DC Comics features some of the most iconic and recognizable heroes and villains in the world of fiction. Ranging from Batman and Superman to Joker and Darkseid, the universe is packed full of interesting characters who serve as the basis for brilliant comic book stories. Since the end of DC’s New 52 through its Rebirth initiative, many of its best modern stories have been told through prestige, alternate universe miniseries.

DC have maintained an impressive output of stories, both in and out of main continuity, from dark Black Label tales to continuations of older stories. With a revolving door of talented creators leaving their mark on the universe’s best characters, these miniseries have covered everything from the Old West to the Jurassic Era. The company continues to release a steady stream of entertaining and influential stories, and the last ten years are proof. Here are the 10 best DC Comics to release since its Rebirth relaunch.

10

‘Jurassic League’ Turned The JLA Into Dinosaurs

Created by Daniel Warren Johnson & Juan Gedeon

Jurassic League takes place in the Jurassic Era, where a prehistoric version of the Justice League is formed by a group of heroic dinosaurs. The story begins by introducing the Trinity; a reluctant hero Allosaurus rex named Batsaur; a noble Brachiosaurus, Supersaur, who protects a tribe of cavemen; and Wonderdon, a Triceratops who ventures away from her people into a far away land. With their arch-nemeses also getting the dinosaur treatment, the heroes assemble to protect humanity from extinction.

Jurassic League is a fun, action-packed series that excels at its purpose: dinosaur-fueled escapist entertainment at its finest. As the heroes prepare to face the team of dinosaur villains led by Darkseid, readers are given a tour of the DCU with a prehistoric makeover, merging the action of a JLA comic with the allure of Jurassic Park.

9

‘Peacemaker Tries Hard’ Built on The Antihero’s TV Success

Created by Kyle Starks & Steve Pugh

Riding the success of James Gunn’s live-action Peacemaker series, Peacemaker Tries Hard follows Christopher Smith after being released from the Suicide Squad and prison. Now a free man, the hard-boiled antihero is quickly provoked into violence when his dog, Bruce Wayne, is stolen. Enlisting the aid of antiheroes and villains alike, he is tasked with stealing a villain’s DNA on behalf of the Brain.

Peacemaker Tries Hard follows the antihero as he teams up with a variety of B-list villains from the DCU, such as Red Bee and Monsieur Mallah. A story perfectly matched for people who enjoyed Gunn’s show, the six-issue miniseries shows over-the-top action and comedy as Peacemaker shows off his uniquely-destructive brand of covert ops. The series is worth a look even if just for its callback to some of the company’s Z-list characters.

8

‘Question: The Deaths Of Vic Sage’ is Pulp Meets Noir

Created by Jeff Lemire, Dennis Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz & Chris Sotomayor

The Question has been one of DC’s best detectives since the publisher acquired him through the Charlton Comics heroes. Thanks to the writing of Dennis O’Neil, he was established as the company’s hard-boiled, Noir-themed vigilante. In 2020’s Black Label series, The Deaths of Vic Sage, long-term Question artist Dennis Cowan teamed up with Jeff Lemire for a time-traveling mystery story.

The Question: Deaths of Vic Sage follows the vigilante detective as he finds himself in four time periods: the Old West, the 1920s, the Second World War and the present. Trapped in a cycle of time jumps, Vic Sage sets out to discover the truth behind a conspiracy in Hub City, while also dispensing justice when necessary. The miniseries is a brilliant mystery, one often more compelling than even those told in the pages of the ongoing Batman series.

7

‘Wonder Woman: Dead Earth’ Played To Daniel Warren Johnson’s Strengths

Created by Daniel Warren Johnson

Wonder Woman: Dead Earth follows Diana as she wakes from a deep sleep, to find the world a barren, violent hellscape. With few people left, she sets out to protect the innocent from an onslaught of monsters, while embarking on a quest to find somewhere safe to rebuild humanity. Doubling as a post-apocalyptic monster story and a mythology-oriented adventure, the series is one of the best from Black Label.

Wonder Woman: Dead Earth throws Diana Prince into one of her greatest, most action-packed adventures of the Modern Age of Comics. Playing to the strengths of Daniel Warren Johnson as an artist, the Black Label miniseries pits Diana against heroes and villains alike as she protects the last remnants of humanity.

6

‘Batman & Wonder Woman: The Brave & The Bold’ Melds Mythology And Mystery

Created by Liam Sharp

Liam Sharp has established himself as one of the most recognizable and skilled artists in modern comics, and in 2018 he proved his skills as a writer in The Brave and the Bold: Batman & Wonder Woman. The story immerses the duo in the world of Tir na nog and Irish mythology when Cernunnos brings them to his magical realm to solve the murder of the world’s king, Elatha.

