredith Finch created during her run on the character, fans were clamoring for a change of any kind and what we ended-up receiving was the return of one of the best writers who have ever worked in Wonder Woman. Most people remember fondly Rucka's run on the franchise (few aspects aside) and they were really excited for what the possibilities this could bring.

The premise was about separating the book in two segments focusing on Diana's past and present alternating between issues. The present segment started strongly with an intriguing story that would be developed over upcoming issues and promised interesting new events that would cement Wonder Woman's direction for years to come.

Unfortunately, Rucka's story suited in the present turned out to be not the best. For one, he started to retcon Brian Azzarello's highly acclaimed run saying that it was all "a lie" because he wanted his own version of Diana's origin as well as the amazons be the real ones which wouldn't have been necessarily bad if only Rucka's writing would have been more consistent. His themes and writing for this particular section were really heavy-handed with a slow pacing that ultimately affected the plot which caused an underwhelming result and turned this into the worst part of the title.

That being said, the origin story was glorious and is necessary to mention Nicola Scott's artwork here since it contributed a lot to its success.

Rucka started to explore Diana's past in a quite compelling way by revealing more aspects of her life in Themyscira as well as the relationships she had there and finally unveiling a few of her traits that many people knew about but weren't explicitly stated (her sexuality being the most prominent). All of this was really well-executed and Scott's style brought life to each of these scenes by creating beauty in every scenario, character and event along with great storytelling that made a solid script into a great one.

Disappointing in some parts but satisfying in others, this Wonder Woman run is still worth appreciating.

9. Jimmy Palmiotti/Amanda Conner's Harley Quinn.

Yeah, I just can't have a Top Ten Best list without mentioning these people can I?

But they're still worth mentioning without a doubt. Since the beginning of her New 52 series, Harley Quinn has been a consistently fun book that delivers tons and tons of entertainment each month along with strong characterization and development that pushes the protagonist into new, bizarre and compelling scenarios.

Things never stopped with the Rebirth initiative since the writers continued their consistent hilarious month and even exploring some surprisingly complex aspects about Harley's character. Harley has been portrayed as a person who has successfully left an abusive relationship since this particular incarnation began but both Palmiotti and Conner also explored how that affected her love life particularly focusing on her long-term relationship with Poison Ivy and how this can be much more complicated than what one would initially expect.

By offering great entertainment and even strong character work, this series always deserves a mention into my favorites.

8. Scott Lobdell/Dexter Soy's Red Hood and the Outlaws.

Yes! You heard it right! Scott Frikking Lobdell on a Top Ten BEST list!

And why not? Sure, Lobdell has received a lot of justifiable criticism from even people like myself for some of his recent works like Teen Titans but strangely enough, I've always thought that his initial Red Hood and the Outlaws stories were some of the best things from the New 52 and after a few other tales of mediocrity (including the recent Red Hood/Arsenal series) he's truly back and stronger than ever.

Some of Lobdell's own flaws are still present here like the usual overwritten narration but they're fortunately not as prevalent and aside from those, there's hardly anything to complaint about here. Lobdell's premise focuses on a dark mirror version of the DC Trinity in the form of Red Hood, Artemis and Bizarro, something so crazy, so bizarre that strangely enough works really well.

The Rebirth initiative has given Lobdell the opportunity to play with new toys including new versions of classic heroes and villains. One of the most admirable aspects here is the characterization since the writer developes a deep insight in all of the protagonists as well as the villains and constructs a compelling connection and relationship that represent some of the best work I've seen from him recently.

Dexter Soy is included here since this book wouldn't be half as good without him. Soy has a pretty vibrant and powerful style that depicts every scene in the script in a memorable way with a sense of storytelling that gets the best from either the personal or action moments. He's a perfect fit.

Red Hood and the Outlaws is the clear proof that the Rebirth line has brought new life to series and writers alike literally.

7. Peter Tomasi/Patrick Gleason's Superman.

Here's yet another funny story: I initially really disliked this series.

Peter Tomasi is a really hit and miss writer for me, when he's good he can deliver quite satisfying character development along with really emotional moments but when he's bad, he can fail at all that while also showcasing really unnatural dialogue to make matters worse.

This series started pretty much that way with some strange choices for a few of the members of the cast along with really awkward lines that didn't help at all. It seemed like this was destined to become another failure in the Superman line which has been full of them in recent years.

Nonetheless, Tomasi and Gleason would ultimately demonstrate that they do get how the character works or at least how the post-Crisis on Infinite Earths incarnation works. Both show how much they appreciate Superman and manage to put him in several memorable scenes that perfectly define what he means.

