When many people think of comic books, they imagine superpowered heroes with impossibly idealized bodies clad in bright, skin-tight spandex, fighting monstrous villains that threaten the entire world. Marvel and DC, the two biggest comic book publishers, certainly specialize in this type of content. For readers who aren’t so excited by god-like people prancing about in leotards, indie comic publishers like Image Comics provide an alternative.
One of indie comics’ best features is the wide range of genres the stories can cover. There are indie comic superheroes, of course, but those stories are far less common. More often, creators use indie comics as a way of telling stories that don’t fit into the Marvel or DC superhero universes. The stories published by Image Comics can range from Romance to Horror, to Sci-Fi and Fantasy, and they include some of the best comic books on the market.
10 Saga
Saga is one of the best comic books in print from any publisher. Since its release, this genre-defying story about a family fleeing the horrors of an interplanetary war has maintained its incredible quality, both in its storytelling by Brian K. Vaughn, and its incredible art by Fiona Staples. For fans of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Romance, or Adventure, Saga has a bit of everything.
The cast in Saga is incredibly diverse, with a wide range of alien races, and love stories that encompass mixed race, same-sex, and transgender couples, and the prejudice those couples often face. The comic doesn’t shy away from the graphic realities of varied subjects like motherhood or the horrors of war. Most importantly, the characters are incredibly layered, acting as heroes in the story one minute, and villains the next.
9 East of West
Jonathan Hickman is one of the most renowned modern comic book writers, and while writing for Marvel, he penned some of their most iconic and innovative stories, such as Secret Wars. Hickman’s work truly shines in indie comics though, where his creative storytelling can run free without the constraints of an established world populated by superheroes.
One of Hickman and Image Comics’ best titles is East of West. This intriguing series, illustrated by Nick Dragotta, combines Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, and Westerns. It also follows a modern version of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse across an alternate future version of the United States. East of West’s plot is intricate and unexpected, and its protagonist, Death, is as far from traditional superheroes as one can get.
8 Chew
Not everyone who has a special ability and solves crimes is a superhero. In the imaginative world of Chew, written by John Layman, chicken has been outlawed because of a deadly avian virus, and the FDA are the most powerful government agents in the United States. FDA Agent Tony Chu can see the history of anything he eats, which in his line of work, leads to some pretty unpleasant experiences for the dedicated Agent.
The world of Chew is incredibly vibrant and inventive, and is brought to life perfectly by Rob Guillory’s cartoonish illustrations, which often include small humorous details. Though it has elements of Science Fiction or Urban Fantasy, Chew is, at heart, a buddy cop story, but with more twists and turns than any reader could possibly predict.
7 Monstress
For anyone who values beautiful art in their comics, Monstress is one of the most visually stunning stories from any publisher. Set in a fantasy world inspired by early 20th Century Asia, the art-deco-inspired scenery and lush, painted graphics in Monstress, illustrated by Sana Takeda, create an almost ethereal backdrop for some truly disturbing Fantasy Horror content.
The story of Monstress, told by Marjorie Liu, involves a war between a faction of magical creatures called Arcanics, and a faction of humans who consume the Arcanics to power their own sorcery. In the middle is Maika Halfwolf, who looks human, but is actually an Arcanic with a mysterious demonic power. The outward beauty of the world and art in Monstress contrasts with the horrors of the story to create a comic like no other.
6 Sex Criminals
Chip Zdarsky is currently one of the most prolific comic book writers on shelves, with titles spanning Marvel, DC, and Image Comics. He initially rose to fame, however, as the artist on an unusual Image Comics title written by Matt Fraction, Sex Criminals. Indie comics allow creators to tell stories that have too much adult content for the major publishers, and Sex Criminals is one of the best results of that freedom.
In Sex Criminals, the two main characters discover that they both share the unique ability to stop time when they orgasm. With everyone else frozen in time, the pair decide to use their powers to rob a bank. The story only gets stranger from there. This comic is a truly unique reading experience and also has the dubious honor of being one of the most banned books in the United States.
5 Descender
Descender is a story about a young android who is being hunted across the galaxy after all robots and artificial intelligence have been banned. There are no superheroes in the world of Descender. The child-like protagonist must find his way with only his robot dog and a renegade mining droid as companions. The story employs writer Jeff Lemire’s typical minimalism, and it’s dreamily illustrated by Dustin Nguyen, who won an Eisner award for the series.
Jeff Lemire has explained that the child-like nature of the main character was a response to him becoming a father, and the fears and desire to protect the young life that emerged after the birth of his child. The book also explores complex issues around grief and alienation that give it far more gravitas than a simple science fiction adventure.
4 Die
Many comic book fans play table-top role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons, and stories about those games often feature ordinary players being transported to the world of their game. This common theme is at the core of Kieron Gillen’s comic Die. However, the comic takes its fantasy roots and leads them down a dark path, with strong horror elements and flawed characters who are not all who they seem.
One of Die‘s best features is its art, by Stephanie Hans. The illustrations are all painted, and the dark beauty of the art sets the scene perfectly for the series’ dangerous magical realm. Die is an investigation of the link between peoples’ adult and younger selves, as well as a character study of the flawed players who must venture back into a dangerous world they thought they escaped decades ago.
3 The Department of Truth
The Department of Truth is a comic that feels extremely relevant in today’s political climate. In this comic, any conspiracy theory can become reality if enough people believe in it. The comic explores the nature of objective reality and the influence of propaganda, as secret organizations try to both create and dispel the conspiracies taking hold across the United States.
The art in The Department of Truth, by Martin Simmonds, can be quite jarring, as it evokes the feeling of becoming unmoored from reality with its collage-like illustrations and skewed perspectives. Meanwhile, the story is as far from the brightly colored worlds of superheroes as one can get, with the characters and the book itself playing with ideas of the very nature of reality itself.
2 Deadly Class
If there were a complete opposite of comic books about superheroes, it might be a comic book about a school of trainee assassins. One of the best Image Comics from the past decade, Deadly Class, written by Rick Remender, tells the story of a teenage orphan who ends up being trained at an elite school for assassins. The nature of the characters and their profession leaves the reader uncertain who to root for as the often grim story unfolds.
The art in Deadly Class, illustrated by Wes Craig, has a punk edge that fits the story of a group of teenage misfits living in the shadows of 1980s San Francisco perfectly. The story is definitely dark, but it also deals with common teenage and high school themes surrounding belonging and personal identity, which are relatable to many people, despite the dark nature of this particular school.
1 Black Cloak
Police procedurals have some parallels to the superhero genre, with people fighting against criminals and protecting the innocent, but the heroes typically are ordinary humans. Black Cloak is essentially a police procedural, but set in a modern, Fantasy-inspired city populated by elves and other mythical races. The titular lawkeepers must solve the murder of an Elven prince while navigating complex political issues surrounding his death.
One of the best new Image Comics titles this year, Black Cloak is a departure from other crime stories both in its modern magical setting and use of non-human characters. The story, from Kelly Thompson, is intriguing and complex, and includes twists throughout. The comics are illustrated in a unique style by Meredith McClaren, with simple, bold lines that provide an interesting departure from the traditional style of hero comics. The result is a comic about the fight between right and wrong, told in a refreshing new way.