Well friends, I’ve been subjected to a terrifying inevitability: I turn 30 this month. As I mull over the existential dread of aging, I decided to have some fun talking about comics and how they’ve impacted my life. I looked over my extensive library, picked out the ones that mean the most to me, and had them battle it out in my head to compose my personal top 30 list of all-time favorites.
Please keep in mind that this is not an objective “greatest comics of all-time” list. These are my thirty personal favorites as of right now. This list could look completely different a year, a month, or even a week from now. There’s a range of comic stories here – some Big 2 superhero books, weird 80’s Vertigo stuff, and a slew of cool independent books. Several of the comic here were introduced to me via my time spent working with the awesome folks here at Monkeys Fighting Robots. Since I started reading comics as a teen in the early 2010’s, I’ve had a spectacular time finding out what about this medium makes it *click* so well for me, and how that is different for basically everyone who reads comics.
Without further ado, let’s get started…
30. Monsters by Barry Windsor Smith
Barry Windsor Smith (Wolverine: Weapon X; Savage Sword of Conan) returned to the comics medium with one of the most harrowing & brilliant stories of the last decade. Smith spent almost 40-years of his career working on Monsters – which is based on a rejected script for a Hulk story he pitched to Marvel. For readers, the years of work were well worth the wait. Monsters is a brutal, devastatingly sad and masterfully constructed graphic novel. The tragedy of Bobby Bailey, from his life under his insane father to his mutation and destruction at the hands of the U.S. military-industrial complex, is one of the most compelling comic stories of its kind. I first read Monsters right as it released in 2021, and it has haunted me ever since.
29. Lucifer by Mike Carey, Peter Gross, & Dean Ormston
Neil Gaiman himself said that Mike Carey was possibly the only one capable of giving the Vertigo universe’s version of the Lightbringer to life in his own story. I suspect he may have been right. With the help of incredible visuals from Peter Gross and Dean Ormston, Carey & Co. make Lucifer a sprawling epic of mythic proportions – enough to rival Sandman itself. This was one of the comics that made me fall in love with this era of DC’s Vertigo imprint. Lucifer is wildly intelligent, insidiously clever, often hilarious, and has more references to myth and literature than you could ever hope to label with a stack of post-it notes. This devil is a very dear one to me.
28. John Constantine: Hellblazer by Si Spurrier, Aaron Campbell, & Matias Bergara
I couldn’t imagine a better fit for Constantine in the modern era than Coda writer Si Spurrier. His dry wit, sardonic humor, and clearly stated political awareness leads him to scripting the best run on Hellblazer since Garth Ennis and Jamie Delano. Featuring the genius visual touches from Aaron Campbell and Matias Bergara (one of my favorite artists working today), Spurrier & Co.’s John Constantine: Hellblazer is one of DC’s best comics of the last decade, standing tall with the best in Vertigo’s legacy.
27. Do A Powerbomb! by Daniel Warren Johnson
Daniel Warren Johnson has quickly risen to the top of my favorite creators in modern comics. Each and every one of his works is pure comics-magic, with nuclear-force action and tons of heart. Do A Powerbomb! may be his magnum opus. A story of grief, family, and wrestling inter-dimensional badasses, Powerbomb! is one of the most brilliantly “comic book-ass” creations in recent memory. I was *hollering* when I got the the last pages of the final match in this comic. DWJ is a damn genius.
26. These Savage Shores by Ram V & Sumit Kumar
Funny, I learned more about the British colonization of India from this comic series than I ever did in University classes that discussed the era. These Savage Shores was my introduction to Ram V, who now stands as one of the best talents in the industry today. One part history lesson, another part battle of mythology & culture, These Savage Shores is one of the sharpest and most original comics I’ve ever read. Sumit Kumar’s beautifully composed pages and panels also make this series one of the most stunning books of the last decade.
25. Richard Stark’s Parker by Darwyn Cooke
Darwyn Cooke’s adaptation of Richard Stark’s (aka Donald Westlake’s) legendary series of crime novels is a masterstroke of comics genius. Cooke takes Stark’s cold, calculating prose and presents it in a visual medium in a manner that is subdued yet explosively exciting. It’s hard to talk about the genius of Cooke’s work here without writing an entire article, but trust me when I say it’s some of the finest work in all of comics. The stone-faced, crumpled-suit wearing professional criminal has gone on to be one of my favorite characters in fiction, thanks to Cooke’s adaptations of Westlake’s work.
