Black Adam has long been a fan favorite at DC. From his humble roots as the archenemy of Shazam, then known as Captain Marvel, in the 1940s to the premiere DC anti-hero of the 2000s, Black Adam’s popularity has steadily gone up for decades and is about to explode thanks to his upcoming DCEU movie, with superstar Dwayne Johnson playing the titular character.
For fans who want a primer on who Black Adam is and what he’s all about before the movie drops, there are some great comics out there to pick up, ones that will allow readers to see him at his best and worst.
10 Endless Winter Sees Black Adam’s Heroic Past Catch Up With His Present
Endless Winter, by writers Ron Marz and Andy Lanning and artists Howard Porter, Phil Hester, Brandon Peterson, and Carmine Di Giandomenico, pitted the heroes of the DC Universe against an ancient metahuman known as the Frost King. In the 10th century, Black Adam, Hippolyta, Swamp Thing, and the Viking Prince had taken the Frost King, down and his return in the present brought Adam back to heroism.
For years before this, Adam had run his home country of Kahndaq as a villainous haven but this story set him back on the path of the hero and has led to everything that he’s done in the last few years. Beyond that, it’s just a good story by great creators.
9 Justice League: Prisms Has Him Stepping Up To The Biggest Stage
Justice League: Prisms, by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist David Marquez, was a new beginning for the Justice League and Black Adam. After making a heroic turn in Endless Winter, Black Adam runs into young metahuman Naomi only to be pulled to her home Earth, alongside Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Arrow, Aquaman, and Black Canary, to battle a new threat.
Black Adam had been in the Justice Society but never the Justice League. Stepping up as a hero, he helps out the League immensely, cementing his place among the upper echelons of the heroes of the DC Universe in this action-packed epic.
8 JSA: Savage Times Has Several Members Of The Team Interact With The Heroic Black Adam Of The Past
Black Adam had joined the JSA as a way to return to his more heroic days when he was Teth-Adam, helping to defend Egypt and Kahndaq at the side of Prince Khufu and Nabu. Several members of the team got to meet this version of him in JSA: Savage Times, by writer Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer and artists Rags Morales, Leonard Kirk, and Patrick Gleason.
Sent back in time after their last mission, several members of the team find themselves helping Adam and the other heroes of Egypt in a battle against Vandal Savage. It’s an action-packed epic that showed fans the kind of man Black Adam was in the past.
7 JSA: Fair Play Has Some Of Adam’s First Interactions With His New Teammates
Black Adam’s early days with the JSA were contentious and nowhere is that more apparent than in JSA: Fair Play, by writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer and artists Javier Saltares, Peter Snejberg, Tim Sale, Rags Morales, and Derec Aucoin. The team is captured by Roulette, one of DC’s most underrated villains, and forced to battle it out in the House, a supervillain gambling establishment.
The story showcased the blossoming friendship of Black Adam and Atom-Smasher, a relationship that would become crucial to JSA in the stories to come. It’s an important step in his development and just a great story to boot.
6 JSA: Darkness Falls Saw Black Adam Make His First Steps Back To Heroism
Black Adam was a villain for decades before becoming one of the most powerful members of the Justice Society. That event took place in JSA: Darkness Falls, by writers Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer and artists Buzz, Stephen Sadowski, Marcos Martin, and Alan Davis. The team finds themselves up against several foes in this volume, with Black Adam battling them as a member of the Injustice Society.
Adam has a change of heart during the battle and throws in with the Justice Society, helping them defeat Johnny Sorrow and his team of villains. It was Adam’s first steps back to heroism and was the genesis of the popularity that would eventually bring him to the big screen.
5 Forever Evil Saw Black Adam Join A Villain Justice League Against An Even Bigger Threat
For most of the 2010s, Black Adam was more villain than hero, but there were a few exceptions. One of those was Forever Evil, by writer Geoff Johns and artist David Finch. After the Crime Syndicate of Earth-3 defeats the Justice League and the rest of Earth’s heroes, it’s up to a team of villains led by Lex Luthor- Bizarro, Black Adam, Sinestro, Captain Cold, and Deathstroke- alongside Batman to stop them.
One of DC’s most underrated events, it’s also the only good event book to come out of the New 52. Black Adam didn’t get too many heroes turns around this time, making this book even more special for his fans.
4 Black Adam: The Dark Ages Is One Of Black Adam’s Few Solo Outings
For a character as popular as Black Adam is, he’s rarely had a solo book of any kind. In fact, the only one is Black Adam: The Dark Ages, by writer Peter Tomasi and artist Doug Mahnke. Taking place in the aftermath of World War III, a powerless Black Adam travels the world, trying to figure out how to get his powers back. Unfortunately for him, his enemies are still looking for him.
A deep dive into who Black Adam is as much as anything, the story showcases some great Black Adam hero moments and is a must-read for fans of the character. Getting Black Adam on his own is rare, so this one is a gem.
3 World War III Showcases A Bloody Rampage By Black Adam
Even as a hero, Black Adam had a penchant for violence and that penchant is fully on display in World War III, by writers Keith Champagne and John Ostrander and artists Pat Oliffe, Drew Geraci, Andy Smith, Norm Rapmund, and Tom Derenick. Featuring an insane Black Adam out for revenge after being manipulated into destroying his people by his enemies, the heroes of the DC Universe must stop him or die trying.
Even as a villain in previous years, fans had rarely seen Black Adam like this. This story presents him at his most violent and irredeemable, ripping through everyone in his way. It really shows how powerful and dangerous he can be.
2 52 Saw Black Adam Find And Lose Happiness
Black Adam was at the height of his popularity in the mid-’00s and 52 took advantage of that. A weekly series written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Keith Giffen with art breakdowns by Giffen and finished pencils by many artists, the book followed heroes and villains alike through the post-Infinite Crisis DC Universe.
Black Adam’s story found him becoming a bigger and bigger hero, cementing his place in the world and finding love in the form of Isis. After rescuing her brother and christening him Osiris and befriending sentient crocodile man Sobek, everything seems perfect for him but there are hidden forces out to destroy him and his happiness. One of the highlights of ’00s DC, it’s a must-read for Black Adam fans.
1 JSA: Black Reign Is Black Adam’s Most Iconic Story
JSA: Black Reign, by writer Geoff Johns and artists Rags Morales and Don Kramer, pays off years of plots. Black Adam, assembling his own team featuring Atom-Smasher, Northwind, Nemesis, Brainwave II, and Alexander Montez as Eclipso, violently retake his homeland of Kahndaq from a terrible dictator.
The JSA springs into action in order to assuage the international community. Pitting DC’s legacy team against some of their own, the story is an action-packed epic and yet another example of just how powerful Black Adam can be, as he holds his own against the entire JSA in the final battle.
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