The Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2017

And that's a wrap.

Compared to 2016, 2017 has been a rather calmed year. Less controversial events have transcurred, the world has suffered fewer tragic losses and unfortunate circumstances have decreased as a whole but at the same time, less impressive moments have happened as well.

You see, last year I was pretty excited for the recently launched Rebirth initiative which started immensely promising with several new books becoming part of my Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2016 and with justifiable reasons, it was a great time to be a DC fan.

That being said, in 2017 many of those same books didn't continue to be as impressive as before. It might be because the novelty wore off, it might be because their quality simply decreased but ultimately many of the titles from 2016 didn't have the same impact on me this year.

That being said, this is still a list dedicated to celebrate the best of the year dammit! I need to end 2017 positively to begin 2018 in the best way possible and believe me, there are still tons of books to appreciate here. Some of them are new, some of them are even bold and all of them are fantastic in their own special way.

The rules should be clear at this point, only books that lasted at least half-a-year worth of issues are included so without any further ado, let's share the love to:

10. Tim Seeley's Nightwing.

You might be surprised about how low this title is compared to last year.

Yes, as you might remember, Tim Seeley's Nightwing was on the second spot from my Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2016 because of how bold and inventive it was. Seeley was certainly taking the right steps at making the character of Dick Grayson progress to the next level being heavily inspired by his own work on Grayson and even by previous stories.

That being said, things went a bit too "safe" once that Seeley made Dick stay in his classic city, Bludhaven. I mean, the title was still good, pretty good in fact but it lacked the kind of novelty and creative feel that was so present in the initial issues of this run.

That's not to say that this year lacked any sort of interesting ideas because it certainly had them. Seeley as usual, integrates classic stories to complement the characterization of Dick Grayson and the whole theme surrounding Bludhaven. Characters like Defacer, Pigeon, Blockbuster and Doctor Hurt get a perfect integration into the story and in a quite logical way, hell, even a worthless 90s creation like Deathwing receives an interesting reinterpretation here.

Seeley's run finished this year but he managed to close to door on all of his plot-points in an effective manner which is more that I can say about most finales in 2017 (For more examples of that, check this same spot in my Top Ten Worst DC Comics of 2017 list).

It might not have been as strong as it first appeared but Tim Seeley's Nightwing still deserves recognition for being one of the best runs about the character and world in years.

9. Gene Luen Yang/Viktor Bogdanovic's New Super-Man.

Funny stuff, I initially hated this run.

Not without justifiable reasons though. At first it seemed like Gene Luen Yang was quite determined at creating one of the most unlikable protagonists in the form of Kenan Kong. He was originally so arrogant, so selfish, so insufferable that it made me miss the early days of Conner Kent/Superboy (and I didn't particularly like those days either). There are ways to make characters flawed without going to the complete extreme of turning them detestable and even in the case you don't want to make them good people, at least give them interesting personalities to make readers invested. Kenan in the early issues had none of that.

Then again, development eventually hitted and Kenan started to become more tolerable although I wouldn't still call him completely likable since I mostly started to like him because of everything that happened around him.

That is where Yang's worldbuilding becomes so relevant. He turned the DCU version of China into its own dimension where quite compelling concepts, characters and mythos were created. Kenan's powers might have been derived from Superman's but they ultimately became much more than that by mixing supernatural ideas and classic Chinese mythology into a pretty coherent product that makes New Super-Man into his own entity.

And that's without mentioning the rest of the cast and creations. The Justice League of China demonstrated to be pretty entertaining and complex characters on their own while the new villains complemented the direction of the book perfectly.

With all this praise you might be wondering why this book is not higher on this list. Well, Viktor Bogdanovic was one of the reasons why this book was so good early on. He has a beautiful style that is pretty reminiscent of Greg Capullo's being able to depict beautiful characters and scenarios along with precise storytelling that at many points elevated the script. Sadly, Bogdanovic left the title before Yang could finish his run and that didn't make it as good as it could have been.

