Throughout the 2000s, the success and hits from Image Comics typically serves as a strong indicator of the kind of decade it’s been for English-speaking creator-owned comics. The 2010s in particular reflect the 2nd Golden Age of Image Comics, with an early decade rush of hit series like Saga, Sex Criminals, Bitch Planet, East of West, and many more. The 2020s then are more about carving a new path forward for what it means to be an Image book, after many of those previous decade hits ended, faltered or simply disappeared. The hypes not as loud but the comics can be just as good.
The below selections will break out 10 favorites for ongoing comic books (aka continuing series that run for more than 12 issues over multiple years) and 10 favorites for limited series (aka comics between 3 and 12 issues, or original graphic novels). There are two notable omissions from this list, It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Universe and 20th Century Men, which I omit because I already included them on my picks for the 25 best graphic novels for adults this decade. These would otherwise sit at the top of my top 10 picks for Image minis or limited series this decade! While I regret not simply listing them again, this does afford me the opportunity to add two additional picks that wouldn’t have otherwise made my draconian cuts!
For the purposes of this list, I’m also omitting the Energon Universe, the Massive-Verse, and Invincible reprints (which are huge 2020s hits thanks to the animated Amazon Prime show). While these are undoubtedly among the most popular comics of the 2020s, they don’t fit with highlighting the best in new creator-owned comics from Image (Radiant Black arguably does, but 1) It wouldn’t make my top 10 anyway and 2) We’ve already got a whole universe guide on CBH, how much press do you need?!).
Related:
Best Graphic Novels of the 2020s
Best Marvel Comics of the 2020s
The 10 Best Ongoing Image Comics of the 2020s
#10) Nights
Creators: Wyatt Kennedy (writer), Luigi Formisano (artist), Francesco Segala (colorist), Maria Letizia Mirabella (letterer)
Publication Years: 2023–present
2020s Issues: Issues #1–15+ (2023–present)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #624
The first volume of Nights was among my favorite comics of 2024, and after a classic muddled middle, Nights creators Wyatt Kennedy and Luigi Formisano found an exciting direction again in 2026. The premise of Nights is a clever enough hook – in an alternate early-2000s Florida where supernatural beings live, a young man moves in with his mercenary cousin and navigates high school alongside vampire crushes and ghost friends – but it’s the razor-sharp dialog and characterizations that drive this surprise hit.
#9) What’s the Furthest Place From Here?
Creators: Matthew Rosenberg (writer), Tyler Boss (artist/colorist), Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (letterer)
Publication Years: 2021–present
2020s Issues: Issues #1–16+ (2021–present)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #445
Honestly, I’ve completely lost the plot on What’s the Furthest Place From Here? in the multiple years of picking it up in singles from my LCS, so I’ll have to go back and read it all together to consider how well it works as longform narrative. In the Dory-esque short-term of my comics memory, though, I just like Rosenberg and Boss making comics together. 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank will forever be the pinnacle – listen, sometimes your debut is Is This It? – but What’s the Furthest Place From Here is as close as either of them has gotten to that particular magic since. It’s Lord of the Flies by way of Warriors and its got style for miles.
#8) Die / Die: Loaded
Creators: Kieron Gillen (writer), Stephanie Hans (artist/colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer)
Publication Years: 2018–2021 / 2025 – Present
2020s Issues: Issues #11–20 (2020–2021)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #440
Die is the peak of Kieron Gillen’s magnificent Second Wave (alongside Once & Future, The Eternals and Immortal X-Men), a creator-owned fantasy RPG thesis statement with Stephanie Hans. Decades after vanishing into a tabletop roleplaying game as teenagers (think Jumanji, but harsher), six traumatized adults are dragged back into the ruthless realm to face the consequences of their unfinished quest. The series effectively ends after 20 strong issues, making the creator’s return in Die: Loaded an unexpected yet welcome renewal. It’s crucial to note you really don’t have to be a Dungeons & Dragons afficionado to “get” the vast exploration of these games, although certainly Gillen’s own appreciation and critical analysis of the form in issue back matter has enhanced my own knowledge and enjoyment.
