Comic Book Herald

A Comic Book Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

Best of Lists

The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

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Originally launched as a platform exclusively for hosting Korean manhwa in 2004, Naver Webtoon, LINE Webtoon, or (more frequently) just Webtoon has become a monolith in webcomic circles for good reason since its expansion into Western comics hosting and translation in the mid-2010s.

Providing an intuitive, accessible, and highly functional digital-first desktop and mobile platform for both international and local readers and creators—including a female readership and creatorship in excess of 60%—Webtoon has ushered in an indisputable but often critically overlooked revolution in comics publishing with its dramatic take on comic democratization, narrative and visual formats, and finely tuned publishing practices. It’s also irrefutably (at times impenetrably) dense, hosting a wide array of romance, action, supernatural, sports, and horror comics updated weekly.

Yes, Webtoon’s annual readership in excess of 100 billion is deserved, but also daunting. Where does one start with the 500+ weekly comics, most (if not all) of which are worthy of your time? With our list of the best of both ongoing and completed offerings on the platform below, of course! [Read more…] about The Best of WEBTOON Comics!

Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!

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Hawkeye, the resourceful sharpshooting marksman of the Avengers, has always stood out amongst the other members of the team’s core roster, mainly due to his particular skill set and its lack of a real “wow” factor. Because of this, Hawkeye’s history has been a bit of a mixed bag, causing him to be a fan favorite that doesn’t sell well—an interesting conundrum. When compared to the other world-shattering powers/capabilities of his superhero teammates and counterparts, it’s hard to define the precise role that Hawkeye appears to serve in the heat of battle, and hard to ignore how damaging that has been to the perception of the character.

In addition to his time as an Avenger, Clint was also a member (and frequently a leader) of other superhero teams such as the West Coast Avengers, the Secret Avengers, and the Thunderbolts, just to name a few. With that being said, since his debut into the Marvel Comics foray, Hawkeye has been given a number of solo series, each tasked with creating a persona for Hawkeye outside of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Luckily, there exists a handful of storylines that do our bowman justice, and around the mid-2000s readers were treated with a revamping of sorts that reinvigorated Hawkeye’s lore/mythos and finally carved out a lane for him to no longer lurk in the shadows of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. With the mononymous MCU show coming to Disney+ soon, it would make sense to discuss the most incredible storylines that the mantle has had so far. So, let’s look at the five best Hawkeye storylines from the character’s entire existence. [Read more…] about Best 5 Hawkeye (Marvel) Comics & Graphic Novels!

This List is the Law: The Best Judge Dredd Comics

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Since his debut in 1977’s 2000 AD #2 over forty years ago, the grim, fit, and unapologetic Judge Dredd has become both one of comics’ most emblematic figures, but also one of its most enigmatic. A “Street Judge”—officer, judge, jury, and executioner in the monolithically dystopic Mega-City One—Dredd is, by all outward appearances, a one-dimensional satire of fascism in his original conception by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra. Indeed, many purists and diehard fans will tell you that Dredd functions best when he is unflinching and morally reprehensible. A reflection of our own struggles with law and justice, living and dying.

But that idea essentially lacks nuance, dismissing the flexibility of Dredd as a figure and the function of his stories. As time progresses in both Mega-City One (literally—the series started in 2079 and as of now takes place in 2143) and the real world, so, too, does Dredd. A legacy character from a vast array of the most recognizable creators in comics, (including Grant Morrison, Garth Ennis, Mark Millar, John Wagner, Dan Abnett, and Pat Mills), Dredd is a vessel for stories with overwhelmingly sardonic takes on law, justice, and the often wholesale inability of politics to synthesize the two. Once lauded, over time these stories were also found to be all too prescient, overlapping with our own grim reality in both telling and narratively trying ways.

So, out of gross necessity, Dredd changed. Law and justice incarnate, saint and sinner, he’s better for it. A complex, enigmatic figure, in any given series Dredd can be seen as an uncompromising villain, but also, when needed, a legitimate hero. Violent, unhinged, resolute, kind, caring, contradictory and complex all in one, Dredd is a genuine icon, and one that has been central to some of the best comics stories of all time included below. [Read more…] about This List is the Law: The Best Judge Dredd Comics

The Best Swamp Thing Comics of All Time!

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Since debuting in 1971’s House of Secrets #92, Swamp Thing, a DC Comics mainstay, has challenged and changed the comics world in a way few others have. Intentionally or unintentionally — there’s a lot of existentialism to be had here — unassuming scientist Alec Holland (and numerous other hosts and avatars) serves as the vessel for something larger than himself: The Swamp Thing, a shambling mound of life and earth that serves as a reminder that the world exists beyond us…and that it has needs and desires beyond our comprehension.

From straightforward horror storytelling to environmental radicalism to psychedelic explorations of the boundary between man and nature, Swamp Thing is consistently inconsistent, but that’s also to his benefit! An enigmatic character that draws renewed creativity out of storied creators like Alan Moore, Scott Snyder, Brian K. Vaughan, and more, Swamp Thing has historically been a title that commands respect and reverie for good reason. At the very least, it’s all but guaranteed there’s nothing else like a good Swamp Thing comic, and these are among his very best. [Read more…] about The Best Swamp Thing Comics of All Time!

The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!

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Blade is one of the most disgustingly slept-on vigilantes in all comics. The dhampiric Marvel character made his debut in the 70s Tomb of Dracula, and has bounced around quite a bit since then. His books don’t fly off the shelves like those of the X-Men, he isn’t everyone’s favorite hero like Spider-Man, and his supernatural tales are often outdone by the likes of Dr. Strange and Ghost Rider. Blade’s books have always been long ignored and soon forgotten as series after series is canceled and, eventually, reborn. Under the hit-or-miss pen of Jason Aaron on Avengers and the Heroes Reborn event, his latest appearance has left much to be desired.

With Mahershala Ali cast as the titular hero in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe reboot/interpretation of everyone’s favorite daywalker, it’s only a matter of time before we get the inevitable new Blade comic series. Jason Aaron and Javier Garron’s recent run on Avengers has been a decent showing of his prowess, and the Heroes Reborn series has been interesting, to say the least. But not enough to sell a new comic readerthat this edgy vampire dude is, in fact, an undeniable bad-ass. [Read more…] about The Best 5 Modern Blade Comics!