That being said, Yang still managed to solve all the multiple plot-threads he created appropriately and gave closure to Kenan's whole journey satisfyingly to the point that at the very least he's a much more realized person. That pretty much makes this run a pretty fulfilling ride all around and quite worthy of being in this list.

8. Dan Abnett/Stjepan Sejic's Aquaman.

Some things are going to be repeated here, I intially wasn't a big fan of Dan Abnett's Aquaman but not to the same extreme as with Yang's New Super-Man. Abnett was telling quite decent stories, the best the title has seen since Jeff Parker left actually but still none of them got above what I consider "okay".

Everything changed once that Stjepan Sejic came on board since it seems like all the creativity that Abnett kept inside of him awoke.

The title took a completely different direction where Arthur is once again banished from Atlantis but Abnett actually managed to tell an intersting story from that predictable twist. For one, Abnett's worldbuilding has always serviceable in this book but in this arc he went completely wild with ideas by introducing multiple concepts, races and political themes that are quite fitting for the universe of Atlantis. Even overused ideas like Trump's parodies actually make sense here considering Atlantis' xenophobic and racist history, everything came together really well.

And the characterization, Abnett has always understood all the characters he has worked on but he especially shines due to his treatment of Arthur, Mera, Dolphin and the rest of the cast. The writer implements continuity perfectly to give all the characters logical developments that follow previous stories, for example, we haven't seen Vulko in basically a couple of years and yet Abnett continues the portrayal that started during the events of Throne of Atlantis. Everything follows a pretty cohesive route.

But of course, is necessary to mention how Sejic basically revived the title since he gave the kind of "fantasy" style that was required story and in many instances he elevates the script even more. Sejic is a master storyteller and in many cases he simply lets the characters tell the story due to their expressions and what a huge variety of expressions! Sejic is able to give life to everyone and at the same time create wonderful environments and inventive creatures.

This book is better than ever thanks to this new creative team and I hope this continues in the future.

7. Scott Lobdell/Dexter Soy's Red Hood & the Outlaws.

Yes, he's still here believe it or not.

And I'm as shocked as you are. If there's a word that I wouldn't use to describe Scott Lobdell is "consistent" since we all know what has happened with him in the past with titles like Teen Titans and to a lesser-extent Superman, their quality quickly decreased and in many instances they became unreadable. Despite that I also included this book among my best from last year, I didn't expect lightning to strike twice.

But surprise, surprise, Lobdell managed to surprise me. The character development continues for this Dark Trinity consisting of Red Hood, Artemis and Bizarro and it might be even better now. The author manages to develop the cast even further by creating new directions for all of them which in quite a few cases reveal new interesting details that make them more complex than before, Lobdell never ceases to offer moments where these people become more and more likable.

Best of all is the relationship that was build-up from all this. During the New 52, Red Hood & the Outlaws was a series that was mostly defined by the interactions between the group of Jason, Kori and Roy but I would dare to say that he has outdone himself here. The friendship that has been cemented during this series is something that I don't usually see in comics, mostly because of how close these people have become with one another, one can truly see that they care for each other and that makes readers invested into their future.

Dexter Soy is once again responsible for a lot of the quality of this series thanks to his vibrant and energetic style that gets the best from every scene and every character while taking the script to new levels. He's one of the best new pencillers from DC's roster and deserves all the recognition he can get.

Wonderful relationships and touching scenes makes this book remain as one of my favorites.

6. Robert Venditti's Hal Jordan & the Green Lantern Corps.

Another title that went down a few spots but that's mostly because there were simply better books this year because I really think that this title is just as good as before.

Venditti's continues his new direction for the entire franchise by bringing back familiar mythos and characters. Many of the stories he creates here are not only continuations from some of his own arcs but also others from previous runs, this is why we can see the return of characters like the New Gods and the Controllers at the same time. The long-term planning works really well.

