DC Comics is best known for housing some of the most popular superheroes and stories, but it is also home to some of the most emotionally enduring stories in the comic book industry. It's easy to praise DC for making comics look polished, but the publisher also has a knack for making stories exciting and consistent.
DC Comics stories can be unforgiving in their heavy material. It shouldn't be a surprise when DC's top heroes have depressing origin stories, like having their parents shot to death in front of them in an alley or an entire race of aliens destroyed before they reach their formative years. However, it's impressive that so many stories show how DC touches the hearts of the public. These are just a few examples of comic book editions that need to be accompanied by a box of tissues with each purchase.
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Zatanna and Wonder Woman give Batgirl one more special night before The killing joke
Brave and Bold #33 by J. Michael Straczynski, Cliff Chiang, Trish Mulvihill and Rob Leigh
Barbara Gordon being shot by the Joker, paralyzing her and leading to her Oracle identity, remains one of the most shocking moments in DC Comics history, but one person saw it coming: Zatanna. In a vivid vision, she sees Batgirl's fate, but as her premonitions go, she doesn't know exactly when or where it happens, so she is forced to sit and wait without knowing how to intervene. Feeling guilty that she can't do more, she plans a girls' night out with Wonder Woman - the only person she tells about Barb's fate - to give Batgirl one last night of pure happiness before the inevitable.
On the surface, seeing DC's finest heroine dancing the night away makes for a wholesome scene, but the dark undertones are what make this story bittersweet. Beneath the surface, two DC heroes are mourning a tragedy that has yet to happen.
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Lucifer casually ruins a life because of a vision
Lucifer #24 by Mike Carey, Dean Omston, Daniel Vozzo and Comicraft
Some of DC's darkest comics have no trace of spandex or superheroes, and in this story thirteen-year-old Esa-Kira's vision ruins her life. In this edition of Vertigo's long-running issue Lucifer title, the Devil, an oracle within Lucifer's Cosmos, has a premonition about "the Creator"falling in battle and, presumably, dying. She leaves her kingdom to travel to find Lucifer in Los Angeles. She leaves a message for Lucifer that he never finds. Although she has barely spent a night on Earth soil, sixty years have passed. passed into his kingdom.
She returns to find her parents dead, her lover missing, and her people conquered. Sixty more years pass, and like an old hermit, Esa-Kira finally meets Lucifer, but he doesn't care to hear her message. This girl lost everything for nothing and all she has are bitter memories to make up for it.
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Superman's final moments with Pa Kent reveal the hero's emotional core
Superman of the Stars #6 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, Jamie Grant and Phil Balsman
Superman of the Stars as a whole, it's pretty depressing, as it takes one of DC Comics' most powerful superheroes and gives him what is essentially a type of super-cancer. However, the hardest edition to read without shedding a tear is the sixth. A young Clark is visited by the Supermen of the future, and they all band together to defeat the invading Chronovore. In the three minutes it takes to fight the alien monster, Jonathan Kent suffers a heart attack on the farm and dies.
Seeing such a distraught Superman and the funeral that follows is devastating enough, but what tugs at the heartstrings is that the bandaged version of Superman from the future “Superman Squad” is actually the Superman fans know from contemporary continuity. He asked to go back in time in hopes of doing what he couldn't do when he was a teenager: spend those final three minutes with your father
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Red Lantern Dex-Starr's Story Will Ruin Any Pet Lover's Day
"Tales of the Red Lantern Corps: Dex-Starr" by Geoff Johns, Shawn Davis, Jamie Grant and Nick J. Napolitano from Green Lantern #55
No one could have imagined that a superhero cat's origin story could be so heartwarming, but unfortunately, Dex-Starr has one of DC Comics' most brutal origin stories. It all starts with a domestic cat - Dexter - seeing his owner murdered before his eyes. Moments later, police investigating the crime scene literally kick the kitten to the curb to avoid contaminating the crime scene. Forced out into the street, Dex is caught by two hooligans who thought it would be funny to stuff him in a bag and throw him off a bridge.
The anger in Dex's heart is enough for him to be chosen for the Red Lantern ring. On paper, the idea that Dex-Starr could be the most violent member of the Red Lantern Corps seems ridiculous, but anyone who went through the kind of turmoil he did in such a short time would also be cruel.
