The Best Comics of 2024

2024 was an incredible year in comics, with many publishers, big and small, coming out with amazing stories that captivated comic fans. With so many great comics, creating a list of the year's best books was difficult! But after some contemplation… here are my favorite reads of 2024.

DC Comics

Alan Scott: Green Lantern - Tim Sheridan, Cian Tormey, Jordi Tarragona, Matt Herms, and Lucas Gattoni - An absolutely stunning book start-to-finish that masterfully added new depth and layers to one of DC’s oldest heroes. (check out my conversation with Sheridan)

Absolute Batman - Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta Letterer, Clayton Cowles, and Frank Martin - Just when you think DC’s done everything possible with Batman, a new take of the character comes along that is not only badass but, more importantly, completely refreshing.

Absolute Wonder Woman - Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, Becca Carey, Jordie Bellaire - Bold, dark, and surprisingly funny at times, Absolute Wonder Woman is a total blast with some of the most jaw-dropping art in any comic published in 2024.

Wonder Woman - Tom King, Daniel Sampere, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles - Sampere and Morey deserve an Eisner for their work on this book as it’s STUNNING. King offers a sprawling vision of the Wonder Woman mythos while telling a fascinating and unafraid story.

Nightwing - Tom Taylor, Bruno Redondo, Caio Filipe, Adriano Lucas, and Wes Abbott - Nightwing is the titular character’s best series ever and a pure joy with its pitch-perfect characterizations. I’m sad it’s over, but I'm thrilled Taylor, Redondo, and the creative team got to tell this story.

Green Lantern - Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Xermanico, Amancay Nahuelpan, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Dave Sharpe - It flew under the radar a bit, but Green Lantern is one of DC’s most consistently excellent and fun books, unafraid to take big swings, while packed full of emotional moments.

Zatanna: Bring Down The House - Mariko Tamaki, Javier Rodriguez, and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou - Emotional, ambitious, and filled with intrigue and mystery, Zatanna: Bring Down The House is career-best work from Tamaki and Rodriguez, which is saying something given their impressive resumes.

Plastic Man No More! - Christopher Cantwell, Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar, Marcelo Maiolo, Becca Carey - A funny, touching, and tragic story with great art and some serious emotional weight behind it.

Batman City of Madness - Christian Ward and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou - City of Madness is not only one of the best-looking books on the stands, with a nightmarish atmosphere, great character designs, and a unique visual take on Gotham City, but the story is up to par with the art, leading to an enthralling, horror-filled experience.

DC Pride: A Celebration of Rachel Pollack - Joe Corallo, Rye Hickman, John Workman, and Stuart Moore - The new story “Shining Through the Wreckage” is a wonderful tribute to Rachel Pollack. It masterfully weaves through Pollack’s run on Doom Patrol and brings Coagula, the first trans superhero for DC Comics, back to the forefront. It’s weird in all the best ways and a perfect way to honor the legendary creator. (text from our review)

Barda - Ngozi Ukazu and Wes Abbott - A perfect marriage of writer/artist and character. It does right by Jack Kirby’s Fourth World, offering a fun, riveting take on the New Gods and Barda. (check out my conversation with Ukazu)

Skybound Comics

Universal Monsters: Frankenstein - Michael Walsh, Toni Mari Griffin, and Becca Carey - By shifting perspectives and providing a new take to the storied Frankenstein history, the miniseries is scary and spellbinding and the career-best work of everyone involved. (Check out my conversation with Walsh)

Transformers - Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer, Jorge Corona, Rus Wooton - The best Transformers comic ever published, the series remains flawless in execution. Warren Johnson packs so much emotion and action into the story; I’m very sad it’s ending in 2025 — but I’m happy to go along for the ride to the end.

Cobra Commander - Joshua Williamson, Andrea Milana, Annalisa Leoni, and Rus Wooton - I have never been a G.I. Joe fan, but holy hell, this miniseries shows what makes Cobra Commander such a conniving and terrifying threat in the universe. A must-read in the Energon Universe.

Image Comics

Local Man - Tony Fleecs, Tim Seeley, Felipe Sobreiro, and Brad Simpson - A stellar book about a hero trying to find meaning after falling from grace, Local Man is an excellent read for both old and new comic fans.

Marvel Comics

Sentry - Jason Loo, Luigi Zagaria, Arthur Hesli, and Joe Caramagna - Sentry is in an odd spot in the Marvel Universe as he’s almost too powerful to feature in stories consistently. However, the new Sentry story takes a new spin on his powers, introduces several interesting characters, and excitingly expands the mythos of the Golden Guardian.

Avengers - Jed MacKay, Valerio Schiti, Bryan Valenza, Federico Blee, and VC’s Cory Petit - MacKay, despite seemingly working on 30 Marvel books at once, does impressive work in Avengers, continually offering its roster individual moments to shine. It also doesn’t hurt that the art is top-notch. Avengers #18 featuring Hyperion might be my favorite single issue of the year.

The Ultimates - Deniz Camp, Juan Frigeri, Federico Blee, Travis Lanham - I was admittedly not super captivated with the first issue of The Ultimates, but man, I’m glad I stuck with it as Camp, Frigeri, and company are crushing it with the series. The best of the new Ultimates line from Marvel Comics, The Ultimates is smart and has a lot to say about superheroes and the world.

Dark Horse Comics

Paranoid Gardens - Gerard Way, Shaun Simon, Chris Weston, Dave Stewart, and Nate Piekos - Intensely weird and surreal, Paranoid Gardens offers an intriguing and bizarre world with stunning and detailed art from Weston and Stewart.  (check out my conversation with Weston)

Into the Unbeing - Zac Thompson, Hayden Sherman, and Jim Campbell - The art from Sherman in Into The Unbeing is jaw-dropping. The story from Thompson wonderfully blends sci-fi and horror. I would go into this book blind and be drawn into its messed-up world.

Mad Cave Studios

Attaboy- Tony McMillen - An extremely entertaining story that’s a video game, instruction manual, and a journey about escapism, relationships, and friendship. The sublime artwork is raw and messy, with a heavy aesthetic that wears its influences out loud.

Magma Comix

The Pedestrian - Joey Esposito, Sean Van Gorman, Josh Jensen, and Shawn Lee - The Pedestrian is an offbeat and bizarre comic with a main hero who is entirely captivating, and I’m not sure I can explain why. This story is worth checking out for those fans of wacky, absurd, but surprisingly emotive comics.

Thanks for reading and supporting Comic Frontier in 2024. I’m sure there’s a missing book I forgot about, so if that’s the case, I may go back and add it!