The comics of DC have offered fans icons like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. The comics are still around, bringing new life to characters ancient and familiar alongside blockbuster movies and TV shows. For those who like books without pictures as much as those with them, there are also lots of DC novels and novelizations of their most notable story arcs over the decades.
Here are eight fantastic examples.
Wayne of Gotham
A strange conspiracy is overtaking Gotham. The city's most fearsome criminals and gang lords are suddenly acting strangely, seemingly under the thrall of someone else. The answers all seem to lead back to the late Thomas Wayne, the beloved businessman adored by the city who was murdered alongside his wife many years ago.
Uncovering this mystery will force him to dig into events surrounding his parents' murder, and doing that might lead him to secrets about his family's past that he's not ready to hear.
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Lois Lane: Fallout
The young Lois Lane has just moved to Metropolis and is hoping to live a quiet life in the big city. As an army brat, she's used to being the perennial new kid and doesn't want the attention this time round. But things are very strange at her new school: A group known as the Warheads is making life miserable for outcasts like Lois, and they're somehow messing with people's minds through an ultra-sophisticated immersive video game everyone plays.
It'll take all of Lois's skills as a student reporter to figure out this mystery. At least she's got one friend she can talk to, her online buddy known only by his screenname, SmallvilleGuy.
Batman: Knightfall
The original Batman: Knightfall comics arc is one of Gotham City's darkest moments. After having his back broken by the monstrously strong villain Bane, Bruce Wayne found himself out of commission and forced to use an apprentice, Azrael, who became everything that his identity stood against.
Dennis O'Neil's novelization delves into the nightmarish fight between Bruce and Bane, and his fight to recovery as his reputation as the Dark Knight crumbled before his eyes thanks to his unstable successor. Can the one true Batman ever return to reclaim his role as justice for the city he loves?
Hellblazer: Subterranean
Tonsell-by-the-Stream, a sleepy little village outside of London, is suddenly swallowed down into the earth thanks to an almighty cosmic force. There's only one man who can be called upon to investigate a supernatural incident of this size: John Constantine. The trenchcoat-clad, chain-smoking occultist is forced to venture into the darkest depths of the earth to figure out the catalyst for this disaster and how to prevent another one.
But unbeknownst to him, something beyond his worst nightmares awaits below—the deadly and phantasmagorical realm of the Sunless, a place where the darkness rules all and the sinister Gloomlord wants to swallow up everything that rests on the Earth's surface.
Lois & Clark
C. J. Cherryh, one of the true legends of 20th century sci-fi, wrote this novelization of the soap opera romance Lois & Clark, which centered on the love triangle (sorta) between Lois Lane, Clark Kent, and Superman. A strange attack strikes Metropolis, leaving hundreds of people trapped in a crumbled building, and the city's guardian, Superman, is nowhere to be found.
Even with his superpowers, Superman can't be everywhere at once. As he struggles desperately to save a village threatened by a bursting dam, Lois takes it upon herself to be the hero her city needs, As she becomes a celebrity in her own right, hounded by the press and public, her entire life falls under the spotlight, including her relationship with Clark/Superman.
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Aquaman: Undertow
Before he was Aquaman, the king of the seas was just Arthur Curry, a teenage boy who is trying to survive school. His classmates call him "fish boy." His dad tries to do right by him, and his mother left them when he was only three years old.
Arthur just wants to figure out who he is, and now, as he enters adolescence, he's developing strange powers that hint at his true destiny. Perhaps he can use them to find out the truth of his mother's disappearance … and also discover why octupi keep trying to talk to him.
Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend (2022)
Zatanna is a magician who pulls rabbits out of hats during the day then uses her real powers to deal with the arcane arts and their many troubles at night. This YA retelling reimagines her young adult years as a New Yorker who wants to have fun in-between dealing with the gates of hell.
Her carefree days are brought to a halt when a mystic's quest for a powerful jewel unravels everything around her. Dealing with this mess will force her to confront the truth about her family's legacy, and to choose between love, family, and magic.
The fate of the entire city is on her shoulders.
The Death and Life of Superman
"The Death of Superman" is one of the most well-known and important arcs in comic book history: the moment when Superman himself was killed in a battle against Doomsday. It was the biggest-selling comic series of 1992 and inspired a slew of adaptations, including this novelization, which was written by one of the original writers of the comic arc.
In this book, Roger Stern delves more into the fates of Clark Kent's family, his beloved Lois Lane, and the four super-beings who mysteriously appeared in the wake of Superman's death. It all culminates in the triumphant revival of DC's most beloved icon.
Featured photo: ActionVance / Unsplash