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Sure, you probably know about Watchmen. But there are more essentials for your shelf.
This story is part of The Amazing, Uncanny, All-Star Men’s Health Guide to Comics, where we dive into some of the most illustrative conversations about the comic books and graphic novels that have influenced so much of our culture and lives. Read our next hand-selected issue here.
MAKING LISTS IS hard. But picking ten genre-defining works is even more difficult. And yet, that’s what we’re aiming to do here as part of our ongoing comic book package; we’re selecting ten of the best comic book stories ever. So, how do you even begin to sum up the best tales from a medium that has existed for hundreds of years?
Well, it helps there are some generally accepted pillars of the medium that any list worth its salt should include (so, yes, you’ll find some of those here), but how do you fill out the rest? Our approach was to nail down character-defining tales for some of the most well-known comic book characters, toss in a classic crossover event, and even try to identify what may constitute as a modern classic. With that in mind, you’ll find a wide range of stories that run the gambit of what’s possible within the confines of a printed page, each with its own unique perspective and story to tell. And like any good list, this isn’t a defacto end-all-be-all list, but rather, a jumping-off point for those new to the medium to discover some classics before solidifying their individualized tastes and preferences. Nevertheless, here’s our collection of the ten best comic book stories ever for you to discover for the first time or revisit for the hundredth.
Batman: Year One (1987)
Year One: Written by Frank Miller, Illustrated by David Mazzucchelli
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (1986)
The Dark Knight Returns: Written and illustrated by Frank Miller
YES, THIS IS a cheat, but it’s a worthy one. Under the pen of Frank Miller, Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns represent the Alpha and Omega of storytelling for the Caped Crusader. It’s a bar set so high that every other Batman story lives in the shadow of these two masterpieces. Year One, illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, boldened by Richmond Lewis’ colors and Todd Klein’s letters, takes the barebones of what original Batman creators Bob Kane and Bill Finger established and evolves and then sets the defacto origin for the character. Hell, even cinematic versions of the character are indebted to the story.
The Dark Knight Returns is not only one of the best Batman stories ever, it’s one of the best comics ever — full stop. Responsible for opening the door for comics to tell more mature stories, Miller’s written and drawn series, with inks by Klaus Johnson, letters by John Costanza, and colors by Lynn Varley, introduced an older version of the character, one more rough and tumble and keen to push himself to the limits of his code to execute his version of justice. Loaded with breaking-taking sequences across densely populated grids and richly emotional character moments, it's the defining tale for an iconic character — with a boundary-pushing story that’s inspired generations of readers and comic book storytellers alike.
Maus (1980-1991)
Written and illustrated by Art Spiegelman
ART SPIEGELMAN's NON-FICTION autobiography stands shoulder to shoulder alongside Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns as one of the most important works in the medium, a powerful story that became the first graphic novel to win a Pulitzer Prize. Based on Spiegelman’s interviews with his father, a Holocaust survivor, Maus refashions the genocide with Jews as mice and Germans as cats through a frame story that doesn’t skim on the personal lived experience of victims and survivors. Like the two other masterworks mentioned alongside it, Maus redefined the medium and forced people and outsiders to take comics seriously and its impact still lingers to this day, as evidenced by the 2022 backlash to a decision made by a Tennessee County schoolboard to remove it from the curriculum.
Kraven’s Last Hunt (1987)
Written by J.M. DeMatteis, Illustrated by Mike Zeck
FOR AS MUCH time as comics spend diving into the psyche of the heroes that populate and popularize the genre, villains don’t often receive the same focus — but Kraven’s Last Hunt changed all that. While universally hailed as one of the best Spider-Man stories, so much so that it served as the inspiration for the recent Spider-Man 2 videogame for PlayStation 5, writer J. M. DeMatteis, artist Mike Zeck, inker Bob McLeod, letterer Rick Parker, and colorist Bob Sharen’s tale is unique because it’s a story told almost exclusively from the villain’s point-of-view. Kraven’s misbegotten belief that he can be a better Spider-Man leads him to leave Peter for dead, only to realize that Spider-Man’s power doesn’t lie in his superhuman abilities — but in his power to represent and be the very best definition of a hero.
Hawkeye (2012-2015)
Written by Matt Fraction, Illustrated by David Aja
IT'S HARD TO judge amid a creative work whether or not it would or could live on a masterwork, but at a certain point during Matt Fraction and David Aja’s Hawkeye series, the conventional wisdom around the title morphed into an understanding that the comics community had a certified banger on its hands. Pitched as what the archer does when he’s not avenging, Fraction and Aja’s take on Clint Barton brings the typically epic scale of superheroing down the ground level. Clint and Kate Bishop aren’t saving the world, they’re saving an apartment building in Brooklyn. In this simple but effective premise, Fraction and Aja use the medium for all sorts of incredible visual tales; whether it's an entire issue told from the perspective of a dog or an issue told entirely through sign language, Hawkeye finds its mark as a modern masterclass on what kinds of stories are possible in comics.
