Top Ten Uncollected runs from DC Comics, Part 2 - 5 to 1

Hello and welcome back to the concluding edition of Top Ten Uncollected runs at DC Comics. You can find my choices from 10 to 6 here. Now on to the final five:
 

5. Supergirl by Peter David and various

Some time after Supergirl (Matrix) was introduced, writer Peter David started defining the blank slate of emotions Matrix had been. Roger Stern wrote her as Luthor’s love interest (for good reason, as in the pocket universe she came from, she was Lana Lang who was in love with that universe’s Lex Luthor) until they had a falling out. Peter David shows her gaining, or rather absorbing the personality, of Linda Lee Danvers (actually the secret identity Supergirl operated under in the pre Crisis on Infinite Earths days). In this series, before Supergirl absorbed Linda, she was a good girl who did bad things, and got corrupted by the dark side, which eventually led to her death, until Supergirl/Matrix found her.
Supergirl now takes over the life of Linda and gains a better understanding of the world and her place in it. This Supergirl was popularly known as ‘Earth Angel Supergirl’, and a similar character - who David said is based on stories he had evolved from Supergirl concepts they wouldn't let him use - was also the focus for Peter David’s creator owned series, initially from DC, titled Fallen Angel. The run went on for eighty issues. Later artists, though good, weren’t able to touch the pinnacle of greatness that had been the hallmark of artist Gary Frank, who I believe did his careers best work here. Trades available for this series are the first few issues by Gary Frank, titled Supergirl and the last six issues with art by Ed Benes called Many Happy Returns, wherein the pre-Crisis Supergirl meets Earth Angel Supergirl.

4. The Flash by Mark Waid

Before Geoff Johns’ famous run on Flash which was good, though a little too violent for my taste, came Mark Waid’s lengthy run on Flash. Waid was previously an editor at DC, who then began co-writing Flash with Brian Augustyn (who wrote Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, which Waid edited) as well as a few !mpact Comics titles (a publishing imprint under DC that printed the action heroes owned by Archie/Red Circle). Waid turned the series into a kind of "Flash Corps", with Max Mercury, Jay Garrick, Johnny and Jesse Quick and Impulse – the last was possibly the most unique character introduced in comics… sure, he was kind of a Kid Flash, but oh boy, did he have an attitude. The Pied Piper turned into an ally, Iris West returned, Savitar (lower-level bad guy in Flash: Rebirth) was introduced, the rogues were neatly defined, and all stories had a kind of light hearted realism to them – you can call it Silver Age –  and until Irredeemable, Waid had become the go to guy for Silver age characters. The series was done by different artists like Oscar Jimenez and Greg LaRocque, but my favourite remains the late, the great Mike Wieringo. The run was partially collected in trades (all of which are out of print currently), along with an original graphic novel titled The Life Story of the Flash and included the following:

-Born to Run

-The Return of Barry Allen

-Impulse: Reckless Youth (collects the Flash issues that introduce Impulse, plus the first few issues of Impulse)

-Terminal Velocity

-Dead Heat (also contains crossover issues from Impulse)

-Race Against Time

Honourable Mentions:

Impulse, also written by Mark Waid initially, with stellar art by Humberto Ramos, in addition to the above mentioned trade that is out of print, has just one more trade called The Flash presents Impulse: Mercury Falling (still in print).

Waid also co wrote with Brian Augustyn a series called The Flash and Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold, collected under the same title, and it is also out of print.

3. Batman by Doug Moench and Kelley Jones

Perhaps Doug Moench is most well known for his stint on Marvel’s Shang Chi, in a magazine titled Master of Kung Fu, but he had a very long, stellar run on Batman, both pre-Crisis as well as post-Crisis. Pre-Crisis, he did a lot of Batman as well as Detective Comics with stellar art by Gene Colan, Don Newton, Tom Mandrake and others. There will be disjointed collections like Legends of the Dark Knight: Don Newton, Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo and Tales of the Batman: Gene Colan, which will give neither head nor tail of the stories and which are meant to be read serially. Plus, there is a personal connection --- I had, under duress from relatives, given up reading comics when I was in the seventh grade as they were termed to be amateurish literature. I proceeded to read all my comics (then) once before finally throwing them out with the trash. Just when I was about throw them out, I read a copy of Batman #372. Masterful storytelling by Moench and the late, great Don Newton, which opened up new vistas for me and reinforced that any form of literature is as serious as you can take it to be. Post-Crisis, Moench was the mastermind of Knightfall. We see in Knightfall that Batman is tired, past his breaking point, but how did he get there? A careful read of Moench and Aparo’s Batman will answer all questions. Though all of Moench’s Batman work needs to be collected, the one I am most partial to is with the extremely stylish art by Kelley Jones. The crossover parts have been collected, which does not amount to much. The collections of Doug Moench’s work on Batman printed (other than the above mentioned) are as follows, though it has to be noted, the ratio of the work collected and in print, to the total work is infinitesimal:

