Welcome back to the first 2026 edition of Dave’s Faves! I took a month off for 1) A new baby (a girl!) and 2) to play Silksong, Super Metroid, Metroid Prime and watch the Traitors with my wife. Turns out this is a great way to detox from comics before the bug returns, and as you’ll see from this list, I’ve caught it bad again.
In an effort to catch up from a month off, I’m sharing graphic novels I read in January and February, plus my favorites from the 2025 Shortbox Comics Fair (which I also finally caught up on). Will 2026 have as many great graphic novels as 2025? Read on to find out!
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Deeply Dave
Did I pull this comic off the new kid’s graphic novels shelf in my library entirely because my name’s on the cover? Of course. Am I at least 63% more likely to enjoy it because the lead is a kid named Dave. Absolutely. Was David Robinson one of my favorite athletes for the same reason? I fail to see your line of reasoning, objection your honor!
Apart from the hyper targeted marketing, Michael Grover’s Deeply Dave is a charming, formally inventive, Mignola inspired undersea adventure about a boy trying to save his mom from the salty alien depths of the ocean. It’s also the first print example I’ve held that mirrors its webcomic origins by turning pages vertically. This makes for a less convenient physical experience, but metaphorically it’s appropriate given the narrative is all about sinking deeper into the depths of alien ocean monsters and delightfully charming lobsters. There’s a nice core here about the bond between a mother and son, and how parents can learn from their children, but that’s all window dressing for adorable ocean critters obsessed with the idea of a nice toilet seat. Very recommended for kids that would also enjoy the likes of Amulet or Bone.
Settle
In my never ending quest to read all the best comics, 2025 became the year my Kickstarter FOMO kickstarted (hah!) into overdrive. I backed over 25 comics projects throughout the first 6 months of the year, and yes, some of those worked their way onto Comic Book Herald’s favorite comics of 2025 (Basket, Trial+Error, The Fables of Erlking Woods). But on average, I found my Kickstarter batting average a little too close to the Ian Happ in the playoffs range (Go Cubs Go!). It’s a strange game, honestly, where I derive joy from supporting cool comics, but the reality – of course – is only so many of those comics will really work their way into my heart.
Jason Horn’s Settle effectively settles (HAH!) into the latter category, with a gorgeously rendered cyber sci-fi about terraforming planets, robot relationships, and good old fashioned corporate greed. Horn worked for years on this project and it shows, with a Ryan Ottley meets Geoff Darrow version of an Oklahoma small town… IN SPACE. If you’ve read your Asimov and Murderbot, you won’t feel especially wowed by the narrative turns, but it’s a beautiful world crafted with great care. If you like this vibe, you’ll probably also enjoy Testament from J. Marshall Smith (recently Kickstarted via Bulgilhan Press!), but Settle narrowly edges that one for me.
Shift
My favorite Ponzi scheme (The Jonathan Hickman led 3 Worlds / 3 Moons) finally releases an actual, honest-to-god graphic novella from Hickman and Mike Del Mundo. Over the course of its almost 5 years, the promise of Hickman, Del Mundo and Mike Huddleston building a sci-fi comics universe has led to a fascinating potential universe, a keen eye for collaborative talent (they bring in all the coolest comics creators for their Legends anthologies), probably my favorite book design in comics (shouts to Sasha Head), and – up to this point – actually zero full collections worth of comics from either Hickman/Del Mundo or Hickman/Huddleston. Never have I ever lost money to a finer comics concept.
So! An actual graphic novella from 2 of the 3 princes who were promised! Does it deliver on all that potential?
Not really! And yet, 64 pages of Del Mundo’s interiors and sci-fantasy designs are wonderful and worth your time. Del Mundo’s an all-star cover artist, but old heads remember Del Mundo’s Marvel interiors on Elektra and Weirdworld as some of the coolest of 2014/2015, so it’s extremely exciting to see the talent applied in full to 3W/3M.
To me, it feels like Hickman’s entered the post-prime phase of his career after X-Men went belly up, frankly similar to Lebron’s Lakers tenure (remember, that’s still a Championship and All NBA award level post-prime!). This is not the insult you think it is – Ultimate Spider-Man and Aliens vs. Avengers are REALLY good Marvel Comics – but compared to East of West, Black Monday Murders, Decorum, and House and Powers of X, we haven’t seen peak Hickman for the majority of the 2020s. Shift finds Hickman at least structurally engaged with a Twilight Zone inspired sequence of seemingly disconnected dueling narratives that spiral together by work’s end.
Inevitably, Shift will be a lot more appealing to those of us gleefully funding the Ponzi scheme, as the themes of religion vs science, and characters like Syg return for gorgeous morsels of low-calorie dining. But again, when we’re talking about 64 pages of Del Mundo, it won’t matter if you’ve never read a single work in this universe to enjoy the sights.
The Game by Ophilia Bedelia
I try to keep an open mind when evaluating comics. If you asked me if there’s any type of comic I would not consider recommending, my gut reaction would be absolutely not. If I paused for a moment and really thought about it though, the reality is there are two types of comics I wouldn’t truthfully recommend: Anything by Mark Millar and straight-up porn comics.
