DC Comics has done more for the maturation of the comic medium than the Big Two. There was a long time that DC was considered the more kiddie of the two major comic companies, but that would start to change as the years went on, especially once the publisher started bringing in creators from the United Kingdom, where comics were made for adults and older readers. DC pushed the envelope of what a superhero story would be and eventually decided to create books that didn’t follow the guidelines of the Comics Code Authority, leading to the rise of Vertigo. In the 21st century, comic companies have stopped following the CCA, leading to much more mature stories across the industry.
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Superheroes are bigger than ever and DC is having a lot of success. Younger fans are getting into comics, reading articles like this one or watching videos, and learning about all the amazing books they should be reading. However, some of these books that get praised the most are definitely not for children, whether they be the best of earlier years or something more modern. These 5 DC stories are brilliant but are not for kids, books that push things in directions that are too mature for younger minds.
5) The Invisibles
The Invisiblesare a Vertigo legend. Vertigo was DC’s mature readers line from the ’90s through ’10s (and has since returned) and were known for their violence, profanity, and nudity. The Invisibles does all of that and then some, a story of rebellion, sex, dance music, drugs, fashion, and rave culture. The book runs across three volumes and is the opus of Scottish writer Grant Morrison. It follows a cell of the Invisibles, a group of occult freedom fighters battling against the powers that be, who are under control of the Lovecraftian Outer Church. It’s a book about the ultimate conspiracy and it doesn’t hold back. Morrison worked with amazing artists like Jill Thompson, Steve Yeowell, Chris Weston, Phil Jimenez, Frank Quitely, Mark Buckingham, and many more, giving readers some of the most violent action scenes ever. There’s profanity by the pound, a lot of nudity, and ideas that young readers just aren’t going to understand. It’s an amazing comic that I think every fan should read, but you should make your kids wait until they’re at least teenagers.
4) Preacher
Garth Ennis is one of the most well-known comic writers around, with his co-creation The Boys becoming a pop culture juggernaut. Ennis is an amazing writer, but he hates superheroes, so most of his books don’t follow the spandex set. Preacher is a perfect example of everything he does well but it’s definitely not a book for the faint of heart. Working with Hellblazer collaborator Steve Dillon, Preacher follows Jessie Custer, his girlfriend Tulip, and Irish vampire Cassidy as they search for God with the help of Genesis, a demon/angel hybrid that gives Jessie the power to make anyone do what he wants. The book is a travelogue through the American soul, dealing with religion, society, toxic masculinity, love, friendship, hatred, and small-town Americana, and various other mature ideas that don’t really appeal to children. Of course, the book is also one of the most violent and profane books you can imagine, with a lot of nudity and sex. Sometimes, mature readers books of the past aren’t really all that bad, PG-13 at worst, butPreacher isn’t one of those, taking everything to the extreme (although not in a stereotypically ’90s way).
3) Infinite Crisis
Infinite Crisis is ’00s DC’s greatest event. The series from Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, George Perez, Jerry Ordway, and Ivan Reis was the 20th anniversary to Crisis on Infinite Earths, impressing with every page. The story follows the heroes of the DC Universe at their lowest ebb – the Justice League is gone, the villains are running amok, war is shaking the universe, and magic is going crazy. Into this steps the four heroes of Crisis – Earth-Two’s Superman and Lois Lane, Superboy-Prime, and Alexander Luthor of Earth-Three – with a mission to make the world a better place, but soon a terrible truth about them is revealed, leading to a war to shake the very fabric of reality. Infinite Crisis isn’t a mature readers book, but it is really, really violent and it doesn’t bother censoring anything. This was during those days when everyone was trying to be edgy as possible and if I’m being honest, it’s not a comic I would hand anyone under 14. It’s a brilliant story, but the kids might want to wait until they’re a little older to read it.
2) Blackest Night
Blackest Night is another 21st century DC event book, from Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. The story was built up over several years in Green Lantern (Vol. 4) and Green Lantern Corps (Vol. 2), with the Black Lantern Corps resurrecting the dead of the universe and attacking the living. As the heroes on Earth are overwhelmed by billions of Black Lanterns, the various Lantern Corps’ of the universe have to put aside their differences to destroy the greatest threat to life ever.Blackest Night is basically a zombie story with superheroes and it’s extremely violent. Because it came out in 2010, they were able to show the worst of the violence (the deaths of the Hawks is still one of the most brutal ever). People are getting their hearts torn out, numerous heroes die, and there are a lot of very scary imagery throughout the story. It’s awesome, but it’s definitely not for the kiddily-wigs.
1) The Human Target
The Justice League International is a legendary team, known for their humorous adventures. However, not every story where they appear is a laugh-a-minute comic. The Human Target, by Tom King and Greg Smallwood, is a perfect example of this, taking another look at the JLI. The story follows Christopher Chance, a mercenary who specializes in pretending to be other people and then stopping their killers. The book starts with him working for Lex Luthor, saving him but ending up getting poisoned, with only 12 days before he dies. He starts to hunt down the person who went after Lex, getting enmeshed in the insanity that is the JLI. The story is basically a ’60s detective story and even if it wasn’t a book about murder and sex, I don’t think young readers would get into it regardless. I think the best way I can describe is that it’ would be’s like one of those movies you watch with your parents that they love, but you don’t get until you watch it when you’re older. The book is phenomenal, but it’s not something that most younger readers will enjoy.
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