Summary
An incredible year for comic books is still under way, with the greatest stories fromMarvel,DC, and countless other publishers already making 2024 one for the history books. Hand-selected by the team at Screen Rant,these are the best comics of 2024 (released so far), and run the gamut from horror stories to all-ages, superhero to serial killer, and all are more than worthy of a reader’s time.
With every year having such a dearth of comics, this list is the perfect guide to jumping into something new and has something for everyone. Whether a reader’s a Marvel or DC superhero fan, someone who only reads the best creator-owned work, or a devotee of classic TV franchises, there’s something here to love, and hopefully something new to discover.
The perfect quippy team book with consistently stunning artwork
Birds of Prey (2023)
Dinah Lance is one of the DCU’s most elite fighters, and combined with her sonic scream, she’s a fearsome foe in any scenario…but sometimes even the Black Canary needs help. Faced with a personal mission brought to her by a mysterious new ally, and up against near-impossible odds, she re-forms the Birds of Prey with an unrivaled group of badasses — Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot, and Harley Quinn — and only one goal: extraction without bloodshed. What could possibly go wrong?
Kelly Thompson’sBirds of Preysees the titular team of DC heroines thrust into new and exciting adventures month in month out at breakneck speed.The fun dynamics between the disparate characters makes the book singas they hurtle towards danger time and time again.
“Kelly Thompson’s Birds of Prey has a dynamism and an infectious energy that radiates off every page. It’s quippy without being annoying, and consistently has some of DC’s best artists doing stunning work."- Isaac Jansons, Comics Writer
An impeccable character-first story that makes the universe feel lived in
Sons of Star Trek
In the aftermath of Kahless’ harrowing Day of Blood, Jake Sisko struggles to find his place in the universe. Meanwhile, Nog faces the challenges of being the first Ferengi in Starfleet and Alexander Rozhenko is recovering mentally and emotionally from his time as one of Kahless’ devout followers. Jake, Alexander, and Nog find their stories intertwined as they’re thrust into an alternate reality full of lessons that may be just what the doctor ordered!
Sons of Star Trekseesthe children of Sisko and Worf venture boldly into an alternate universefull of the children of other classic Trek characters. Without their parents around to save the galaxy, these young heroes now have a chance to discover themselves as they set out on this adventure.
“IDW’s recently concluded Sons of Star Trek has kept the publisher’s Star Trek hot streak going. While not directly connected to the main line, Sons of Star Trek uses events from those books to tell an engaging and rich, character-driven story that stands on its own."- Shaun Corley, Comics Writer
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An outstanding new chapter in the long history of Marvel’s strongest Avenger
The Incredible Hulk (2023)
THE AGE OF MONSTERS HAS BEGUN! As an enraged Hulk tries to take control of Bruce Banner’s body permanently, a mysterious immortal turns every monster in the Marvel Universe against Banner in an attempt to free their creator, the primordial Mother of Horrors. With the help of an unlikely new friend, Banner and Hulk must try to stop the world from getting plunged into darkness in this terrifying new series!
Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s and Nic Klein’sIncredible Hulksees the character once again returning to horrorfor a series that taps into all the different permutations of the genre. From Appalachian folk tales to supernatural serial killers, this series has it all.
“Twisting flesh and shattered bones, hordes of folkloric eldritch aberrations, and a gamma-powered scientist with little left to live for, Phillip Johnson and Nic Klein’s The Incredible Hulk reintroduces Bruce Banner and the Hulk to new perverse cosmic monstrosities not seen since Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s The Immortal Hulk."- Chris Miller, Comics Writer
A relaunched series doing justice to Marvel’s first family, every month
Fantastic Four (2022)
“WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE FANTASTIC FOUR?” It’s the start of a new era for the Fantastic Four…and they’re already in a ton of trouble. Something has gone terribly wrong in New York, and the Thing and Alicia are traveling across America to escape it! But when they stop in a small town for the night and wake up the morning before they arrived, they find themselves caught in a time loop that’s been going on since before they were born… That’s been going on since before they were born…
Ryan North brings both his humor and fascination with science to the ‘four’in this series. Full of fun, one-off adventures with science twists, this book captures the interpersonal dynamics and family fun that makeFantastic Foursuccessful to this day.
“Month-in and month-out, Fantastic Four proves to be the most satisfying read on the comic stands. Composed primarily of standalone stories, the creative team keeps topping themselves with each new challenge the FF find themselves up against. This is what Marvel’s First Family is all about: big ideas, big adventures and a big heart."- Nathan Cabaniss, Comics Writer
Dexter meets Richard Scarry’s Busy, Busy Town in this twisted debut
Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees
Don’t. Murder. The locals. This is small-town serial killer, upstanding citizen, and adorable brown bear Samantha Strong’s cardinal rule. So you can imagine her indignation when one of Woodbrook’s own meets a grisly, mysterious demise—and you wouldn’t blame her for doing anything it takes to hunt down her rival before the town self-destructs and Sheriff Patterson starts (literally) barking up the wrong tree.