Turns out, there’s only one type of forever-banished, and I just wasn’t reading the right porn. “The Game” is one of my favorite entries in the 2025 Shortbox Comics Fair and it gleefully crosses the line from erotica to pornography, while remaining charming, steamy, laugh-out-loud funny and as successful a riff on superhero comics riffs as anything this side of Damage Control or Powers. The graphic novella follows two “evil” scientists (think AIM’s scientist supremes) outfitting a dimwitted supervillain. The real focus is on their romance, and BDSM games that drive the eager man in the relationship to borderline lose his mind (and lead to the funniest thought bubble I think I’ve ever read in a comic book).
Bedelia is skilled at both passionate erotica (ok, fine, naked butts) and supes satire, with a hilarious, horny, helluva of a comic. Not. Safe. For. Like, Anywhere.
Mama Came Callin’
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma / New Gods Vol. 2
I haven’t been big “comics-mad” for, well, I think all of 2026. I’d like to say this is because I’m maturing, but it’s clearly because I’m sleep-deprived and detoxing from social media. That changed (quickly) as I raced to the finish of Ram V and Evan Cagle’s New Gods run to find the book seemingly concluding with issue #12. Not only do I think Ram and Cagle are the single most compelling creative collaboration in ongoing supes (certainly in the conversation with Hickman/Chechetto and Thompson/Sherman), and not only do I adore the ways this team is delivering on all the promise of a modern prestige New Gods comic the way I’ve never seen in my lifetime, but when I interviewed Ram V he spoke of grand plans for a ~3 year, 36 issue run. And DC is *cancelling* this book after a mere 12 issues?! Fire up the petitions! Light the angry posts! This travesty cannot stand!
After feeling genuinely upset for about an hour (“what’s wrong honey, you’ve hardly touched your Quantum Karma?”), I had the brilliant idea to look up whether or not this was true. And – good news – word on the street (aka what Ram shared) is the creators are taking a planned hiatus with an intent to return with season two of New Gods. Cancel the petitions! Track down your mailcarriers and retrieve the angry letters! Hope no one saw your burner post (@DidioWasRight69) about DC’s “abject cowardice and malfeasance”!
Honestly, this makes a big difference in my evaluation of New Gods because as an ending, I’d have been greatly disappointed. As a season one conclusion, I’m still in love with this run. This is without question the most I’ve enjoyed The New Gods since Kirby, in a run full of expanded-lore, centralized import (at times the work flirts with a Justice League event tying into the Absolute Universe, and in a way that makes perfect sense), and the best looking DeSaad vs Mister Miracle showdown you will ever see in your life. At this stage, post Ryan North’s One World Under Doom / Fantastic Four double feature, I think New Gods is *the* in-continuity superhero comic (non Absolute/Ultimate version) that I consider a must-read.
I imagine the six issue Resurrection Man with Anand RK will be the more popular critical darling from Ram V, and it’s got all that good late-stage Vertigo energy to easily see why. Quantum Karma is a gorgeous exploration of roads not travelled and the value of every individual, lightly seasoned with superpowers and showdowns with Vandal Savage. It’s a tad unfair, but personally the work is too easily defined by what it’s not – The Many Deaths of Laila Starr or V/RK’s superior Grafity’s Wall or Blue in Green. I don’t feel this pressure with New Gods because it’s so clearly playing within the boundaries of superhero comics – Resurrection wants to reach greater heights (and I love that ambition!) but that also means the standards and expectations are raised. Nonetheless, it’s clearly a great read for DC Black Label fans and recommended as such!
Absolute Batman Vol. 2 / Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 2
Ok, fine, since you’re being so PUSHY… I definitively declare my allegiance to Absolute Batman as my favorite Absolute DC comic (at least until Absolute Wonder Woman Vol. 3 makes me flip flop yet again!). Does it matter which one is subjectively *better*? Of course not. The point here is we have creators giving their all to just-fresh-enough spins on the ol’ super friends, with the editorial conviction to ensure the best artists working in superhero comics (Nick Dragotta and Hayden Sherman take all the bows) get to do *their* thing. It’s almost literally all I want from superhero comics in 2026. And then when there is a scheduling fill-in on Batman… it’s GD Marcos Martin! Be still my art!
One of the natural concerns with DC’s Absolute Universe is how long DC can keep it feeling vibrant and friendly to new/lapsed readers before it gives way to that all-too-familiar – looks over both shoulders to make sure MCU stans aren’t listening – fatigue. As these second volumes are hitting shelves Marvel’s Ultimate 2niverse is already on the way out the door! Typically, two to three years is the sweet spot for a shared universe or big idea (New 52, DC Rebirth, Marvel NOW, House of X / Powers of X) before the ideas start to run stale and the freshness wears off. I don’t expect the Absolute U to necessarily be any different. BUT that means we are right in the sweet spot of when this candy tastes the best – enjoy it!
