Highlights
- Dark fantasy combines fantastical themes with elements of horror, like vampires and blood-thirsty creatures, as seen in DC’s successful comic runs.
- While not known for dark fantasy, DC has produced hits like Sword of Sorcery, Demon Knights, and The Witching Hour, with average critic ratings.
- John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America received an impressive critic rating of 9.5, making it one of DC’s top-rated dark fantasy comics.
Detective Comics, more popularly known as DC, isn’t necessarily known for its dark fantasy comic runs. That being said, while DC wasn’t behind legendary comic works of dark fantasy like Boom Studio’s BRZRKR or Dark Horse’s Bloodborne, the publisher has made more than a few ventures into the genre, creating iconic characters like Swamp Thing and John Constantine, Hellblazer in the process.
Related Best Dark Fantasy Animated Movies (That Are Not Anime), Ranked
Anime may seem to hold animated dark fantasy in its grip, but there are plenty of great animated films in this genre featuring other art styles.
8
Dark fantasy is a literary genre that combines fantastical themes and creatures with elements of horror. Where a unicorn might be described as a fantasy creature, a vampire would more appropriately be described as ‘dark fantasy’, given the creatures’ notorious blood-thirst. Some quintessential examples of dark fantasy exist in Anne Rice’s Interview With the Vampire saga and Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. Despite not specializing in dark fantasy comics, DC has produced a number of successful comic runs that fall into the genre category, a few of which have even become some of the publisher’s best-selling series.
10 Sword Of Sorcery (2012)
Average Critic Ranking: 7.5
- Release Date: August 28, 2013
- Creators: Christy Marx, Aaron Lopresti
- Featured Characters: Princess Amethyst, Beowulf, Stalker
Originally published by DC in 1973, Sword of Sorcery began as a medieval fantasy anthology featuring protagonists like Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, two sword-and-sorcery heroes who were written as foils to characters like Conan the Barbarian and Tarzan. Unfortunately, the original run only celebrated five issues before it was canceled due to low sales.
The title was revived, however, in 2012 with the release of Sword of Sorcery Vol. 2. The follow-up run launched as part of DC’s ‘The New 52’ and heavily featured Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld, alongside classic dark fantasy characters like Beowulf, the sword-wielding hero of Anglo-Saxon legend. Sword of Sorcery Vol. 2 was where the title truly shined, earning an average critic ranking of 7.5 from ComicBookRoundup.com.
9 Demon Knights (2011)
Average Critic Ranking: 7.8
- Release Date: September 14, 2011
- Creators: Paul Cornell, Oclair Albert
- Featured Characters: Pandora, Vandal Savage
Set in an alternate DC universe, Demon Knights follows heroes like Jason Blood and Madame Xanadu through the Dark Ages. Together, the two heroes are tasked with saving civilization from an incoming barbarian horde commanded by the demon Etrigan. Through their journey, Blood and Xanadu encounter warriors to join their fight, including heroes like Shining Knight.
The three-volume, 24-issue series boasts an impressive average critic ranking of 7.8, though Demon Knights Vol. 2, ranks the best, with a rating of 8.2 out of 10.
8 The Witching Hour (2013)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.0
- Release Date: October 2, 2013
- Creators: Cliff Chiang
- Featured Characters: Dead Boy Detectives
Despite originally releasing in 1969, The Witching Hour celebrated a nearly ten-year run before it was eventually canceled in 1978. Thankfully for fans of all things creepy, the series was eventually resurrected by DC in 2013 under their Vertigo imprint, which was established in 1993 to publish more adult content including sex, drugs, and graphic violence.
Related Best Dark Fantasy TV Series, Ranked
Dark fantasy stories captivate audiences for a reason. When it comes to the world of TV, these are some of the best shows the genre has to offer.
1
The one-shot horror anthology, simply titled The Witching Hour, brought together nine tales of supernatural horror and featured fan-favorite characters such as the Dead Boy Detectives. Despite being a once-off, the comic was well-received, earning an 8.0 average critic rating from ComicBookRoundup.com.
