It’s difficult to believe, but we are already halfway through the year of 2018. Each new week seems to deliver a great array of new comics, both monthly titles and original graphic novels. While it’s easy to get lost in the treadmill of incredible art and shocking stories, it’s worthwhile to take some time to stop and reflect on everything that has been created thus far. From the very first week in January to just this month, superhero publishers and creator-owned comics have delivered lots of very special comics.
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We have selected 10 of the absolute best new comics from 2018 so far, to serve as both a recommendation for readers seeking out great new reads and a reminder of these great early work when the end of the year (and its ensuing best of lists) arrives. They cover the gamut of genres and styles, providing some top-notch works for comics readers of all tastes. So take a look ahead at our favorite comics of 2018 so far, and be sure to share your own selections in the comments.
Astro City
Published by Vertigo Comics
Written by Kurt Busiek
Art by Brent Anderson
Astro City has always been great, and the conclusion of its current volume is no exception. Going back to the very start, it has created a sequel to “The Nearness of You” as stirring and human as anything the series has ever produced. This remains the best ongoing superhero series, which makes this finale all the more bittersweet.
Flavor
Published by Image Comics
Written by Joseph Keatinge
Art by Wook Jin Clark
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
The first couple issues of Flavor have captured everything an all-ages series can be. It is bold, imaginative, and full of life, introducing new concepts every few pages and running headlong into mysteries and adventures. The entire cast is captivating and their fantastical setting is one that readers don’t want to leave. Flavor looks like a series with a long, bright future ahead of it.
The Highest House
Published by IDW Publishing
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross
Colors by Fabien Alquier
This oversized series of volumes has been delivering both more pages and outstanding artwork than any other new series to hit American shelves this year. It evokes mood and mystery in a truly masterful fashion, building a world as carefully as the stone house its characters occupy. The Highest House is the sort of comic book you fall into and each new issue only pulls you deeper.
Is This Guy For Real?: The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman
Published by First Second
Created by Box Brown
Box Brown has become comics’ de facto historian, and he shows a true talent for synthesizing history into a narrative that is both true and revealing. His approach to Andy Kaufman manages to stand out from other narratives on this intriguing entertainer. In addition to shedding light on his wrestling career, Brown also manages to craft a bold statement about the ways in which we invent ourselves every day.
The Lie and How We Told It
Published by Fantagraphics Books
Created by Tommi Parrish
This examination of a single night and conversation explodes from specificity into a work that reveals much more about how we engage with one another and society as a whole. It is a moving vision that examines themes of masculinity, sexuality, and more without ever releasing its narrative grip on readers. This comic is already one of the absolute best new works of 2018.
Prism Stalker
Published by Image Comics
Created by Sloane Leong
Prism Stalker runs with the bold spirit of Prophet and never looks back. The very first issue plunges readers into a world filled with new cultures, alien races, and more, engaging them in invention and a very moving personal narrative simultaneously. There is an absurd amount of ambition within Prism Stalker, but what makes it one of the best comics of 2018 is how well it achieves its aims at every turn.
Punisher: The Platoon
Published by Marvel Comics
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Goran Parlov
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Ennis and Parlov have crafted an equally powerful successor to their work on Fury. “The Platoon” is a story that delves into the horrors of war without being dragged down by banality or platitudes. Instead it carefully examines the effects on men and slow changes that blur the line between heroism and terror. This is a stirring work that reasserts the mastery of both its creators.
Twisted Romance
Published by Image Comics
Edited by Alex de Campi
Created by Katie Skelly, Sarah Horrocks, et al.
Anthologies are notoriously a mixed bag, but they editing and composition of these four issues distributed throughout February is a reminder of their potential. Each work of comics and prose highlighted some of the greatest independent and rising talents working in the industry today. It is a catalog of excellence that is sure to hook readers on a variety of great new comics creators.
Why Art?
Published by Fantagraphics Books
Created by Eleanor Davis
Eleanor Davis is one of the greatest comics creators producing new works today and Why Art? is one of her best comics to date. It grows and shrinks as necessary, developing a metaphor for the nature of art and its connections to life in a narrative that could only be constructed in comics. Why Art? is nothing short of a masterpiece and one of the greatest visual works made in 2018.
X-Men: Grand Design
Published by Marvel Comics
Created by Ed Piskor
The first part of this trilogy was a perfect way to start a new year of comics, and the second installment is less than a month away. X-Men: Grand Design takes Piskor’s incredible eye for layouts and ability to summarize history, and merges them with one of the most convoluted comics ever told. The result is a fascinating reimagining that is simultaneously fresh and familiar.
