Comic Book Herald

Reading Order Guide For Beginners & Fans

best comics of the decade

10 Best Marvel Comics of the Decade (2020 – Present)

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Marvel’s had a rough 2020s, as a waning MCU and the failing leadership of CB Cebulski’s tenure as editor-in-chief led to DC overtaking Marvel in local comic shop market share for the first time since the splash of 2011’s New 52 (and on a sustained basis for the first time this century!). It’s a notably down decade for the once and future House of Ideas, but as is always the case, even at historical low points, amazing creators make amazing Marvel Comics that shine through.

For Marvel, the decade’s most memorable moments include the X-Men’s Age of Krakoa, the Maker’s new Ultimate Universe, and Doctor Doom’s most notable world takeover since Emperor Doom. Below you’ll find my picks for the best Marvel Comics of the 2020s, limited to new releases this decade. Longer runs of comics could begin prior to the 2020s, but must release a substantial amount of the run after the year 2020. Otherwise, all that matters is that I had a great time reading and think you will too! [Read more…] about 10 Best Marvel Comics of the Decade (2020 – Present)

10 Best DC Comics of the Decade (2020 – Present)

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Heading into the 2020s, DC Comics was in a precarious position. The late 2010s DC Rebirth initiative was closing in on 4 years, and had clearly lost its luster after launching to tremendous fanfare in 2016. Likewise, co-publishers Jim Lee and Dan Didio were closing in on a decade in the role, with a tenure that began with the controversial, shockwave-inducing New 52. Coupled with increasing pressure and meddling from the corporate overlords at Warners Bros, the future of DC Comics seemed murky at best.

Given that shaky foundation, the decade has gone about as well as you could have imagined. In early 2020, Marie Javins replaced Didio as DC’s Editor-in-Chief, and through a series of new initiatives (Infinite Frontier, Dawn of DC, All-In), the 2024 launch of the Absolute Universe, the continued prestige presence of DC Black Label, and the overwhelmingly beloved compact comics format launch, DC surpassed Marvel as the market share sales leader in comic shops by mid-decade. [Read more…] about 10 Best DC Comics of the Decade (2020 – Present)

35 Most Popular Comics of the 2020s Decade (2020 to Right Now!)

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I’d say if I learned two things from Wicked, number one is every musical should end at the intermission, and number two is that it’s very fun to sing the word pop-U-lure. As such, these are the most – sing it with me! – popUlar comics of the decade, from superhero comics to kids comics to critically acclaimed fancypants graphic novels and everything in between!

Given a fragmented sales ecosystem and shifting standards and metrics, keeping track of what’s popular in comics and graphic novels is not quite as simple as a New York Times bestseller list, or a year-end sales list. Plus, the goal posts shift depending on the playing field – for example, the expectations and sales of manga and kids comics are *very* different than the American model for selling superhero comics in local comic book stores. I try to take all that into consideration while also factoring in the personal experience of what it felt like to be obsessed with comics this decade and the books that made the most noise. [Read more…] about 35 Most Popular Comics of the 2020s Decade (2020 to Right Now!)

25 Best Graphic Novels of the 2020s Decade (2020 to 2026)

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Not to brag (warning: impending nerd brag incoming!), but I’ve been really up to speed on the latest and greatest in graphic novels of the 2020s. In fact, I keep tabs on my favorites every month right here on CBH and in the CBH monthly newsletter. One thing I can say with absolute certainty is that keeping up to date with all the best new graphic novels and collected editions is a LOT of reading. Which of course means the 2020s are full of LOTS of great graphic novels to explore. For this exercise, I tried to pick the 25 personal favorites I’d most highly recommend.

As far as list rules and rationale, the big one here is I made myself stick to self-contained works that fit neatly in a graphic novel. So my favorite ongoing runs of the decade – Ice Cream Man, Bitter Root, Immortal Hulk, The Department of Truth, Chainsaw Man, Kaguya-sama … hey, maybe this should be its own list? – are not included below. Otherwise, a collected work published anytime after 2020 is fair game, including the collected House of X / Powers of X (even though single issues started releasing in 2019). These graphic novels are for adults, or on occasion young adults (or like me, adults who never matured!). If you’re looking for good kids comics, hey, there’s a different list for that! As always, the list is limited to graphic novels I’ve read and that have been translated into English!

There are definitely plenty of critical darlings that do not make my personal top 25. I expect to hear the most about Barry Windsor-Smith’s Monsters, Daniel Clowes’ Monica, and Emil Ferris’ My Favorite Thing is Monsters Pt. 2 (if you’re starting to think that releasing a Monster-themed long graphic novel from Fantagraphics is the key to success, I can see why!). Those are interesting comics from incredible talents. They aren’t on my list! Deal with it! Or don’t! I hate conflict!

As a final note, I have no idea why I limited this to 25 graphic novels, it’s one of the worst things I’ve ever done to myself. There are so many good comics I wanted to include here, but you can find them all on the list of my favorite comics of all time, or of course, each list of my favorites for each year since 2020! I have no idea what I’m going to do when I need to update this list for the full decade, aside from probably include 100 graphic novels for adults to save myself the stress! [Read more…] about 25 Best Graphic Novels of the 2020s Decade (2020 to 2026)