Summary
In 2018,DC Comicslaunched itsBlack Labelline of comics, an imprint designed to take over for Vertigo as the company’s home of mature stories. Beginning with Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’sBatman Damned, the imprint has prioritized deep storytelling, beloved creative teams and genre diversity. Like many DC initiatives, the plurality of books released under the Black Label line have tied back to the world of Batman and Gotham, but some of the best stories had nothing to do with the Caped Crusader.
Black Label has offered readers everything from revivals of past series, continuations of old stories and entirely new universes centered around fantasy, horror and more. While some of the stories have fallen short of expectations, others have gone down as instant classics.The imprint has shown that DC has the potential to produce some excellent stories without the inclusion of Batman, and has given readers some excellent creative teams to deliver exactly that.
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10American Vampire 1976
Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque
In 2010, Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque kicked off theirAmerican Vampirecontinuity in the titular series – with Stephen King co-writing. Snyder and Albuquerque would return to the series in 2020. As part of the Black Label line,American Vampire 1976picks up the story of Skinner Sweet as he navigates the tumultuous setting of 1970s America. Left without his immortality, he takes up one last mission from Pearl Jones to save the world from monsters.
American Vampire 1976sports some of the best artwork from the Black Label imprint, and its dissociation from the core DCU offers a fresh universe for readers to sink their teeth into. The 10-part series offers up an action-fueled, emotional story that sees its vampire protagonist rediscover the value of humanity.
9Peacemaker Tries Hard
Kyle Starks and Steve Pugh
Capitalizing on the success of James Gunn’sPeacemakerseries, DC made the antihero a core part of both its universe and Elseworlds projects, signing him up to the main Suicide Squad team and giving him solo books.In 2023’sPeacemaker Tries Hard, the character is cast in a DCEU-inspired romp that sees him working for a mysterious organization when they kidnap his dog, Bruce Wayne.
Peacemaker Tries Hardis a brilliant hard-boiled action story in the style of John Wick meets the DCEU, pairing the antihero with a slew of Z-list characters along the way.The series is aimed squarely at people who enjoyed Gunn’s DC projects, offering a fun blend of adventure, dark humor and over-the-top violence.
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8Fables: The Black Forest
Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha
Bill Willingham’sFablesuniversestood out among the best out-of-continuity DC series of the 2000s, telling the story of a world based on classic fairy tales and legends. In 2022, the series returned for a 12-issue limited run with a story that focuses on a new threat from the Black Forest, centering around characters like Bigby, Snow White and Rose Red in Fabletown.
Fables’revival maintains the strengths of the original series, returning readers to the fun, dark exploration of classic fairy tales that made the franchise so popular in the first place. For people who enjoy dark fantasy, this comeback demonstrated the range of possibilities offered to creators and fans alike by the Black Label imprint.
7Nice House On the Lake
James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Since 2019, James Tynion IV has stood out as one of the comic book industry’s hottest creators thanks to his work on titles likeBatmanandSomething Is Killing the Children. Published between 2021 and 2022,Nice House On the Lakefollows this trend, exploring a group of friends who are invited to a secluded house by a mysterious host named Walter. After arriving, they realize that the world is coming to an end, and their host is an alien being who means to use their skills to rebuild society anew.
Nice House On the Lakefocuses on the ethical and moral dilemmas of the characters, concentrating on Walter’s control over their lives, their attempts to escape and their potential future.Putting a fresh spin on the apocalyptic genre, the series became something of a phenomenon among comic book readers, and is one of the most creative new series from DC in years.
6Rogues
Joshua Williamson and Leomacs
Roguesfocuses on Flash’s team of villains in retirement, each of them living mundane, unfulfilling lives that leave them nostalgic about their glory days. In a bid for one last shot at fame and fortune, Leonard Snart gets the team back together for one last job: a gold heist in Gorilla City. Unfortunately, that sets themon a collision course with Gorilla Grodd, who now rules the city they intend to loot.
Roguesis an excellent heist comic, as well as an interesting character study of some of Flash’s greatest foes as they fight for meaning and purpose. Mastering the classic “one last job” heist, the 2022 miniseries is a fantastic villain-driven story that shows these characters are more than just their gimmicks.
