Greatest Stories Ever Told
Greatest Stories Ever Told
Recommended Reading Order

Every book on this list is also technically a “Best-Of” Style Collection, but the Greatest Stories Ever Told set of books is a much loved series in its own right.

These books are usually concerned with an iconic character and often carry a lovely Alex Ross illustration on the cover.

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+ The Greatest Golden Age Stories Ever Told
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Action Comics 128; Adventure Comics 51, 67, 144; All-American Comics 6, 92; All-Flash 14; All-Star Comics 37; Batman 30; Crack Comics 19; Detective Comics 1, 69; Flash Comics 4, 96; Kid Eternity 3; Modern Comics 67; More Fun Comics 57; Plastic Man 21; Sensation Comics 1; Star Spangled Comics 77; Superman 61; Wonder Woman 13 March 1937 – January 1950
+ The Greatest 1950s Stories Ever Told
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Action Comics 238; Adventure Comics 159, 245, 252-253; All-American Western 121; Batman 81; Blackhawk 109; The Brave and Bold 3; Congo Bill 6; Detective Comics 228; The Fox and the Crow 14; Girls’ Love Stories 27; Our Army at War 87; Phantom Stranger 1; Sensation Comics 107; Showcase 6, 8, 9, 23; Star Spangled Comics 113; Strange Adventures 28; Sugar & Spike 3; Superboy 22; Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen 32; Western Comics 78; Wonder Woman 99; World’s Finest Comics 64, 77 December 1950 – December 1959
+ DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories
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Batman 127, 151; Captain Marvel Adventures 66; The Flash 128; Superman 149, 162, 166; Superman’s Girl Friend, Lois Lane 19, 51; Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen 57; World’s Finest Comics 172 October 1946, October 1959, August 1960, November 1961, December 1961, May 1962, July 1963, January 1964, August 1964, December 1967, November 1969
No Cover + DC’s Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman & Robin
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Batman 122, 131, 135, 145, 154, 159, 163, 300; World’s Finest Comics 153; Superman’s Girl Friend Lois Lane 89 March 1959 – June 1978
No Cover + Batman: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told
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Batman (1940) 1, 4, 63, 73, 74, 110, 159, 163, 251, 321; Batman Kellogg’s Special 2; Brave and the Bold 111; Detective 168, 475, 476; The Joker 3; World’s Finest Comics 61, 88 1940 – 1980
No Cover + Superboy: The Greatest Team-Ups Ever Told
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Adventure Comics 216, 253, 271, 280, Superboy 55, 63, 80, 171, 182; New Adventures Of Superboy 13 1955, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1971, 1972, 1981
+ Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 1
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Batman (1940) 1, 25, 47, 61, 156, 234, 250, 312; The Brave and the Bold 197; DC Special 15; Detective 31-32, 211, 235, 345, 404, 429, 437, 442, 457, 474, 582, 500; Star Spangled Comics 124; World’s Finest Comics 94; 1940 – 1983
+ The Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told
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Adventure Comics 253, 267; The Brave And The Bold 53-54, 178; DC Comics Presents 85; The Flash 123; Green Lantern 76; Justice League of America 21-22; Mystery In Space 90; Superman 88, 257; World’s Finest Comics 82 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1972, 1981, 1985
+ The Greatest Flash Stories Ever Told
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Comic Cavalcade 24; DC Special Series 1; Flash Comics 1, 66, 86; The Flash 107, 113, 119, 124-125; 137; 143; 148; 179; The Flash (1987) 2; Showcase 4 January 1940 – July 1987
+ The Greatest Superman Stories Ever Told
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Action 241; Forever People 1; Superboy 68; Suprman (1939) Annual 11, 4, 13, 30, 53, 123, 125, 129, 132, 145, 149, 162, 247; Superman (1987) 2; 1940 – 1987
No Cover + The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told Vol. 2
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Ebay (Search) Batman (1940) Annual 11, 1, 62, 76, 169, 190, 197, 257, 345-346, 355; Detective 58, 203, 473, 568 1940 – 1987
+ Batgirl: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Detective Comics 359, 396, 400, 422, 423, 424; Batman Family 1, 9; Legends Of The DC Universe 10-11; Batman Chronicles 9 January 1967 – December 1998
No Cover + Lobo: Lobo’s Greatest Hits
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Ebay (Search) Omega Men 3, 10, 20, Justice League International 18, 19, 21, L.E.G.I.O.N. ’89 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, L.E.G.I.O.N. ’91 13, 16, 17, 18, Mister Miracle 13, 14, Superman 41, Adventures of Superman 464 June 1983 – August 1990, 1991
No Cover + The Flash: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Ebay (Search) DC Special Series 11; Flash Comics 86, 104; The Flash 123, 155, 165, 179; 91; 1947, 1949, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1978, 1994
+ Shazam: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Adventures in the DC Universe 15; Captain Marvel Adventures 1, 137, 148; DC Comics Presents Annual 3; L.E.G.I.O.N. 31; The Power of SHAZAM 33; Shazam! 1, 14; Superman 276; WHIZ Comics 2 1940, 1941, 1952, 1953, 1973, 1974, 1984, 1991, 1997, 1998
No Cover + Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 1
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Ebay (Search) Action Comics 775, Man Of Steel 1, Superman (1939) 1, 65, 156, 164, 247, 400 Superman (1987) 18, What if Superman ended the war? from Look magazine (1940) Summer 1939, August 1950, October 1962, October 1963, October 1972, October 1984, October 1986, June 1988, March 2001
+ Wonder Woman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Ebay (Search) Sensation Comics 1; Wonder Woman 28, 99, 108, 163, 178, 214, 286; 20, 170; 1942, 1948, 1958, 1959, 1966, 1968, 1974, 1981, 1988, 2001
+ JLA: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Ebay (Search) JLA v1 19, 77, 122, 166-168, 200, Justice League 1, JLA Secret Files 1, JLA (1997) 61 May 1963 – March 1982, Feb 2002
No Cover + Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 1
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Ebay (Search) Batman (1940) 5, 62, 156, 250-251; Gotham Knights 32; Legends of the Dark Knight 79; DC Special 15, 21; Detective 33, 439, 574 Batman 1941 -1973, 1974, 1987, 1996, 2002
No Cover + Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2
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Ebay (Search) Batman (1940) 1, 108, 153, 246; Batman Chronicles 5, 21, 184; Detective 526; Secret Origins 6 1940-1972, March 1982, May 1983, September 1986, Summer 1996, Summer 2000
No Cover + Superman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2
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Ebay (Search) Superman (1939) 30, 132, 141, 167, 233, 400, Vol. 2 2, Adventures of Superman 500, 638 September 1944 – October 1984, 1993, 2005
+ Superman / Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Batman & Superman: World 1952, 1964, 1966, 1968, 1971, 1986, 1999, 2003, 2006
No Cover + Green Lantern: The Greatest Stories Ever Told
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Ebay (Search) Green Lantern (1960) 1, 31, 74, 87, 172; Green Lantern (1990) 3; Flash & Green Lantern: The Brave and the Bold (1999) 2; Green Lantern Secret Files 2005 July 1960 – January 1984 (All others reprinted elsewhere, prior in reading order)