24. Immortal Hulk by Al Ewing & Joe Bennett
As you’re likely going to figure out while continuing down this list, I’m not a big Marvel guy. Now, take a staple Marvel character and give him a Vertigo-style cerebral horror story with an eldritch, almost supernatural mythology? Well, I’m in. Immortal Hulk may be Marvel’s best comic of *at least* the last decade. Wildly intelligent, unnerving, and stupendously unique, Immortal Hulk takes lessons from the likes of Alan Moore’s Swamp Thing to make a Hulk story that is absolutely unlike anything Marvel has done before. It’s one of the best mainstream comics of the 21st century.
23. 20th Century Men by Deniz Camp & Stipan Morian
A mixture of Watchmen, Apocalypse Now, and BWS’s Monsters, Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian’s 20th Century Men is the best book out of Image in the last several years. An incisive, imaginative look at Western imperialism through an alternate history lens, it’s a story with lessons and observations that hit *especially* hard to anyone with empathy who is aware of world events. Camp’s intelligent yet poetic script is bolstered by Morian’s haunting visual work, making for one of the most beautifully brutal comics I’ve ever read.
22. Criminal by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
Undoubtedly the greatest crime comic ever printed (next to Cooke’s Parker, of course), Brubaker and Phillips’s now iconic series is a masterful take on the genre. Combining influences ranging from Golden Age pulp comics and Hollywood flicks, all the way to the films of Scorsese and Tarantino, Criminal feels like a defining statement on the world of organized crime. Brubaker’s focused, human storytelling and Phillips’s incredibly detailed visuals are what have made the pair arguably the best creative duo in modern comics. Criminal is one of the greatest crime stories of all time – in any medium.
21. Wolverine: Weapon X by Barry Windsor Smith
The harrowing origin of everyone’s favorite clawed-Canadian as only the legendary Barry Windsor Smith could make it. Weapon X is a flawlessly constructed, awesomely brutal look telling of how Wolverine got his adamantium skeleton. To this day, Weapon X is heralded as one of the best stories in Marvel’s publishing history – and the definitive answer to why you don’t f*ck with Logan. You could teach a class on comics creation with this story alone.
20. Watchmen by Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
When I was in middle school, a friend lent me their trade paperback copy of Watchmen. Although much of the superhero and political commentary went over my head at the time, it was still the first time I realized comic books could be like…well, *that.* There’s not much I could add to the Watchmen discussion here. It’s a classic for a reason, and a comic that changed the face of the medium for all time – for better or worse.
19. Murder Falcon by Daniel Warren Johnson
Everything I said about Do A Powerbomb! applies here, but Murder Falcon has one key advantage for me: heavy metal. DWJ’s love letter to the metal genre makes for one of the most riotous, explosive comic books of the 21st century. The emotional core of the story hits me especially hard these days after the loss of a dear friend a couple years ago. Murder Falcon is an absolute treasure of a comic.
18. Daytripper by Gabriel Ba & Fabio Moon
Another deeply emotional comic that hits harder every time I read it. The brothers Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s creative opus follows a man as he lives and dies at a different age in every issue. It’s one of those stories that will affect you more the older you get. Daytripper is one of the most effective reminders to cherish the moments you have with the people around you.
17. Chainsaw Man by Tatsuki Fujimoto
Possibly the most batsh*t insane and original comic of the decade so far, Chainsaw Man is a massive show of creative force by mangaka Tatsuki Fujimoto. Chainsaw combines classic manga like Devilman with an apparent love for cinema and some adherence to standard Shonen sensibilities, all while sprinkling in sharp political commentary. It’s a wonder that Chainsaw Man actually gets published in SJ magazine. There’s actually a running joke that Fujimoto has dirt on an SJ editor, hence why he’s allowed to do as he pleases in a comics magazine aimed towards teens. For those of you who say part 2 is “boring” or “too slow,” I’m telling you this: let the man cook.
16. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V & Filipe Andrade
Akin to Daytripper, albeit with more mythology and cultural examples mixed in, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr is a beautiful, heartfelt examination of mortality and the value of life. Ram V’s focus on humanity and lived experience in his stories comes through loud and clear as he details life in Mumbai, from the perspective of both Death and the story’s supporting cast. Andrade’s stunning, dreamlike visuals bring the experience to a heightened level, making Laila Starr a stunning and emotionally resonant comic. It’s possibly my most recommended comic of the last couple years.
15. Animal Man by Grant Morrison & Chas Truog
Where Watchmen showed me that comics could be complex, Morrison’s Animal Man showed me how to take the medium apart, look at all of its innards, and reassembled it before my eyes. What starts as a compelling series about a superhero with close ties to nature fighting animal cruelty turns into a wildly inventive meta-narrative about the creation of art. Animal Man was a sign of things to come for Morrison’s career, as so many of their creative signatures are first seen at American publishers in this series. There’s a reason this run is so highly regarded amongst both fans and creators alike.
14. Hellblazer by Garth Ennis & Various Artists
Most of the defining characteristics of our fried John Constantine come from Garth Ennis’s landmark run on the character. The 2nd writer to take on the solo series, Ennis picks up where Jamie Delano leaves off and adds his own brand of attitude and swagger. Less philosophical and more grounded, Ennis’s run excels as a piece of human storytelling as much as it does a supernatural horror and genuinely funny political satire. Hellblazer showcases Ennis’s wide range as a writer, and also stands as some of his best work with longtime collaborator Steve Dillon.
13. Gotham Central by Ed Brubaker, Greg Rucka, & Michael Lark
The best police procedural in all of comics happens to take place in the medium’s most famous city. Gotham Central is a sharply written series that focuses on the humanity, warts and all, of the GCPD’s detectives as well as the weird crap they have to put up with in Batman’s city. Michael Lark’s visuals are still some of the best ever done in a crime comic, giving the series an atmosphere that mimics the classic Mazzucchelli Year One aesthetic while still creating something new. Gotham Central is a must-read for fans of DC or not, and it’s one of the publishers finest books they’ve ever printed.
12. The Fade Out by Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
While Criminal gets the most praise out of Brubaker and Phillips’s work (deservedly so), The Fade Out took hold of me in a way even the duo’s most popular series couldn’t quite manage. Taking place in the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Fade Out is a fictionalized look at the corruption and moral bankruptcy of the classic filmmaking industry. Taut, suspenseful, and perfectly paced, The Fade Out is quite possibly the best comic of its kind – at least in my opinion.
11. Batman: Year One by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Year One is, quite simply, *the* Batman story. Miller’s perfectly constructed mixture of crime noir and pulp cape comics, as well as his sense for what makes Batman work as a character, ends in one of the greatest mainstream comics ever printed. David Mazzucchelli’s art is an aesthetic that has been imitated by dozens of artists since (see Gotham Central above), and it’s some of the most iconic work in the medium. Year One is one of those books that just about everyone who is into comics has read, and one of the first recommendations given to those new to the medium.
10. Swamp Thing by Alan Moore & Various Artists
Our first taste of Alan Moore’s talents in American comics also happens to be one of the best works in the medium. Weird, grotesque, and wildly intriguing, Moore’s Swamp Thing effectively set up everything the Vertigo imprint would be known for. The visual work from the likes of Stephen Bisette, John Totleben, and Rick Veitch still make for some of the most striking visuals ever used in a mainstream comic. Moore’s Saga of the Swamp Thing is a tentpole of the medium to this very day.
9. Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison & Richard Case
God I love this comic. The Painting that Ate Paris? Danny the Street? Negative Man? Flex Mentallo? Every bit of writing and visual work in this series means so much to me as a piece of art. Morrison’s fearlessly inventive yet well-structured style in Doom Patrol is a huge influence on how I perceive art and writing. Richard Case is one of the most underrated artists of the time period, and his work here still stands as some of my favorite visual work in comics. This run on Doom Patrol is a carnival of hyper-imaginative artistic wizardry, and something I have to recommend to people who want to read something different and truly special.
8. Preacher by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon
As an American from the South who grew up on Westerns in a working class family, Preacher hits me like a train every time I read it. Absurd comedy and angels & demons main story aside, Ennis’s presentation of Custer’s family and the values that come with being a man, good and bad, are so genuinely written it’s easy to forget the writer is actually Irish and not from Amarillo. Preacher is one of the greatest comics around, and while it’s hard to recommend to everyone, those in the know just how damn special this series is.
