// Foreword
Hey there, come on in. The water’s fine and there’s beer in the fridge. Juice too, if you prefer. I’ve had the luxury of reading a comic book or two this year, and I wanna tell you about them.
From my assorted stacks and boxes around my office filled with bags, boards, and books, I’ve plucked a fine selection of material and ranked them from tenthest to firstest. Each entry includes a very brief blurb.
My only criteria for this list is that at least one issue must have been released in 2024. Ongoing books started in the previous years are fair game.
With fear that I may have just written my shorted foreword yet, let’s get into it.
// 10 – Transformers
Transformers by Daniel Warren Johnson. No surprise this one makes the list. After completely exploding in popularity at the end of 2023, it has not slowed down. As of November this year, the first issue has been reprinted 10 times (which is a hell of a lot of times).
Autobots and Decepticons have crash-landed on Earth. A war of good vs evil ensues, but with a more realistic grit than I think you typically expect from transformers.
Beneath (literally) this battle on Earth, is the tale of the humans who inhabit it. They are struggling with the losses of family and friends from their own wars. As the humans and the Autobots grow closer, they help each other and learn from each other.
Despite being mostly about giant robots kicking the beans out of each other, DWJ uses those giant robots to tell a very gutting story of war and loss. There’s a depth to it that I had not expected.
At the time of writing, there are 17 issues. We know it will be ending at 24.
// 9 – Absolute Batman
Even if you don’t follow comics at all, there’s a chance you’ve seen the new Absolute Batman logo. Yes, the one that is essentially a brick.
DC’s Absolute line is a new line of books feature Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman that see them in a new universe. This allows the writers to try new and exciting things, while also giving new readers a much more accessible starting point for some books.
Absolute Batman is the Dark Knight at his finest. A Big Thick Man with a bigger, thicker brain. This Batman is brutal. His logo also turns into an axe, which is fun.
It’s an easy sell if you like Batman. It’s more Batman being cool.
Scott Snyder is back in the writer seat, which is wonderful (the guy who wrote Batman in the New 52 era, almost universally agreed to be the best New 52 book).
At the time of writing, there are only 2 issues out. It’s a great time to jump in.
// 8 – Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees
This one is a trip, my friends. If you’re the kind of person who likes a good “go in blind” recommendation, this one is it. If you want more info, read past the cute bear.
I have to admit, I had not heard of this book. I was doing some recon to make sure I didn’t have any glaring omissions on my list, and I saw this one mentioned a lot. I’m so very glad I read it. It’s entirely my brand of weird.
The best descriptor I saw for it is Dexter meets Bernstein Bears, which is apt.
It’s a bloody, violent mystery dolled up in beautiful watercolour artwork that would befit a children’s picture book. The art is fantastic. It is also very gruesome. You’ve been warned.
At an easy 6 issues, it’s a quick read.
// 7 – Ultimate Spider-Man
Ultimate Spider-Man is one of a handful of books in Marvel’s new Ultimate line. They feature new takes on classic characters in an alternate world. Much like DC’s Absolute line.
This alt Peter Parker is an adult – married with kids. Uncle Ben and Jonah J. Jameson have started their own news company after quitting their jobs, and Harry Osborne is the Green Goblin. He is also super-hero partners with Spider-Man, kitted out with Stark gear.
This reinvention of the Spider-Man cast is a breath of fresh air and a fun, well-written story. But with Jonathan Hickman writing, what else would you expect? I suspect Spidey will be a key player in the expanding Ultimate universe, so it’s worth keeping an eye on.
At the time of writing, there are 11 issues released.
// 6 – I Heart Skull-Crusher
This book is high-octane, no-thoughts fun. It came completely out of nowhere to me, I was grabbed by the sharp cover when scrolling through new books.
Trini Wastelander is obsessed with Skull-Crusher, the all-star player of Screaming Pain Ball. She wants to join this sport and climb the ranks to one day play alongside Skull-Crusher. She trains and recruits a team in an attempt to play, and antics ensue.
