Year after year we celebrate DC’s output, highlighting awesome new stories with beloved characters told throughout various media. From television and film, all the way to the printed page, which continues to expand into new markets and formats like DC’s groundbreaking Young Adult graphic novels and the recent DC GO! line of mobile comics.
2024 has proven to be another year where the DC Universe keeps bursting forth with fresh storytelling and wonderful new twists on fan favorites. For my list, it’s the latter that really captured my heart and stayed with me throughout the year. Here are my top three DC picks for 2024!
Wonder Woman
As much of a global icon as Princess Diana of the Amazons is, she’s often infamously tricky to nail down in terms of a readily identifiable vision. Is she an ambassador or a warrior? Naïve foreigner to man’s world or a sagacious messenger with the wisdom of the gods? And if she embodies any of these qualities, which demands the most focus?
Luckily, writer Tom King and artist Daniel Sampere have come together to make not only a perfect Wonder Woman storyline for newcomers, but a wonder-ful (pun intended) challenge for Diana and her friends to overcome. When an Amazon is wanted by the U.S. government for an attack on men, martial law is declared and suddenly it’s open season on anyone from Paradise Island. Diana, ever the rebel, vows to get to the bottom of this political quagmire—alone. Despite help offered from not only Superman and Batman, but the Wonder Girls, Diana takes on the most dangerous villains from her rogues gallery to reach the Sovereign, the mysterious benefactor behind everything. And while all this is happening, we’re shown scenes from the not-too-distant future involving Diana’s daughter Trinity!
With stunning artwork by Sampere and gentle, compelling characterization by King, Wonder Woman is at the top spot when it comes to my favorite comics of 2024.
Absolute Power
Mark Waid and Dan Mora’s Batman/Superman: World’s Finest series was one of my favorite comics in years, where every story was a feast for the eyes and a brilliant lesson on how the classic versions of the DC Universe could be depicted. Of course, that series is set in the past, so fans couldn’t help but wonder how the modern day DCU might be presented under the same creative team.
Fortunately, we didn’t have to ponder that question for too long. The answer took the form of an intense, multi-part crossover that rocketed the world’s superheroes all the way to the edge against one of the most formidable characters in all of comics. Assisted by both Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen, along with surprise allies like Green Arrow and Dreamer, Amanda Waller removed the powers of every superhero on the planet, cutting them off from their various escape routes and hunting them down one by one. Only a scant few heroes escaped to plan their defense and take action against Waller’s scheme, with some unexpected characters stepping forth to save the day.
In Absolute Power, the DC Universe is given the Dan Mora shine, with gorgeous artwork and a gripping plot by Waid, who uses his long experience of writing the Justice League to bring everyone to their lowest only for them to rise again. A sure-to-be classic crossover, Absolute Power stuck the landing and made for a highly enjoyable summer of superhero action.
Birds of Prey
Debuting in late 2023, Kelly Thompson has brought back the classic feeling of the original Birds of Prey series in her acclaimed new ongoing, with a rotating cast of heroines, surreal fantasy and sci-fi-based adventures, and Black Canary at the center of it all.
Over the series, Thompson and her rotating artistic collaborators have kept a consistent core of characters together while bringing in new heroes to keep the dynamic unpredictable. Zealot, Harley Quinn, Vixen, Grace Choi and Onyx have all had stints on the team. But at its core are the characters of Black Canary, Oracle, Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Big Barda and Sin.
With these women, Thompson has put up the best of the best in terms of skillsets, challenging these heroes with extra-dimensional fighters, Amazons and even Wonder Woman herself! Each issue is an action-packed adventure with great characterization and hilarious teammate interactions—specifically Barda and Cassandra’s sisterly relationship. A classic franchise with a now-classic run, Kelly Thompson’s Birds of Prey is the best the series has been in years.
Look for more Top Three lists all week right here on DC.com!
Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on X at @donoDMG1.
NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.
