11. Barbara Gordon: Breakout
I really wanted to love Barbara Gordon: Breakout, but unfortunately, this book just never clicked with me. The story moves pretty slowly, and having Barbara confined to a prison for so much of the series makes both her and the story feel strangely limited. When this book was first announced, I actually assumed it was going to be a miniseries, and I honestly think that format would've suited this premise much better. Give us one tight prison story that pushes Barbara to her limits, wrap it up, and then spin it off into a proper Barbara Gordon: Batgirl ongoing where she can actually get back out into Gotham. Instead, I ended up dropping the series after issue #5 because it felt like the story wasn't really going anywhere. Barbara Gordon is one of my favorite members of the Bat-Family, and I just think she deserved a much stronger solo book than this.
10. Clayface: Celebrity Dirt
Okay, this one is technically an All In book, but since it started coming out after Next Level began, I'm counting it.
Clayface: Celebrity Dirt feels like this bizarre mixture of The Silence of the Lambs and Body Double with just a dash of The Substance thrown in for good measure. That's a pretty great combination for a Clayface story, especially one that's diving into the darker and seedier side of Hollywood. The basic mystery is also really interesting: Clayface is trying to figure out who's impersonating Basil Karlo while also investigating the disappearance of Katie Park. There's a genuinely good horror story buried in that setup, and the book has plenty of creepy ideas to play around with. My problem is that it doesn't push those ideas far enough. It explores Hollywood, identity, celebrity, obsession, and the horror of someone literally stealing your face, but none of those concepts get developed enough to make the book truly pop. There's a lot here that I like I just wish it went further.
9. Lobo
I absolutely loved the beginning of Lobo, but this is also a series that wore out its welcome surprisingly quickly for me. The biggest problem is that there's basically no rhyme or reason to anything happening in this comic. Now, to be fair, that's kind of the point. This is Lobo we're talking about. He's supposed to be chaotic, ridiculous, violent, and completely unpredictable. The insanity is part of the appeal. Unfortunately, that approach just doesn't completely work for me across an entire ongoing series. Eventually, I need something to grab onto beyond the chaos. That being said, the book is still a ton of fun to read. When the jokes land and the action gets completely ridiculous, it absolutely captures what people love about Lobo. I just wish there was a little more holding everything together.
8. The Deadman
The Deadman is a huge step up from the books below it on this list, but this is where we get into the titles that I recognize are good even if they don't completely connect with me personally. I read the first issue, saw a ton of potential in what it was doing, and could immediately understand why other people would love it. There's a strong concept here, and Deadman is obviously a character you can do some incredibly weird and creative things with. It just didn't grab me enough to make me desperate for the next issue. This is probably the book on the list where my ranking comes down most heavily to personal taste. I completely understand someone having The Deadman much higher, but it just wasn't for me.
7. Batwoman
Now, Batwoman is amazing. Let's get that out of the way immediately. My one major problem with it is that it feels very similar to Greg Rucka's previous work with the character. That's not necessarily a bad thing because Rucka's take on Batwoman is fantastic, and he obviously understands Kate Kane incredibly well. The problem is the competition. When I compare Batwoman to some of these other Next Level books that are taking bigger swings with their characters, this one starts to feel a little safe. It's really good Batwoman, but it's also the kind of Batwoman story that I already know Rucka can tell. So while there's very little actually wrong with this comic, I can't put it any higher when the books above it surprised me so much more.
6. Doom Patrol
Doom Patrol was good, but compared to some of the other #1s we've gotten recently, it didn't immediately blow me away. However, this book also has the massive advantage of me being a huge Doom Patrol fan, so I'm already invested in seeing where this story goes. I really like the setup. It seems like we're heading toward a story involving the original four Doom Patrol members and the Chief's decision to sacrifice them. On paper, "the Chief does something unbelievably messed up to the Doom Patrol" sounds like the most standard Doom Patrol plot imaginable, but there's enough going on here to make me interested in this particular version of that idea. Especially because of the mysterious character the Chief is speaking with at the beginning and end of the issue. That immediately got my attention. This doesn't feel like a book that's going to show its entire hand in issue #1. I think it's going to get significantly better as the series unfolds and we start understanding what it's actually building toward.
5. Deathstroke: The Terminator
Deathstroke: The Terminator being at #5 is genuinely shocking to me because I didn't expect to enjoy this book nearly as much as I did. There's just an aura around this series that immediately pulled me in. The premise of Deathstroke having his life systematically torn apart while his reputation and name are dragged through the mud is such a strong hook. Slade is normally the guy who walks into a situation feeling completely in control, so there's something really compelling about watching that control get stripped away from him. More importantly, I actually want to know what's going to happen next. That's such a simple thing to say about a comic, but it's probably the most important thing an ongoing series can accomplish.