The character development is the shining example here though since Venditti reintegrates the Earth Lanterns into this series (aside from Jessica and Simon who have their own book) and portrays them all in a pretty respectful way. Venditti understands exactly how each and every of these guys should behave from Hal's guts to John's brain to Guy's brawn and Kyle's heart, all of them share the spotlight in every issue and all of them receive good depiction in their respective scenes.

Not to mention the character development from other members of the cast like Soranik who ends-up following her father's path in a quite shocking yet logical direction while many other Green Lantern characters get finally some recognition after a while.

Is a quite exciting series where every exciting storyline contributes to the bigger picture which seems to be building-up to something truly compelling. Great pacing, characterization and plots continues to make this into one of the most successful Rebirth relaunches.

5. Gerard Way/Jon Rivera/Michael Avon Oeming's Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye.

Got to be honest here, I didn't like the Young Animal line.

The premise was about bringing back the same energetic tone from the 90s Vertigo line but most of the titles seemed like they really wanted to ape Grant Morrison's style without understanding that what made Vertigo so good was the different types of writing that existed within it. This got so ridiculous that Gerard Way's Doom Patrol at times seemed like a parody of Morrison's works.

Nonetheless, I became quickly addicted to yet another book handled by Way about the reinvention of an even more obscure character.

Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye is a wonderful tale about the return of the mostly ignored character from the Silver Age with the same name. What makes this book different from others from the DC Young Animal initiative? Well, while it does present the same kind of bizarre direction and creativity that is prevalent in this line, it hardly presents the same level of pretentiousness that makes most of its titles look like they're trying too hard. This might be because of Jon Rivera's dialogue which is pretty natural for the most part and makes all the characters sound like real people.

Speaking of the characters, they're the heart of this series. Again, another difference that I note from other DC's YA titles is that the ideas tend to take over the whole cast but here is the complete opposite. The characters are extremely likable which is emphasized thanks to the relationships they share with each other, particulaly Cave and his daughter who had to continue their adventures despite of the passing one of their loved ones and this follows a solid development through the entire series. Yes, this book can get pretty out there but it never loses the focus on what matters the most: The people inside of it.

Oh, and it also has one of the best stories featuring Superman that I've read this year which also complements the whole theme of the book. People who are fan of the big blue can't miss it.

Michael Avon Oeming's clearly deserves a mention here due that his artwork gets very expressive and personal when it needs to while also adding insane situations and beings when it has to. Pretty appropriate for this title I should say.

One of the most creative and most importantly, better executed books this year and I hope it remains like this in the upcoming relaunch.

4. Joshua Williamson's The Flash.

Yep, still going strong. Stronger actually.

Last year I was celebrating Williamson's run on The Flash because it seemed like he finally found his  feet after a kinda slow beginning. He really found his voice in his second year though due that many of the stories became much more exciting and all of them followed a pretty solid progress based on what happened before.

This year starts with a bang with one of the best stories featuring Barry Allen's classic enemies. "Rogues Reloaded" perfectly understands who these villains are with many scenes dedicated to their old histories that seemed to be forgotten after the New 52. Williamson is heavily influenced by Geoff Johns' quintessential work on these characters and takes the development he started to the next level with many logical directions that are still progressing to this day.

Barry is obviously not forgotten since he stars in one of the biggest arcs from this book where he once again has to face his archenemy The Reverse-Flash. The best part of this is that Williamson didn't ignored anything, he took every appearance of Eobard Thawne, even the one from the maligned Venditti/Jensen's run, and put them together in a way that makes sense. At this point The Reverse-Flash has become pretty aware of the changes in continuity that he has suffered and that makes him a much more compelling character as a whole.

Each and every of these stories shows Barry's natural character work which is reflected in his multiple relationships, especially with Iris and Wally, and how all of team have affected in multiple ways to the point it can get even a little depressing at times but fortunately Williamson knows that the franchise is not about tragedy and always gives the protagonist the kind of hope he exemplifies. Add the surprising twists here and there along with bold directions and you get a pretty competent tenure.

