As the movie industry cannibalizes superheroes one intellectual property at a time, it’s oftentimes easy to forget that comic books are an entire medium, not a single genre. Although Paste loves the symbolism of a grand guignol throwdown between two adrenalized supermen, this decade has been especially prolific in tearing down stagnant conventions, in superhero books and beyond. So if you think you’re too sophisticated to enjoy a splash page or two, check out our Best. List. Ever. of the coolest graphic novels of the past decade, and make sure to tell us yours in the comments.
20. Captain America Omnibus, Vol. 1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artists: Steve Epting, Mike Perkins, Michael Lark, Marcos Martin, Lee Weeks
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Long-time comics scribe Ed Brubaker revitalizes Captain America with action, espionage and precise characterization fitting a superhero veteran of Cap’s status. The wonderfully gritty art style of Steve Epting adds exponentially to the retelling of Captain America’s days as a soldier in WWII, and the return of his first partner, Bucky, is a work of narrative wonder. Ultimately, the history of a ’40s icon is updated while preserving his adulated past.
19. Wildcats Version 3.0: Brand Building
Writer: Joe Casey
Artist: Dustin Nguyen
Publisher: Wildstorm
The design is the first thing you’ll notice about Wildcats 3.0, the title streamlined into a clean, antiseptic sans-serif typeface that wouldn’t look out of place on an investment magazine. Gone is the messy, hyperkinetic bleed of color and action that tends to accompany most illustrations of grown men in tights fighting. It looks grown up. And that’s exactly what Wildcats 3.0 is: a superhero book for adults. Writer Joe Casey took a group of X-Men knockoffs and put them in a corporate setting, showing that ethical business can be its own superpower, especially in this day and age. Critically adored yet commercially stagnant, Casey and penciller Dustin Nyguyen’s landmark series has yet to be fully collected.
18. Ex Machina, Vol. 1
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Tony Harris
Publisher: Wildstorm
What makes Ex Machina so phenomenal? Where to begin: Is it the flesh and blood characterization? The haunting detail of Manhattan and its elusive quirks? Or is it Tony Harris’ art that makes your eyes glide over every shaded curve like a heated knife on brie? It’s all of these things and more. And by “more,” we mean “uber-charasmatic Mayor Mitchell Hundred,” a 9-11 hero infused with alien technology who makes local politics more interesting than they have any right to be.
17. Usagi Yojimbo Volume 18: Travels with Jotaro
Writer/Artist: Stan Sakai
Publisher: Dark Horse
Stan Sakai’s elegant, simple line work offers a glimpse into the fetching story of Usagi, a rabbit samurai, and his gradual bonding with a son who doesn’t know him. There’s plenty of samurai action, adventure and comedy as they travel a fuedal Japan populated talking animals. One of the longest running series in comics, the quality of the narrative still remains undeniably high.
16. The Ultimates Omnibus
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Bryan Hitch, Steve Dillon
Publisher: Marvel Comics
This one speaks for itself: Captain America, exhausted and bloody, crouches subdued at the feet of a Nazi alien. The galactic Gestapo asks the First Avenger if he would like to surrender. Filling a full-page spread, the Captain points to his forehead and screams, “YOU THINK THIS LETTER ON MY HEAD STANDS FOR FRANCE?” The WWII hero slams his shield edge-wise into the invader’s head. High-fives are had. Halted breath is exhaled. Awesomeness fills the air.
(Note: It’s worth noting that the writer of this book is actually European. And wickedly funny.)
15. Hellboy Library Edition, Vol. 1: Seed of Destruction and Wake the Devil
Writers: Mike Mignola, John Byrne
Artist: Mike Mignola
Publisher: Dark Horse
Long before Guillermo del Toro dressed Ron Perlman up in horns and a trench coat, the director was a massive fan of writer/artist Mike Mignola’s source material, a neo-gothic comic with style to spare. Mignola uses his titular hero as a tool to explore forgotten folklore and legend, bringing an antique aesthetic to his beautifully rendered, angular pencils. Infusing pulpy twists (and zombie robots) into a melancholic backdrop, Hellboy is bizarre and beautiful.
14. Superman: Red Son
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Dave Johnson
Publisher: DC Comics
In Superman: Red Son, writer Mark Millar bends the comics template of dualistic morality and shows a world in which heroics are defined by politics and environment. In other words, he constructs a fictional world with the rules of our own. The plot portrays a Superman who lands in Soviet Russia instead of America, and is raised by the government to preserve the communist manifesto against the encroaching capitalist threat of the west. By the time you’re exposed to an Ayn Rand/Lex Luthor hybrid and a paranoia-spouting Batman, you’ll already be rooting for the comrades in this wildly innovative alternate reality.
13. The Absolute Authority Vol. 1
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Bryan Hitch
Publisher: Wildstorm
The Authority takes the conventional superhero group comic and fires it out of a ballistics cannon. With amazing art, fascinating characters and outrageous action, this book throws you head-first into its adrenal-draining, widescreen madness. A completely satisfying example of what the genre can and should be. Not intended for the the squeamish.
12. Pedro and Me: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned
Writer/Artist: Judd Winick
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Possibly the only good thing to come out of MTV’s vacuous Real World series, former roommate Judd Winick tells the story of his life before and after his stint on the show with Pedro Zamora, his HIV-positive roommate. Winick doesn’t pull any punches, boldly wearing his heart on his sleeve as he escorts the audience through his turbulent emotions. Afterwards, you can’t help but feel you know Pedro too, and appreciate the larger issues he’s come to represent.
