Best of 2023
It’s that time of year! When everyone makes their lists of the best of the year (even though it’s barely December!)
So here are several of our favorites from 2023 (so far!)
We’ve done 3 categories, Graphic Novels, Collections of ongoing series, and then finally a bonus list of some the best Comic Series that started this year! (Hopefully most of those will eventually be collected too!)
Of course, these lists are far from complete, and we’re always happy to make suggestions. But let us know if we forgot any totally awesome ones!
Best Graphic Novels of 2023
Bea Wolf – Zach Weinersmith & Boulet
A retelling of Grendel as a bunch of kids who have to defend their treehouse from a grumpy adult neighbor!
Blood of the Virgin – Sammy Harkham
An immigrant film editor trapped working on exploitation films in the ‘70s yearns for the chance to make his own movie, even at the expense of his personal life.
#DRCL Midnight Children 1 – Shinichi Sakamoto
A manga adaptation of Dracula with a new take on old characters, and mind-blowingly detailed, haunting art makes for a surprisingly fresh feeling take on a classic.
Eden II – K. Wroten
Quiet, self-effacing Ellis and their professor Dr. Heck create an immersive virtuality game called Eden II. However, Dr. Heck betrays Ellis and sells the game out from under them to a shady corporation, and as the game grows in popularity, it becomes harder and harder to distinguish fantasy from reality. Lovable (and loathable) characters and doses of humor throughout make this a standout from your average VR world sci-fi story.
Girl Juice – Benji Nate
A ridiculous yet relatable slice of life / comedy graphic novel about four friends, their dog, life in your 20s, and also possibly a tiny bit of demonic possession.
Grog The Frog: The Book Of Taurus – Alba B G & Davilorium
Grog is more than just a frog, we get to see the Lord of Chaos himself go on a magical adventure filled with hijinks and a case of mistaken identity!
A Guest in the House – Emily Carroll
A gothic horror novel about a newly married young woman and her growing suspicions about her husband and his previous wife. This graphic novel takes a traditional gothic set up and blurs the edges with touches of dark fantasy to create a dreamy experience.
Homicide 1&2 – Philippe Squarzoni & David Simon
David Simon’s 1991 nonfiction book about the homicide unit of the Baltimore Police is turned into a set of compelling graphic novels.
If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It To The Budokan I Would Die 1 – Auri Hirao
This is a slow building but sweet girls love romantic comedy, following mega-fan Eripyo, her favorite member of an indie pop group, and the rest of the girls in that group, Cham Jam; their lives, loves, and dreams of making it to the big time, working their way up from the bottom.
Majnun And Layla: Songs From Beyond The Grave – Yann Damezin
A beautiful debut adaptation of the classic Persian poem, Majnun and Layla portrays not only a tragic love story, but gorgeous artwork intertwined with Farsi calligraphy.
Monica – Daniel Clowes
Years in the making, this selection of short stories of all genres builds out the saga of Monica bit by bit into an epic work. War, romance, horror, and even scifi?
Murky World – Richard Corben
Underground pulp hero Corben’s work finally gets a deluxe edition with cleaned up color in this fantasy saga with necromancers, buxom cyclops, violence, and strangeness.
Night and Dana – Anya Davidson
A brand new coming-of-age story surrounding two BFFs who’re forced to take a film class and make a monster movie together, all while they drift apart.
Night Fever – Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips
A man on a business trip in Europe gets drawn into a dark world when he starts to change his identity in this dark noir thriller.
Shubeik Lubeik – Deena Mohamed
If the wishes of genies were a resource like oil, how do three different Egyptians navigate their encounters with the wish of their dreams? And what connection do the three have?
Slime Shop – Karina Garcia & Kevin Panetta & Niki Smith
YouTube Slime Queen Karina Garcia teams up with our own Kevin Panetta to tell the story of slimes who come alive when their owners aren’t around, but the slimes are worried about what happens to their friends who are being shipped away to new owners!
Spa – Erik Svetoft
Svetoft’s English translation debut and a grossly dark comedy about the wellness industry. He’s able to create an unease that makes you both excited and scared to turn the next page.
Best Collections of 2023
Briar 1 – Christopher Cantwell & Germán García
A retelling of Sleeping Beauty which becomes a gritty fantasy as the princess wakes to find her whole family is dead and she must avenge her kingdom.