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Superman's 'For the Man Who Has Everything' is a timeless classic
Superman Annual #11 by Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons and Tom Ziuko
This classic Superman story features the debut of Black Mercy, the ultimate anti-Kryptonian weapon. He neutralizes Superman while putting the Man of Steel into a comatose state, draining his life force as he hallucinates his greatest fantasy: creating a family on the home planet he was deprived of experiencing. Slowly realizing that this “reality” is not real makes for a difficult reading experience, but not as difficult as when Superman has to explain to his fantasy children that they are not real as he says goodbye to the world of his dreams.
Moore and Gibbons truly answer the story's central question: what do you get for the man who has everything, including all the powers and all the advantages in life? The story also addresses the dilemma that creators often face when telling stories about such a powerful and nearly invincible superhero. If Superman can't be challenged physically, he can be challenged emotionally, and the emotional challenges that make him vulnerable also make him relatable.
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Wonder Woman can't pull a punch in this personal tragedy
Wonder Woman #46 by George Pérez, Mindy Newell, Jill Thompson, Romeo Tanghal, Carl Gafford and John Costanza
Some of the saddest superhero comics are the ones where the hero in question doesn't have an obstacle to stop or a villain to destroy. In fact, sometimes the whole point of the story is that the hero can't save everyone. This issue is an example, as Wonder Woman is not at the center of this story. Instead of once again playing powerhouse by crushing someone, she serves as a shoulder to cry on for her friend Vanessa Kapatelis, who desperately needs one after her classmate Lucy kills herself.
Nessa comes to terms with the complicated nature of her friendship as well as how to make peace with someone who took her life without understanding why they left. For the time it was released - 1990 - the story is a surprisingly nuanced take on the complexities of mental health and, even more surprisingly, a realistic take on grief in a fictional setting.
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'Sam's Story' Will Break Any Superman Fan's Heart
"Sam's Story" by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale, José Villarrubia and Richard Starkings from Superman/Batman #26
Set in the equally poignant continuity of Superman: For All Seasons by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, "Sam's Story" is about Clark Kent's best friend from high school: Sam, a funny jokester who always has something to laugh about. But there seems to be a strange joke afoot. Sam appears on crutches, claiming a football injury when not playing, and then appears bald, claiming to have a sexy Lex Luthor look. When the truth is revealed, Sam is dying from cancer that started in his leg and spread to his jaw and lungs. After cancer takes his life, young Clark is heartbroken.
As if that wasn't enough to move, the story was written in honor of Sam Loeb, Jeph Loeb's 17-year-old son, who lost a battle with bone cancer. The backstory is just as sad as the story, if not more so.
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Superman's funeral is no less disturbing because fans know he's coming back
Superman: funeral for a friend by various writers and artists
When Superman first fell to the hands of Doomsday, his death was treated as national news - and for good reason. As a staple of pop culture, Superman was more than just the embodiment of superheroism; he was practically a representative of America itself. That statement may seem dramatic, but Superman's death was mourned in real life almost as much as it was in the comics. In the comics, however, the consequences were even more painful than the moment itself.
The hardest thing to read is the story of the Kents mourning the death of Superman. Because they can't risk revealing that Clark Kent is Superman, they are not allowed to attend their son's funeral and therefore are forced to watch from their homes. They attempt to honor their son with a burial of his belongings at the farm before Jon has a heart attack, heading to heaven to meet Clark, who pleads with his father that now is not his time to pass away.
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The Justice League's Darkest Hour Almost Destroyed the Team Forever
Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and Rags Morales
When it comes to Identity Crisisa question cannot do justice; The entire series of events is morbidly depressing. Whether it's Batman comforting Tim Drake moments after Captain Boomerang kills Robin's father, the attack on Elongated Man's wife, Firestorm's death, or any other event in this landmark DC story, nothing goes well for the Justice League or their allies .
While many DC stories, even the darkest ones, end with at least a shred of hope or a hint of optimism, DC's most controversial storyline remains cynical from start to finish. Maybe it's the product of being made in a post-9/11 world, where Americans were on edge and expected the worst at every turn, because at every possible step of this story, either danger or a cause for mourning lurks. Identity Crisis is, without a doubt, the darkest series that DC Comics ever produced, and as a result, it has some of the most poignant moments.