This is straight Shonen in comic book form. It’s colourful, it’s got action, it’s funny, it’s a good time.
At the time of writing, there are 7 issues released.
// 5 – Ultimate X-Men
The second of two Ultimate books on the list. Admittedly, I think the writing is better in Ultimate Spider-Man. BUT this book is written and drawn by Peach Momoko entirely. If you know that name, then you know it’s going to be beautiful. If you don’t, you owe it to yourself to Google her.
Some teenagers in Japan find themselves with strange new powers. They slowly find each other and get to work on solving a local mystery. New X-men, incoming. The premise is simple, but the art and vibes carry this one a long way.
At the time of writing, there are 9 issues released.
// 4 – The Incredible Hulk
I think Hulk is the most interesting “superhero” in comics right now. Each of the past three runs have taken him in unique and interesting places, far away from your typical superhero books.
The current Hulk book is a folk horror story. We get monsters, the occult, and some hulk body horror.
The story follows Bruce/Hulk as a nasty ladyfreak summons all the horrors of the night after him. What’s under the surface of that, though, is a very personal story of the struggles Bruce and Hulk have with themselves, and with other people.
At the time of writing, there are 19 issues released.
// 3 – Something is Killing the Children
This book has been on the tops of many recommendation lists every year since it began in 2019, so it’s no surprise to see it here.
Speaking of lists, James Tynion IV would be on the short list of “dudes who rule the comic industry these days” guaranteed, and this book is a solid part of that recognition. He has created a thrilling and horrifying world where monsters are real, but most people can’t see them. They’re born of fear. As the name would imply, they often kill children.
To counter this, there is a secret organization trained in the way of monster killing, of which our protagonist Erica Slaughter is a part of. The spin-off title House of Slaughter goes into more detail about the lore of this organization (also a good book).
This is an all around solid supernatural book with expressive, bloody artwork that tells a tale of real people and how loss affects them.
The book just celebrated it’s fifth year and 40th issue by ending an arc and releasing a #0 prequel issue. At the time of writing, they have not announced the next issue, but it will be coming eventually. A great time to get caught up!
// 2 – Minor Arcana
This one’s new, but it’s got the sauce. Minor Arcana is the newest book drawn and written by Jeff Lemire (probably best known for Sweet Tooth and Essex County, the latter of which is one of my all-time faves).
This story follows Theresa, who has returned to her small hometown to see her mother. Her mother is not doing so hot. She also happens to be a Psychic, helping out the local townsfolk with readings. Theresa thinks this is all bullshit, until she becomes entangled with the psychic world herself.
But the selling point isn’t just the mystery going on, it’s the vibe of the town and the characters. Between the art and the writing, Lemire is so so good at imbuing the pages with a very realistic feeling of melancholy and – in a way – depression that you only understand if you’ve been in one of these washed up old towns.
We’re only on issue 3 currently.
// 1 – Nice House by the Sea
James Tynion IV delivers this hot sequel to 2021’s Nice House on the Lake (which helped him win three Eisners) straight off the grill and still steaming. This thing is HOT.
This series adds a new cast, and new questions. The details are best uncovered for yourself, however. Since this is the second series, talking too much about the plot would ruin the first.
The artwork is stunning, and perfectly matches the mysterious and dramatic tone of the story. Simply put, this is the book I am most excited to see show up on my pull list each week. Go read it. It’s not a big commitment and it’s very good. It’s an end of the world story like you’ve never seen.
There are currently only four issues released. The first series has a total of twelve issues.
// Afterword
Thanks for reading! One of my inspirations for writing this top ten list was to show people the breadth of content available in western comics. I often hear the medium dismissed because “it’s all boring superhero books” or similar complaints.
There are a ton of those, for sure, but there’s a whole lot more out there as well. I hope you’ll take a look at a book or two off this list! Half the comics here are published by publishers other than Marvel and DC.
I hope this is the first of many comic-related posts I will be making. I have a few ideas noodling around on other books I’d like to do a deep dive on in the future.
Until next time, Excelsior!
