In 2019, DC Comics saw the conclusion of some massive storylines, events, and limited series. Books that kept fans hanging from month to month, like Doomsday Clock, Event Leviathan, Terminus Agenda, and Heroes in Crisis to name a few. But it also meant standalone stories and entire comics that came to an ending, as well.
For some fans, the events and storylines released in the past year may eventually take a run at the best DC Comics stories ever written. Others managed to distinguish themselves by starting and ending within the same year, making them the best DC miniseries of 2019. But nothing is more likely to prove controversial than a long-awaited ending, or unexpected conclusion. Which makes the ones that pulled it off that much more incredible. Here are our selections for the stories/series that came to a conclusion in 2019, which most would have no choice but to accept as the most satisfying in years.
Green Arrow: Rebirth
The Rebirth Era Green Arrow series came to an end in March of 2019 with issue #50, as Green Arrow’s life wasn't just ending, it was burning to the ground. The series reunited Oliver and Dinah as a couple, saw Oliver winning the respect of the Justice League members (even Batman), and involved in the larger DCU stories such as Dark Nights: Metal, No Justice/New Justice, and Heroes in Crisis. In Green Arrow #50, the final issue of the series, all these threads converged and offered readers a satisfying ending one of the most underrated Rebirth series.
The final issues found Oliver still reeling from the loss of Roy Harper and the events of the No Justice miniseries, which kicked off Scott Snyder's Justice League. After the events of No Justice, Martian Manhunter entrusted Oliver a mysterious weapon in the form of a box containing the means of taking down the Justice League in the event they went rogue. Upon learning what Oliver had in his possession, the government deployed their top undercover agent, Black Canary, as two lovers found each other at an impasse. Oliver felt that he had been entrusted with the Justice League's secrets for a reason, but Canary just wanted to give the government what it wanted so they could move on.
In the final pages, Oliver is seen taking his Green Arrow costume off and walking away in civilian clothes as the 'empty' box glowed upon the ground. This issue offered readers the needed cathartic moment while promising Oliver's return, but was short-lived, as Green Arrow would later appear in the Justice League series and as part of Event Leviathan (both of which seemingly ignored the final moments of the ongoing series).
Adventures of The Super Sons
The twelve-issue maxiseries by Peter J. Tomasi (Superman) and Carlo Barberi (Deadpool), Art Thibert (Trinity), and Matt Santorelli (Superwoman) saw the continued the adventures of Damian Wayne and Jonathan Kent, which began in the Super Sons Rebirth series. This series, which takes place before the events of Bendis' start on Superman, finds the friends targets of an interstellar team of young badasses called the Injustice Gang -- led by Rex Luthor and Joker Jr., who will stop at nothing to stamp out the Super Sons' crime-fighting careers in this or any other reality! Damian and Jon soon find themselves on a mad quest throughout the Multiverse, with each stop stranger than the last as they meet characters such as Space Cabbie, Tommy Tomorrow, Jonah Hex, and future versions of themselves. The duo also find themselves incarcerated on the prison planet of Takron-Galto and forced to make alliances with the other prisoners to escape so they can stop the Injustice Gang and get back home.
This series was one of the best things published by DC comics in a long time, as it showed that the legacy of the characters is the biggest strength of the DCU. Reading this series was bittersweet, especially as it wrapped up just as Jonathan's new status quo was being established over in Bendis' Superman books. The best way to sum up this maxiseries is to say it is plain fun, and proves that Tomasi is one of DC Comics' most talented writers.
The Flash: Year One
Joshua Williamson hit all the right beats as readers finally get Barry Allen's Rebirth origin story in a fun and new-reader accessible way. The story arc is seamlessly integrated into the larger storyline involving The Turtle, and the arrival of the new Forces without skipping a beat. The Flash: Year One is also not an overhaul of Barry's story, but more of a finessing of events surrounding how he gained his abilities, and his first outings as The Flash. The issue also takes time to explain some of the newer story elements that were introduced into the Flash mythos during the New 52 and Rebirth, such as Barry's relationships with both of the Wally West characters and his romantic history with Iris.
This story also lays the groundwork for the new Forces that were introduced since the destruction of the Source Wall and factor into later story arcs. Overall, this storyline refocused Barry's overall personality and mindset, which has continued to be built upon as the series moved forward. This story continues to show that Williamson gets everything that makes Barry Allen's Flash unique... and Howard Porter’s brilliant art is not too shabby, either.
Justice League Dark: Lords of Order
Following the events of the No Justice, magic in the DCU is dying, and The Otherkind from the Dark Multiverse is trying to take advantage of the situation. Doctor Fate deciding that the only option is to destroy magic itself, recruits the strongest magic wielders in the DCU to his new Lords of Orders. These New Lords of Order set off to kill all the magic-based characters in the DC universe and destroy all aspects of magic. Wonder Woman, leader of Justice League Dark, must seek help from an unlikely person and make a decision that ultimately changes the rules for magic in the DC Universe.
James Tynion IV works his own magic as he expertly weaves together this story, which is a sweepingly grandiose event confined to the monthly series format. This story also answers the question about what happened to Khalid Nassour, Kent Nelson's nephew, who wielded the Helmet of Fate before the Rebirth era and set the stage for the new era of magic in the DCU.
Detective Comics: Mythology
The Mythology storyline, which was the Detective Comics storyline leading in to issue #1000, was a murder-mystery that had Batman revisiting the various teachers and confidants from his past as Peter Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke reminded readers just how big the world of Batman is. The story takes Batman around Gotham City and the world as he retraces the path he took to develop the many skills that he would need as Batman.
As the story progressed, characters Tomasi had Batman interacting with classic villains such as Hugo Strange, the original Mister Miracle Thadeus Brown, and even introducing Kyodai Ken from the Batman: The Animated Series into the comic book universe. When the true nature of the story is finally revealed, it felt less like a cheat (it was a simulation that Bruce runs every year) and more like a love letter to the fans.
The New Age of Heroes
Spinning out of the events of Dark Nights: Metal, The New Age of DC Heroes imprint launched in 2017 with eight new series/miniseries, which was supposed to focus on more the series artists as opposed to the writers, saw all but The Terrifics canceled in July 2019. The canceled titles in the line were The Silencer, Sideways, Immortal Men, Damage, New Challengers, The Unexpected, and Brimstone were an attempt by DC Comics to introduce new characters or reinvent old character concepts into the DCU.
While some of the series were better than others, it still felt as though the decision to cancel the imprint was not given a chance to find an audience and more concerned with sales. While these series are no longer being published, some of the characters like The Silencer (appearing in Event: Leviathan) and Sideways (set to appear in Young Justice) have hopefully left the door open for them to return in their own stories in the near future in the DC Comics Universe.