The Brave and the Bold follows Batman and Wonder Woman as they begin their murder investigation, landing them in the midst of a feud between Tir na Nog’s two races, the De Dennan and the Fomor. With a delicate truce hanging in the balance, the heroes’ case leads to the revelation of a magical plot against the realm. The story is a brilliant combination of mythology and murder mystery, with Liam Sharp’s art elevating the book to one of the most visually-stunning of its era.

5

‘Superman ’78’ Picked Up Where Richard Donner Left Off

Created by Robert Venditti, Wilfredo Torres & Jordie Bellaire

Superman ’78 kicked off DC’s return to their classic cinematic versions of key heroes, serving as a sequel to Richard Donner’s timeline for the Man of Steel. Using Christopher Reeve’s likeness as Clark Kent, the series follows the Kryptonian hero as he is forced to team up with Lex Luthor to defend against Brainiac. With the Bottle City of Kandor hanging in the balance, the hero shows how far he’ll go to save the innocent.

Superman ’78 is a brilliant piece of fan service, and of the few instances of a DC story overshadowing a Batman counterpart, proving a better-received story than Batman ’89. Thanks to the classic art style, ’70s-style character redesigns and fun callbacks, the series, along with its sequel, The Metal Curtain, is one of the best modern Superman stories.

4

‘Batman: Last Knight On Earth’ Concluded Snyder & Capullo’s Saga

Created by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion

The continuation of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s New 52 Batman run, Last Knight On Earth follows a young clone of Bruce Wayne in a post-apocalyptic Earth. After leaving the safety of an underground bunker, the hero sets off on a journey to discover what caused the end of the world. Along the way, he encounters Wonder Woman, who protects a band of survivors, and Lex Luthor, who has made a home in the Fortress of Solitude, aided by Superman’s mechanical duplicates.

Batman: Last Knight On Earth returns the edgy style of Snyder and Capullo’s Batman, building to the hero’s return to a fascistic Gotham under control of an unlikely villain. The series is made great by its tour of the apocalyptic Earth, as well as the funny banter between Bruce and his passenger: the dismembered head of Joker in a lantern.

3

‘Batman: White Knight’ Created A New Elseworlds Universe

Created by Sean Gordon Murphy

Sean Gordon Murphy’s Batman: White Knight takes place in a universe where an increasingly violent Dark Knight has enough of Joker’s crimes and force-feeds him anti-psychotic medication. When Joker snaps back to sanity and returns to his identity as Jack Napier, he runs for public office, declaring a legal war on the vigilante. With the hero insistent that the villain hasn’t changed and is secretly planning something, he finds himself at odds with the city’s government.

Batman: White Knight kicked off an entire Elseworlds universe, and has been revisited several times by Murphy and other creators, exploring characters like Red Hood and Harley Quinn. However, the original miniseries remains the best in the continuity, casting Batman on the wrong end of the law as Napier fights to suppress the Joker in his political crusade against the hero.

2

‘Batman vs Ra’s Al Ghul’ Returned Neal Adams To The Caped Crusader

Created by Neal Adams

Since his work alongside Dennis O’Neil during the Bronze Age, Neal Adams has been one of the most defining artists on Batman and DC overall. Before his untimely passing, the artist returned to The Dark Knight one last time, writing and drawing Batman vs Ra’s al Ghul. The six-issue miniseries follows Batman in his latest war against Ra’s al Ghul, who plots a way to bring down Gotham from within.

Batman vs Ra’s al Ghul begins with Batman teaming up with Deadman to defend Gotham against a terrorist attack. From there, he faces off against Al Ghul, the Court of Owls and must contend with a group of imposter Batmen. Thanks to Adams’ writing and art style, the series merges psychological mystery with the supernatural, throwing readers for a loop at every turn.

1

‘Batman/Joker: Deadly Duo’ Is An Unlikely Team-Up Story

Created by Marc Silvestri

Batman/Joker: Deadly Duo delivered readers a long-awaited Marc Silvestri team-up between the hero and villain, who themselves have a long history of uneasy alliances. The story follows Batman and Joker hitting the road in a bid to rescue Commissioner Gordon and Harley Quinn, who have been abducted by a mysterious villain. With the Caped Crusader conflicted over his reluctant partnership, the pair embark on their journey, soon realizing that they’re the targets of a revenge plot.

Batman/Joker: Deadly Duo explores some often overlooked themes in the world of Batman, namely his uneasy relationship with GCPD — with the cops shown to fear their ally. With a brilliant, horrifying villain thrown into the mix, the series stands out as one of Batman’s grittiest and most thoughtful stories to date.