Hi, all! Like each of you, I love the home of the world’s greatest superheroes, DC Comics. I love the worlds and the characters therein, and I love how closely I feel I can relate to them all. I’m guessing many of you feel the same.
That’s why I’m curious as to what moments in the comics you emotionally connected to the most. When did you feel that what was happening on the page was what you needed to read? When did you feel in your heart that the world of your favorite character and the world around you, and all the hardships in either aren’t very different? When did you cry?
My most emotional moments were the Wally West/Barry Allen hug in Rebirth and Bruce unmasking himself for a grief-stricken Claire (Gotham Girl) and giving her a much needed hug in Batman (2016) #6.
My earliest moment was reading the Death of Superman when I was a kid. Even though I heard the hype I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
But the most emotional moment that I can think of is when Barry gave Bruce the note that his father wrote him in Flashpoint. It was sweetest and saddest that Bruce finally got to reconnect with one of his parents.
In Batman the Animated series. Feet of Clay always gets to me. Clayface didn’t ask for that Dagget and honestly he only wanted revenge for his ruined life. He’s a walking tragedy.
The “Batman and Robin-orphans” splash page of Identity Crisis is for my money the most painfully emotional moment in comics, bar none…while the All Star Superman with Supes assuring a suicidal girl she’s stronger then the thinks is gut wrenching and heartwarming all at once.
It’s funny, because neither of those books as a whole is my cup of tea, but man! If you don’t get all the feels in those moments, I honestly don’t know how to help you.
Only time I cried was in Tomasi’s Detective Comics when (SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER, Clayface is shot by batwoman. I was taken aback so much despite knowing it was going to happen.
Crisis on Infinite Earths no. 7. When Superman is holding Supergirl and says that the days will be shorter and the nights will be longer without her speech it brought a tear to my eye and as my wife will say, I’m not a person that cries. The whole series though was pretty emotional as heroes and villains alike were meeting their demise.
First couple of issues of 52 (not new 52). I was listening to instrumental at the time, which always enhances my emotional experience reading comics. 52 is one of the very few series that are so down to earth. I love to see writers trying to put something other than just superheroes fighting criminal or solving mysteries.
The ending of Flashpoint when Bruce reads a letter written by his father from the other timeline. I teared up in the comic and again when I watched the animated movie
That and Superman’s death were both pretty harsh. Honestly, Superman Vol 2 #75 was even more impactful because I don’t actually like the story around it. It’s proceeded by a six-issue-long fist-fight and followed by eight issues of “Superman is dead and people are sad.” And yet, the death itself is one of the most iconic and impactful moments in comic history. The very concept of Superman dying carries an emotional weight to it.
Spoiler…Superman/Shazam, first Thunder…it’s the first comic featured here on on this DCUniverse streaming service, page one. Issue #4, Billy’s fellow homeless BFF is killed by a stray bullet. Shazam later breaks down and Superman As he consoles him, finds out he is a kid. That scene will break your heart, plus the next one. Billy Batson is sitting on a mattress on the floor in floppy dirty socks, Clark Kent shows up and reveals he is Superman.
I read this a long time ago and thought it was a wonderful illustrated scene. Now that Shazam has been made into a movie, I’ve realized that Shazam is a story that lends itself to wonderful ups and downs, comedy and drama. Much like Spiderman, if DC doesn’t blow it, it could become a great franchise. Both actors could grow and in expand these roles.
In Identity Crisis when Tim is pleading with Bruce to save his Dad when they are racing in the Batmobile to get to Tim’s house. Makes me tear up every time I read it.
Most recently in the Flash Annual 2021 with Wally dealing with Sanctuary again and Roy’s goodbye to Ollie. That made me cry a bit.
There are a ton more but those are the my most recent and the big one that always gets me. Honestly, it isn’t that hard for me to get emotional while reading comics or stories. I get pulled into them fairly easy.
Death of Superman. I consider this to be the single most emotional moment in comics. There are other moments that I might have read while cutting onions but none of those will match the tears I have every time I read it. Last summer in the midst of staying inside I dusted off my 3 volumes of trade paperbacks to give them another read. I told myself that I wouldn’t cry when I opened that first book up, I knew I was lying to myself. Then I flipped that page and sure enough, there he was in Lois’ arms. I couldn’t take it and had to put the book down to take a much needed emotional break.
When Clark allowed his wife and son to go into space with his lunatic father on some stupid self-discovery, new-age, bull-crap trip. I was livid and threw the comic to the floor! The single worst decision ever made by Superman!
The funeral towards the end of James Robinson’s Starman run. I won’t spoil it, but there were many wonderful speeches celebrating this individual’s life.
I don’t get emotional often while reading comics. I experienced that recently while reading the latest issue of Superman Red & Blue, and wrote about it here:
