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Over the years, DC has put out thousands of comics. Some of them are amazing, and some of them are legitimately bad. However, there are also a whole lot of underrated comics. Sometimes, these comics are known to be good, but don’t get the credit they deserve. Sometimes, people haven’t heard of them, and they deserve to. Finally, there are some stories that have been maligned by fans, but they’re actually pretty good. These ten DC stories are criminally underrated, and they deserve way more praise.
10) Chase
’90s DC is one of the best periods in the publisher’s history. While Marvel and Image were more concerned with eye-catching art, DC was putting out the best-written stories of the decade. There are some brilliant series from this decade, but not all of them were as beloved as they deserved to be, and some of these ended way too soon. Chase is one of those. Chase, written by Dan Curtis Johnson with art by J.H. Williams III, seemed like it was trying to tap into the X-Files vibe of the ’90s mixed with superheroes instead of aliens. The series fellow DEO agent Cameron Chase as she’s forced to deal with the underbelly of the metahuman community. The book only ran for 11 issues, ending with issue #1,000,000 (which was part of the DC One Million event, which is also a pretty underrated story, and a hilarious way to end the series), but it was pitch perfect. Chase is a great character, and it’s honestly a shame that this book didn’t get more time to shine. It’s very hard to find, but it’s definitely worth the hassle.
9) The Unstoppable Doom Patrol
The Doom Patrol has starred in some of DC’s best team comics, and their last series, The Unstoppable Doom Patrol, is one of their best. Written by Dennis Culver with art by Chris Burnham, this story takes the ideas of the Doom Patrol — a group of heroes whose powers have made them outcasts acting as a found family — and mixes them with the ideas of the X-Men in the best possible way. After the eruption of the Lazarus Volcano, metahumans are popping up every where and the Doom Patrol takes it upon themselves to help the more monstrous of them learn to control their powers and give them a new family. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood of Evil returns, and begin a plan meant to destroy the Doom Patrol once and for all. The Unstoppable Doom Patrol is hands down the best X-Men story that Marvel hasn’t made. It digs into the characters, presents some great action set pieces, and ties it all up in a neat little bow. This seven-issue miniseries is awesome, and I wish DC would let Culver and Burnham cook on the Doom Patrol again.
8) The Multiversity: Pax Americana
The Multiversity is an excellent story, one that uses the magic of comics to inform its tale. Grant Morrison had teased the book after they finished Final Crisis, but readers wouldn’t get it until 2014. The series spans two bookend issues and seven one-shots, taking readers across the New 52 DC Multiverse. They’re all great reads, but the best of them is The Multiversity: Pax Americana #1, from Morrison and Frank Quitely. The best way I can describe the story is that it’s Watchmen, but actually hopeful. The book stars the Charlston characters that the Watchmen characters were based on and tells its story out of temporal sequence. You can start at the end of the comic or the beginning. You can start on any page you want and just read it. It’s a brilliant piece of storytelling, one that will change how you think about comics. Morrison and Quitely are always an amazing team together, and this is one of their greatest works.
7) “Thy Kingdom Come”
The Justice Society of America are an amazing team, and they’ve starred in some of the coolest stories in DC history, especially since the late ’90s release of JSA. Post-Infinite Crisis saw JSA relaunched as Justice Society of America (Vol. 2), and readers got the great story “Thy Kingdom Come”, by Geoff Johns, Dale Easglesham, Fernando Pasarin, and Alex Ross. This story gave readers the origin of Magog, the anti-hero from Kingdom Come, and kicked off with the Superman of Kingdom Come coming to the mainline Earth and joining the Justice Society. This story is the kind of the story that you could only get from DC. It’s got the multiverse, it’s got Jack Kirby-inspired shenanigans, and it has battles of a magnitude you’ve rarely saw. There’s even an issue with Alex Ross’s unpainted pencils. “Thy Kingdom Come” was rendered uncanon recently with a Kingdom Come prequel in Kingdom Come writer Mark Waid’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest, and it’s long been out of print, but it’s a great read.
6) “The Archer’s Quest”
Green Arrow is one of DC’s most venerable characters, having been around for over 80 years now. Green Arrow has had some amazing changes of fortune over the years, and the biggest was when Green Arrow became a bestselling comic in the early ’00s, thanks to writer Kevin Smith and artist Phil Hester. After Smith’s run ended, novelist Brad Meltzer would team with Hester for “The Archer’s Quest”, one of the best Green Arrow stories ever. Oliver Queen and Roy Harper go on a road trip, as Ollie collects various artifacts from their time as superheroes for a secret purpose. It’s sort of a travelogue through Green Arrow history, and it’s excellent. However, what really makes it work is the twist at end; you’ll think you know why Ollie went on his quest by the end, but the truth behind it will destroy you. It’s a forgotten story that does everything a superhero story should and then some.