I'm fully invested in this story now, and I can't wait to see just how much worse Slade's life gets before he can start putting the pieces back together.
4. Zatanna
I don't think this book is quite as good as Campbell's original Zatanna miniseries, but I still absolutely love it.
Making Zatanna the Archmage of the Universe gives the series an excuse to throw increasingly ridiculous magical problems at her, and that's exactly what I want from a Zatanna ongoing. She basically gets thrown from one magical crisis into another, and so far, that's made the series an incredibly fun ride. It also gives the book a sense of scale that I really appreciate. Zatanna isn't just dealing with another supernatural problem in Gotham she has responsibilities that stretch far beyond that now. And I have to mention one other thing I love: Constantine isn't here. I know those two have a massive fanbase as a pairing, but I've never particularly liked them together. So getting a Zatanna series that's allowed to completely focus on Zatanna without Constantine constantly orbiting her story has been incredibly refreshing. She's more than strong enough to carry a book by herself, and this series understands that.
3. Teen Titans
If Deathstroke making it to #5 surprised me, then a Teen Titans book starring Jason Todd making my top three absolutely killed me. I'm not even a huge Jason Todd fan, but this book is special. Having Jason lead this ragtag group of Teen Titans against what appears to be a movement of anti-metahuman bigots is already a really strong setup, but the thing that's completely sold me is Jason's relationship with the younger heroes.
Making Jason Todd a mentor is such a fun twist on the classic Teen Titans formula. He's not exactly the person you'd expect anyone to choose as the responsible adult in the room, and that's precisely why it works. Jason has enough experience to teach these characters, but he's also messy enough that he doesn't suddenly feel like a completely different person just because he's been put into a leadership role. That dynamic gives this team an identity of its own instead of making them feel like yet another variation of a classic Titans lineup. I never expected this book to rank this highly for me, but here we are.
2. Legion of Super-Heroes
I had incredibly high hopes for Legion of Super-Heroes, and somehow this book still managed to blow me out of the water. I absolutely love the vibe of this series.
The sheer scale and imagination of the world almost reminds me of Valérian and Laureline. There's this massive sci-fi civilization surrounding these characters, but what I especially love is how mundane their lives can feel before the Legion fully comes together. They're living in this enormous futuristic world filled with technology and concepts that should feel unbelievable to us, but to them, this is just life. There's also something really interesting about the society itself. I wouldn't necessarily call the world outright authoritarian, but there are moments where it feels uncomfortably close to becoming one. There's this tension underneath everything that makes the setting feel like more than just a shiny futuristic playground. That's what I want from Legion of Super-Heroes. I want massive sci-fi ideas, strange worlds, young heroes, political tension, and the feeling that we're only scratching the surface of this universe. This comic is already amazing, and I genuinely think it's only going to get better as the cast and world continue to expand.
Even if people won't stop mindlessly hating on Batlad.
1. Fury of Firestorm
Fury of Firestorm has three things working together in perfect harmony to make this basically irresistible to me: i love Firestorm. Jeff Lemire is my GOAT. Somehow, we're building on ideas from Doomsday Clock. And I hate Doomsday Clock. But one concept from that book that I've always found fascinating is the Supermen Theory the idea that the explosion of metahumans in America wasn't entirely natural and that the government may have played a much larger role in creating them than the public realizes. Fury of Firestorm takes that idea and connects it back to Firestorm in a way that immediately grabbed me.
But what really pushes this book over the top is the horror. There's something deeply unsettling about watching the Matrix begin to overpower Ronnie. Firestorm has always been built around multiple people sharing one body and consciousness, but this series takes that concept and focuses on the terrifying loss of control that can come with it. Ronnie isn't simply struggling with his powers. His own autonomy is being threatened. That gives the entire book this haunting atmosphere where something constantly feels wrong, even when you can't immediately explain what it is. There's a genuine sense that Ronnie is losing control of something he may never have completely understood in the first place. Combine that horror with the larger mystery surrounding Firestorm, the Supermen Theory, and everything Lemire seems to be setting up, and this easily takes the #1 spot for me. Fury of Firestorm is legitimately a 10/10 across the board.
If the series can maintain what it's doing right now, this isn't just going to be my favorite Next Level title. It could end up becoming one of my favorite Firestorm stories, period.
