Going into the back of the closet, picking out the perfect comic right in the back, and reliving the captivating story inside can feel like traveling back in time. For readers who wish to immerse themselves into other time periods alongside the characters, however, there are great comic book options.
Time travel is an intriguing topic, one which has been incorporated into several famous comic storylines: the Flash saving his mother from being murdered, Katy Pryde going back in time to prevent mutant slaughter, or a WWI veteran falling in a love with a botanist 2,000 years older than him. For those who want to venture outside their own timeline, there are captivating options just a page away.
10 Paper Girls Is An 80s Story Before Stranger Things Existed
Now with an upcoming live adaptation coming to Amazon Prime, Brian K Vaughan and artist Cliff Chiang created the story of Paper Girls over 30 issues, published by Image Comics over a 4-year period. The mystery/sci-fi story follows four teenage newspaper delivery girls in the late 80s who find themselves a time machine.
They’re discovered by two older teenagers who turn out to be from the future and are fighting in an ongoing war with the “Old-Timers.” The girls encounter future versions of themselves and have to wrestle the disappointment of the future and come to terms with who they turn out to be.
9 Jonathan Hickman’s The Red Wing Is About A Father And Son In Different Times
An acclaimed X-Men writer known for his high concept ideas, Johnathan Hickman wrote a 4 issue miniseries with art by his frequent collaborator Nick Pitarra. Titled The Red Wing, the miniseries follows the story of a son and a father in an age when time travel is implemented into everyday life.
Published by Image comics in 2011, the four-issue story depicts people in the past fighting off harvesters from the future who travel back in time to harvest whatever natural or man-made resources they can get their hands on.
8 Patience Is A Crazy Love Story By Daniel Clowes
Patience, written and illustrated by Daniel Clowes, features a tagline describing the book as “a comic timewarp deathtrip to the primordial infinite of everlasting love.” Published in 2016, the story follows Jack, who falls into a deep grief after finding his girlfriend Patience murdered.
After discovering a time machine, Jacks attempt at preventing Patience’s murder horrendously fails. As Jack makes additional attempts, going back farther and farther in time, he and the readers discover more about Patience and her history.
7 Trillium, A Love Story Set 3,000 Years Apart
Jeff Lemire, along with his collaborator colorist José Villarrubia from his previous work Sweet Tooth, explores a love story between two characters from completely different time periods. William Pike is a World War I veteran explorer on an expedition of the lost temples of the Incas in Peru during the 1920s. Nika Temsmith is from the year 3797 and is a botanist researching flowers from the outer-rim of colonized space.
William and Nika’s love threatens the sanctity of the universe, which is now on the brink of collapse due to their budding romance.
With Trillium nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Limited Series in 2014, Lemire states that he took major influence from the work of Arthur C. Clarke, Moebius, and the comic series Saga.
6 Flashpoint Reset The DC Universe Continuity
Barry Allen/the Flash wakes up to find his world has completely changed. His mother — who’s unsolved death led him to becoming a forensic scientist — is still alive. However, the world around him has changed too. Amazon and Atlantean armies are at the brink of war, Superman is nowhere to be seen, and Batman kills people.
This 5 issue miniseries Flashpoint — written by Geoff Johns with art by Andy Kubert — was immensely popular, and had a series of tie in issues. Barry eventually discovered that he was responsible for completely changing the timeline. With his memories of the real world quickly fading, Barry was forced to choose whether to stay with his mother and let the new timeline remain, or let his mother die to fix the timeline.
5 In DC One Million The Future Superman Is Still In Charge
DC One Million explores the life of Superman — who’s in a self-imposed exile in the center of the sun — and other characters who’ve taken up the mantle of familiar heroes in the 853rd century. The future time period receives its number based off of the fact it will be the century DC Comics publishes their 1,000,000 issues if they keep up their regular publishing schedule.
Written by Grant Morrison with art by Val Semeiks, the 12 issue series featured a crossover between the 20th century Justice League of America and the Justice Legion Alpha who teamed up to defeat Vandal Savage — an immortal villain alive in both time periods.
4 X-Men: Days Of Future Past Has Had Multiple Adaptations
During Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s meteoric run on Uncanny X-Men, Days of Future Past was a two issue story not only considered a seminal X-Men story, but considered by fans as one of the best Marvel Comics. During the story, an adult Kitty Pryde sent herself back into the mind of her younger self in the present day to help the X-Men prevent the event that triggered the anti-mutant future where mutants were subjected to internment camps.
This iconic, dystopian future has been referenced in various comics, is the basis for the 2014 film adaptation X-Men: Days of Future Past, and is also adapted into a storyline for the animated X-Men cartoon.
3 Hulk: Future Imperfect Introduces The Maestro
Regarded as one of the best Hulk stories of the modern era, Hulk: Future Imperfect tells a story where Hulk travels to a dark future timeline where every civilization is wiped out except for Dystopia, a massive city ruled by a hard ruler known as The Maestro. Writer Peter David — who worked on Spider-Man 2099 — is credited with reinvigorating the Hulk’s character. This particular story also features art by the legendary, late George Perez. The Maestro turns out to be the Hulk, whose long term gamma radiation exposure has made him stronger and smarter. Seeing all of his friends and loved ones die over the decades, The Maestro is a mad and bitter ruler.
2 Avengers Forever Teamed Up Avengers From Different Time Periods
Over the course of a year, Marvel published a massive Avengers story over the span of 12 issues, written by Kurt Busiek and Roger Stern with art by Carlos Pacheco and Jesus Merino. In Avenger Forever, Rick Jones is almost assassinated by Immortus, but is saved by Kang the Conquerer. Jones is then encouraged by the Kree Supreme Intelligence to use the power of the Destiny Force to summon help.
Jones uses the Destiny Force, pulling Avengers members from various time periods including: Captain America who just discovered the Secret Empire, Yellowjacket from a time when he’s mentally unbalanced and doesn’t know he’s Henry Pym, and a few others. Along with Kang, the Avengers team up to battle Immortus across various time periods.
1 Gorr The God Butcher Fights Thor In The Past, Present And Future
Set to appear as the main antagonist in the upcoming Marvel movie Thor: Love and Thunder, Gorr The God Butcher was first introduced in Jason Aaron’s ground-breaking run on Thor: God of Thunder, with art by Esad Ribić, back in 2012.
In this first arc of Thor, Jason Aaron depicts a riveting story in three parts. When Thor discovers that there are Gods disappearing, he has to find a way to defeat Gorr, The God Butcher in the past, the present, and the future parts of his life.