My Top 10 Comics
My top 10 favourite comic books of all-time
Hello friends!
Here are my top 10 favourite comic books of all-time! I’ve been a comic book reader since I was a little kid and I’ve always loved the comic book medium so I wanted to share with you all of the comic books that I love!
I’m going to start from my number 10 favourite comic book and work my way up to my number 1 all-time favourite comic book. I’d love to know if any of you guys have read these so do let me know in the comments!
10. The Incal
The Incal by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Moebius is one of my all-time favourites. I read it for the first time in 2015 and honestly it blew me away. It’s still one of the best science-fiction stories I’ve ever read so I had to place it on my top 10 comic book list for sure.
So what is The Incal? For those of you who don’t know, Alejandro Jodorowsky is a well-known filmmaker and comic book writer who was tied to direct a very ambitious movie adaption of Frank Herbert’s Dune after buying the rights to it. Unfortunately Jodorowsky’s version of Dune was never made. Because of this, Jodorowsky decided to pour all of his ideas and concepts from Dune into a comic book called The Incal.
Set in a whacky quirky science-fiction dystopian world, a down-on-his-luck low-class private detective, John Difool, finds his life turned upside down when he comes across an ancient mystical artefact called ‘The Incal’ and soon he is thrust into the ultimate battle which will find teaming up with a ragtag team of misfits to save the universe from cosmic darkness.
I absolutely adore Moebius’ artwork in this volume. It’s very surreal and rough and cartoony which I love! I’d highly recommend reading this comic book if you love Dune and quirky science-fiction stories like The Fifth Element. It’s so good! Go read it!
9. The Superior Spider-Man
I’ve always loved Spider-Man as a character and as a superhero but it was Dan Slott’s Superior Spider-Man series that made me fall back in love with Spider-Man. This series was released in 2013 and it was around this time I was getting back into reading comic books after a bit of a hiatus from the comic book world. I love the Superior Spider-Man series so much and it really made me appreciate Dan Slott so much as a writer.
One of the biggest problems with the comic book industry is the fact that status quo is God. Characters in comic books never really die. There’s actually a term for that called ‘Joker Syndrome’ which is when a character is so popular and beloved that they can’t be killed off. But in Superior Spider-Man, Dan Slott wrote a completely new and original and exciting take on Spider-Man where Peter Parker is killed off during the 700th issue of Amazing Spider-Man and his mind is transplanted into the dying aging body of his arch-nemesis, Otto Octavius AKA Doctor Octopus. By doing this, Otto now resumes full control over Peter’s body and discovers he is Spider-Man. And now, in true Otto Octavius fashion, Otto plans to become a ‘Superior Spider-Man’, a better Spider-Man than Peter ever was and thus chaos ensues.
This comic is so good and I remember being so addicted to it when I first read it just because of how enthralling the story was. It was so different from other Spider-Man stories I’d ever read before. I love Dan Slott’s writing and it was so interesting to see one of Spider-Man’s villains being the main character for a change and seeing what Otto does now that he has access to Peter’s powers, relationships, memories, as well as access to the Avengers too because Peter is also an Avenger during this time. It’s such a fascinating take on the Spider-Man mythos - what would happen if the villain got the superhero’s powers?
A really fun, exciting, and unique Spider-Man story. I’d highly recommend reading it if you haven’t already.
8. Ghost World
Ghost World by Daniel Clowes is probably THE graphic novel that made me want to write and illustrate my very own comic book. I love Daniel Clowes’ storytelling and his artwork is absolutely stunning. It was actually serialized in Daniel Clowes’ comic book series, Eightball. This graphic novel is definitely more of a slice of life contemporary story so if you like those types of low-stake real-life style stories, I think you might really enjoy Ghost World. I also think this is a great introduction to Daniel Clowes’ work.
Set in a small American town in the 1990s, Ghost World tells the tale of two best friends, Enid Colesaw and Rebecca Doppelmeyer, who have just graduated from high school. I love Daniel Clowes’ characters because they’re all really cynical and eccentric and relatable. Enid Colesaw is one of my favourite comic book characters because I found myself relating to her so much. She’s someone who doesn’t quite know who she is yet and is trying to figure out how the world works as well as dealing with growing up, self-loathing, and loss of innocence.
This is such a thought-provoking read. It’s definitely worth checking out in my opinion.
7. Silver Surfer (Dan Slott & Michael Allred)
More Dan Slott because I love Dan Slott! Dan Slott and Michael Allred’s Silver Surfer run is one of my absolute favourites and made me fall in love with Silver Surfer. I think if you like Doctor Who, you will probably LOVE this series because there is a lot of fun and wholesome and kooky Doctor Who-isms in the way Dan Slott wrote this series. I think Dan Slott is a big Doctor Who fan so that makes sense.
This series follows the adventures of Silver Surfer and Dawn Greenwood as they journey through the cosmos together. This is a great comic book series to get into because it’s mostly focused on short single issue stories about Silver Surfer and Dawn Greenwood. A fantastically written series and a perfect pick for new comic book readers because you can simply read one issue and you’ll have everything you need to know. There’s also a lot of fun Marvel cameos that show up from time to time like Doctor Strange, The Hulk, and the Guardians Of The Galaxy.
I really love how Dan Slott wrote the character of Silver Surfer. He feels so much more fleshed out and he’s actually really fun to follow too. Usually Silver Surfer is always depicted as this stuffy heartbroken character with this Shakespearean quality to the way he speaks but in this series, he’s finally moving away from all of that and there’s also a really cute romance between him and Dawn that I absolutely love.