And that was just the initial storyarc since Tomasi has never been that good at long storylines, he's much better at delivering strong moments and the little stories that Gleason and him tell issue by issue are full of charming segments that get the best of the relationship between Clark, Lois and their son Jon. Speaking of Jon, both creators have quickly made him into a fan-favorite by depicting him as a pretty normal kid whose interactions with Damian are a joy to watch and makes me excited for the upcoming Supersons book.

Surprises certainly appeared this year and this is easily one of the most pleasent ones, although there's another one that represents this even better.

6. Joshua Williamson's The Flash.

This is pretty much Greg Rucka's Wonder Woman in reverse.

As you might recall, Robert Venditti and Van Jensen's work on The Flash was in my Top Ten Worst list last year and deservedly so since they throwed the series into the bottom with uninspired stories and even worse antagonists which made a lot people left the book and claiming for an improvement urgently.

And there was one but not initially.

When this book began its course, Williamson's work was decent at best. The direction seemed on-point but his execution left a lot to be desired with dull dialogue and a kinda cold characterization that really didn't bring excitement into the direction.

However, just like with Superman, once that the first storyline ended this book became really, REALLY good. Williamson started to bring everything that fans have been clamoring for years like the return of a proper Flash family as well as reinforcing the relationship between Barry and Iris that has been absent for the most part since the last reboot.

That's not the real reason why this is on the list since everyone could have given to fans what they wanted, is just that Williamson's own craft actually improved with much more engaging dialogue, character work and overall stories that actually make people excited to see where they're going. He even managed to bring back The Shade to The Flash universe in a way that is very respectful to James Robinson's classic version which is always appreciated.

For fomenting interest in The Flash franchise again after the last couple of years of mediocrity, this series deserves all the props it can get.

5. Becky Cloonan/Brenden Fletcher/Karl Kerschl's Gotham Academy: Second Semester.

Technically I'm putting both the original Gotham Academy and the current new volume together since let's be honest, they're just the same book relaunched to get more sales but in this case it works since Gotham Academy: Second Semester continues the great tradition of the original and deserves all the readers it can get.

Nothing has really changed in 2016, the team of Cloonan, Fletcher and Kerschl continue to develope one of the most unique titles set in the Batuniverse and is particularly unique because it has a premise that is rarely explored in this line: The supernatural events that happen around Gotham City.

Sure, there have been a few stories that handle such kind of theme but the difference is that Gotham Academy tells such story from the perspective of a group of kids, a team of students each one with their own personality to behold the mysterious events that can happen in this already mysterious city. 

Witches, dragons, vampires and even time-travellers are frequent appearances in this book and the best part is that the creator know how to implement them to connect them to popular Batmythos to justify their presence in this environment. All of this is accompanied by an intriguing story that continues to progress by introducing even more distinctive situations and characters while also developing the main cast in ways that still make you intrigued up to this day.

Never change and never leave Gotham Academy, you bring the kind of style that is severely lacking in mainstream books.

4. Robert Venditti's Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps.

This pretty much marks the redemption of Robert Venditti's Green Lantern work.

I have been liking his work in the franchise basically since the beginning due to its solid character work and long-term planning but I understood that many people were not content with what he brought to the table (despite that nothing that he did was really bad to merit such response). However, Venditti's brought a true Rebirth with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps that has brought back a lot of fans to the series.

It seems like Venditti has heard all the criticism that he received since the beginning of his run and decided to answer all of them by creating an immensily exciting story where he fixes everything that could have been wrong during his previous works. Faster paced tales, a more competent portrayal for Hal Jordan, strong development for the supporting cast, lots of content in every issue, the literal rebuilt of the Green Lantern mythos, etc. Venditti is developing one of the most intense books that this series has been in a while and in many instances is much more similar to Geoff Johns' initial work in the franchise.

I'm not kidding when I say that I'm always looking forward for a next installment of this book for the aspects I already mentioned and it rarely disappoints in those terms. One of the biggest improvements that I've seen recently and quite worthy of this spot.

3. Christopher Priest's Deathstroke.

Deathstroke is back people and better than ever.

This year marked the era of drastic recoveries and it wasn't more obvious than in the World's Greatest Mercenary. After an incredibly terrible volume handled by Tony Daniel and James Bonny, Slade Wilson has returned to his roots. He's no longer the stupid asshole who appeared during the last book but now he's once again the intelligent and manipulative strategist who all love and hate.