Civil War (2006-2007)
Written by Mark Millar, Illustrated by Steve McNiven
HEROES VERSUS HEROES is a tried and true staple of the comic book genre, but few stories execute it at the blockbuster level that Civil War does. Crossover events can sometimes require decades of context to understand, but what makes the Mark Millar-written tale accessible is the (sometimes cartoonishly) stakes deeply understandable. In the wake of a superhero-driven tragedy, the entirety of the Marvel universe has to take sides over government regulation. It’s a simple premise, executed to perfection by Millar, highlighted by kinetic art from Steven McNiven, inks by Dexter Vines, colors by Morry Hollowell, and letters from the best in the game, Chris Eliopoulos. It also has the rare distinction of being one of the few Marvel events in recent memory with ramifications still felt in comics today — a rare feat to achieve when there’s a new massive crossover every six months.
The Dark Phoenix Saga (1980)
Written by Chris Claremont, Illustrated by John Byrne
FULL OF DRAMA, high stakes, incredible world-building, and a character-first narrative, the Dark Phoenix Saga remains the watershed X-Men story, one so influential and popular it’s had two different (and failed) cinematic adaptations. Detailing the corruption of Jean Gray by the cosmic Phoenix Force, the Saga charts the X-Men’s collective and anguished attempts to save one of their own. It’s a micro exploration of macro reasons that the characters of this team so universally beloved. Powered by a cosmic creative force — that’s to say, Chris Claremont’s prose and John Byrne’s phenomenal art — the Dark Phoenix Saga is a defining moment for the X-Men, Marvel, and comics as a whole, showing what’s possible when creators are operating at their respective peaks.
Watchmen (1986-1987)
Written by Alan Moore, Illustrated by Dave Gibbons
RECOMMENDING WATCHMEN—AS rightfully totemic, influential, and great as it is—right out of the gate to a new comic book reader can often be very overwhelming. Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons, and John Wiggins’ genre-defining work is dense; the deconstructional themes at play across its layered nine-panel grid and 12 issues hit harder if readers are more familiar with the archetypes of the superhero genre. That’s not to say you can’t come into it cold and find some level of appreciation, but exploring other stories in the medium before reading it may benefit some readers. The thematic tome still resonates as a tale about superheroes themselves, anti-Reaganism, who gets to wield power, and more. It can be a lot to take in all at once, but nevertheless, Watchmen is a watershed entry that revolutionized the kinds of stories that comics — and only comics — could tell.
March (2016)
Written by Congressman John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, Illustrated by Nate Powell
THE AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL TRILOGY from Congressman John Lewis isn’t even a decade old at this point but is already well on its way to achieving the critical status of a Maus. The story goes that Lewis was inspired by a 10-cent comic published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation called Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story, which spurned him into action at 15 to fight for Civil Rights. Decades later, during his 2008 reelection campaign, Lewis mentioned Story to his telecommunications and technology policy aide, Andrew Aydin, which then inspired Aydin to get Lewis to write a comic about his experiences in the Civil Rights moment. Brought to life through Nate Powell’s incredible visuals, March is a powerful historical account of one of the biggest and most important moments in our history — one that can and will go on to inspire a new generation, just like Montgomery Story did all those years ago.
All-Star Superman (2005-2008)
Written by Grant Morrison, Illustrated by Frank Quitely
SUPERHEROES, ESPECIALLY SUPERMAN, are often posited as Gods — so why draw inspiration from classical mythology? Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely’s All-Star Superman refashions the 12 Labors of Hercules for the Man of Steel’s final days. Poisoned by the sun that he draws his powers from, Superman sets out to complete a series of tasks to help out humanity and Kryptonians alike. Free from the burdens of continuity, Morrison’s story pulls from all of Superman’s history to tell, perhaps, the de-facto tale about the character, rendered with iconic visuals from Quitely like a Moon-bound date between Supes and Lois, fights with Lex, or quieter moments like when he saves a girl from suicide. Superman sometimes gets a rep as being a “boring” character, but it’s likely the people raising that criticism haven’t read this unbelievably compassionate celebration of a cultural icon.
Persepolis (2004)
Written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi
MARJANE SATRAPI'S MASTERFUL memoir continues to be challenged to this day despite its importance to the medium and storytelling writ large. Detailing her life from childhood to young adulthood before and after the Islamic Revolution, Persepolis is singularly fascinating in its presentation—as a feminist tale, as a graphic memoir, of the intersection and juxtaposition of public and private life, and so much more. Equal parts hilarious and crushing, it’s a can’t miss tale and a high-mark for comics.
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