Dark Ride 1&2 – Joshua Williamson & Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas
“Defunctland” goes to Hell. Walt Disney-like mogul Arthur Dante would do anything to see his creative vision for a horror theme park get off the ground….Fast forward to the present day – what will his family do to keep it going? Deep dive into the history of DEVIL LAND!
Dark Spaces: Wildfire – Scott Snyder & Hayden Sherman
A group of female convicts fighting a wildfire have the chance to pull off an audacious crime, but is it worth the risk?
Do A Powerbomb – Daniel Warren Johnson
Lona wants to be a pro wrestler, but is she willing to team up with the mysterious masked luchador who accidentally killed her mother in the ring, so that they can join a tournament in another world?
Immortal Sergeant – Joe Kelly & Ken Niimura
On the eve of his retirement party, an out-of-touch police sergeant finds a clue to finally solving one of his oldest cases. He drags his estranged son along with him on a cross country road trip adventure. Incredibly heartfelt storytelling filled with equal parts hilarious buddy cop hijinks and devastating family trauma.
Immortal X-Men 2&3 – Kieron Gillen & Lucas Werneck & Michele Bandini
Immortal X-Men began as a character study on twelve mutant oligarchs, one per issue, where each mutant’s narration attempts to convince the reader that whatever their past supervillainy, they deserve to lead. At the time of writing this, Immortal is five issues past that original twelve-issue arc structure. It’s earned that. Welcome to the best part of the Marvel line.
The Lion & The Eagle – Garth Ennis & P. J. Holden
A small British special forces unit goes deep behind enemy lines in occupied Burma against the Japanese in World War II, leading to a brutal battle for survival in the jungle.
Night of the Ghoul – Scott Snyder & Francesco Francavilla
A filmmaker in a retirement home insists the cult in his lost horror film is real. Interspersed with scenes from the film itself, this is an intense story of dread.
Phantom Road 1 – Jeff Lemire & Gabriel Hernández Walta
A long-haul truck driver stops to help someone after an accident and suddenly they find themselves being stalked by monsters in this surreal tale.
X-Terminators – Leah Williams & Carlos E. Gomez
Jubilee, Boom-Boom, Dazzler, and Laura Kinney team up in this delightful romp through death traps, revenge, fighting for their lives, getting over breakups, and maybe even some vampires!
Yokohama Kaidashi Kikou 1 – Hitoshi Ashinano
In this gentle manga, taking place after an environmental disaster, humanity is winding down and taking it slow, living for the small things, in life. Our main character, an android named Alpha, runs a small coffee shop, and through her eyes, we observe the beautiful and melancholic lives of those around her. Bittersweet and deep, like a cup of black coffe, with a strong nostalgic vibe.
Best New Comic Series of 2023
Avengers Inc. – Al Ewing & Leonard Kirk
Barnstormers – Scott Snyder & Tula Lotay
Batman: Gargoyle Of Gotham – Rafael Grampá
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees – Patrick Horvath
Birds of Prey – Kelly Thompson & Leonardo Romero
Canary – Scott Snyder & Dan Panosian
Danger Street – Tom King & Jorge Fornés
Deep Cuts – Kyle Higgins & Joe Clark & Danilo Beyruth & Helena Masellis & Diego Greco
The Deviant – James Tynion IV & Joshua Hixson
The Enfield Gang Massacre – Chris Condon & Jacob Phillips
Fishflies – Jeff Lemire
The Forged – Greg Rucka & Eric Trautmann & Mike Henderson
Godzilla: War For Humanity – Andrew MacLean & Jake Smith
Gone – Jock
Gryffen – Ben Kahn & Bruno Hidalgo
Incredible Hulk – Phillip Kennedy Johnson & Nic Klein
Nights – Wyatt Kennedy & Luigi Formisano
Peacemaker Tries Hard – Kyle Starks & Steve Pugh
Penguin – Tom King & Rafael De Latorre
Petrol Head – Rob Williams
Phantom Road – Jeff Lemire & Gabriel Hernández Walta
The Plot Holes – Sean Gordon Murphy
Rare Flavours – Ram V & Filipe Andrade
The Sacrificers – Rick Remender & Max Fiumara
Somna – Becky Cloonan & Tula Lotay
Superman: The Last Days Of Lex Luthor – Mark Waid & Bryan Hitch
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Usagi Yojimbo: Wherewhen – Stan Sakai
Transformers – Daniel Warren Johnson
W0rldtr33 – James Tynion IV & Fernando Blanco & Jordie Bellaire
X-Men Hellfire Gala 2023 – Gerry Duggan & R. B. Silva & Luciano Vecchio