Summary
Over the years,Marvel and DChave become true powerhouses.Both companies have spawned countless movies, TV shows, and toy lines, with millions of adoring fans worldwide hungrily awaiting their next comic meal.
Of course, these two titans of the industry haven’t been the only ones putting out content in the comics medium. In fact, they haven’t been responsible for what most would consider some of the greatest stories that comic books have to offer. Indeed, with the likes of Imageand Dark Horsepushing the envelope of what strips can truly be, there is no shortage ofincredible comics made by publishers that aren’t one of the big two.
7Spawn
Published By Image Comics
Spawnhas the forces of both heaven and hell to contend with after being given a second chance at life. As an anti-hero in the truest sense, he will stop at nothing to see that he atones for the sins of his past.
This iconic comic series is synonymous with the gory and mature comics that haveonly risen in popularity over the years.It also helped to set the tone for Image Comics as a publisher that isn’t afraid to put out more gritty comic series.
6Invincible
Mark Grayson is a normal high school student who just so happens to be the son of a citizen of the Viltrumite empire. This means that, as his own powers start to develop, he has to learn how to balance regular life with being one of the most powerful beings in the universe.
The premise sounds familiar at first, but readers' expectations will be quickly dashed as they delve intothis immensely brutal comic series.While its numerous spin-offs and side comics are great,Invincibleitself is a massive tale full of the most insane twists and turns seen in comics.
5Hellboy
Published By Dark Hose Comics
As a demon (red skin, tail, and all), one would expect Hellboy to be an enemy of humans. This couldn’t be further from the truth, however. Born in hell but raised on Earth, he lacks any malevolence, and instead fights against the occult.
Hellboyis exceptional,particularly in its tone. Its artwork, stories, and subject matter all carry a similar dark tone, which is often juxtaposed with the titular character’s hilarious personality, shown through one-off gags or silly bits of dialogue.
4My Hero Academia
Published By Shueisha
In a world taken over by the advent of superpowers (quirks in the series), some people remain without them. Izuku Midoriya is one of these unfortunate souls, but after meeting the greatest superhero on Earth, he is given a quirk called One For All, which he resolves to use in order to become a great herojust like his idol, All Might.
My Hero Academiais a manga that introduces a lot of faces to readers over its 430 chapters, but they all manage to get some time to shine, as the threats they all face grow more existential in nature. It’s a manga that revels in the highs and lows that being a super-powered being brings every chance it gets.
3Sailor Moon
Published By Kodansha
Sailor Moonfollows the reincarnated Sailor Guardians as they work together to protect the innocent from the forces of evil. And protect them they will, as the heroes run into threat after threat to both Earth and the universe.
With its interesting power system and surprisingly intricate story, this manga has managed to retain it’s massive fan-base even decades since its conclusion. Plus, being that it’s a shojo series targeted toward girls, it became a gateway for many women the world over to entering the comic book realm.
2The Umbrella Academy
Published By Dark Horse Comics
Fans of My Chemical Romance might not have known that frontman Gerard Way has always had an interest in and affinity for creating comic books. Without their later support,The Umbrella Academymay never have seen the light of day.
The story involves a “family” of super-powered people, all born to different mothers on the same day but collected together and raised as siblings by a wealthy benefactor. Later on in their lives, they’re called together to help save the world from a looming threat. It’s a weird story to say the least, but one that was interesting enough to beadapted into a popular Netflix show.
1Judge Dredd
Published By IPC Media And Rebellion Developments
In a far-flung cyberpunk future, Judge Dredd is a police officer of sorts, tasked with preventing and punishing crimes. With a mountain of bullets and one-liners at the ready, he’ll stop at nothing to clean up the streets of Mega-City One.
Full of hyper-violence and teeming with satire,Judge Dreddis a cautionary tale about the government’s long arm of justice. As such, Dredd and the rest of the Judgesaren’t meant to be seen as “good guys.“Nevertheless, their exploits highlighted in these comics are tough to look away from.
