My Favorite Comic Books of the First Half of 2024
In a year where comic books have already undergone a lot of change — and not always for the better — it makes sense that the best reads of the year so far feel decidedly “different.”
Not that these creative teams, characters or series are all completely uncharted territory. But the medium has spent much of this year trying new things. And the stories that stood out the most to me were mostly the ones taking bigger swings relative to established norms.
Rather than feel unsettled by all of that change, I found it to be exciting in many ways (aside from its impact on my wallet), and wanted to highlight some of my favorite individual issues of 2024 so far.
Like last year, this isn’t a ranked list of the 2024’s best (though will have one of those in December). Instead, it’s just a small collection of what I’ve enjoyed most across a variety of different publishers. Have your own picks? Share them below.
(caution: spoilers ahead)
Marvel: Ultimate Spider-Man #1 (Jonathan Hickman/Marco Checchetto)
Every issue of this series so far has been excellent. But it all starts with #1, where Hickman does a great job turning some of the Spider-Man storytelling norms on their head, gives us a potentially familiar Peter Parker, and then finally thrusts him forward in a way that clicks a lot of this new Ultimate Universe into place (for me, anyway).
While I’m admittedly a sucker for Hickman storytelling, Checchetto’s pencils and Matt Wilson’s colors really make it all pop and add a prestige feeling to the proceedings. Even without much Spidey at all in this first issue, the creative team gives you a world that immediately feels flawed and lived in, while teasing out all of the things you’d really like to learn more about (and in many cases, do, in the following issues).
Image: Ice Cream Man #39 (W. Maxwell Prince/Martin Morazzo & Chris O’Halloran)
Admittedly, I’m not a regular Ice Cream Man reader since it can creep me out a bit too much at times. But this particular issue, all at once about life, death, fate, faith and the art of storytelling; is one of the more thought-provoking comic books I’ve read in some time and an emotionally powerful implementation of the medium.
The jarring visuals will immediately draw your eye in, sure. Prince’s succinct prose delivers the knockout punch, though. Nestled in the flash before the end of this fictional family’s life, he manages to quickly make you feel for every one of them and understand how they got to this moment. Your mind fills in the blank spaces, which almost grows the suspense, since you don’t really know where your mind may go next.
Dark Horse: Dawnrunner #2 (Ram V./Evan Cagle)
Ram V. plus a Pacific Rim-type world where (effectively) kaiju attacks are the norm? Sold. Add in Evan Cagle art and tell me that this these attacks are televised for sport in a pointed commentary on our modern society and the alarming elevation of corporate power? That’s how you get one of the year’s best series so far, in my opinion.
Issue #1 sets the stage for this world. Issue #2, however, really digs deeper into the motivations for protagonist Anita, and the mysteries behind the technology mankind (and she, in particular) is using in a way that surprises and throws you much deeper into V’s well-paced and deliberate lore he’s setting up here.
Comixology: She’s Running on Fumes #1 (Dennis Hopeless/Tyler Jenkins)
I first heard about She’s Running on Fumes from the AIPT Comics podcast, where Dennis Hopeless discussed the biographical nature of the story. And since I’m a fan of Hopeless’s work and especially his run on Spider-Woman, I wanted to give this series a shot. It’s certainly lived up.
Without giving everything away, Hopeless is utilizing his mother’s story to create a detailed picture of a woman put in a difficult spot and only able to get out of it by way of her own blood, sweat and tears. This is not a superhero story, but one of a strong woman put in situations designed to weaken her. But instead she powers through for both herself and her family. All of that comes through on every page, too, as Hopeless uses his personal proximity to apply an impressive level of care throughout.
DC: Zatanna: Bring Down the House #1 (Mariko Tamaki/Javier Rodriguez)
Like other excellent DC Black Label series before it, Zatanna: Bring Down the House doesn’t require you to know much about the main character of the book going in. And believe me, I don’t have much on Zatanna. So the fact that I enjoyed issue #1 this much is a testament to how great of a read this was, and I’m already pretty excited for what comes next.
