What are the most important storylines for your favorite characters?

[QuinnFillory]

There have several events recently in the DC Universe, some that seem to affect certain characters in a specific way. For example, Knightfall for Batman and The Death of Superman for Superman. I was wondering, in terms of your favorite characters, what were the important storylines for them?

[Tzigone]

There have several events recently in the DC Universe, some that seem to affect certain characters in a specific way. For example, Knightfall for Batman and The Death of Superman for Superman. I was wondering, in terms of your favorite characters, what were the important storylines for them?

I may be strange in that I think Death of Superman is more important for other characters than for him. I mean, Steel and Superboy could be introduced other ways, but that's their origin stories. Knightfall for Batman didn't seem to make a long-term impact on him for me, but I haven't read the stories immediately leading up to it, so maybe it did. Also very much depends on your definition of "recent" - but since you mention '90s events, I'll go with anything bronze age or later.

For me, important stories are those that cause lasting change. So I guess any story that destroyed a hero's city or changed up support cast a lot counts, even if I disliked them.

And are we talking important in a particular continuity or so important it has to happen in every version (that covers relevant timespan)? I'm going with former.

Excluding origin stories:

Superboy (Kon-El): I may be an oddity here, but I think the Knockout storyline is an important part of Superboy's growth. A blind spot. A self-deception. A big screwup. And then trying to make up for it.

Discovering Lian, and then seeking out custody of her, for Roy. Changed so very much for the character. I just can't even do New 52 Roy because she's not there.

Kinda, sorta Jason Todd's death for Batman. Truthfully, though, it may be more of a retconned-in way for change than something that actually manifested at the time.

Becoming paralyzed for Barbara, though, like Jason's death, the change it wrought came later from other writers rather than being explored or developed at the time. The story that got her shot did absolutely nothing for her character. Separate storyline that came later did.

Similar is true with Roy's drug addiction. The actual story was a "very special episode" with no follow up at the time, but later used by other writers for character development/exploration of Roy and of the relationship (or lack thereof) between Roy/Ollie, Roy/Dinah, & Roy/Hal.

Becoming Nightwing has become important to Dick, though I don't think it was something that "had to be done" when it happened the first time, things that have happened since then, the way stories and characters have changed, have made it absolute necessity to me. But, the actual story is less so, in the sense that it happened two very different ways (haven't read N52 way), and those had very different effects.

Edit: I guess the other sort of "most important storyline" is one that expresses an already existing element of the character really well. That's a different list, though, and didn't seem to be what was being asked.

[Bored at 3:00AM]

Oddly, the in-continuity stories don't end to be as important to the overall characters as the more personal, stand-alone stuff.

For Superman, Morrison & Quitely's All Star Superman has probably had a greater impact than the most issues of the characters monthly series. Likewise, Miller's The Dark Knight Returns was a giant paradigm shift for Batman. And, of course, Darwyn Cooke's New Frontier is easily the most important Hal Jordan and J'Onn J'Onzz origin stories out there, despite not really being part of the mainstream DCU continuity.

The only in-continuity one that really springs to mind is Waid's Return of Barry Allen storyline, which finally saw Wally West grow out of Barry's shadow and fully take up the mantle as The Flash (granted, I'm not even sure if that story is technically even in-continuity these days).

[Tzigone]

The only in-continuity one that really springs to mind is Waid's Return of Barry Allen storyline, which finally saw Wally West grow out of Barry's shadow and fully take up the mantle as The Flash (granted, I'm not even sure if that story is technically even in-continuity these days).

I read only a little only a little of Waid's Wally stuff. My problem was what I saw wrote him way too much like a rookie instead of someone with the years of experience he canonically had. I couldn't get into the stories, because I couldn't get past the premise (I feel similarly about the very popular No Man's Land).

Also, as someone who read and liked the pre-COIE Barry and Wally first, I couldn't get past the retconning of their relationship(which happened earlier, of course) to something very different than what it actually was when Wally was a kid. Barry and Iris were not his parental figures or primary safe space to me. And Wally was not Barry's sidekick, but primarily worked independently, rather than with Barry. I know, I know, reboots change things, but that's just one that does not work for me. I'm not really good with reboots and big changes in continuity (from what I originally read, though, rather than from what originally was) for any character I liked a lot or read heavily before the reboot.

