Over the past few weeks, “Best of” lists dominated the Interwebs—ranging from music to television to, of course, comic books. We even made a blog post linking a few of them that featured some of the great DC titles from THE NEW 52, Vertigo, and more.

Yesterday, we posted the first half of our own list celebrating the awesomeness of DC Comics in 2012 with the 12 "Holy Smoke!" Moments in Comics from 2012—six moments that had us screaming in excitement and surprise and that pumped us full of unbridled fan-thusiasm. It’s like regular enthusiasm covered with a healthy dose of fantasticness!

Today, we finish up our list with the final six "Holy Smoke!" Moments in Comics from 2012!

Aquaman’s Gonna Need a Bigger Boat

For anyone who doesn’t like venturing into the ocean, this moment is probably one of your biggest fears. You’re swimming along—an act of which the sole purpose is to make sure you don’t die—when all of a sudden you look behind you and you see rows of giant white gleaming fangs. This is exactly the situation a young Arthur Curry found himself in while diving into the deep in AQUAMAN #0. Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, indeed.

Penguins Can't Fly
From the first image released of Alfred of BATMAN: EARTH ONE fans knew one thing for sure: this it not the Alfred we’re used to seeing. Needless to say, Alfred proved how much of a badass he was throughout the entirety of the Geoff Johns-penned OGN. But without a doubt, the ultimate "Holy smoke!" moment came during the book’s climax when Alfred blew the Penguin out the window with a shotgun. Jaw-dropping and insanely awesome.

Superman Goes Home
SUPERMAN #0 presented an interesting tale stunning illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort that explored the lives of Jor-El and Lara as the pair discovered not only that Lara was pregnant with the would-be Man of Steel, but that Krypton was doomed. However, the real twist came at the end, when we observed Superman on the planet during this time. How he got there and what it means is still yet to be seen, but he was wearing a costume similar to the one in the promo image for Andy Diggle and Tony Daniel's upcoming run on Action Comics.

Gods, Old and New
This was a bit of a tough one. With a single splash page, Brian Azzarello capped off his first year on Wonder Woman with a literal "BOOM," one that sent fans into a frenzy of delight and excitement. It seemed impossible for him to top it, but with the very next issue—WONDER WOMAN #0—he did it through sheer ingenuity. Not only did Azzarello present a wonderfully engaging flashback story beautifully illustrated by Cliff Chiang, but he also told it in a very clever way through Golden Age-style narration.

The One Who Knocks
We’ve been anxiously anticipating the Joker’s return to Gotham ever seen he disappeared at the end of DETECTIVE COMICS #1. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo sent chills down our collective spines in BATMAN #13 and made sure to keep the Joker in the shadows until the climatic final scene. The issue ended with the Joker revealed in all his gory glory... while attacking Alfred at Wayne Manor. It was a moment that immediately set the stage and raised the stakes for this Batman epic.

Trinity War
The DC COMICS—THE NEW 52 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY special answered some questions and asked one really, really big one (with a really, really big gatefold illustration): what is the Trinity War?

Saw anything we missed? What were YOUR favorite DC Comics moments from 2012? Let us know in the comments below!

Most longtime Wonder Woman fans remember the classic 70s-era TV series starring Lynda Carter, but did you know that there was an earlier small screen iteration prior to this…and that Diana was blonde? And everyone remembers Smallville, but how many of you recall the earlier series focusing on Superman’s youth, this time from the producers of the first three Superman movies?

Discovering or re-discovering these earlier versions is easier than ever before now that Wonder Woman, the original 1974 TV pilot starring Cathy Lee Crosby and Superboy: The Complete Second Season are available on DVD for the first time.

Influenced by properties like James Bond and The Avengers (the British TV series, not the comic book), Wonder Woman re-imagined Diana as more of a super spy than a super hero. As developed by writer John D.F. Black (Star Trek, Shaft), this take on Wonder Woman featured a hero with little in the way of super powers hunting down a villain (portrayed by Ricardo Montalban) who had stolen classified information about American agents. Also drastically different was Diana’s mod-inspired costume, though elements such as her iconic bracelets, lasso and her Amazonian home of Paradise Island make appearances. While a product of its time, this take on the revered character is certainly worth a look for DC comics fans, if for the nostalgia factor alone.

The second season of Superboy brought with it a new lead actor—Gerard Christopher—and a writing staff that included several DC luminaries (including Andy Helfer, Cary Bates, Denny O’Neil and Mike Carlin), along with a slew of familiar villains such as Metallo, Mr. Mxyzptlk, Bizarro and a now much more familiar-looking Lex Luthor (played by Sherman Howard, another replacement from the first season). As before, the series focused on Kal-El’s more youthful years, only the stakes were decidedly higher. Produced by Alexander and Ilya Salkind, Superboy ultimately spanned four seasons and remains an under-the-radar classic that introduced a new generation of fans to the Boy of Steel.