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5The Last God
Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Ricardo Federici
The Last Godtakes place in the fantasy land of Cain Anuun, and begins with the failed mission of a band of warriors to kill the titular last god, a cosmic evil known as Mol Uhltep. Thirty years later, their failure returns to haunt them, prompting a new fellowship of heroes to embark on the same quest.Realizing that the older heroes lied, the younger protagonists must contend with the dark magic of the deity, plunging them into a world of cosmic horror.
The Last Godis amasterful blend of high fantasy, Lovecraftian terror andDungeons and Dragons-style quests, delivering readers a fantastically creepy adventure. Published between 2019 and 2021, the series is perfect for fans of RPG board games, as well as people who just want to enjoy a fantasy story in the vein ofThe Lord of the RingsorGame of Thrones.
4Swamp Thing: Green Hell
Jeff Lemire and Doug Mahnke
Debuting in 2021,Swamp Thing: Green Helltakes place after a mass extinction-level flooding of the world’s surface leaves a dwindling human race clinging to what little land mass remains. When the Green decrees that humanity poses a threat to the natural balance of life on Earth,Swamp Thing is left conflicted over his protection of plant life and the lingering humanity of Alec Holland. As Constantine steps in to try and sway his old friend, the Rot enters the fray, striking in a bid to gain dominance over the planet.
Swamp Thing: Green Hellgave readers one of the bestSwamp Thingstories since Alan Moore’s run, serving almost as an “Old Man Logan” treatment of the character. The series delves into the lore of DC’s elemental forces, while also delivering fantastic horror and brilliant exploration of this apocalyptic setting.
3Aquaman: Andromeda
Ram V and Christian Ward
Despite being far from most people’s favorite superhero, Aquaman’s underwater setting offers readers – and creative teams – an opportunity to explore the mysterious depths of the ocean. InAquaman: Andromeda, humans aboard the titular submarine discover a potentially malevolent entity at the bottom of the ocean, where they attempt to make first contact. Aquaman steps in in a bid to prevent them from endangering themselves,and the story explores the ties between the entity and Atlantis' history.
Aquaman: Andromedaborrows from science fiction classics likeThe Abyss,Sphereand2001: A Space Odyssey, throwing in an element of cosmic horror and existential terror.The 2022 miniseries shows just how terrifying and under-utilized the mysterious undersea world of Aquaman is, casting him in one of his most interesting stories to date.
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Daniel Warren Johnson
To say that Daniel Warren Johnson has become one of the most dynamic creators in modern comics would undersell the writer/artist’s strengths as a storyteller.While he is best known for series likeTransformersandDo A Powerbomb!, one of his first stories to grab the attention of readers wasWonder Woman: Dead Earth, published in 2020. Set in the aftermath of the end of the world, the series follows Diana’s protection of the survivors, who she defends against monsters in their quest for refuge.
Dead Earthis an underrated post-apocalyptic story, as well as arguably the best Wonder Woman story since her New 52 run.Pitting the Amazon princess against monsters and superheroes, the series' defining aspect is Johnson’s vibrant artwork, which is at its best during the series' gripping action sequences.
1The Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage
Jeff Lemire, Denys Cowan, Bill Sienkiewicz and Chris Sotomator
During the 1980s,TheQuestionbecame one of DC’s best detective series thanks to the creative pairing of Dennis O’Neil and Denys Cowan. The series followed Steve Ditko’s hard-boiled vigilante in the grimy Hub City, rife with corruption and violence. In the 2019 Black Label seriesThe Question: The Deaths of Vic Sage, the character makes an excellent comeback in a tale of past lives and a supernatural conspiracy at the heart of city government.
The Deaths of Vic Sagefollows the titular vigilante as he re-lives his past lives, from the Old West to 1940s America, revealing his place in an ongoing, repeating cycle involving the manifestation of evil.The story reads like aTwilight Zonemystery involving the Question, and addresses social issues and the cycle of violence, perpetuated by injustice. With something of a pessimistic conclusion, the miniseries stands out as the best thing to come out of theBlack Labelimprint ofDC Comics.
Black Label
DC Black Label is an imprint of DC Comics that primarily focuses on mini-series and reprints of comics originally distributed by other imprints. These DC comics are also commonly intended for mature readers that have darker storylines. The first comic published as a DC Black Label title was Batman: Damned in September 2018.