7 The Sandman (1988)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.0
- Release Date: November 29, 1988
- Creators: Neil Gaiman, Sam Kieth
- Featured Characters: Dream (Morpheus)
Given the popularity of its author, Neil Gaiman, it’s no surprise that The Sandman is one of DC Comics’ top earners, especially among its scarce dark fantasy runs. The series originated in 1989 and was published consistently until it was transferred to DC’s Vertigo imprint in 1993. The original series continued until 1996, though sequel series like The Sandman: Dream Hunters and The Sandman: Overture followed in 1998 and 2013, respectively.
The series follows Dream, also known as Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, as he lives, works, and fights with the other Endless entities; Destinty, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. A perfect blend of fantasy, mythology, and horror, it’s no wonder that the series was one of the first graphic novels to be featured on the New York Times Best Sellers list. The Sandman was similarly adapted for television by Netflix in 2022. The series’ popularity is similarly backed up by an average critic ranking of 8.0, though readers ranked the series even higher, at 8.5.
6 DC Vs. Vampires (2021)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.1
- Release Date: October 26, 2021
- Creators: Matthew Rosenberg, Otto Schmidt
- Featured Characters: Batman, Green Arrow
DC vs. Vampires was originally introduced in 2021 as part of DC’s new Elseworlds Imprint, dedicated to publishing stories that exist in alternative realities to those portrayed in mainline DC runs, with none of their events being considered canon to the DC Universe. On Earth 63, society has been besieged by a vampire invasion and must turn to its heroes, the likes of Batman, Green Arrow, Batgirl, and Supergirl, to save them from the villainous Nightwing and his horde of vampire lackeys roaming the streets of Gotham. As bloody as it is ridiculous, DC vs. Vampires has been a champion of the Elseworlds Imprint since its establishment.
Related 16 Best Dark Fantasy Manga With No Anime Adaptations
The dark fantasy genre is much more expansive than people would expect. And, there are still plenty of great manga yet to be adapted into anime.
The series continued in 2022 when award-winning comic writers James Tynion IV and Matthew Rosenberg joined forces to pen DC vs. Vampires: All-Out War. The monochromatic comic introduces still more heroes to the vampiric world, including John Constantine, Deathstroke, and Mary Marvel. While All-Out War didn’t perform as well with critics or audiences, the original run celebrated an impressive average critic rating of 8.1 from ComicBookRoundup.com.
5 The Last God (2019)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.2
- Release Date: October 30, 2019
- Creators: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Riccardo Federici
- Featured Characters: Mol Kalakto, Ang Luthia, Mol Uhltep
One of DC’s newer publications, The Last God debuted in 2019 by renowned comic book writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, whose work on comics like Superman, the Incredible Hulk, Green Lantern: War Journal, and Alien. The Last God Book One kicked off Johnson’s dark fantasy series The Fellspyre Chronicles. In the series, two fellowships of heroes stand against a common threat, though 30 years separate their mirrored quests as they move to kill Mol Uhltep, the world’s last living god, once and for all.
Despite being a new venture for DC, the comic performed exceptionally well with audiences, with ComicBookRoundup reporting an average critic rating of 8.2. The final issue in the comic’s first volume was a huge success, with the singular issue earning an impressive critic rating of 9.3.
4 Justice League Dark (2018)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.5
- Release Date: July 25, 2018
- Creators: James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno
- Featured Characters: Wonder Woman, Doctor Fate, John Constantine
Justice League Dark was released in 2011 as part of the first wave of new comics released as part of DC’s ‘The New 52’ relaunch. Featuring a titular team of heroes, the comic saw the likes of Wonder Woman, John Constantine, and Doctor Fate as they unite to take on a cacophony of supernatural and other mystic threats that fall outside the scope of the Justice League proper.
