I’m changing things up a little from 2023’s 5 Best Comics Series. First, this list is devoted entirely to superhero comics. The other big change is that this time I am picking individual issues rather than whole series.
Why the changes? Primarily because I wanted to focus on superhero stories since this site is meant to be about superheroes (it’s right there in the name). Also, there are so many great superhero comics that it was easier to pick out individual books than a whole series. With that in mind, here are the five books I think best defined the superhero genre in 2024.
Fantastic Four #25
The current run of Fantastic Four became one of my favorite comics after an issue in which Doctor Doom essentially recreates the plot of Groundhog Day. Writer Ryan North tends to favor such simple one-shot stories over grand epics. This generally results in light-hearted tales, such as The Thing and Human Torch working at a supermarket or the team meeting their dinosaur variants. Fantastic Four #25 is an entirely different sort of story.
Lovingly illustrated by Carlos Gomez, Fantastic Four #25 is both a science fiction epic and a love story in one concise package. Within the span of thirty pages, the team travels to another universe, Johnny Storm falls in love, and his heart is broken. It puts a deeper perspective on the Human Torch than his usual party-boy persona allows. This in itself is a neat acknowledgment of the character’s long history of tragic romances without getting bogged down in continuity. With a vivid story, thrilling art, and a bittersweet ending, this is everything comics should be.
Space Ghost #1
Space Ghost #1 surprised me. I had expected it to be a standard nostalgia-bait revival, perhaps with a grim-and-gritty element to make it relevant for modern readers. Instead, I received an update that perfectly captured the spirit of the classic cartoon but with modern comic storytelling techniques.
The artwork by Jonathan Lau takes the original character designs of Alex Toth and builds upon them masterfully. The script for this first issue, written by David Pepose, sets up the characters perfectly and manages some honest drama as we are introduced to the Phantom of the Spaceways. The whole series is fantastic but it all started with this groundbreaking premiere. I highly recommend checking out the first trade collection.
Absolute Wonder Woman #1
DC Comics‘ new Absolute Universe has been amazing across the board. There has not been one wrong note nor one missed opportunity in these comics thus far. I could have put the first issues of Absolute Batman and Absolute Superman on this list and felt justified in doing so.
Absolute Wonder Woman just edges them out, however, in that it is a little bolder in what it attempts. Under the pen of Kelly Thompson, Diana is still recognizable as the ultimate woman warrior despite being more sorceress than swordwoman. This depth is amplified by the artwork of Hayden Sherman. In the end, I think Absolute Wonder Woman is the best of the Absolute Universe comics because it is recognizable as Wonder Woman while moving in new and unexpected directions.
Nightwing #118
The Nightwing run of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo was rightly recognized as one of the best comics around. It won multiple Eisner Awards and was a best-selling series. Their final story arc, Fallen Grayson, proved to be that rarest of all things — a well-earned happy ending.
Of course, true endings of any kind are rare in American comics and the series did continue after this issue. But if Nightwing #118 were to be the final Dick Grayson story, it would be perfect. It has comedy, action, and romance. It also has one of the most satisfying villain defeats of all time. I highly recommend picking up the first collection and working your way up to this issue if you haven’t already begun reading it.
Ultimate Spider-Man #2
Ultimate Spider-Man is another series that gave me trouble selecting a single issue to declare the best. This is because Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto have miraculously managed to present a take on Peter Parker that is both wholly original yet recognizable. With that in mind, I’ve elected to honor Ultimate Spider-Man #2 for one subtle touch that says everything about why this series is great.
The lion’s share of the issue is devoted to a middle-aged Peter Parker fighting his first supervillain and dealing with his daughter, May, discovering his secret identity. The issue ends with Peter deciding to change his costume to the familiar red and blue coloration over black after seeing a drawing May made of a red and blue spider. Why? Because he doesn’t want his daughter (or other children for that matter) to be scared of him.
In that moment, I knew Ultimate Spider-Man was going to be magical. Beyond the solid writing and quality artwork, this was something both new and familiar. This Spider-Man is undoubtedly Peter Parker, yet we see him tackling a problem the perpetually single Earth-616 Spidey never coped with. And it still seems true to the character from the original Stan Lee and Steve Ditko comics. That level of detail has gone into the series as a whole, making Ultimate Spider-Man one of the best books of 2024.