Butter Bean’s Ball
May I present to you the world’s first prefect premise for a comic. A Bad News Bears junior high basketball team needs a substitute, so they teach a cat to play basketball. And then it turns out the cat can BALL OUT. Cute, charming, earnest and a healthy reminder not to overthink your comics.
Yvonne Hsuan Ho has exactly the innate cartooning sensibilities needed for the best of the middle grade graphic novel market, and I hope to see more long form work from the talented Taiwanese artist soon!
Kaya Vol. 5
We were conversating in the My Marvelous Year Slack recently about the realities of attempting an ongoing indie comic in today’s market (prompted by Spike Stonehand’s very good Divining Comics newsletter). The focus was on Kieron Gillen’s reveal that The Power Fantasy might end with issue #16 and that the series (which in my head, I imagined running for years and years!) was financially doing “fine” but hardly great. I quite like The Power Fantasy (it was on CBH’s 2025 favorite books), and the idea that a well-known writer coming off X-MEN would have a hard time sustaining a superhero riff… it does not at all bode well for the traditional ongoing indie comics market!
Which is all a long-winded way of celebrating what Wes Craig is achieving on Kaya, now collected through 30 issues, and one of the longest-running Image Comics to begin in the 2020s (Kaya #1 came out in late 2022). Jeff Smith’s Bone is obviously the gold standard in all ages fantasy adventure comics, and Craig’s Kaya strives for those heights in a world of anthropomorphic creatures, transformative magic, impish mythical beings, and robot kingdoms. It’s consistently impressive considering how thoroughly Craig transitioned from “Rick Remender’s incredible Deadly Class artist” to his very own creator-owned do-it-all comics machine. Shades of Shohei warming up to pitch in the World Series (what can’t this guy do?!).
Anyway, I love Kaya. You should too. I hope it breaks all the rules and hits 50 issues!
Chicken Heart
One of the great thrills of seeking all the best new comics is the feeling of opening a new book not knowing if it’s going to hit or miss. I’ll be 122 pages into a trade I really like and still have this nagging feeling in the back of my head that I should start one of those new downloads just in case its *even better*. Generally, I’m chasing a high that doesn’t return (D.A.R.E. kids!) but with Chicken Heart it worked! Bad habits sometimes pay off and should never be changed!
Out now from Street Noise Books, Morgan Boecher’s first full length graphic novel is a marvel. Chicken Heart follows the story of a stand-up comic presenting as female learning of the death of her Trans aunt, visiting her aunt’s Chicken Heart community for “misfits” like herself, and ultimately learning to come to terms with their own trans reality. It’s funny (the lead is a stand-up after all), heartbreaking, and emotionally gripping. Boecher’s character-centric panels, Allred-thick inks, locale specific monocolors (pink for the city, green for Chicken Heart) all play together perfectly for a plaintive yet satisfying journey of self-discovery.
We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us
Matthew Rosenberg is on a heater. What’s The Furthest Place From Here with Tyler Boss remains one of the most underrated ongoing comics of the last several years, the adaptation of Four Kids Walk Into a Bank (also with Tyler Boss) is filming with Liam Neeson, and now Rosenberg launches his “Rook Spy Thriller” line with We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us, one of the best early comics of 2026. Alongside Stefano Landini, Jason Wordie and Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, the new 6 issue Image series follows Annalisse, a barely-teen girl raised on her father’s supervillain hideout island by robots and a doting Aflred-esque caretaker. When longtime Agent Rook goes rogue and attempts a capture, Annalisse and one of the bots are forced on the run in a world of superspies, supervillains, and SUPER COMICS (put that on the cover!!!).
We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us is surprisingly playful, balanced with Rosenberg’s humorous asides offering some needed self-awareness of all the absurdity abundant in a world of vampire-apes and supervillain cabals. Much like 4 Kids, though, Rosenberg and Landini are very good at discerning the right emotions and tone for the moment, effortlessly alternating between tortured but caring family dynamics, high-speed moving train escapes, and a roguish British spy cursing in ways I’d never imagined (Rosenberg must have gotten his master’s degree at The Ennis Academy For F*&#*& Lads). Landini mirrors some of Rosenberg and Boss’s preferred moves with gazillion-panel headshots breaking up key conversations, but mostly excels in his own right, particularly with character design. It’s amazing how quickly this camp-Bond meets Copra world of comics-fans tropes accelerates into its own captivating entity.
The plan for this world is intriguing, as the creators are taking a page out of the Brubaker/Philips playbook with a serialized approach of Rook Spy Thrillers. So instead of We’re Taking Everyone Down With Us issue #7, we’ll jump next to In Good Hands With Bad Company #1. I really like the approach for this particular project, as it leaves me wanting more from WTEDWU, but pragmatically not enough where I’m immediately dying for a whole volume two. Instead we’ll bounce out to another Rook story, and I’ll be there day one.
Catch up on all CBH’s favorite graphic novels of 2025 right here!
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