6. The Crow
I love The Crow so much and it deeply affected me the first time I read it back in 2015. Every time I go back and reread it, I am still in awe of James O’Barr’s artwork and it breaks my heart what he went through before writing this graphic novel. It was inspired by the loss and pain of losing his fiancée and it’s just so sad to hear what happened to him and how the incident pushed him to create The Crow.
This graphic novel is so special to me. I don’t like to get personal on here but back in 2015 around the time I discovered The Crow for the first time, my sister unexpectedly passed away and this graphic novel was exactly what I needed to read at that fragile time. It really helped me deal with how I was feeling and how to cope with the loss of my sister. A beautifully written and illustrated story about heartbreak, love, death, and grief.
5. Sex Criminals
Sex Criminals by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky is honestly one of my favourite comic books of all-time just because of how whacky and zany and funny it is. I love the premise to this comic so much and I read it based on that alone. Published by Image Comics in 2013, Sex Criminals follows the two main characters, Suzie and Jon, who can stop time every time they orgasm - yes, really.
When Suzie and Jon meet and decide to have to one night stand, they both discover that they stop time every time they have sex so they embark on a series of bank robberies to save Suzie’s library from closing down but find themselves being chased by a group of people who also possess the same power. They’re sort of like sex police and there’s just a lot of crazy spicy hijinks that goes on which is so fun. It’s really interesting and there’s lots of honest unique discussions in the comic about sex and relationships which I really liked too.
4. Batman: No Man’s Land
I’ve always been a huge Batman fan since growing up watching the DC animated universe but Batman: No Man’s Land has to be my favourite Batman comic.
Batman: No Man’s Land is one of my favourite Batman stories hands down but I don’t think I can recommend it to someone who’s new to reading comics or who’s new to Batman in general. This comic spans many issues and places Batman in a very risky situation: Gotham City has been shut down for a whole year. Characters like Robin, Batgirl, Nightwing, Huntress, and the Dark Knight himself are now forced to deal with the ramifications of an earthquake. And in a world of drawn out events and fascinating character writing, Batman: No Man’s Land had to be one of the best Batman stories for me.
I honestly don’t know how to recommend this comic to people so it’s just a comic you’ll have to pick up and read yourself to find out. It’s a very long series and so much happens in it but it’s definitely worth it just to read and admire the phenomenal work of Paul Dini, Greg Rucka, Chuck Dixon, and everyone else who poured their heart and soul into making this comic one of the best!
3. Daredevil: The Man Without The Fear
“Summertime, in the Manhattan neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen. The days are bright and hot and full of mischief. And the nights are cool and restless, with the hum of the city calling to this boy, this Matt Murdock. Calling to him, promising him something he cannot yet understand.”
If you were to ask me who my favourite superhero or my favourite Marvel comic book character is, it would be Daredevil. I love Daredevil so it’s no surprise that Frank Miller and John Romita Jr’s The Man Without Fear is number 3 on this list.
Regardless of whether you like Frank Miller or not, he did bring the character of Daredevil back to life in a way and gave him so much nuance and depth. Before Frank Miller began writing Daredevil, the character (originally created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett) wasn’t as popular as other characters in the Marvel universe at the time such as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four. He was a c-list superhero at best. Frank Miller brought him out of the shadows and turned him into the deeply flawed and relatable character we all know and love today.
The Man Without The Fear was the first Daredevil I ever read alongside Daredevil: Guardian Devil and Daredevil: Born Again. I fell instantly in love with Matt Murdock and street-based morally grey superheroes. Please go read this comic if you haven’t already. It’s incredible and I still go back to it all the time just because it means so much to me and Frank Miller’s writing is exquisite. Also the artwork by John Romita Jr is fantastic!
2. The Dark Phoenix Saga
I could gush all day about how much I love the Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Bryne. I grew up reading the X-men comics, thanks to the X-Men animated series from the 1990s. I can’t describe to you what the Dark Phoenix Saga did to me the first time I read it. The writing, the pacing, John Bryne’s stunning artwork, etc. Nobody draws the X-Men quite like John Bryne. Him and Chris Claremont are the best X-Men duo although I do love Grant Morrison’s X-Men work too.
I’m not going to go into too much detail about the Dark Phoenix Saga because it’s such a massively popular X-Men comic and all I can say is: go read it if you’ve haven’t gotten the chance to yet. It’s amazing and to this day, it’s still one of the best X-Men comics ever written in my opinion. Jean Grey’s slow-burn descent into madness from the Phoenix into the Dark Phoenix is one of the best character arcs ever. I love it so much.
1. Empowered
What can I say? Empowered by Adam Warren has to be my number 1 favourite comic book series of all-time. It has everything I love - superheroes, strong female characters, action, comedy, cute romances, and awesome female friendships. Empowered tells the story of a young woman named Megan Powers AKA the superhero Empowered!
Empowered has been described as a sexy superhero comedy so if that tickles your fancy, go ahead and give it a read! I absolutely love the characters in this comic. They’re all so quirky and funny and outlandish. It’s just so good! Adam Warren is such an amazing writer and his illustration style is very manga inspired so if you like that manga style, you might enjoy Empowered. I love this series so much. I might do a solo comic book review of this series sometime in the future. If anyone would be interested in that, do let me know!
Love,
Laura-Louise xoxo
Empowered is an underappreciated gem. It demonstrates why story is paramount over art in any comic, and that's no slam on the art. The original Image Comics failed due to placing art in the driver's seat over story. Incal is a BD classic. Sharp writing and art, and the intro to BD works for many Americans via Heavy Metal. Frank Miller redefined and now owns DD as the resilient and redeemed Roman Catholic hero. No other team who came after "gets him" the way Miller did. Very much harkening back to the Lee/Romita era.
There is some real quality in here. You can see the thought and detail; it's just brilliant. Love DD by the way :)