Putting Zatanna in Vegas as a magic act makes her instantly relatable to readers as someone just trying to do some honest work. Of course, when you’re a magic-user, that’s never how it goes. Every page and bit of dialogue glows, though, between Tamaki’s writing and the incredible art Rodriguez contributes here.
Marvel: Doom #1 (Jonathan Hickman/Sanford Greene)
On paper, this is a fairly simple concept: Doctor Doom is effectively the last man standing against Galactus at the end of existence. But because this is Doom (and Hickman), everything is presented with such ceremony, bombast and detail that you can’t help but be locked in immediately.
Even as Valeria Richard’s telling of how the world’s heroes all failed paints a bleak outlook, Hickman and Greene weave a triumphant tale for Victor. And the full-page splashes and other incredible visuals (hat tip to Rachelle Rosenberg, whose colors are always on-point) only sell that even more, right up until the end. More one-shots like this, please, Marvel!
Image: The Deviant #4 (James Tynion IV/Josh Hixson)
Tynion plays with a lot of different ideas within The Deviant, yet all get equally impressive and thorough treatment. Reading into all of those character and societal examinations, however, can end up blinding you to one of the series’ biggest twists, which comes here in issue #4 with impressive force.
Hixson’s art is thoroughly ominous throughout, painting a wintry hellscape in the midwest with such detail that you feel like you’re there, creeping toward this specific book’s unsettling conclusion. And with so much misdirection already, even feeling like you know what’s happening on the page you’re reading feels like a dangerous game to play.
AWA: Death Ratio’d #1 (Mark Russell/Vladimir Krstić-Laci)
Russell has a lot of fun on this one-shot about a man who wakes up from a coma to find himself in a society run by corporations, where too much negative engagement gets you killed immediately. It’s gory, but in a way that feels less ominous and more Idiocracy. Russell also puts enough detail into this world and its inhabitants we meet to make it pretty believable right off the bat.
Could this ever happen? Probably not. I’ve felt that way about numerous things that have come to pass in recent years, though. So the fact that this even feels slightly tangible to our reality makes it an unsettling and smart commentary on our society.
BOOM: The Displaced #1 (Ed Brisson/Luca Casalanguida)
There’s something cinematic about the first issue of The Displaced. A city in Canada disappears with everyone in it, and within days virtually no one remembers it except the handful of residents that weren’t within the city limits when it vanished.
If that setup isn’t enough for you, how about the fact that the survivors meet someone who’s been through this before in other forgotten cities? Brisson weaves a pretty rich web of characters right off the bat here, and it’s easy to get extremely invested in issue #1 alone.
DC: Superman #12 (Joshua Williamson/Norm Rapmund)
I’ve read plenty of Superman over the years, but I’ve never necessarily been a “Superman fan.” But then I picked up Williamson’s new series last year, and well, I feel like i finally get the larger appeal and potential of Supes.
In issue #12, he’s in his best element (in my opinion), reluctantly working together with Lex Luthor to use their combined power to solve a seemingly impossible problem. The two former adversaries figuratively switch places, make some tough calls, and ultimately lean on a newfound trust and belief to save the day in a non-cliched way. Williamson’s whole run has absolutely cooked so far. But this may be the best example of that ability to-date.
***
Just scratching the surface above, obviously, and I’ve read (and probably missed) plenty more great comic book issues this year as well. But this is intentionally brief, so if a book or series isn’t included, it doesn’t necessarily mean I didn’t read it, or even really enjoy it. Still, open to recommendations. Some honorable mentions are included below as well.
- Marvel: The Ultimates #1 (Deniz Camp/Juan Frigeri)
- Image: Swan Songs #6 (W. Maxwell Prince/Martin Morazzo)
- BOOM: Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Return #1 (Amy Jo Johnson & Matt Hotson/Nico Leon)
- DC: Batman: City of Madness #3 (Christian Ward)