7. House of X/Powers of X by Jonathan Hickman & Pepe Larraz
One of the most jarring and deeply intriguing mainstream comics ever. House of X/Powers of X had me in equal parts confused, surprised, and absolutely hooked through my initial reading of the collected hardcover. Jonathan Hickman’s scripting here feels like the culmination of 40 years of Mutant rage – and the start of some grave new journey. The visual work from Larraz & Co. set the standard for X-Men books moving forward with stunning animation and detail. It’s a shame the Krakoa era never *quite* panned out as strongly as it should have, but that doesn’t keep a HoX/PoX from being one of the greatest comics Marvel has ever published.
6. All-Star Superman by Grant Morrison & Frank Quietly
Grant Morrison said that Superman is humanity’s greatest creation – he’s the ideal being humanity should strive for, with endless compassion and empathy. All-Star Superman is their ultimate thesis statement supporting that quote. This series brings me to tears every time I read it, with Kal-El’s acts of kindness great and small in the face of his oncoming demise. The moment where Lex gets Superman’s powers for a moment and is overcome with emotion at how his Kryptonian rival sees the world is just, just so damn good, man. Frank Quietly’s version of Superman is still my favorite in the medium, with images such as the one above being my mental thumbnail for the Big Blue Boy Scout. If you read All-Star and still can’t understand why people love Superman, maybe comics just aren’t for you.
5. Mister Miracle by Tom King & Mitch Gerads
DC’s best book of the last decade, and one of the most thoughtfully crafted comics of the modern era, Mister Miracle is a staggering achievement of storytelling. The story of Scott Free struggling to overcome the trauma of life on Apokalips, supported by his amazing-as-hell wife Barda, is a story I never thought I cared much to hear but am*so glad* I did. King and Gerads cemented themselves as one of the best creative pairs in contemporary comics with this 12-issue miniseries – which I myself was glued to as it came out in single issues. Regardless of how you feel about Tom King, Mister Miracle is a book I cannot recommend enough.
4. East of West by Jonathan Hickman & Nick Dragotta
Jonathan Hickman’s magnum opus, and likely the greatest original comic of the 21st century (in my opinion), East of West is every bit as entertaining as it is intellectually invigorating. Hickman’s use of political conflict, sci-fi, fantasy, and philosophy all come together with a flawless ease that makes this fantastical post-American apocalypse an insane wonder to behold. Nick Dragotta’s art here alone is enough for him to be cemented as one of my favorite artists in the industry. Everyone who thinks Saga is the best Image book, I’m begging you to pick up East of West.
3. Berserk by Kentaro Miura
One of the most iconic manga ever created, and arguably the greatest piece of longform fantasy fiction of the last 30 years, Berserk is a masterwork on every level. The story of Guts, from his pained beginnings, the betrayals he suffers, and how he begins to find peace again, is a lesson in character writing. Kentaro Miura’s jaw-dropping visuals and grotesque monster designs have cemented the late legend as one of the greatest artists in the medium. Even with the creator passing before the story’s end, Berserk still stands as one of the greatest sagas in all of fiction.
2. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman & Various Artists
As an English major with a love for the classics & mythology, The Sandman has always felt like it was made especially for me. The beauty of Gaiman’s poetic, understated prose is absolutely captivating. The creativity involved with the creation of Sandman’s now-iconic lore, as well as the wide array of talented artists who bring it to life, is awe-inspiring to this very day. The Sound of Her Wings, Season of Mist, and Dream of A Thousand Cats are stories I bring up often as “perfect” comics stories. The Sandman is one of the reasons I love this medium as much as I do.
Not even the author’s gross, heartbreaking actions can kill that for me.
1. Hellboy by Mike Mignola
In my mind, Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is the height of the medium is terms of how comics are constructed and used. Mignola’s mastery of sequential direction, timing, tension, and of course just how he’s developed his signature art style, make his long-running magnum opus a tentpole of the medium you could teach a class on. The fact that the story that develops and the mythology surrounding Hellboy and his allies in the B.P.R.D. is so well-constructed and entertaining lifts Hellboy to being one of the finest pieces of fiction of the last 50 years. What Mignola and his collaborators have created across this universe is a work of storytelling wonder, and the best rabbit hole I’ve ever jumped down.
