Opinion - The 10 (or more) Most Important Stories or Issues in DC History

[caj]

This may take a while to come up with a list. It can be a storyline or an issue that you feel was greatly important in DC History.

It can be from any Age - Golden, Silver, Post Crisis, Post 52, etc... It can be the introduction (or re-introduction) of a hero, a villain, or supporting character. Or maybe an incident that impacted a character, comic, or the DC Universe.

Most difficult - it doesn't necessarily have to be the best or favorite story either. Maybe you think the story itself was awful but the impact of it actually created some better story ideas down the line.

While not necessary, feel free to explain why you feel it had such an important impact. This should be fun.

[DGraysonWorldsGreatestSpy]

1. Action Comics # 1
2. Detective Comics # 1
3. Superman # 1
4. Detective Comics # 27
5. Detective Comics # 38
6. Batman # 1
7. All Star Comics # 8
8. All Star Comics # 3
9. Flash # 123
10. COIE # 1

[Green Goblin of Sector 2814]

Are we talking about the history of DC as a publisher or the DC Universe? Well, if we're going based purely on what's in continuity for the DCU, here's my list:

Action Comics #1 (Superman's first appearance)
Detective Comics #27 (Batman's first appearance)
Batman #1 (for introducing Joker and Catwoman)
All Star Comics #8 (Wonder Woman's first appearance)
Brave and the Bold #28 (formation of the JLA)
Flash #123 (first time Jay Garrick and Barry Allen meet and introduces Earth 1/Earth 2 split)
Batman #244 (Batman's famous duel in the desert with Ra's)
Jack Kirby's New Gods Saga (introducing Darkseid and all the New Gods to the DCU)
Snowbirds Don't Fly (Green Lantern/Green Arrow # 85-86; introduces Roy Harper's heroin addiction)
Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans (for many reasons, such as introducing Deathstroke, the Judas Contract, Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing, Terror of Trigon)
COIE (again, for a lot of reasons including the deaths of Barry Allen and Supergirl and Wally West becoming the Flash)
Batman: Year One
Death in the Family (Jason Todd's death)
The Killing Joke (for Barbara Gordon becoming paralyzed and later becoming Oracle in Ostrander's SS run)
Batman: Knightfall (Bane breaks the Bat)
The Death of Superman (well, duh)
Green Lantern: Emerald Twilight (Hal Jordan going craaaaaazy and introducing Kyle Rayner)
Countdown to Infinite Crisis, Infinite Crisis, and 52 (Maxwell Lord's betrayal, the death of Superboy, the Trinity goes on vacation)

[caj]

Action Comics #1 (Superman's first appearance)
Detective Comics #27 (Batman's first appearance)
Batman #1 (for introducing Joker and Catwoman)
All Star Comics #8 (Wonder Woman's first appearance)
Brave and the Bold #28 (formation of the JLA)
Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans
COIE (again, for a lot of reasons including the deaths of Barry Allen and Supergirl)
Batman: Year One
The Death of Superman

Great list. I would include all of these, plus the following (making my list of 15):

Flash #123 - "Flash Of Two Worlds" (because it introduced the multi-universe)
Adventure Comics #247 (First appearance of the Legion of Super Heroes)
Whatever Happened to the Man Of Tomorrow (nice closure to the silver aged Superman)
Batman: The Killing Joke (I still haven't decided if I prefer Barbara Gordon as Batgirl or Oracle)
Green Lantern: Rebirth (it fixed the mess they made of Hal Jordan)
Kingdom Come (because it's just such an amazing future story of the world's greatest super heroes)

[CaptCleghorn]

Underrated in its importance is this readjustment to the basic Superman mythos.

[caj]

Underrated in its importance is this readjustment to the basic Superman mythos.

Agree. I had forgotten about this one but that was a BIG moment for sure.

[Lee Stone]

Action Comics #1 -1st appearance of Superman
Detective Comics #27 -1st appearance of Batman
All-Star Comics #3 -1st appearance of the JSA/1st superhero team in comics
All-Star Comics #8 -1st appearance of Wonder Woman
JLA #21-22 -return of JSA, beginning of the annual JLA/JSA team ups, 1st 'Crisis'
Crisis on Infinite Earths -DC destroys 50 years of history while simultaneously celebrating their 50th anniversary
Death of Superman -Superman dies/speculators take control of the comic market
Sandman
Dark Knight Returns
Watchmen

The last three made an indirect impact on the DCU, and a noticeable impact on the comics industry as a whole.

[Restingvoice]

I'm gonna cover the whole thing in the superheroes life, but not chronologically since they don't happen at the same time.
1. All the Origins - Fall of Krypton, Death of The Waynes
2. The superheroes working together in groups - Justice League, World's Finest
3. The sidekicks emerge - Robin, Supergirl, Wonder Girl, Speedy, Kid Flash, Teen Titans
4. Discovering the multiverse - Flash of Two Worlds
5. The sidekicks coming of age - Nightwing, Tempest, Power Girl
6. The deaths that brought harsh reality - A Death in The Family, Death of Superman
7. The resurrection that changed one's view of reality - Under the Red Hood, Robin Rises
8. All the marriages - Clark and Lois, Arthur and Mera, Batman and Catwoman
9. All the Multiverse Crisis - Crisis on Infinite Earths, Infinite Crisis, Final Crisis
10. The next generation - Super Sons

[NeathBlue]

Action Comics #1
Detective Comics #27
All-Star Comics #3
Sensation Comics #1
Showcase #4
Showcase #22
Brave and the Bold #28
Flash #123
Green Lantern/Green Arrow #76
Batman #232

[KC]

Action Comics #1- First appearance of Superman.
Detective Comics #27- First appearance of Batman.
Detective Comics #38- First appearance of Robin.
All-Star Comics #3 - First appearance of the JSA.
All-Star Comics #8 -First appearance of Wonder Woman.
Showcase #4- First appearance of Barry Allen and marks the start of the Silver Age.
Flash #123 -First meeting of the original Flash, Jay Garrick and the Silver Age Flash, Barry Allen. Introduction of the DC Multiverse.
Brave and the Bold #38- First appearance of the Justice League.
Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85 and 86- Introduction of Roy Harper's drug addiction and a watershed moment in the depiction of mature themes in DC Comics.
Crisis on Infinite Earths- Destruction of the multiverse and changing the continuity of the DC universe.
The Dark Knight Returns- changed how superheroes stories are seen and told.
Death of Superman- Superman's death.

[Jim Kelly]

GREEN LANTERN No. 40 (October 1965) “Secret Origin of the Guardians” by John Broome, Gil Kane and Sid Greene (ed. Julius Schwartz)—introduces background on the Oans for the first time, including Krona and the hand at the beginning of the universe, as well as background on Alan Scott and Doiby Dickles; first crossover for Hal and Alan outside of JLA/JSA.

Other comics, including COIE, would elaborate on these ideas, but this is where it begins.

[matt levin]

I suspect this's not what the original poster had in mind, but from a sociological point of view, "Death Talks about Life," an 'insert' comic from early Vertigo and Sandman days, strikes me as one of the most important comics published by ANYone, and I sure wish it could see a reprint every couple of years for the next couple of decades...death_talks_about_life.jpg