Williamson's The Flash is probably one of the most consistent books out there and that alone makes it one of the most interesting eras of the character in years. Quite a great time to be a fan of the Scarlet Speedster.

3. Christopher Priest's Deathstroke.

I'll be blunt here, this is not as good as last year as a whole but is hard to reach the same level of greatness to be fair.

Priest's Deathstroke started quite impressively, not only because straight out of one of the worst times for the character (Tony Daniel/James Bonny's run) but also because it was genuinely excellent. Priest's characterization knows no bounds and this is perfect for such a complex character like Slade Wilson. The original premise of the author was that Slade was a villain and he certainly delivered in those aspects during the first year.

The second year has been mostly about challenging those views. After a quite convoluted encounter with the Titans, Slade is forced to renounce of his criminal ways and try to start a new life as a hero with his own team that could rival the Teen Titans. You can start suspecting where Priest's wonderful development comes into play here. The dilemmas that Slade faces are quite deep due that he has to fight against his own nature to follow the direction he believes is the right one (For now at least) and in many cases you can see that Priest is also trying to figure out what is more appropriate for the character which makes all this progress even more natural.

Really, the only thing that doesn't make this book as good as last year is the lack of fresh feeling it had at first but is also this high on this list because of a simple reason: It probably has one of the strongest one-and-done stories that I've read this year.

Priest took a rest early this year from his usual long storylines to talk about the problem of gun violence and how it affects everybody involved. The best thing about this is that is not your usual "cop shoots a black guy" scenario which seems to be overplayed in today's writing but Priest actually dares to present a truly complex situation full of race problems, violence between black people, crimes that are more than meet the eye and a thought provoking conclusion that elevates the character of Deathstroke to one of the most nuanced in comics.

This makes me wish that Priest would focus more on this kind of single issues but what he does is still fantastic. Politically strong, complex and full of personality, this book just can't get below this spot.

2. Peter Tomasi/Jorge Jimenez's Super Sons.

I was quite shocked about this one and I'm glad that was the case.

Peter Tomasi is a hit and miss writer, I've mentioned this several times in the past. Sometimes he can be brilliant (Early Green Lantern Corps/Batman & Robin) and sometimes he can be underwhelming (Late Green Lantern Corps/Batman & Robin) and this can be perfectly seen in his current Superman book which was pretty good last year but this year its quality was pretty fluctuating. One can't really know what to expect from the writer.

Tomasi breaks all expectations in Super Sons though. Putting together a character he's pretty familiar with, Damian Wayne along with a recently created one, Jon Kent was a stroke of genius. There was always potential in creating a team-up book about the sons of Superman and Batman but it all depended on the execution and thankfully, Tomasi delivered in all fronts here.

The author writes some of the best portrayals of children that I've seen in this medium. Unlike other writers like Mark Waid who are decided to write kids as annoyingly as possible in a vain attempt of sounding "real", Tomasi understands that he's talking about characters and most importantly, people. This allows to create some of the most likable protagonists I've seen in a while, they're not without flaws and in fact those are emphasized to show how young these guys actually are. Their innocense is the key factor here, they try to be superheroes in a world of adults but this is never depicted in a way that makes either side wrong or obnoxious which seems to be the case in most of these stories and shows how much they learn with each new adventure.

The dynamic between Damian and Jon might be one of the most entertaining from 2017. Their personalities are so different and both can't stand each other at first but once that the story progresses you can start seeing how they grow fond of one another, just like real kids. The fact that Damian tries so hard to sound like an adult contrasts perfectly with Jon's more childish nature and neither of them stops acting like their own age, that's yet another example of how well Tomasi can write young characters, there's a huge level of complexity here that you can see in real life.