#7) That Texas Blood / The Enfield Gang Massacre
Creators: Chris Condon (writer), Jacob Phillips (artist/colorist/letterer)
Publication Years: 2020–2023
2020s Issues: Issues #1–20 (2020–2023)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #437
Condon and Phillips’ Western-noir is an instantly iconic comics take on True Detective/Justified, through the storytelling chops Jacob learned from his father, Sean Phillips, working across comics-noir masterpieces like Fatale and Criminal. Condon’s West Texas is an enriching world of detail and character, full of brutal murders, cult violence, and dark secrets.
#6) Bitter Root
Creators: David F. Walker (writer), Chuck Brown (writer), Sanford Greene (artist), Rico Renzi (colorist), Clayton Cowles (letterer)
Publication Years: 2018–2021
2020s Issues: Issues #6–15 (2020–2021)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #353
Set during the 1920s Harlem Renaissance, a family of monster hunters uses ancient herbal remedies and combat to cure humans infected by a soul-corrupting supernatural plague. David F. Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene have crafted a special world with Bitter Root, where Hate is a monster, and the Sangerye family are hate’s hunters.
Excitingly, after a 4 year hiatus, the Bitter Root team returned with Bitter Root: The Next Movement, keeping the work alive well into the 2020s.
#5) Kaya
Creators: Wes Craig (writer/artist), Jason Wordie (colorist), Tom Napolitano (letterer)
Publication Years: 2022–present
2020s Issues: Issues #1–20+ (2022–present)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #244
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 already a certified classic in YA graphic novels adults can read without feeling weird (my favorite genre!).
#4) The Department of Truth
Creators: James Tynion IV (writer), Martin Simmonds (artist), Aditya Bidikar (letterer)
Publication Years: 2020–present
2020s Issues: Issues #1–25+ (2020–present)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #205
James Tynion IV is a defining voice of comics in the 2020s, and The Department of Truth remains my favorite of his many compelling works (with respect to The Deviant!). Alongside Martin Simmonds’ inspired Bill Sienkiewicz revival, The Department of Truth has earnestly taken on the erasure of fact, and the increasingly blurred lines of conspiracy and reality. Creating a platform to explore the insidious nature of conspiracy in modern culture is one thing, but managing to make it horrific, entertaining, mysterious, and engaging? That’s some good comics.
#3) Brubaker/Phillips Graphic Novels: Criminal
/ Reckless
Creators: Ed Brubaker (writer), Sean Phillips (artist/letterer), Jacob Phillips (colorist)
Publication Years: 2006–present (Image run: 2014–present; Pulp: 2020; Reckless: 2020–2022)
2020s Releases: Criminal Vol. 3 #10–12, Cruel Summer OGN (2020), Criminal: Five Gears in Reverse OGN (2026); Pulp OGN (2020); Reckless Original Graphic Novels Vol. 1–5 (Reckless, Friend of the Devil, Destroy All Monsters, The Ghost in You, Follow Me Down)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #30
The Criminal & Brubaker/Phillips graphic novels selection is a bit of an anomaly for a guide to the Image Comics of the 2020s, in that Criminal’s already among my 30 favorite comics of all time dating back to a series that launched in 2006. The book’s ongoing return in 2019, plus the annual tradition of a new Brubaker/Phillips graphic novel throughout the 2020s easily lands the work among the best Image books of the decade, though, legacy or no. Honestly, you could stack Reckless, Pulp and all the Criminal OGNs up against the best of Criminal’s original run, and it’s a fair competition.
#2) Monstress
Creators: Marjorie Liu (writer), Sana Takeda (artist/colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer)
Publication Years: 2015–present
2020s Issues: Issues #26–50+ (2020–present), plus companion miniseries Monstress: Talk Story #1–2 (2020) and Monstress: The Bloodlines #1–2 (2024)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #122
If you’re looking for the best ongoing to make it from the Image Renaissance of the 2010s to present day, Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Monstress stands alone. The betting markets certainly would have had Saga as the favorite, so credit to Liu and Takeda for running laps around the field, keeping Monstress excellent while *also* delivering The Night Eaters graphic novel trilogy! If you’re looking for the best ongoing to make it from the Image Renaissance of the 2010s to present day, Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda’s Monstress stands alone. The betting markets certainly would have had Saga as the favorite, so credit to Liu and Takeda for running laps around the field, keeping Monstress excellent while *also* delivering The Night Eaters graphic novel trilogy!
