Best of Lists

The annual exercise of keeping up with all the best new graphic novels and comics collections is perhaps one of humanity’s greatest feats, impossible for all but the most dedicated and classically handsome, but have no fear, I’m still here! As I’ve done every year of the decade, I’ll be updating Comic Book Herald’s best graphic novels of 2026 every month throughout the year, culminating in a final unimpeachable year-end version of the best comics have to offer this year.

I cut off last year’s list at my 50 favorite comics, and will target that same number here as the year progresses. Picks are confined to completed graphic novels or full trade comics collections. This means good runs that have only been released in single issues are not yet eligible until they are collected, unless I turn into one wild and crazy guy and break my own rules. As always, the list is also limited to works that have been written or translated into English, and somehow found their way into my hands. And yes, they’re ranked in descending order ending with my very favorite favorite #1 best comic at the end!

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Previous Best Comics of the Year Lists:

• Best Comics of 2020
• Best Comics of 2021
• Best Comics of 2022
• Best Comics of 2023
• Best Comics of 2024
• Best Comics of 2025

Without further ado… the best comics of 2026! [Read more…] about The Best Comics of 2026! (So Far!)

I’ll be honest, through the first three months of the year I was getting worried for 2026, but don’t worry your pretty little head, April’s guide to the best graphic novels is stacked (‘specially in the back!). Most importantly, I have a new favorite ongoing manga, and it’s my favorite new book of the month. Check out all the picks below!

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To see the full year’s list, check out the best comics of 2026 (updated monthly!).

[Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of April 2026

I read two Marvel and DC volumes this month (Ultimates Vol. 3 and Absolute Superman Vol. 2) that won’t make the list of recommendations below (they’re both very readable with some strong moments, just not among my favorites), but they did inspire some larger thoughts on Ultimate 2niverse vs Absolute Universe. First off, it’s a wild time to be alive when the go-to thinly-veiled real world inspiration for Superman and Avengers comics is fighting the rise of authoritarianism in America. The metaphors are not subtle, my friends! Ultimates was a little ahead of the curve on how deliberately Camp was able to finetune Hickman’s premise into commentary on guerilla resistance with the deck stacked against you, but it does now seem to be the stock-in-trade of any relevant superhero work (see also: The superior Absolute Batman Annual #1 for the best example on either side of the ball). And it’s interesting to find Ultimates – seemingly built for this moment – losing significant steam, as Absolute Superman wields the fears of the zeitgeist for its own narrative growth.

Big picture, the dueling trendlines (Ultimates on the downswing, Absolute Superman rising) illustrates the overall impression of the lines. Absolute is built for a longer haul, whereas the Ultimate 2niverse was always built for an 18 month adrenaline shot (it’s quite literally in the premise of the Maker locked in his lil’ sci-fi dome for 18 months!). I aggressively disliked the first volume of Absolute Superman (admittedly, a lot of this was driven by comparisons to Absolute Batman and Absolute Wonder Woman), but the second volume’s showdown with Ra’s Al Ghul trying to Big Daddy supes (and Rafa Sandavol’s continued evolution into a talent worthy of the Absolute format) has me fully on board with the series. It’s still lower rung, but that means there are 5 of 6 Absolute titles what I am truly excited to read (of all the Absolute titles, Absolute Flash is certainly the 6th of them!). That’s a wonderfully strong position as these books hit one of the most dangerous moments in any superhero titles life (their 20s!).

Meanwhile over on the 2niverse, Ultimate Endgame is in the midst of a semi-controversial conclusion, and the flagship Ultimates suggests the timing is right. Camp is simply doing more compelling work now for the competition, whether its Absolute Martian Manhunter or the freshly relaunched Vertigo work with Stipan Morian. I’m still very interested in reading new Ultimates collections as they release (I’ll save my Hickman/Checchetto Ultimate Spider-Man conclusion thoughts for the trade write-up!), but not quite to the degree of anything in Absolute, and far less than I was when the first volume of Ultimates had me thinking the book was among the best in *all of current comics*. And then when you consider the rest of the line, Ultimate X-Men remains a fascinating Peach Momoko project with borderline zero shared DNA with the universe, Ultimate Wolverine is steady but unremarkable, and I’ll forget Ultimate Black Panther by the time I finish writing this… where was I?

It’s been cool to see competing universes at DC and Marvel really gunning for some “best in superhero comics” heights. But who won? Right now, it feels Absolutely clear (bazinga!).

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To see the full year’s list, check out the best comics of 2026 (updated monthly!). [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of March 2026

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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To see the full year’s list, check out the best comics of 2026 (updated monthly!). [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of January & February 2026