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In the pantheon of Batman stories there’s a handful that come up every time someone ranks the best. The Dark Knight Returns, Batman Year One, and The Long Halloween usually all make the list. And then there’s the Killing Joke. The Killing Joke stands out from the crowd for a couple of reasons. For one thing, unlike the above mentioned stories, The Killing Joke is a graphic novel and not a collection of previously individual issues. For another, The Killing Joke isn’t really a Batman story. Sure Batman is in it, he even plays an important part;but The Killing Joke is above all else, a Joker story.

Written by Will Pfeifer Art by Kenneth Rocafort Colors by Dan Brown Published by DC Comics The Teen Titans have a rich and varied history dating back to their inception in The Brave and The Bold #54. Now, the Titans have returned and in a big way. Will Pfeifer has taken the helm of the …

DC’s current Harley Quinn ongoing series does something that has never been done with the character: it gives her an identity not defined by the Joker. Quinn has forever been the long suffering companion to the Clown Prince of Crime, so much so that it’s hard to think of her as her own character and not just an extension of the Joker.

Jeff Lemire and Mike McKone’s Justice League United #0 presents part one of a five-part story, making issue #1, the second comic DC has released this month, that is wrongfully billed as a first issue. It’s essentially just the second chapter of a quinary story arc. Following the “Forever Evil” crossover, Justice League United kicks off with a fresh spin and an alternative super team, set in Canada, and that includes several favourite B-list heroes, and 2 new characters never before seen.

  The Montagues and the Capulets got nothing on Abby Arcane and Swamp Thing. Few romances in the big two have been so thoroughly explored and fleshed out. Abby and the dream of Alex Holland are two crazy kids caught on the wrong side of an insane monster, or on opposing sides of two of …

The LEGO Movie Written and directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller USA, 2014 The opening moments of Pixar’s last great film to date, Toy Story 3, depict an intentionally, increasingly goofy and outlandish fantasy scenario in which all of the toys in Andy’s bedroom play a part. There are the heroic Sheriff Woody and …

“Animal Man” (1988) #1-26* Writer: Grant Morrison Penciller: Chas Truog, Tom Grummett, Paris Cullins Inker: Doug Hazlewood, Steve Montano, Mark McKenna Letterer: John Costanza, Janice Chiang Colourist: Tatjana Wood, Helen Vesik Covers: Brian Bolland *The specific details of #20-26 will not be discussed in the below article. If you’ve never read this comic before, don’t …

Astro City # 4 Written by Kurt Busiek Artwork by Brent Eric Anderson Published by DC/Vertigo Comics A really great comic can expand its universe and teach us more about the world we’re visiting while telling a story at the same time. It’s a hard balancing act to pull off, and usually readers have to …

It has been said before, and it will be said for decades to come, but if there is ever is a comic that someone needs to read, it has to be Watchmen. The characters and story interweave in this beautiful opera of personal struggle for redemption, freedom and peace. All of this culminates with the character of …

Astro City # 3 Written by Kurt Busiek Art by Brent Eric Anderson Published by DC/Vertigo Comics Like a tumescent, throbbing perfect batting average, a good streak of comics is hard to keep up. Oh sure, it’s easy to put out one awesome comic, and probably to put out two, but to keep that level …

Astro City # 2 Written by Kurt Busiek Art by Brent Eric Anderson Published by DC/Vertigo Comics The first issue of  the triumphant return of “Astro City” to comic store shelves, now under the umbrella of DC’s Vertigo imprint, felt like a step in a new direction for the series. “This is a new day” …

“Journey into Mystery” fans felt anxiety and dread a few days ago when some readers noticed that Marvel left the title off their recently announced September 2013 solicitations. It wasn’t the end of the world, though. Perhaps it was an oversight, or even a delay in production, pushing issue #656 over into October. Sadly, neither …

Green Lantern # 20 Written by Geoff Johns Pencils by Doug Mahkne, with Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason and others Colors by Alex Sinclair and Tony Avina Published by DC Comics The last issue of Geoff Johns’ epic tour as writer on “Green Lantern”, a run lasting over six years and multiple series, …

Animal Man Written by Grant Morrison Art by Chas Truog, Tom Grummet, Doug Hazlewood and others Published by DC Comics Some superheroes are a hard sell. Hell, some people have a hard time “buying” a character as straightforward as Green Lantern (people who don’t understand things like bravery, heroism and color coordination). So a character …

Green Arrow is a perennial second string DC Comics character that has recently become more popular again through the successful CW show Arrow, whose premiere was the highest rated CW program in three years and was recently picked up for a second season. He also will be a playable character in the upcoming fighting video game Injustice: …

 Batman (2011) “Volume 1: The Court of Owls” (#1-7) and “Volume 2: The City of Owls” (#8-12, Annual #1) Written by Scott Snyder (all), James Tynion IV (back-up story from #8-12, co-writer of Annual) Drawn by Greg Capullo (#1-11), Becky Cloonan (#12), Jason Fabok (Annual) Inking by Jonathan Glapion Colouring by FCO Plascencia Published by …

John Constantine: Hellblazer Written by Garth Ennis Art by William Simpson and Steve Dillon Published by DC Comics, Vertigo Imprint   John Constantine is one of those comic characters a lot of people have written, but relatively few have really gotten right, like Wolverine or Paste Pot Pete. Originally cooked up by our old friend …

SPOILERS! (Only if you’ve been living in your own Bat-cave that is…) It was a bold move for writer Grant Morrison to introduce an illegitimate love-child to Bruce Wayne, but then again Grant Morrison is a bold man (is bold the word I’m looking for?). Even bolder still was Grant Morrison’s decision to cap off …

Collected in Aquaman 15-16 and Justice League 15-17 Writer:Geoff Johns (Justice League 15-17; Aquaman 15-16) Published by DC Comics Even though “Death of the Family” got the lion’s share of publicity, DC scored an unexpected hit and shift in status quo when it crossed over the bestselling Justice League with apparent upstart Aquaman. Perhaps it …

Justice League of America #1…“World’s Most Dangerous” Writer: Geoff Johns Artist: David Finch Colors: Sonia Oback with Jeromy Cox Cover: David Finch Publisher: Jack Mahan DC has got something going on within the pages of Justice League of America #1 (released Feb. 20th, 2013).  The team of Geoff Johns (Final Crisis: Rogues’ Revenge #1-3, Teen …

Here is Part Two of the top Canadians making waves in the comic industry. For Part One click here! Ray Fawkes The formatting of a comic book is what makes the medium so unique. It allows for an extra layer of nuanced storytelling that you cannot find elsewhere. It’s this respect for structure that makes …