Both titles are now available through warnerarchive.com and other major online retailers. Click the images below for more information or to purchase them now!

Yesterday, we told you about how AQUAMAN, BATGIRL, and SWEET TOOTH were all spotlighted in THE NEW YORK TIMES’ Graphic Novel Holiday Gift Guide for 2012.

Well, as the year continues to wind down, we’re pleased to announce that another DCE title has made an additional best-of-2012 list. This morning, NPR published their list of “Graphic Novels That Flew Under The Radar in 2012,” and making the list was WONDER WOMAN, VOL. 1: BLOOD by Brian Azzarello, Cliff Chiang, and Tony Akins.

According to NPR, WONDER WOMAN is “easily the best series to emerge from DC's recent New 52 initiative … Azzarello breathes dark new life into Wonder Woman's world of petty, spiteful and manipulative Greek gods, and in the process transforms her from superhero to Classical hero. He is aided in this endeavor by artist Cliff Chiang, who has infused the book with a decidedly creepy note of Jungian horror, using bold, thick linework to depict a world of myth that's not remotely fantastical, but instead grimly, disquietingly real.”

Click here to check out NPR’s full list of “Graphic Novels That Flew Under The Radar in 2012.” Congratulations to all!

BATGIRL #14 hit comic shops this week, and reading that issue reminded us of exactly how strong Barbara Gordon is—both in the physical sense (we'd last about three seconds doing what she does, as that's probably how long it would take for us to fall over and curl into the fetal position) and in the sense of being just a fantastic, all-around-amazing example of a great, well-written female character.

In fact, we here at DC love our female characters. We love them in the totally respectable "we love to read them" way…and, uh…not in the weird "they're printed on our cuddle pillow" way. From the super-strong to the willfully powerful to even the psychotically malicious, we've got some of the most fun, creative and widely recognizable female characters in comics—heck, pop culture, even—and every week a number of them prove their awesomeness by taking center stage in some of the best titles currently on shelves.

Whether via comic books, toys or collectibles, it truly is a great time to be a fan of the DCU females. We’re certainly in that camp. You could even say we have a bit of a heroine addiction. It’s one addiction we’re very proud to have. So proud, in fact, that we’re listing off the 5.2 Reasons We’re Addicted to Our Super-Heroines!

1. Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman has been around since 1941 and she still looks great—especially with Cliff Chiang drawing her monthly in the pages of the critically acclaimed and brilliantly written Wonder Woman series by Brian Azzarello. Infusing Greek mythology with superheroics, Azzarello has crafted a Wonder Woman tale that encompasses everything that makes the character great and conveys it all through a tone vastly different from what's come before—one a little more mature and sophisticated while still balancing superhero adventure and fantasy. From her compassion and strength of character to her, you know, actual strength and general badassery, it's really no wonder we love Wonder Woman.

2. Bats and Cats and Birds (Oh My!)

When it comes to strong female characters, like with all things, Batman has it covered. From the feline fatale Catwoman to the aforementioned butt-kicking Batgirl to the all-female team the Birds of Prey (whose member Katana will soon be getting her own ongoing) to the Batwoman and even the Huntress (and by extension her BFF Power Girl), the female members of the Bat Family almost make us want to go to Gotham and commit a crime just so we can experience their awesomeness firsthand. We don't think we'd be able to handle the hospital bills, though.

3. Amaya, Princess of House Amethyst

Although a newer member of DC COMICS – THE NEW 52, Amaya of House Amethyst (appearing monthly in the pages of Sword of Sorcery) had us along for the ride from the get-go—simply by way of its cool creative team—but once the story’s action took us to Gemworld, things took a turn toward Awesome Town (about 28 miles outside of Crazy Town and a few stops away from Amazingville). Amaya’s hilarious sarcasm and "what am I even doing here" attitude brings a great level of fun and teenage cynicism to an already entertaining fantasy adventure.

4. Ame-Comi

We've been really big fans of the Ame-Comi line of statues for quite some time. From the extremely creative designs to the fun little details, they're a great addition to our shrine of nerdiness (also known as, you know, our office). But what's even more excellent is that their popularity spawned a new digital first series Ame-Comi Girls, which features characters inspired by the line. It's a really fun read scripted by the All-Star Western team of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, and each installment gets us excited about who is going to appear next and what twist to classic comic mythos and characters will occur.

5. Kickass Co-Stars

Whether we’re talking about the water-controlling warrior queen Mera from the pages of Aquaman, the alluring, if psychotic Harley Quinn in Suicide Squad, the face-punching powerhouse Cassie Sandsmark in Teen Titans, or Horsewoman, Exoristos and Shining Knight from Demon Knights, you don't have to headline a title to steal the show.

5.1 The Awesomeness that is Supergirl

5.2 The Upcoming Return of Stargirl

Nothing like awesome comics and stunning statues to feed our little Heroine addiction. So what are your reasons for loving DC’s heroines? Let us know in the comments!