#1) Ice Cream Man
Creators: W. Maxwell Prince (writer), Martin Morazzo (artist), Chris O’Halloran (colorist), Good Old Neon (letterer)
Publication Years: 2018–present
2020s Issues: Issues #17–46+ (2020–present), plus Quarantine Comix Special (2020) and The Mortal Coil Shuffle special (2025)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #36
Since 2020 the championship belt for Comic Book Herald’s favorite ongoing series is Ice Cream Man’s to lose. No comic works harder to explore the potential of the medium, and to treat each issue like a chance to create the best 22 pages you’ll read all year. It’s not hard to see Ice Cream Man’s legacy beginning to drive some of the best and brightest in creator-owned comics as well, with works like Assorted Crisis Events borrowing heavily from the ICM playbook (complimentary) on the book’s way to Eisner awards.
In another decade, folks will talk about Prince, Morazzo and O’Halloran’s masterwork the way the way Millennials talked about Sandman. It’s the post-post-post-modern comic for smarty-pants lit-nerds who aren’t quite sure they want to be in a shop run by an unkempt guy wearing an undersized Sailor Moon tee. It’s the best Image work of the 2020s.
The 10 Best Minis & Limited Image Comics of the 2020s
#10) Parasocial
Creators: Alex de Campi, Erica Henderson
Publication Years: 2020
2020s Issues: OGN
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #650
While it’s Dracula, Motherf***er! that showcased the virtuosic leveling up of artist Erica Henderson, Parasocial is the creative duos smoothest read, a modern Misery for the age of social media.
#9) Clementine
Creators: Tillie Walden
Publication Years: 2022 – 2025
2020s Issues: Clementine OGN Books 1 – 3
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #600
The 2020s are full of incredible talent scouting by The Walking Dead/Invincible’s Robert Kirkman (for example, Daniel Warren Johnson on Transformers), but bringing the Eisner and Ignatz award-winning Tillie Walden in to the Walking Dead Universe with the Clementine trilogy is his most inspired.
#8) Do a Powerbomb
Creators: Daniel Warren Johnson (writer/artist), Mike Spicer (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer)
Publication Years: 2022
2020s Issues: Issues #1–7 (7-issue limited series)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #439
Driven by grief over her mother’s death, an aspiring wrestler is summoned by a necromancer god to team up with her mother’s greatest rival in an interdimensional tag-team tournament where the prize is resurrection. Daniel Warren Johnson has earned a superstar turn in the 2020s across licensed works like Wonder Woman: Dead Earth and Transformers, but his most emotional moments typically from creator-owned works with regular collaborators Mike Spicer and Rus Wooton. Do a Powerbomb isn’t reinventing the wheel – it’s a classic manga tournament arc with superpowered wrestlers – but when your pages look this good and your heart is this open, that’s enough.
#7) Swan Songs
Creators: W. Maxwell Prince (writer), Various (artists/colorists), Good Old Neon (letterer)
Publication Years: 2023–2024
2020s Issues: Issues #1–6 (6-issue limited series)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #381
Swan Songs is a series of 6 one-shots with a new artist on each issue (Martin Simmonds! Caspar Wjingaard! Filipe Andrade! Caitlin Yarsky! Alex Eckma-Lawn! And Ice Cream Man’s own Martin Morazzo), and each issue is about the end of… something. We get the end of a life, the end of the world, the end of a marriage, the end of a sentence, the end of depression. It’s the kind of swing-for-the-fences one-and-done excellence I’ve come to expect from Prince, every issue a chance to be your next favorite.
