The latest DC Comics continuity shift has had me curious and cautiously optimistic. Though we’re still in the early stages of this paradigm shift of essentially throwing continuity out the window (which I’m in favor of), I thought it might be valuable to list the books I’ve read in descending order based on my enjoyment of them. Ultimately, I’ve found myself impressed by almost every book on the list in some fashion, so for the time being I consider Infinite Frontier a success.

10. Detective Comics

I’m surprised by how low this book ended up the ranking, as I don’t have much negative to say about it. We get to see a lot of Bruce Wayne, which I’m in favor of, and the art by Dan Mora is simply transcendent. Yet, I don’t feel grabbed by the story in any way. I had to look back over the first issue three times just to remember how I felt about it, and as it turns out, I don’t feel much for it. I don’t dislike what I’m seeing, but I feel no compulsion to go forward. I think the creative team of Mariko Tamaki and Dan Mora was an inspired one, but perhaps the pitch just wasn’t strong enough. I will say though that I’m curious about where it may go from here, and I will most likely be picking up the trades when it’s all said and done, but for now I’m out.

9. Robin

It’s important to recognize right off the bat that I’m a Damian Wayne anti-fan. I think the character is stuck in one place, and that one place is annoying and drags down the entire Bat-Family. With that said, I like this book. It takes Damian out of Gotham City and places him into an anime-style tournament arc (which I have fond memories of from being a kid). I don’t get why he still wears an ‘R’ on his chest if he’s dropped the Robin mantle, but hey, I’ll look past it.  This is a book with great art by Gleb Melnikov and a solid initial pitch by Joshua Williamson. It’s unfortunately marred by a grating protagonist, but it still manages to be a decent read. Plus, it ends with the death of Damian Wayne, and we do love to see it.

8. Green Lantern

At the time of writing this article, only one issue of Green Lantern has been released. I had no expectations going into it, as I find Green Lantern books to be somewhat inconsistent, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Written by Geoffrey Thorne and art by Dexter Soy and Marco Santucci, Green Lantern winded up being better than expected. It is steeped in Green Lantern lore but feels fairly accessible to someone like me with limited experience with the characters. The first that comes to mind when describing it is dense. There is a lot that happens in this one issue that’s about ten pages longer than your average comic, and it makes for a very chunky reading experience. I’ll admit there were points I felt lost in all the dialogue and characters, but ultimately there was a strong through-line and it concluded in a way that made me want more. I think future issues could use a bit more focus and perhaps an additional pass on the script, but I liked it and am excited for the next one.

7. Batman: Urban Legends

Urban Legends is an interesting one. It’s an in-continuity anthology book, something I can’t ever recall seeing from the Big 2. Anthologies are a perfect way to tell evergreen stories that aren’t bogged down by anything outside of itself, but this book makes the strange choice to do four in-continuity stories, some that last five or six issues, and some are one-shots. Every issue is kind of exciting in its own way because you never really know what you’re going to be getting. The only reason it ranks so low is that, by nature of the anthology, not every story is spectacular. The Zdarsky and Rosenberg stories are consistently fantastic, but there have been a few that if I were given the option of taking them out for a lesser price tag, I would absolutely take it. That said, none of the stories feel like a waste of time, and if editorial can sustain the talent, this book will be a mainstay on my pull list for a long time.

6. Superman/Action Comics

Superman and Action Comics are both good books, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish it were a bit better. My expectations are high given my status as a Superman fan, and so I expect a lot from these books. It doesn’t quite reach that mark, but I do like it. Where it succeeds is in it’s very honest portrayal of a relationship between a father and son. I don’t know anything about Phillip Kennedy Johnson, but based on the contents of this book, I’d bet he is a father. If he isn’t, then he’s a much better writer than I’ve given him credit for. Given that this story is

Given that this story is spread across two titles, the art does lack some consistency. The first few were done by Phil Hester, and they were as gorgeous as you would expect. The art has been a bit scattered since then, and though it doesn’t look consistent, it always looks good.  The story does feel a bit directionless in the present, and the future (as spoiled by solicits) looks bleak, but right now I’m enjoying this solid Superman story.

5. Harley Quinn

Harley Quinn comes in towards the middle of the list, and even though that’s a fairly restrained form of praise, consider that your average Harley Quinn book would make it’s way towards the bottom. The fact that this one falls in the middle despite my despondence towards the character is noteworthy. Stephanie Philips and Riley Rossmo in just two issues have crafted a far more compelling version of the character than has been seen in comics probably since Harley’s transition to comics. Phillips dialogue captures the innate quirkiness of the character, but never leans too far away from her more interesting center. Meanwhile, Rossmo more than manages to capture the chaos with his borderline freakish cartoony style, which makes for a frantic and unique book.

4. The Flash

The Flash scoring so high is a pleasant surprise. The first issue was such a mixed bag of conflicted feelings for me for a variety of different reasons. Right off the bat the bait-and-switch of Wally being the new Flash to Wally wanting to retire felt like a cop-out. However, the second issue entirely changed my mind. The first issue turned me off for a  few reasons. The primary problem I had was with the explicit acknowledgment of the recent controversial events regarding Wally. Heroes in Crisis, Flash Forward, etc.; all of these are stories that did immeasurable damage to the character, and in my personal opinion, it would be more beneficial to just ignore those stories. However, it’s just such a fun book that I can’t help but love it. The first issue features time travel, and Wally versus a speed-force velociraptor. I hate the references to Wally’s recent exploits, but once the story really kicks in it becomes a classic Flash story that I haven’t seen in years. It’s whacky and wild and it is so promising and fun.

3. Justice League

This one is a surprise for me because I didn’t love the first issue. In true Bendis fashion, you weren’t given a lot to go on. The focus was primarily on the action and presenting the characters you’ll be following. The second issue turned things around, as it presented a more thoughtful and clear picture of what I should expect from the series. The character work is brilliant (particularly regarding Superman and Green Arrow). Both the presentation and development of the characters are done masterfully. Add on top of that the art of David Marquez which is, simply put, mind-blowing. His style is accessible, yet distinct at the same time. He has a specific take on these characters that stick out from their more average depictions but is still familiar. Not to mention how fantastic his action sequences look. It’s just a joy from start to finish and brings a bit of Bendis’ New Avengers vibes to the table.

2. Nightwing

This is the one that I expected to grab the #1 rank, and though it just barely misses, it’s certainly not an issue of quality. The first two issues have achieved so many things; heartfelt, sad, humorous, exciting. The list goes on. Taylor’s Dick Grayson is the epitome of all things good about street-level heroes. The inclusion of Barbara Gordon has felt natural and adds another layer of spice to the story. Bruno Redondo, who I’m totally unfamiliar with, has crafted some of the most beautiful pages I’ve seen this year in comics. His art is fluid, inventive, and truly a storytelling marvel.

1. Batman/Superman

This one is a big surprise for me. All signs pointed to Nightwing taking the top spot, and yet Gene Luen Yang and Ivan Reis’ Batman/Superman quietly swooped in and stole the trophy. I loved the first issue. The dual storytelling works surprisingly well, but the ending sort of left the future of the series in question. I didn’t know if they’d continue with the gimmick, or if it would be dropped in favor of a more traditional storytelling structure. Now, with the release of the second issue, it’s become clear that this team has no interest in taking the easy route. However, put all the experimental stuff to the side, and the book is still wonderful for an entirely different reason. It feels like a story from a simpler time that has long passed. It’s not trying to impress me, it’s just telling me an incredibly fun superhero story ripped straight from the Silver Age, but with the skill and perspective of creators who have time and time again proven themselves as masters of their craft.