[DrNewGod]

Batman: it wasn't so much a single arc as a long, intermittently resurfacing story, but the entire run from Batman's first encounter with Talia in Detective Comics 411 through his climactic confrontation with Ras al Ghul in Batman 244.

Hawkman: Hawkworld mini-series.

Wonder Woman: Her first Post-Crisis encounter with Circe from 2.17-19.

[TheCape]

I read only a little only a little of Waid's Wally stuff. My problem was what I saw wrote him way too much like a rookie instead of someone with the years of experience he canonically had. I couldn't get into the stories, because I couldn't get past the premise (I feel similarly about the very popular No Man's Land).

Also, as someone who read and liked the pre-COIE Barry and Wally first, I couldn't get past the retconning of their relationship(which happened earlier, of course) to something very different than what it actually was when Wally was a kid. Barry and Iris were not his parental figures or primary safe space to me. And Wally was not Barry's sidekick, but primarily worked independently, rather than with Barry. I know, I know, reboots change things, but that's just one that does not work for me. I'm not really good with reboots and big changes in continuity (from what I originally read, though, rather than from what originally was) for any character I liked a lot or read heavily before the reboot.

As much as i love Post-Crisis Wally, i had to admit, it was kind of weird for me to go from the supportive and proud NTT parents, to the negligent douchebags from his Flash period. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but i can understand why it could be jarring for Pre-Crisis fans.

[K7P5V]

Two-Face: The Long Halloween from Loeb & Sale.

[Flash Gordon]

In recent times THRONE OF ATLANTIS is pretty vital for Aquaman.

[Fromper]

As much as i love Post-Crisis Wally, i had to admit, it was kind of weird for me to go from the supportive and proud NTT parents, to the negligent douchebags from his Flash period. It wasn't a deal breaker for me, but i can understand why it could be jarring for Pre-Crisis fans.

Never having read much pre-Crisis Flash or Titans, I only know the post-Crisis Flash version. But his parents really didn't play show up much once Waid took over. That was mostly the fault of the series' first writer, Baron, and that Messner-Loebs kept Baron's supporting cast after taking over. I really think Baron's writing was the worst thing about that series.

As for Tzigone's complaint that Waid wrote Wally as something of a rookie, there's actually an in story reason for that. He had problems with his powers, dating to before Crisis, which I believe is why he originally left the Titans. The events of Crisis supposedly stabilized his power so it was no longer killing him to use it, but he was nowhere near as fast as he used to be. There was a lot going on, mostly in Messner-Loebs's run, with him losing his power, then getting it back, but still not being quite as fast as when he was a kid. So he actually had good reason to be less sure of himself and his abilities, despite having been a superhero for years.

Waid took over writing Flash just as he was getting his abilities stabilized and regaining his self-confidence, with The Return of Barry Allen being the first culmination of that. But then, he had another confidence shaking event, with a good reason behind it, which led to some more interesting stories, and his gaining a new level of speed, introducing the Speed Force (which I admit is still kinda hokie), etc.

Yes, I'm a big fan of Waid's run, and think it's well worth checking out. And no, this isn't off topic, as it's also my answer to the original question of this thread. The most important stories for Wally West as Flash were Waid's run, from roughly issue 73 through 100. So that actually begins with The Return of Barry Allen, and runs through Terminal Velocity. The parts in between are NOT skippable for this conversation, as they're just as key for Wally's growth as a superhero.

[married guy]

The Return of Barry Allen
Terminal Velocity
Dead Heat

[Jackalope89]

Under the Red Hood, Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth.

[Jekyll]

Jack Knight- The first arc, Sins of The Father. This series starts off very strong and it continues to build to the final issue. LOVE this series.

Ray Palmer- I would say Sword of The Atom as the consequences led to other fantastic stories and further character development.