-Knightfall Vols 1-3 (coming up with a new edition, also covering Prodigal, if solicits are to be believed)

-Prodigal (currently out of print)

-Contagion

-Legacy (currently out of print)

-Cataclysm (currently out of print)

-Four of a Kind (currently out of print)

-Batman vs Predator II: Bloodmatch (currently out of print)

-Prey (currently out of print, new edition including Terror coming soon if solicits are to be believed)

-Terror (currently out of print)

-Tales of the Multiverse: Batman Vampire (collects Red Rain, Bloodstorm and Crimson Mist, all of which are Elseworlds OGNs)

-Haunted Gotham (Elseworlds)

Honourable Mentions:

Doug Moench wrote a three part mini called Batman: Outlaws with stellar art by Paul Gulacy, probably the most stylish story I’ve seen by Moench; it remains uncollected.

Moench wrote a two-parter Elseworlds tale called Book of The Dead with artist Barry Kitson, which is worth reading simply because of its attention to history, and the effort made into the production of the story.

He also wrote a three part mini called Green Lantern: Dragon Lord, again with art by Gulacy, with the most emotionally resonant Green Lantern story I’ve ever read, again uncollected.

22. Batman: Gotham Adventures by Scott Peterson and Tim Levins

Wow! I had never thought that I’d be placing a DC Animated Universe book in my list of top ten uncollected runs, but this book surely deserves it. There isn’t much to say about it, other than the fact that these are for the most part, done in one, emotionally resonant stories. Batman usually stars with Batgirl (Barbara Gordon), Nightwing (Dick Grayson) and Robin (Tim Drake). But this universe is different. Everybody’s watching everybody’s backs. There is no place for angst here. There just cannot be an animated universe version of ‘The Killing Joke’ here, everybody is too smart for that. Catwoman is far, far beyond a thief. She is actually in love with Batman, and the chemistry shows. Everyone is morally ambiguous, every one deserves a second chance, even monsters like Killer Croc and Bane. Very, very well written stories. Scott Peterson was an editor of the Bat titles around 1997 and I’m pleased to say that none of the angst prevalent in the comics he edited shows up here.

Oh, and this Scott Peterson is different. No relation to the killer.

Honourable Mentions:

Not long before Scott, Ty Templeton did some excellent work on the Batman Animated titles. The initial book was titled The Batman Adventures, initially by Kelley Puckett and Mike Parobeck and later by Ty Templeton. Ty also did all issues of the later series called Batman and Robin Adventures, and the initial issues of Batman: Gotham Adventures.

What was also amazing about Kelley Puckett’s stories is that he had written comic book editors into the stories as characters – a trio of bungling nobodies called Mastermind, Mr Nice and The Perfesser based on Mike Carlin, Archie Goodwin and Dennis O’Neil respectively. The best issue featuring the trio came in an issue of Batman: Gotham Adventures which was the last issue featuring them, written on the event of Archie Goodwin's death. Mr Nice goes with a boy to another world where he is needed. Wonderful writing, all of them. Take a bow, gentlemen, take a bow.

11. Blackhawk by Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle

In the early eighties, Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle wrote a wonderful, emotionally resonant Blackhawk series. Before that, I was familiar with Evanier only through his work on Groo and Magnor the Mighty. I had no idea that Evanier would be such a versatile writer ----he is a master of the last-panel school of writing – the story would be great upto the last panel, and just then, the last panel would render new meaning to it, making it superlative. In short, the last panel would decide whether you would take the story in humour, fun or angst, and most of the stories were wonderfully bittersweet. Other masters of last panel writing include Scott Peterson, Ty Templeton, Kelley Puckett, Doug Moench, David Michelinie, J. M. DeMatteis… in short, almost all professionals I admire are last-panel writers. Many comic professionals whom I’ve talked to, say that they really look up to this series. That coming from Comic book professionals whom I look up to… can I actually say anything more? I can. Artist Dan Spiegle had a very simplistic style, which was also very effective. The books usually consisted of a long story, and a short story called ‘Detached Service Diary’ which had guest artists like Dave Cockrum and Howard Chaykin doing them from time. The covers were stellar. Evanier and company had put in their best, just like the war stories of yore by Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert, and it shows. This is probably the most difficult to obtain, given it’s age, but go on, the journey is well worth it.

Honourable Mention:

The Blackhawk mini-series by Howard Chaykin is also excellent, if you can find all three issues.

That's all for now, folks. Be sure to demand that these be brought back in print when you run into somebody at a convention next.