11. Fables Deluxe Edition, Vol. 1
Writer: Bill Willingham
Artists: Mark Buckingham, Lan Medina
Publisher: Vertigo
If you’ve ever wanted to see Cinderella as a seductive spy or The Big Bad Wolf as a gritty badass, look no further. Bill Willingham’s massive narrative (we’re on issue #90 for those counting) carries the public-domain populace of The Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson past its Old World trappings into a modern, inclusive world. The only thing more magical than the plot twists and characterization is James Jean’s gorgeous cover art.
10. Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 1: Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life
Writer/Artist: Bryan Lee O’Malley
Publisher: Oni Press
Anyone who rants that comic books only offer macho posturing and 2-dimensional characterization has never experienced this gem by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Gen-Y mascot Scott Pilgrim is the most endearing 8-bit loving loser friend you’ve never had. He riffs on everything from crappy indie rock to vintage clothing stores and fights his shady girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends in over the top Manga homage. Laugh-out-loud clever and subversively emotional, this is the most kinetic coming-of-age yarn you’ll find in print.
9. Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Writer/Artist: Chris Ware
Publisher: Pantheon
Chris Ware’s art is perfectly simple and his storytelling wonderfully complex. This painstaking work forms a great synthesis of craft and art, with multiple storylines providing lucid glimpses into the lives of the Corrigan family. Often unsettling but always captivating, this original tour de force evokes a unique melancholy that lingers long after the final page is read.
8. All Star Superman, Vol. 1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Frank Quitely
Publisher: DC Comics
Grant Morrison’s brain is a thing of awe. The Scottish scribe and self-appointed “ontological terrorist” has been regaling comicdom with brutally creative, psychedelic tales for decades. (Last year he stated that he treats himself “as a laboratory to become something else,” if that gives you any hints). All of his work has a hyperactive, flood-of-consciousness brilliance to it, but All-Star Superman achieves new heights. Battling zany Silver Age concepts like monsters made of time and breaking the fourth wall in his final act, The Man of Steel hasn’t been more super since, well, ever. Penciller Frank Quitely also gives Richard Donner a run for the most awe-inspiring “S” flashes since the first movie.
7. Absolute Planetary
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: John Cassaday
Publisher: Wildstorm
Cynical sci-fi magnate Warren Ellis reimagines super hero history in an entirely original and incredibly entertaining way. Imagine an evil Fantastic Four killing off Superman, a teenage Wonder Woman and Doc Savage, Tarzan, The Shadow and Godzilla all simultaneously living in the same erratic, flawed world. This enigmatic tapestry unfolds as a 27-issue conspiracy theory, holding all of its cards tight till the last issue. The ultimate “What If?” story.
6. Ghost World
Writer/Artist: Daniel Clowes
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Dan Clowes provides an engrossing study of that fleeting time between high school and what comes after. Two quirky best friends slowly realize they are headed in entirely different directions and attempt to deal with their separation in their own unique ways. The perfect complement to the movie, and vice versa.
5. Flight Volume 1
Editor: Kazu Kibuishi
Publisher: Villard
Kazu Kibuishi’s concept for this immersive anthology was a simple one: Take a handful of young cartoonists"the average age was 24"and have them write and draw whatever they’d like, as long as it revolved around the theme of flight. Six volumes and a bible of critical acclaim later, the series still stands as a fertile breeding ground for inspired talent and gorgeous storytelling. Charming, subtle and wildly imaginative, this vivid all-ages primer is a triumph for the medium.
4. Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Pia Guerra
Publisher: Vertigo
Whereas most heterosexual 20-something men would give their right arm to be the last existing male in a world of females, poor Yorick Brown discovered that there can, in fact, be too much of a good thing in this pioneering series. With enough gender issues to fuel a Feminism 101 class, Y: The Last Man is intelligent, post-apocalyptic storytelling at its best"provocative, insightful and a little bit steamy.
3. Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev Omnibus, Vol. 1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Only one word comes to mind to describe Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s 54-issue run: Epic. Forget the heretic movie starring Ben Affleck; Daredevil is one of the most mature, fully-realized characters in Marvel’s expansive lexicon. Neo-noir writer Bendis digs into blind lawyer Matt Murdock’s psyche with surgical precision, making him battle crime lords and his neurotic shortcomings in equal measure. This addictively tense masterwork transcends genre into literary excellence.
2. Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
Writer/Artist: Jeff Smith
Publisher: Cartoon Books
Bone is a true classic in any storytelling medium. Jeff Smith describes his colossal fantasy as a cross between Bugs Bunny and Lord of the Rings, but it ultimately stands as its own legacy. A whimsical, often-times hilarious journey that straddles action, adventure and comedy with natural finesse, Bone entertains from start to finish, young and old alike.
1. Blankets
Writer/Artist: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Reading Blankets is like reliving your youth as you wander through the artist’s personal trials of fundamentalist religion and teenage heart-break in small-town America. The story has been told many times, but Craig Thompson’s version is one of the most honest, warm and compelling renditions. It’s like going home with a close friend and discovering how similar your journeys truly are.
some good stuff here
i own (in one form or another)
1 - great use of art and story
2 - great story, as is the prequel Rose, smith is a great writer and his take on captain marvel (shazam) is also worth looking at
3 - classic take on the daredevil mythos
4 - interesting story, need to get more someday
5 - good anthology series, have the first 4 volumes
6 - classic
8 - great reworking of the story of superman, beautiful art work, i have the first two volumes, also volume 1 of all star batman and robin, good but not as good as superman
9 - typical weirdness from chris ware
11 - in my opinion, hands down, the best comic book series since the sandman, have 11 of the tpb's to date
14 - an elseworlds tale, what if the man of tomorrow had landed in soviet russia
15 have these as collected as individual tpb's, mignola's art alone is worth a look
16 - have the first 4 tpb's of this series, love the art and story, haven't got the latest tpb yet, different artist, not digging it
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