10 Best Single Issue Comics Ever

7. Action Comics #775 - What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & The American Way?

There's an abundance of classic standalone Superman stories worth mentioning, but none were as timely or as rejuvenating as Joe Kelly, Doug Mahnke and Lee Bermejo's What's So Funny About Truth, Justice & the American Way? - a comic that looked to address the grim, dark and 'gritty' vibe that had pervaded the medium during the nineties, and why the Man of Steel will always be relevant.

The comic, which was adapted in the animated movie Superman vs The Elite, features the Last Son of Krypton as he encounters The Elite, a team of vigilantes who rise to public prominence thanks to their brutal, albeit efficient approach to fighting crime. Led by Manchester Black, the group eventually stumble upon an invasion Superman is putting to bed, and with the Man of Steel having already gone against the grain and publicly condemned Black and his cronies, a confrontation soon develops.

Though Kelly's comic was written to address a phenomenon that had dominated the superhero genre in the nineties, it hasn't lost any of its salience. Action Comics' 775th issue serves as a timely reminder that Kal-El will always be DC's number one superhero, and that there'll always be a place for heroes without a bloodlust, no matter how drastically times change.