Science fiction is one of the most important genres in comics. Over the decades, creators have used science fiction concepts in brilliant ways, using sci-fi to enhance superheroes. The superhero is a concept that definitely lends itself well to sci-fi, but most superhero stories aren’t technically sci-fi. While many superhero comics use sci-fi a lot — for example, the best Fantastic Four runs are usually the ones where the creators use sci-fi concepts — not all superhero stories should be considered sci-fi. That said, many publishers, including Marvel and Image Comics, have put out some comics that are pure sci-fi masterpieces.
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Sci-fi comics take the trappings of science fiction — massive space battles, robots, dystopian futures — and put them in the fore. A great sci-fi comic will take you places you never thought you’d go, changing the way you look at the world. These ten sci-fi comics are the best of the best, taking readers on adventures that will blow their minds.
10) Infinity
Writer Jonathan Hickman is known for bringing sci-fi into his superhero stories, and his Avengers/New Avengers run was actually very, very sci-fi despite being about superheroes. Looking at his run, there’s one story that I always felt was more sci-fi than the rest and that’s Infinity, with artists Jim Cheung, Dustin Weaver, Jerome Opena, Leinil Yu, and Mike Deodato.
The best way to get the full sci-fi effect with Infinity is to buy the collected edition, which includes the Avengers and New Avengers tie-in issues. Infinity has two plots — an ancient race called the Builders starts a cataclysmic war to exterminate all life in the universe, and the Avengers go to help the intergalactic empires fight for their survival, while on Earth, the Illuminati have to deal with Thanos. Infinity works so well because Hickman understands the kind of war in the stars story he’s trying to tell and gives just the right amount of sci-fi and superheroes. This is peak superhero sci-fi.
9) Descender/Ascender
Image Comics has given readers brilliant comics, including some awesome sci-fi books. One of the best is the one-two punch of Descender/Ascender. Descender takes place in a universe where the governments of the galaxy are still recovering from a cataclysmic event that was caused by machines. Robots are considered enemies of the state. A robot named Tim-21 awakens at a mining station and decides to try and find the family who raised him, not knowing how the galaxy has changed. Tim gets enmeshed in a burgeoning galactic conflict that changes the balance of power forever. Ascender follows a girl named Mila, the daughter of one of Tim-21’s owners, as she navigates a whole new universe. Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Dustin Nguyen, these two books blend sci-fi and fantasy effortlessly and have an amazing core of emotion. They’re seriously engaging comics, and deserve more credit for how great they are.
8) StarHenge Book One: The Dragon and the Bear
Sci-fi and fantasy go together very well, and nowhere is that more apparent than StarHenge Book One: The Dragon and the Boar, by writer/artist Liam Sharp. In the future, humanity and artificial life are locked in a war for the survival of their species, with the only hope of victory for humanity being magic. This leads both sides to send warriors through time to find Merlin, one side to save him and the other to destroy him. StarHenge is brilliant right from the beginning. The six-issue series will take readers on quite a ride, as they learn the origins of magic and how it is related to war in the future. Sharp does some outstanding work in this book, and the visuals alone are worth the price of admission. More people need to read this book, so that Sharp can work on the story’s continuation (there’s been one so far, Ore, but there’s so much story left to tell).
7) The Ballad of Halo Jones
Alan Moore is widely considered the best comic writer ever, and has multiple works that could be considered sci-fi. However, a favorite of many fans is The Ballad of Halo Jones, with artist Ian Gibson. It was first published in the British comic magazine 2000A.D., following the eponymous heroine as she deals with life in the 50th century, following her from adolescence to old age. Moore and Gibson do a fantastic job of creating the far future setting, giving readers intelligent sci-fi with a heart. The Ballad of Halo Jones isn’t as well-known as something like Watchmen, but it’s yet another example of Moore’s genius.
6) Black Science
Black Science, by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera, was part of what I like to call the Image Renaissance of the ’10s. The book follows Grant McKay, a scientist with a complicated personal life, who created a device that allows him to travel through the multiverse. While on a test with his team, they get stranded in another universe, forcing them to do whatever they can to get back home. What follows is a meditation on family, love, betrayal, and the ennui of Generation X (Remender loves his Generation X ennui; Deadly Class also gives readers a heaping dose of it).
It’s a brilliant series that will keep readers guessing what is coming next. The art by Scalera is especially great; his unique style brings so much to the table and makes Remender’s work that much better. Black Science took a while to come out while it was still running, but it was definitely worth the wait (the final issue is one of my favorite final issues of anything ever). It’s honestly better to read it in trade than single issues anyway, as Remender packs each story arc with wild twists and turns (if you like this, you’ll also enjoy Low).
