As one of the earliest superhero teams in the DC Universe, the Justice Society of America has a rich legacy that is keenly felt in this title due the presence of multigenerational members. While the history of the team enriches the stories, JSA never makes the reader feel left out or constrained by past continuity. Along with exciting superhero action, there is keen insightful writing that illuminates the characters both as individuals and as an ensemble. Johns keeps the momentum and excitement going from issue to issue with a judicious balance of action, humor and drama, and Sadowski shows his deft draftsmanship and skill at drawing everything from spaceships to buildings to the nuanced emotions and body language of the characters.
 
 

Starring in two DC mini-series during the early 1980's, Dusk chronicles the exploits of a New York City private eye in the 1930's. Explosive and ferocious action is mixed with insightful character vignettes and moments of subtle and sincere emotion. Both McGregor and Colan manage to infuse the inhabitants of Dusk's world with a vitality and spirit that makes them almost as real as flesh and blood people. McGregor writes prose that is a joy in itself to read, just for its marvelous rhythm and language. He also is a master at describing both the despair and hope in life and all the bittersweet times in-between. Colan injects a richness and energy into the art, as well as an emotional empathy that radiates from the patterns of light and shadow. Nathaniel Dusk may inhabit a more exciting and thrilling world than the readers' own, but the pain and exuberance in his life are feelings that everyone can relate to.
 
 

Goldfish is a tale about a con man returning to his home city after a 10 year absence to find that his ex-girlfriend is now the crime boss and his best friend a cop. Bendis takes full advantage of the comic book medium to weave a sophisticated and gripping story which reveals a panoply of human frailties and strengths. Because all his characters are dimensional and have a real-life verisimilitude in their motives and actions, the story remains compelling, even when the protagonist is absent. Although there are a few instances when the art is slightly confusing, Bendis' bold style captures all the pathos and human drama. Events build with ferocious tension until a spectacular finale leaves the reader gasping after each new twist.
 
 

This 4-issue mini-series shows how versatile the comic book medium can be. In true noir fashion,  Jack Herriman is a young private investigator who takes on a case which quickly becomes personal and a lot more complicated that he could ever imagine. The story is engaging; just when things seem to be getting clearer, a new twist comes about that casts everything you knew in doubt again. This gradual unfolding of the mystery keeps the reader hungering for the next revelation. Ed Brubaker creates a cast of characters who seem to live and breathe, many of whom find a warm place in the heart. They all have realistic motivations and personalities, yet Jack Herriman still embodies the virtues that make the best protagonists sympathetic. Michael Lark does an outstanding job of creating  moody environments of light and shadows and the expressive people who inhabit them. He has a great  ability to render everyday objects and settings, yet always making them dramatic and enticing. There's plenty of suspense and drama, as well as action and humor here to satisfy all who like a good story.
 
 

Once again, the titanic team of DeFalco and Frenz, along with (relative) newcomer Pat Olliffe  have created titles filled with pulse-pounding excitement, dynamic relationships and gripping ongoing plots which are reminiscent of Marvel in its halcyon days. Both titles are great examples of characters that seem to live and breathe, with problems, motivations and emotions that grow organically from their situations. From the soap-opera continuity of Spider-Girl and her efforts to deal with peers at school and a former web-slinging dad to A-Next's ongoing development of the mysterious Mainframe, the relationships between this next generation of Avengers and the fate of past Marvel luminaries, these titles manage to inject an optimistic enthusiasm and a pure sense of unadulterated fun into comics again.
 
 

Once again, Christopher Hinz manages to create a science fiction comic that not only works in the comic book medium, but carries over the more sophisticated and complicated storytelling that usually is only found in novels. Hinz begins with the engaging premise of the dead being able to be revived in certain situations in the future. Treated as second-class citizens, the moral and personal ramifications are troublesome indeed. Murdered cop C.J Rataan has a bitter pill to swallow when he is forced to see life differently .. from the other side of it! By following his transformation and quest to avenge himself, readers get some unique insight and glimpses into humankind. Don't miss the terrific column at the back of every issue entitled "Bone Marrow Bob Answers Your Questions About The Living Dead"!
 
 

An understated comic that manages to deliver powerful and clever stories with interesting and dimensional characters.
 
 

The freshest and most original and insightful take on superheros that has come out in a long time. Busiek and Anderson's ability to tell stories with diverse and memorable characters set in a rich tapestry of an original setting always manages to reveal questions that comic book fans have always wanted answered but didn't know it.
 
 

This comic deals with what could be arguably the purest superhero. When Billy Batson utters the word "Shazam" and transforms into the World's Mightiest Mortal, all the innocence and idealism of a child are combined with the powers of a superhero. While Superman and Batman may be better combatants, both are fettered by cynicism and the adult realization of their limited effect on the world. Children often believe they can change the world, and with the Power of Shazam, maybe one boy can. Oh yeah, this book has incredible painted covers, well-written stories and enthusiastic and lively artwork.
 
 

Amazing art that is evocative of great illustrators such as Roy G. Krenkel, Joseph Clement Coll and Al Williamson combined with a carefully constructed original world proves to be a unbeatable combination. Even though we're lucky to see an issue a year come out, the wait is well worthwhile to follow the adventures of Jack Tenrec and Hannah Dundee in a post-apocolyptic world where man has to co-exist with nature's most formidable creations: dinosaurs.
 

Past Great Comics:
G.I. JOE
The Transformers
Star Trek (first DC incarnation)
Star Wars (all 107 Marvel issues)
Gemini Blood
All-Star Squadron
Gotham by Gaslight
Batman: Master of the Future
Kingdom Come
The Shadow Strikes!
Psi-Judge Anderson serial in 2000 A.D. (by Alan Grant and David Roach)
Quantum and Woody
Spin World
Grease Monkey
The Rocketeer (Dave Stevens)
Daredevil (Frank Miller/ David Mazzucchelli run)
Forgotten Realms
Zorro
The Amazing Spider-Man (Stan Lee and Steve Dikto run)
Camelot 3000
Captain America (with Mark Waid and Ron Garney)
Marvels