Combining children’s stories with gruesome horror,this story of a fluffy serial killer bear gleefully upends genre conventionsas the murderous protagonist tries to solve the mystery of whoelseis killing people.
“At a time when true crime has never been more popular, formulaic, and overcrowded, in walks Patrick Horvath to ask the most important question: what if it was animal villagers in a children’s book being murdered by a serial killer? I’ll never think of a ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’ the same way again (in the best way possible)."- Andrew Dyce, Comics Editor
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The launch of the new shared Energon Universe
Transformers (2023)
Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope of survival is Optimus Prime.
As the first major flagship of Skybound’s shared HasbroEnergon Universe,Daniel Warren Johnson brings action and heart toTransformersas its writer and artist. As both Autobots and Decepticons once again clash on Earth, new human heroes also step up to fight for the planet.
“With their Transformers relaunch, Skybound has accomplished nothing short of a miracle. Daniel Warren Johnson captures a Spielberg-ian mix of spectacle and heart, leading to a series where each and every issue is special. The Energon Universe series will stand the test of time as the best Transformers story ever told."- Nathan Cabaniss, Comics Writer
A pulp-inspired reimagining of the Dark Knight’s debut in Gotham
The Bat-Man: First Knight
It’s 1939, fascism is on the rise, and Batman is in his early days, labeled by those in Gotham as “the vigilante”. At the center of a series of crimes, Batman comes to the conclusion that their prime suspect in each case were deceased. With the Caped Crusader’s only ally being Detective James Gordon of the Gotham City Police Department, both detectives must uncover who these “reanimated criminals” are and how to stop them.
InThe Bat-Man First Knight, Dan Jurgens and Mike Perkins take the Caped Crusader back to his original Golden Age roots. Here, readers are given a pulpy crime story, deconstructing 1930s American society as the detective solves a string of brutal Gotham murders.
“The Bat-Man First Knight is everything fans of the Golden Age want to see in a Batman story, that isn’t mired in the Bat-god superhero we get in most modern comics. Rather than being given the same old, hyper-competent Dark Knight, we see a story that focuses on an imperfect detective taking on a well-written mystery, with real stakes."- Ashley Land, Comics Writer
A gorgeous haunted house story that’s a career best for its artist
Spectregraph
For years, the mansion has sat strangely, nestled into the coastline just a short drive north of Los Angeles. Rumors have haunted the place for years. Its owner a titan of American industry, with a strange fascination in the occult and the paranormal. For decades, the richest men and women in the country have whispered to each other, trying to understand what he was building alone in that mansion for all those years. And now finally, with his death, and his estate finally open for sale… They are eager to find out for themselves.
Spectregraphsees James Tynion IV and Christian Ward combine forces for a ghost story that has its characters delving into a haunted mansion from which they may never escape. What ghosts lie in wait after a century of American capitalism?
“I’ve been a fan of Christian Ward’s artwork for about a decade, but he has himself beat ten times over in Spectregraph, an unsettling haunted house story with a mother at its center. Come for James Tynion IV’s unbeatable horror tale, stay for the colors (trust me)."- Kate O’Donoghue, Comics Editor
12I Heart Skull-Crusher
I Heart Skull-Crusher
18-year-old Trini will do anything to compete in her favorite sport, Screaming Pain Ball, aspiring to the heights of her longtime hero Skull-Crusher! But she can’t do it alone, and a gaggle of misfits is just what she needs to cross the American wastes and battle in Queen Mob’s deadly tournament.
Mashing sports drama and post-apocalypse into one zany package, Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonnotell the story of a young hero desperate to be just like her sports idol. That the world’s ended is only an incidental detail for the heroes ofI Heart Skull-Crusher.
“Part post-apocalyptic adventure comic, part sports manga, I Heart Skull-Crusher by Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonno is a joyful romp about found family, unattainable crushes, and the power of underdogs. This book is at the top of my stack every month — and hopefully for a long time coming."- Kate O’Donoghue, Comics Editor
Another masterpiece from a modern horror master (with a holiday twist)
The Deviant
As snow falls over Milwaukee in 1972, a blood-stained Santa Claus commits unimaginable atrocities against young men. Fifty years later, a troubled young writer interviews this so-called “Deviant Killer,” who still maintains his innocence from behind bars. And as Christmas approaches once again, the past returns, wielding a sharpened ax.
Fifty years ago, a serial killer stalked the streets dressed as Santa Claus. Now, as a writer sets out to interview the captured killer,the Yuletide season once again brings murder in its wakeinThe Deviantby James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson.
“I read a lot of comics: capes, horror, kids, comedy; I’m not picky. A meditation on sexuality, notoriety, and true crime, The Deviant by James Tynion IV and Joshua Hixson is, very quietly, the best comic I’ve read in the last year. The best one. What else can I say?"- Kate O’Donoghue, Comics Editor