5) East of West
Jonathan Hickman is a treasure house of story, and East of West is what I consider to be his best indie work. The best way to describe East of West is that it’s an alternate history dystopian Biblical apocalypse sci-fi epic, and that’s what makes it so amazing. East of West takes place in a United States where seven factions popped up during the Civil War, and the war ended after the factions learned about an apocalyptic prophecy. The seven factions have an uneasy peace, but all of that changes when the End Times finally arrive, as the Horseman of Death embarks on a quest for revenge and the three other Horsemen, whom he had killed years before, return. East of West has everything you could want from a comic — action, adventure, engaging worldbuilding, political intrigue, and some amazing characters — and it will leave you breathless by the time you finish it. Nick Dragotta’s art is fantastic, helping Hickman create a United States unlike you’ve seen before. East of West is an all-time great.
4) Judge Dredd
In a lot of ways, Judge Dredd is the grandfather of the comic industry we currently have. The first Judge Dredd strip appeared in the British comic anthology magazine 2000 AD in 1977. Created by John Wagner and Carlos Ezqueera, it told the story of a dystopian future where humanity has been consigned to MegaCities protected by the Judges, who act as judge (duh), jury, and executioner.
The stories follow the titular Judge Dredd as he does his best to keep the peace in a place full of evil, from the halls of power to the dirty alleys. Judge Dredd was massively influential on the British comic scene, which in turn would revitalize the American comic industry in the mid-’80s. There are decades of amazing Judge Dredd stories to choose from, and some of the best artists and writers in British comics have worked on the character. Judge Dredd is one of the most important characters in the history of comics, and while every story isn’t perfect, you’ll always find something to love in every era of his 48-year existence.
3) The Incal
The Incal is one of the most acclaimed sci-fi comics of all time. Published between 1980 and 1988 in the French magazine Metal Hurlant, The Incal takes place in a far-future dystopian city, with John Difool pulled into a situation that will change the history of the universe forever. Written by Alejandro Jodorowsky with art by the legendary Moebius, Jodorowsky wrote it after trying to adapt Dune, using many of the concepts he wanted to include in that aborted film (if you want to go on a ride, watch the documentary Jodorowsky‘s Dune), taking readers on an abstract, hallucinatory trip through the future. There are multiple sequels and prequels, as Jodorowsky built an entire universe with the concepts in the first story. The art by Moebius is amazing. Moebius is one of the greatest, if not the greatest, comic artists that Europe ever produced, and every page is a feast for the eyes. The Incal can get very bizarre, but it does it in the best possible way and is a mindblowing story unlike anything in comics.
2) Saga
Saga is one of the most beloved comics of the 21st century. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples’s sci-fi epic has had some rough patches over the last few years, mostly related to publishing delays, but that doesn’t change just how amazing it is. Saga follows Marko, Alana, and their daughter Hazel. Marko and Alana come from separate sides of an intergalactic war, falling in love when Alana was a guard in a POW camp. They escaped, and both sides of the war try to find and destroy them, especially their daughter Hazel, as they represent that their two cultures can actually be at peace.
Saga is deep, with brilliant worldbuilding, amazing action and suspense, and one of the best casts of characters ever, but what really makes it sing is the sheer emotion of every issue. That emotion is what pulls you in, as you end up caring so much about what’s going on. Saga gets you not just because it’s a great story, but because you want to find out what happens next to Marko, Alana, Hazel, and their friends and enemies. Saga is a modern classic, and there’s nothing else out there like it.
1) Nameless
Writer Grant Morrison has used sci-fi as part of their bag of tricks since the beginning of their career, but the best Morrison sci-fi comic is Nameless, with artist Chris Burnham. Nameless follows an occult detective of sorts called Nameless as he is recruited for a mission into space to intercept a mysterious object heading towards the Earth. What follows is perfect cosmic horror, a story that keeps twisting and turning on readers the whole time as the origins of the object and what’s going on are laid bare.
Nameless has a lot to say, borrowing from Gnostic and magical traditions, and it takes multiple readings to really understand it. It’s an extremely rewarding work, and it will blow your mind. Burnham’s art is the highlight of the book; Morrison lays out a lot of madness in this book, and Burnham is able to bring it to life perfectly. Nameless is sci-fi horror on another level, and you really need to experience it.
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