That's obviously not the only reason why this title appears here since Priest has implemented a complex and experimental writing that explores several different segments of the plot focusing on the different key players in every chapter. Every issue depicts a different theme that are all connected to an overaching plot that is still progressing by revealing new traits of the characters related to Slade and how all of them are connected to him in both the best and worst ways.

Not only that but Priest also implements social issues in a natural and complex manner into the story that actually make you think which puts other books who try to follow a similar to route to shame (Looking at you Green Arrow). All of this being complemented by a strong sense of pacing that offers a lot of content issue by issue.

It took a while but Slade Wilson is finally receiving the kind of treatment that fans have been clamoring for years and continues to be one of the strongest reads each month.

2. Tim Seeley's Nightwing.

"Better than Batman" indeed.

One of the first objectives that Tim Seeley had when he relaunched Nightwing was to create a book that followed the same style and direction that he cemented during Grayson and he has been really successful at that.

In fact, Seeley on Nightwing succeeds where his ex-Grayson collaborator Tom King on Batman fails. In each installment Seeley is able to deliver a content-packed story with a great sense of pacing that will get your money worth. Plus, the themes are really appropriate by continuing the same accurate character work he delivered during Grayson and taking it to the next level by exploring what Nightwing really represents nd creating interesting dilemmas for him to face. More importantly, Seeley never forgets what makes a good story and has a very distinctive voice that doesn't seem forced like what we could see currently in the main Batman book.

The writer always had a creative mind and he exploits it nicely here by utilizing the premise of Rebirth and the multiverse to give the character of Dick a bigger importance and progress the plot in a logical way that links it to his previous incarnation before the reboot. Several Nightwing mythos like his rogues' gallery, Bludhaven and his relationship with Batman and the rest of superheroe community are perfectly depicted offering something that has been missing for a while

This series is only beginning and has been received positively by both critics and fans already. Recent years have been very kind to Dick Grayson and it seems like this is going to continue for a long while.

You might think that for all the praise I've been giving to Nightwing it was going to be my top pick for this year but there was actually another book that deserves EVEN MORE praise, a book that most people never even considered at the beginning., a book that is not even part of the Rebirth initiative, one that was able to surprise with each new installment based on how precise and shockingly intelligent it was.

Is a book full of social commentary and is one that taught me that this kind of direction can work as long as is executed in a realistic and balanced manner.

And is based on an old cartoon show that most people ignore in this day and age.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present you the best DC comic of 2016:

1. Mark Russell/Steve Pugh's The Flintstones.

If you would have told me that a Hanna Barbera book would become my number 1 pick this year... I would probably have been intrigued about what you actually mean. Nonetheless, The Flintstones' arrival was a shock for everyone, not only because of the revival and reboot of a classic property but also because of how good it was.

Since its beginning, The Flintstones was a cartoon with a strong social commentary about families and consumerism and Mark Russell is really faithful to the source material by not only delvering on such premise but also expanding it by writing a satire that explores different topics that are important today like marital life, religion, science, politics, immigration, race, sexuality among others and does it in such a genuine and appropriate way that at times is perplexing how this could come from a Flintstones comic.

This is exactly how a political book should be people, criticizing and even attacking every side by showing the flaws of each one while also recognizing there might be merits in everyone. Is very different from the kind of "political" book that you would see today that mostly tries to please a particular audience by telling them what they want to hear to the point of becoming patronizing and unsincere (I'M LOOKING AT YOU BEN PERCY! If for some reason you read this check this book and take notes). The series is very genuine in what it tries to say and there are so many themes being explored in a single issue than what you would see in full storylines in other books.

Is by far the most on-point story that Russell has come up with. To be honest, I wouldn't even put Russell's Prez title in this list since despite that it also explored similar concepts, it was also pretty chaotic in its execution to the point where it was no longer about a story and more about a bunch of ideas being thrown together along with a style so overwhelming that tried to overcome the plot. The Flintstones never forgets that it has story with actual characters to tell and speaking of which, the cast receive a much deeper portrayal that makes them much more understandable and human than ever (It certainly presents the most likable Fred Flintstone that I've ever seen).

Steve Pugh deserves a lot of the praise obviously since he's able to capture every imaginative part of the script ideally by depicting the characters in a more realistic form and making every setting and creature that exist in this prehistoric era as complex and imposing as possible.

Smart, accurate and full of heart. The Flintstones has certainly won mine.

I'm glad that this year was able to finish with such a bunch of great titles and the future continues to be promising. Now let's see what 2017 brings!