DC Comics has been redefining what superhero comics can be for as long as they’ve been creating them. One of the publisher’s most successful comic formats is the maxiseries. Usually, a maxiseries is between 10 and 12 issues long, but can also be just any limited series that’s longer than 10 issues. DC has been putting out some of the best superhero stories ever, and their maxiseries are especially beloved. The company’s creators have been able to give readers game-changing maxiseries since 1938, with some of them truly bringing massive change to the medium in a variety of ways. These maxiseries have gone down as some of the greatest comics ever.
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DC is known for excellence, and their maxiseries have done a fantastic job of fleshing out various characters and giving readers some of the coolest scenes in the medium. DC maxiseries are a cut above the rest, and that’s all there is to it. These ten DC maxiseries are the best in the publisher’s history, and some of them have gone down as the best stories ever.
10) Rorschach
Rorschach, by Tom King and Jorges Forne, was a shockingly amazing maxiseries. The reason it was shocking was because that most Watchmen sequels are disliked by fans and critics alike, but this one is different. This story follows a nameless investigator working the case of an attempted political assassination by Rorschach and a woman dressed as a cowboy. However, this is after the events of Watchmen, after the vigilante disappeared, so readers are following the trail of the clues along with the intrepid detective. King and Fornes tell a story of how extremism can grow into something frightening, while also featuring some of comics’ greatest creators as characters playing surprising roles. This is a book that most assumed wouldn’t be great, and all of them were pleasantly surprised.
9) Brightest Day
Brightest Day, by Geoff Johns, Peter Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Joe Prado, and Ardian Sayif, was the sequel to Blackest Night, following the heroes and villains who were resurrected in the event book. Over the course of this 26-issue biweekly series, readers learned of the connection of the resurrected characters, as they work to find the reason each of them was resurrected for, all leading to some big shocks at the end of book. This is an awesome story, focusing on underappreciated characters like Deadman, the Hawkman, Hawkgirl, Hawk, Aquaman, Mera, Martian Manhunter, Jade, Osiris, Captain Boomerang, and many more, and it sent the DC Multiverse in a new direction (that would be quickly replaced by Flashpoint and the New 52 in under a year). It’s the last gasp of the resurrected DC Multiverse of the ’00s and early ’10s, and it deserves more praise than it gets.
8) Justice
The ’00s were a great time for the Justice League, and one of the coolest stories starring the team in the ’00s was Justice, by Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, and Doug Braithwaite. The Justice League and Legion of Doom’s members are both visited by terrible dreams of a coming apocalypse, with each side doing what they can do to stop it. This is basically the SuperFriends cartoon made in the modern day, the Bronze Age Justice League and Legion of Doom doing what they do best in gripping superhero tale. Ross paints over Braithwaite’s pencils, and it looks phenomenal, giving the book a sense of realism that makes it so much better. The writing is awesome, perfectly capturing the feel of those Justice League classics. This is prime DC goodness.
7) The Human Target
The Human Target was an obscure DC espionage/adventure character who most fans hadn’t thought of in years when 2022’s The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, was announced. This story began with Christopher Chance on a mission to save Lex Luthor, which he succeeds at, before learning that he’s about to die in 12 days. On a mission to find out who killed him and why, he gets embroiled in the drama of the Justice League International, seeing an all-new side of the team. This is basically a ’60s spy mystery with ’80s superheroes, with gorgeous retro artwork from Smallwood. King redefines the JLI, taking the characters in directions they’ve never been taken before, all while making Christopher an intriguing mystery of a man. This is a complicated, heartbreaking story that will shock and surprise you with every issue.
6) 52
52 was a weekly maxiseries taking place in the aftermath of Infinite Crisis. The series told the story of the year that was skipped for the “One Year Later” stories, with a murderer’s row of talent putting it out: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka and Mark Waid writing the story with Keith Giffen doing penciled breakdowns of the issues, and numerous artists stepping in on the finishes. The story follows a bunch of C and D-list characters, like Booster Gold, Renee Montoya, the Question, Elongated Man, Black Adam, and more as the group of them is pulled into a crisis that will change existence forever. This story is the best weekly comic ever, and has been loved ever since it first came out. Do yourself a favor and read Infinite Crisis, then see how fast you get through these 52 issues.
5) Camelot 3000
1982’s Camelot 3000 is one of the first major maxiseries in comic history and often gets overlooked. The story, by Mike W. Barr and Brian Bolland, takes place in the year 3000. As aliens attack the Earth, King Arthur and his knights reawaken to help save humanity, with a familiar enemy behind the alien invasion. This is one of the coolest King Arthur stories you will ever read, like The Once and Future King set in the future (and without the subtle Islamophobia). Bolland’s pencils are amazing here; the story took years for the artist finish, and it was worth every month of wait. This is an early ’80s DC classic that would presage the great maxiseries’ of the future.
4) Mister Miracle
Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, is a masterpiece. The story follows the titular Scott Free after a suicide attempt, which happens to coincide with another invasion from Darkseid. As Mister Miracle and his wife Big Barda are forced to fight this new war, the roots of Scott’s trauma, and their consequences, will change the universe forever. This is a story about the trauma of the past, the depression of the present, and the rays of hope of the future. King is one of the best creators when it comes to the 12-issue story, and this is one of his best. He and Gerads are a perfect team, and they give readers a story that so many of us see ourselves in. This is a deep meditation on the traumas of life and how they can take away lives, while also giving us the greatest gifts of all.
3) Watchmen
Watchmen is considered by many to be the greatest comic of them all, a complex, dark narrative that took the medium of comics to a new place. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ 12-issue story deconstructed the superhero in thoughtful ways, and has gotten more awards and praise than any other comic ever. It’s a book that everyone knows about, even if they haven’t read it, and it has taken its place in the pantheon of pop culture. It’s a masterwork of craft, a story that used the medium of comics in ways that they rarely got used at the time. It was a wake-up call for the industry and fans, showing them what a comic could be.
2) Crisis on Infinite Earths
Crisis on Infinite Earths changed DC forever, and it has gone down in history as one of the greatest event comics of all time, if not the greatest. Marv Wolfman, George Perez, and Jerry Ordway gave readers the ultimate battle of good and evil, as the heroes of five Earths come together as universes died all around them to battle the force behind the carnage: the Anti-Monitor. This story changed the way event comics worked forever, giving readers nearly every major DC character in existince a massive battle with the most dangerous force readers had ever seen (up to that point, at least). It’s one of those comics that everyone will always talk about, because it really is that amazing.
1) All-Star Superman
All-Star Superman is superhero comic perfection, a 12-issue series unlike any that was before it or since. Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely gives readers the ultimate Superman story, following the hero after he learned that he was going to die thanks to the machinations of Lex Luthor. He decides to leave the world a better place than he found it, embarking on the greatest labors in history. This is the 12 trials of Hercules, except about Superman, and it is truly fantastic. It borrows from every era of the Man of Steel to give readers an engrossing reading experience. The writing is flawless and the art is sensational, taking readers on a ride that they will remember for the rest of their life.
What’s your favorite DC maxiseries? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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