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I did like reading some relatively unknown titles (to me), but none of them had quite as much impact upon me as the core DC group.

With one exception. I really loved the Atom storyline. He's just interesting enough to make me want to hunt down his other comics. Goofy Ray Palmer from the Arrow tv series isn't that interesting, but the one on the page might make up for that.

And no, he's not just an Ant-Man redux! ;) I swear, the more I read of both DC and Marvel, the less I give a shit about who started what or took from whom. Story is king. Whoever pulls off the best storyline wins.

DC isn't perfect, but there's been an awful lot of depth to their stories. Truly fascinating. ( )

I was underwhelmed by the Blackest Night mini-series, but it seems some of the most interesting stories were told on the periphery – but even then, Rise of the Black Lanterns is a mixed bag.The idea that Nekkron had a hand in guiding 'dead' superheroes back to life makes a virtue of one of comics' most annoying, and Rise wisely ignores the guff from the main series about how the heroes "would've managed it anyway". Tony Bedard's Superboy piece makes similarly fun use of complex comic continuity to ask, "Just who is dead right now?"

Diogenes Neves's artwork on the Green Arrow segment is the standout, showing us events from the internal perspective of the possessed Oliver Queen and the external view of those trying to stop him. When the stories don't work, they're uninteresting meditations on the nature of characters who didn't sell – Alan Moore was right when he said much comic book writing is still stuck in the mid-80s. Sadly, those unnecessary pieces outweigh the good, but if you can borrow a copy – or even pick up the individual issues – the Green Arrow and Superboy pieces are worth your time. ( )