10 Powerful DC Comics Endings That Gave You Chills

When the Distinguished Competition ended stories perfectly...

All Star Superman
DC Comics/Frank Quitely

Comic books are a unique thing. For a medium that was supposed to initially be for children, the years have seen the superhero genre grow up alongside its readers until it's now not enough just to have your favorite characters punching people in the mouth each month - they have to offer something more mature.

Now, more than ever, readers expect a certain amount of emotional investment in the books they hand over their hard earned money for.

As that's happened the writers, artists, and companies involved seemed to have realized that the need for more adult based stories is at a premium, and no-where has that been more prevalent than at DC. The house the Bat built has long tried to set itself apart from Marvel by focusing on telling a different kind of superhero story compared to their rivals, one sometimes larger-than-life in its approach.

With this kind of writing being pushed to the forefront, not to mention the artwork that goes along with it, it's a golden age for tales that really push the emotional button. Just as we did with Marvel, this list looks at the DC stories that really give fans a chill when they finally closed the book.

10. It's Only The End If You Want It To Be

All Star Superman
DC Comics

When it was announced that the New 52 was coming to shake up the DC Universe as we knew it, it was inevitable that some of the more regular faces beneath the cowls were going to be replaced. And where some of the standard bearers for the franchise ended up going silently into the dark night at least they gave Stephanie Brown a proper send off.

Having survived Mercy, she meets with Oracle who asks her what she saw while under the influence of the plant. What follows are five pages that show a future that thanks to the reboot nobody ever gets to see.

In this forgotten timeline she fights side by side with all of her friends, with Barbara even donning the Green Lantern ring and Damian the Red Lantern one as they battle the Black Lanterns. There's even a black and white photo of them all together in 1944, fighting the good fight.

But it's the very last page where the really comes alive. After Oracle says "That's my girl. Pollyanna to the very end", Stephanie simply replies "It's only the end if you want it to be" before swinging off into the night.

Contributor
Contributor

Jack of all trades, Master of none. The former rocker of the big beard.