Jorge Jimenez was the perfect choice for this book. His artstyle is vibrant, powerful and energetic just like any teen comic book should be, the artist creates such a wonderful range of emotions for all the characters that makes the plot much better than it already is. Jimenez has upped his game in this book, it might be his best work yet.

Most importantly, this book is just pure fun. Is honestly the most fun I've had from this year, all these books offer a degree of that but not to the level of Super Sons, I find very hard to look for something that I don't like about this book is just too good.

And that still doesn't make it the best book of the year for me.

The Rebirth initiative has continued but once again, my #1 pick of this year is completely outside of it, in fact is as far from superhero comics as you can get.

I was initially thinking that it might not be enough this year, that there would be better goods and with solid reasons since many titles with potential were released in 2017 but I would be lying if I said that any of them were even close as good as my favorite.

Is once again a title that dares the readers to think, to get out of their confort zones, to explore the different perspectives from many people and sides, it challenges your view no matter your political stance and makes you even realize that there could be merit in some ideas that you're not particularly fond of.

And once again, it comes from the most unexpected places.

My friends, let's congratulate once again:

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

Rejoice guys, they made it.

With barely half-a-year worth of issues, Mark Russell and Steve Pugh's The Flintstones proved to be a masterpiece that none of the already mentioned great titles can't compete with.

Is almost unbelievable. In 2016 this was my favorite book because of multiple reasons, the main ones being that it was a political satire that still managed to keep the focus on the characters and story, that's something REALLY hard to achieve and you rarely see in titles with similar tone these days. It was quite a breath of fresh air.

But unlike most of the best titles, this book simply refused to get worse. Russell's story continued to defy multiple topics in a logical way, in a hilarious way and most importantly, in a way that made you think in every instance. Themes about consumerism, gender, politics, greed, immigration, racism and homophobia are evaluated carefully and receive compelling twists where they not only show the humourous side of each and everyone but also how complex all of those situations can be. The Flintstones always reminds us that is important to laugh even to some of the most problematic aspects in life.

That's without mentioning how strong and extremely likable the whole cast was. Fred remains as one of the most sympathetic and sometimes even wise interpretations of the character, Wilma is a perfect companion that showed how much soul the whole world had and Barney continued to be lovably naive. Even other members of the cast that initially seemed rather unlikable to the point of being portrayed almost as caricatures demonstrated deep and understandable moments, Mr. Slate for example played well with his role of "businesman who mostly cares about money and power" but Russell actually developed him like a true human being and showed that at the end, he had a heart despite of all those flaws. Hell, this series almost made me cry for a VACUUM CLEANER for God's sake!

And that's the thing about The Flintstones, it has heart, tons of heart which was especially obvious during the conclusion of this run.

All the ideas that Russell explored during his tenure on the book were pretty intriguing but none of that compare to the perfectly emotional take on religion that he offers at the end where he presents it as a pretty complicated idea that you don't see very often in this kind of stories. Russell expresses a lot of comprehension for people who believe in a higher power despite that I don't think he personally does. Plus, this also humanizes Reverend Tom, who up to that point mostly seemed like a parody of believers, demonstrates a level of depth that honestly took me for surprise. This amount of understanding, this amount of sympathy is what makes this book so real beyond all the laughs it provides.

This wouldn't have been achieved as well without Steve Pugh's wonderful pencils that were able to bring the essense of all the characters and world. Pugh's work is extremely detailed, attractive and even cute when is needed, this helps to depict the plot that Russell created impeccably.

I honestly felt a void after this title was over people and sadly no other book has been able to fill it but I still feel happy for all the great moments it provided.

And those folks, are my Top Ten Best DC Comics of 2017. Is a shame that this wasn't as good as last year for the most part but next year already looks promising due to the launch of yet another Russell book in the form of The Snagglepuss Chronicles and I hope that it brings even more surprises around the way.

Now onto 2018 and I sincerely hope is much better.