Justice League Dark Vol. 1 ran from 2011 to 2015, with a second volume being published from 2018 to 2020. Justice League Dark would incorporate more supernatural heroes onto the team, such as Man-Bat, Swamp Thing, and Detective Chimp. While the dark fantasy superhero team no longer boasts its own comic run, the team, led by Wonder Woman, has since appeared in mainline Justice League comics. Volume 1 of Justice League Dark earned an impressive 7.6 average critic ranking, though the series’ second volume really established the run as one of DC’s best dark fantasy comics with a rating of 8.5.
3 Dark Knights Of Steel (2021)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.7
- Release Date: November 2, 2021
- Creators: Tom Taylor, Yasmin Putri
- Featured Characters: Bruce Wayne, Kal-El, Harley Quinn
From writer Tom Taylor and artist Yasmin Putri, Dark Knights of Steel was introduced in 2021 as part of DC’s Elseworlds Imprint and re-imagined the DC Universe as a high fantasy world ruled by swords and sorcery. The 12-issue limited series opens with Jar-El and Lara as they land on Earth after fleeing a decimated Krypton. Shortly after arriving, their son, Kal-El, is born.
Related Best Dark Fantasy Games
Fans of the dark fantasy genre have a wealth of options to choose from, starting with the following games.
The comic then jumps forward 19 years to Bruce, a knight of the Kingdom of El, and a re-imagined variant of Batman, as he sets out on a hunt for the legendary banshee. Kal-El, now a prince, insists on coming along, kicking off a dangerous chain of events leading to a prophetic demon uprising. The medieval take on DC fan-favorite heroes Batman and Superman has proved a success among fans and critics alike despite its relative recency, earning an average critic ranking of 8.7 from ComicBookRoundup.com.
2 The Swamp Thing (2021)
Average Critic Ranking: 8.9
- Release Date: March 2, 2021
- Creators: Ram V, Mike Perkins
- Featured Characters: Swamp Thing (Levi Kamei)
Ranked no. 28 on IGN’s Top 100 Comic Book Heroes list, the titular plant elemental creature has become a staple of DC’s lineup of supernatural heroes since Swamp Thing first hit comic shelves in 1972. Though the character of the Swamp Thing was introduced in House of Secrets #72 in 1971, the character later received his own solo comic run that stretched over six volumes, published from 1972 until 2016, with a number of issues from the comic’s second volume being penned by Watchmen creator Alan Moore. His work on the series earned Moore numerous Jack Kirby Awards for ‘Best Writer’.
The character returned once again in 2021 when the series was re-branded as The Swamp Thing. The new series, penned by award-winning writer Ram V, follows a new Swamp Thing, Levi Kamei, who transforms into the powerful creature while visiting his family in India. While the original Swamp Thing series was well-received, the 2021 run remains one of DC’s highest-rated dark fantasy comics, with an average critic rating of 8.9.
1 John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead In America (2024)
Average Critic Ranking: 9.5
- Release Date: January 16, 2024
- Creators: Simon Spurrier, Aaron Campbell
- Featured Characters: John Constantine, Swamp Thing
John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America is the latest installment in the long-running story of John Constantine, a streetwise English sorcerer who originated as a supporting character in Swamp Thing #37 before headlining his own run of comics in 1988 with Hellblazer. The publication was one of the first to be republished under DC’s Vertigo imprint when it launched in 1993 and remained the imprint’s longest-running title when Vertigo was discontinued in 2020. In 2019 Hellblazer shortly re-branded as Constantine as the titular character returned as part of the greater Sandman universe under DC’s new Black Label imprint.
However, it was 2024’s John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America that received the highest critic ratings among DC’s dark fantasy comics at an impressive 9.5. Certain one-shot comics featuring John Constantine even achieved a perfect 10 out of 10 rating from critics, including the 2005 graphic novel, Hellblazer: All His Engines.
More 10 Best Dark Fantasy Horror Games, Ranked
Dark fantasy horror games create some of the best (and spookiest) atmospheres in gaming.
Fuente: successacademy.edu.vn
Categorías: Trend