#6) Hexagon Bridge
Creators: Richard Blake (writer/artist/colorist/letterer)
Publication Years: 2023–2024
2020s Issues: Issues #1–5 (5-issue limited series)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #365
When two cartographers disappear while exploring a newly discovered parallel dimension, their clairvoyant daughter and a specialized android enter the surreal, shifting landscape to bring them home. Illustrator Richard Blake’s sci-fi world is stunning, in a Nolan-esque (complimentary!) swirl of new worlds and mysterious rules.
#5) A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance
Creators: Rick Remender (writer), André Lima Araújo (artist), Chris O’Halloran (colorist), Rus Wooton (letterer)
Publication Years: 2021–2022
2020s Issues: Issues #1–11 (11-issue limited series)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #344
This series is a genuine ‘can’t put it down’ one-sitting burner, absolutely refusing to hold the readers hand, and instead diving headfirst into a naturalistic exploration of an ordinary insurance agent pulled into a web of contract killers. While I’ve long been a Remender fan, this is the work that convinced me André Lima Araújo is destined for superstardom. Possibly my favorite John Wick esque comics action of the decade, in an incredible example of the power of collaboration in comics.
#4) The Good Asian
Creators: Pornsak Pichetshote (writer), Alexandre Tefenkgi (artist), Lee Loughridge (colorist), Jeff Powell (letterer)
Publication Years: 2021–2022
2020s Issues: Issues #1–10
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #272
Pornsak Pichetshote and Alexandre Tefenkgi’s The Good Asian delivers that near impossible balance between historical fiction and pulp-noir where the integration is so thorough the reading experience is a simultaneous blend of education and entertainment; sorrow and suspense. The Good Asian exposes the history of the Chinese Exclusion Act through the lens of a Chinese-American detective, all well functioning at the highest levels of police-noir (A la James Ellroy’s The Black Dahlia).
#3) Blue in Green
Creators: Ram V (writer), Anand RK (artist), John Pearson (colorist), Aditya Bidikar (letterer)
Publication Years: 2020
2020s Issues: Original Graphic Novel (OGN)
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #271
A frustrated jazz musician investigating his late mother’s past uncovers a sinister family photograph that unleashes a demonic, muse-like entity demanding his sanity in exchange for musical genius. As Ritesh Babu put it, “Blue in Green is one of those comics that doesn’t come about that frequently. It’s a work along the lines of Flex Mentallo: Man of Muscle Mystery, Phonogram: The Singles Club, or Mister Miracle: a cementing of a defining collaboration. A tour de force of style, storytelling, and horror, Ram V, Anand RK, Aditya Bidikar, and Tom Muller cement themselves as a new voice in the medium.”
#2) Ghost Cage
Creators: Caleb Goellner (writer), Nick Dragotta (writer/artist), Rus Wooton (letterer)
Publication Years: 2022
2020s Issues: Issues #1–3
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #242
When a mega-corporation’s supreme energy facility is hijacked by radical elemental terrors, a warrior forged from pure power is deployed to fight through the mega-structure floor by floor. It’s not like we didn’t know about Nick Dragotta before Absolute Batman, but I promise you *nobody* who read Ghost Cage was sleeping on the superstar artist. In three perfect mangafied issues, Caleb Goellner and Nick Dragotta team up to deliver ‘What if East of West was Akira?’ in one of the most enriching surprises of 2022.
#1) Made in Korea
Creators: Jeremy Holt (writer), George Schall (artist/colorist), Adam Wollet (letterer)
Publication Years: 2021
2020s Issues: Issues #1–6
Rank on Dave’s All Time Faves: #232
An artificial girl engineered with secret self-aware code is adopted by a childless suburban couple, sparking a quiet reckoning as her rapidly evolving intelligence outpaces human understanding. It’s a bold reflection on identity and American society, with a sci-fi AI backdrop that doesn’t fall prey to overused modern tropes. From Ritesh Babu, “Jeremy Holt and George Scall’s Made In Korea leans into the prevalent implication then that the A.I story is an adoption story, and explores that conceit in a science-fiction context wherein biological parenthood is no longer a reality. The end result is a really striking, memorable comic defined more by its confident, silent implications and unsaid moments than by any possible bombast.”
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