It has been a killer year for DC Comics and DC Studios, my friends. Ever since DC’s All In initiative kicked off this fall, the atmosphere that surrounds being a DC fan has been electric. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at New York Comic Con whenever the promotional video for All In and the Absolute Universe played on the screens in the panel rooms. I may have let out a giggle or two whenever I heard someone else in the audience gasp at the size of the bat logo from Absolute Batman. I don’t go to comic conventions to peer pressure other attendees to read my favorite comics, but I was certainly tempted to do that in the moment.

So where to start for my top three favorite DC releases this year? Well, let’s start with the obvious.
 

The Absolute Universe

I apologize to everyone for whom I have become since the Absolute Universe began this fall. I have not felt this much raw excitement for something since the Red Sox won the American League Championship back in 2004. And it’s clear that the creators of the Absolute Universe are carrying this energy too because every single issue I’ve read of each series thus far has been masterful and passionate. It’s so heartening as a fan to see creators take such massive creative swings on iconic characters like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. This is what superhero comics should be! Firing from all cylinders!

One of my fondest memories of the year was visiting my parents and setting Absolute Batman #1 down on the dinner table in front of my dad. It had hit comic shops just that week. As I mentioned earlier, I’m not normally the type to peer pressure other people into reading things I like, but I stood over my dad as he read the first issue at my behest, paying close attention to his emotional reactions to the story. Absolute Batman #1 felt like the start of something monumental, and you bet I was sharing that with the rest of my family!

The world may be a scary place right now, but oh my god, Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez’s Absolute Martian Manhunter next year? An FBI agent whose mind is taken over by an alien entity? Sign me up.
 

My Adventures with Superman

The My Adventures with Superman train is still going full speed ahead, with no intention of slowing down. Clark and Lois are so cute! This season introduced Supergirl with a cool anime-inspired haircut, and I was frantically texting all my fellow Supergirl friends after each episode this summer. As you may have noticed, I love the Super Family, and I really appreciated how My Adventures with Superman offered another interpretation of the Supergirl mythos. She’s got such an emotionally devastating origin, and I love that the My Adventures with Superman team are taking advantage of it and making it their own. It’s not every day that you see Supergirl reimagined in such a beautiful and thoughtful way!

And as the site’s resident Amanda Waller fan, I have to mention the scene from episode two where we see how Waller gets ready in the morning. Seeing her open her eyes to the sound of her alarm and immediately shift into Waller Mode—“You are the master of your destiny. You control the outcome of this day. The universe gives what you bring to it. Today, you bring fire, Amanda”—was such a delight. Part of what I love about the character is that she isn’t someone who would feel out of place in our own world, even if she isn’t afraid to give monsters beyond all comprehension (Slade Wilson) a withering side-eye. Seeing Waller do something that all of us do every day in a distinctly Waller fashion fills my heart up in a way that Waller would definitely hate.
 

Teen Titans: Starfire

If you haven’t read any of the graphic novels in Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo’s Teen Titans series, then you’re seriously missing out on some of the best Teen Titans stories out there. In this year’s Teen Titans: Starfire, Garcia and Picolo introduced their versions of Starfire, Cyborg and Blackfire who all live in Los Angeles. I know LA is the setting for a lot of stories in pop culture, but Garcia and Picolo capture the city with a sense of youthful authenticity. Kori and Vic really felt like young people you might see roller skating from Santa Monica to Venice Beach!

I like this series more and more as it expands. Part of what I love about comics is that, as a medium, they allow you to dwell for as long as you like from page to page. Seeing this series grow to include heroes from around the country and now in my own backyard has been a lovely way to give this version of the DC Universe its own unique fingerprint. I hope to keep wandering around the world of this series for many more books to come!
 

Be sure to read all five of our 2024 Top Three lists!

Jules Chin Greene writes about comics, TV, games and film for DC.com, and his work can also be found at Nerdist, Popverse and Multiverse of Color. You can follow him on Bluesky at @JulesChinGreene and on Instagram at @infinitevibes.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Jules Chin Greene 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.