Each Friday, we'll be letting a different DC.com writer share what they'll be reading over the weekend and why you might want to check it out. Here's this week's suggestion for a perfect Weekend Escape!
 

First, there was Superman…then came the superhero…

In our world, that’s how the history of DC began—with the 1938 creation of the costumed crusader ushered in by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Of course, the universe in the succeeding 88 years would evolve and expand with more characters, grander concepts and signature events that defined both the lore of DC and the stories that fans would remember forever. And as characters outlasted their creators, those ideas would be reinterpreted through different writers, artists and media. History would be something that defined DC, yet also threatened to entangle it.

That’s where New History of the DC Universe comes in! Taking in everything significant over the DCU’s long existence, writer Mark Waid—through his chosen chronicler Barry “The Flash” Allen—goes through the intergalactic beings, cosmic entities and iconic moments to give fans both new and old an official timeline to refer to, while ironing out all the messy details where some stories might have crowded into one another. Let’s discuss how New History of the DC Universe is a great weekend read and the go-to miniseries for anyone interested in DC lore.
 

THE PREMISE:

Our guide in this endeavor is Barry Allen, Police Forensic Scientist and the once and former Flash, who sits at his computer seeking to document the definitive chronology of every major event related to Earth’s superheroes. Through each “book,” Barry looks at important historical moments of creation and conflict that reverberate towards and from our current timeline. This involves marking down the beginning of time and the beings who existed since then before progressing through all of DC’s ages and eras until we reach today. From the beginning of the 20^th century, as mystery men and women heed the call to combat the rise of fascism during the first and second World Wars, to the emergence of Superman in Metropolis and Batman in Gotham City and the creation of the Justice League of America and the Teen Titans, it’s all covered.
 

LET’S TALK TALENT:

With several undisputed classics included in his long career, and much of it contributing to the vast history of the DC Universe, it’s no wonder that such a challenging task as compiling DC’s massive in-universe history would fall to Mark Waid. A maestro of superheroes, Waid has made his name off of some of the most intricate and expansive stories ever published, such as Kingdom Come, Superman: Birthright and the just-released Superman/Spider-Man, just to name a couple. Famous for having boasted of reading every single DC comic ever published, Waid pulls his weight with this book, going over not just the big events like Crisis on Infinite Earths and Flashpoint, but also key character-centric storylines like the creation of the Outsiders and the Terrifics.

Waid’s efforts are buoyed by a team of top-talent artists who help characterize each era, giving these characters era-appropriate designs and details and ensuring that they look their best at specific moments in time. Talented illustrators such as Todd Nauck, Jerry Ordway, Dan Jurgens, Mike Allred, Doug Mahnke, Brad Walker and Howard Porter arrive at various moments, skillfully distilling the characters and multitude of events taking place over a period of time into a single image. (A personal favorite of mine is Walker’s interpretation of Terra as the events of “The Judas Contract” have their moment.) Not only are these artists great at distilling a lot into a relatively small space, they help to stoke one’s interest in any sagas you might have missed. Their talent, along with Waid’s mastery of continuity, is what truly makes this book a tour-de-force.
 

A FEW REASONS TO READ:

• In addition to being informative, New History of the DC Universe helps to address times when DC’s many years of continuity may conflict with itself. For example, the League of Assassins and the League of Shadows are both included, presented as being separate, but related factions.
   
• The series also blends ideas to help streamline stories, keeping things comprehensive and all-inclusive. For example, Cyborg is shown to be an early hero fighting against Darkseid, while still primarily operating as a Teen Titan for the majority of his career. Instances like these make it easier for fans to not have to pick and choose which versions they need to understand. It’s all there!

• For continuity nerds, the most helpful part of the series is the definitive timeline, originally presented as backmatter found at the end of each issue. This section specifically annotates every major event both mentioned and not mentioned by Barry, complete with the exact issue number and release date. This is helpful for fans of those original stories to know that they’re still in continuity, and for new fans to discover through DC UNIVERSE INFINITE!
   
• While you unfortunately won’t find it in the New History of the DC Universe collected edition, the franchise has continued to expand with a spinoff chapter, New History of the DC Universe: The Dakota Incident, which incorporates heroes like Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware and other residents of Milestone Media’s Dakotaverse into the greater DCU.
   

WHY IT’S WORTH YOUR TIME:

If you grew up reading DC comic books, you understand how complicated and meandering long-term continuity can become. Between 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths, 1994’s Zero Hour, 2006’s Infinite Crisis, 2011’s New 52 and recent stories such as Dark Nights: Metal, it can take an almost encyclopedic effort to keep things straight. It’s also difficult in an expanding world to keep track of your favorite characters, or even be certain if they ever existed at all! New History of the DC Universe is precisely the guide for those seeking that reassurance, as well as a purely entertaining read that keeps things in a linear, easy-to-follow fashion. With spectacular artwork and plenty of fascinating history to revisit and rediscover, this miniseries is a gift to fans both old and new, and marks an enthusiastic leap towards the future, defining what’s always made DC both unique and spectacular.

New History of the DC Universe by Mark Waid, Todd Nauck, Jerry Ordway, Brad Walker, Michael Allred, Dan Jurgens, Doug Mahnke, Norm Rapmund, Howard Porter and Hayden Sherman is available in bookstores, comic shops, libraries and digital retailers as a hardcover graphic novel. It can also be read in full on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.

Donovan Morgan Grant writes about comics, graphic novels and superhero history for DC.com. Follow him on Bluesky at @donomark and X at @donoDMG1.

NOTE: The views and opinions expressed in this feature are solely those of Donovan Morgan Grant and do not necessarily reflect those of DC or Warner Bros. Discovery, nor should they be read as confirmation or denial of future DC plans.