Top Five Fridays: My Top Five Favorite Ongoing DC Comic Books

It's been a long time since we've done a top five Friday list but I thought it was about time to get back to it.  So for the first one back, I figured that I would talk about the books that I am really enjoying right now from DC Comics.  I realize that everybody's list will be different... this is just what I'm enjoying.  So,  please leave your own list in the comments below.   And throw shade at me if you must.

5. Batman: Creature of the Night

I know this is only a three-issue series and we've only gotten two so far but Kurt Busiek's story has been so good that I could not keep it off this list.  The Elseworlds tale of a not quite Bruce Wayne whose obsessions may or may not be a good thing has been dark, intriguing and well, just great ride.  Add to that the dark and stylistic art by John Paul Leon and this book is tough to beat. I know in this day and age of comic reviewing, high praise has become a cliche but this already feels like a classic.  The only reasons it's not higher on the list is the overall length and the delays that have plagued it.

4. Action Comics

I wanted to put at least one Superman book on the list (And actually ended up with two...spoiler's man, damn ), and I picked this one over the oftentimes, over-sentimental Superman book.  Dan Jurgens just finished his Booster Shot story (with Booster Gold of course), but we also had the Revenge Squad and Oz Effect stories before it.  I don't know how things will change once Brian Michel Bendis takes over the Super-books, but I'm hoping one (or both) will be on my list in the future.

3. New Super-Man and the Justice League of China

When this book was announced, many people (myself included) questioned why we needed it.  My question quickly changed to, "Why aren't more people reading it?" Gene Luen Yang's New Super-Man is full of great characters, character progression, wonderful art and is one of the true all-ages books in the regular DC Comics continuity nowadays.  Recently, Yang announced New Super-Man was going to be canceled but luckily for fans, it was saved at the 11th hour, given an extended name and allowed to continue. Read and now so you don't miss out a second time!

2. Deathstroke

I hate to be wrong and boy, was I wrong about Priest's Deathstroke when Rebirth started!  What I thought was convoluted and fill-in-the-blanks storytelling was actually smart, character-driven drama that rewarded you for paying attention while never, ever holding your hand.  Within issues, Priest expected (demanded?) you read from the beginning and while that makes it almost impossible for new readers to jump on, the rewards for starting at #1 are well worth it.  The story in a nutshell?  Slade is a piece of shit who means well but really doesn't know how to be anything other than himself.  I mean, the guy kills Power Girl's dog to get rid of her and then asks her to rejoin him by handing her a puppy!  Just Slade being Slade! In the end, Priest gives readers a glimpse of a man that most gloss over in a book like this and hey, it all lead to my favorite team of Rebirth...the Defiance Squad.  May they rest in peace and/or pieces.

1. Batman: White Knight

Sean Murphy won me over with his awesome art and a dark story of a possibly reformed Joker and a Dark Knight who will go to the grave fighting the very idea of that.  This is an homage to almost everything Batman that uses it all to take readers down a dark path that is fun in a very disturbing way.  I have always loved Murphy's art and he doesn't disappoint her, but he also is giving us a Joker with more depth than most writers care to give him and a Batgirl that puts the gal in Burnside to shame.  Add to that, two Harley Quinns and a Gotham that feels old and tired and desperate for a change.  It all fits perfectly into the puzzle and I'm loving it.

To end this, I want to add an honorable mention of all the New Age of Heroes books.  It's still too early for them to put on a list like this, but as a whole, they have impressed me and made me realize that new characters can break through and (hopefully) be successful.

Let me know what you think and what your top five books are right now!