DC and Vertigo comics about magic and the occult
After compiling my previous horror-centric list of supernatural-themed comics, I realized that it was missing or underrepresented titles from one important category: stories about wizards, occultists, and magical beings published by DC Comics and its Vertigo imprint. This is my attempt to remedy that neglect.
While I was never a fan of mainstream American superhero comics, I had a soft spot for DC because of the more mysterious and magical regions of its fictional universe. The prominence of mystical and mythological themes in DC publications can be explained in two ways.
Firstly, it has a very long history as a publisher, dating back to an era when tales featuring the paranormal were very much in fashion. Consider that the creation of a character like Doctor Occult predated that of Superman, and contrast that with the Marvel universe, which was built largely on the ideas of hip 1960s pop sci-fi.
Secondly, the British Invasion of the 1980s brought to DC several writers who were either practicing occultists themselves or fascinated by the imaginary of the esoteric arts. The Invasion inspired the creation of the Vertigo “mature readers” label, which allowed for in-depth and daringly transgressive explorations of magical and darkly fantastical themes. And because some of the Vertigo titles remained linked to the main DC universe, this mutual interpenetration resulted in a revival of interest in supernatural superheroes.
I know very little about canon and continuity, even less about power levels, and I’m not up to date on current events at DC. From the scant information that has reached me, it appears that the publisher is currently going through something of a crisis and that many of its magic-related titles have been canceled in recent years. Even if this is the case, I hope that the earlier comics listed here are sufficient to keep anyone interested in this genre reading for months.
(I hasten to add that I am aware that Promethea was actually published by America’s Best Comics rather than Vertigo, but since it is still a DC property, I feel it is within my rights to include it here.)
Since creating this list, I’ve also compiled general extensive lists for both mainline DC and Vertigo, which I recommend for all of your non-supernatural needs.
Hellblazer
by Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, et al.
5 figs out of 5
Justice League Dark (vol. 1)
by Peter Milligan, Jeff Lemire, et al.
5 figs out of 5
Justice League Dark (vol. 2)
by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martinez
5 figs out of 5
The Books of Magic (miniseries)
by Neil Gaiman and John Bolton
5 figs out of 5
Saga of the Swamp Thing
by Alan Moore
4.5 figs out of 5
The Sandman
by Neil Gaiman
4.5 figs out of 5
The Spectre
by John Ostrander and Tom Mandrake
4 figs out of 5
Zatanna
by Paul Dini
4 figs out of 5
Shadowpact
by Bill Willingham
4 figs out of 5
Seven Soldiers of Victory
by Grant Morrison
4 figs out of 5
Promethea
by Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III
3.5 figs out of 5
Madame Xanadu
by Matt Wagner and Amy Reeder Hadley
3.5 figs out of 5
Demon Knights
by Paul Cornell
3.5 figs out of 5
The Invisibles
by Grant Morrison
3.5 figs out of 5
Lucifer
by Mike Carey
3.5 figs out of 5
Day of Vengeance
by Bill Willingham
3.5 figs out of 5
Doctor Fate
by J.M. DeMatteis and Shawn McManus
3.5 figs out of 5
Animal Man (The New 52)
by Jeff Lemire
3 figs out of 5
Animal Man
by Grant Morrison
3 figs out of 5
Swamp Thing (The New 52)
by Scott Snyder and Charles Soule
3 figs out of 5
Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger
by Dan DiDio, J.M Dematteis, et al.
3 figs out of 5
The Demon
by Garth Ennis and John McRea
2.5 figs out of 5
Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E.
by Jeff Lemire and J.G. Jones
2.5 figs out of 5
Amethyst, Princess of Gemworld
by Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn and Ernie Colón
2.5 figs out of 5
I, Vampire
by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino
2.5 figs out of 5
Day of Judgment
by Geoff Johns
2.5 figs out of 5
Black Canary and Zatanna: Bloodspell
by Paul Dini and Joe Quinones
2.5 figs out of 5
Doom Patrol
by Grant Morrison
2.5 figs out of 5
Constantine (The New 52)
by Jeff Lemire
2.5 figs out of 5
Shade, the Changing Man
by Peter Milligan & Chris Bachalo
2.5 figs out of 5
Gotham by Midnight
by Ray Fawkes and Andrea Sorrentino
2.5 figs out of 5
Reign in Hell
by Keith Giffen, Tom Derenick, and Bill Sienkiewicz
2 figs out of 5
Doctor Fate
by Paul Levitz and Sonny Liew
2 figs out of 5
The Books of Magic (ongoing)
by John Ney Rieber
2 figs out of 5
Kid Eternity
by Grant Morrison and Duncan Fegredo
2 figs out of 5
Deadman
by Neal Adams
2 figs out of 5
Dial H
by China Miéville and Mateus Santolouco
2 figs out of 5
Shazam! (The New 52 and Rebirth)
by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank
2 figs out of 5
Mystik U
by Alisa Kwitney and Mike Norton
2 figs out of 5
Sword of Sorcery: Amethyst
by Christy Marx and Aaron Lopresti
2 figs out of 5
Batwoman
by J.H. Williams III and Greg Rucka
1.5 figs out of 5
Batwoman (The New 52)
by J.H. Williams III
1.5 figs out of 5
The Dreaming
by Terry LaBan, Alisa Kwitney, Bryan Talbot, Caitlín R. Kiernan
1.5 figs out of 5
The Dreaming
by Simon Spurrier
1.5 figs out of 5
Swamp Thing
by Rick Veitch
1.5 figs out of 5
Swamp Thing
by Len Wein
1.5 figs out of 5
Swamp Thing
by Mark Millar
1.5 figs out of 5
Ragman
by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming
1.5 figs out of 5
House of Mystery
by Lilah Sturges
1.5 figs out of 5
Wonder Woman
by George Pérez
1.5 figs out of 5
The Filth
by Grant Morrison, Chris Weston, and Gary Erskine
1.5 figs out of 5
Black Orchid
by Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean
1.5 figs out of 5
Death: The High Cost of Living
by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo
1.5 figs out of 5
The Shade
by James Robinson
1 figs out of 5
Doctor 13: Architecture and Mortality
by Brian Azzarello
1 figs out of 5
The Demon
by Jack Kirby
1 figs out of 5
Preacher
by Garth Ennis
1 figs out of 5
Flex Mentallo
by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
1 figs out of 5
Night Force
by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan
1 figs out of 5
Raven: Daughter of Darkness
by Marv Wolfman and Pop Mhan
1 figs out of 5