Best comic books of 2024

Word Balloons #1252: Matt's favorite comics of the year

It was a turbulent 2024 in comic shops, and 2025 is shaping up much the same. But there have been some fun and exciting comics amidst the chaos, including new lines from Marvel and DC that are gathering lots of attention.

The following are my picks for 2024’s best 10 periodical comic books – or at least my favorites.

1. Local Man

I am giving this the #1 spot because of how hard it is to stick an ending in comics, and Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs did that in classic fashion with their story of a washed-up superhero from Image Comics’ boom era.

2. Absolute Batman

Writer Scott Snyder and artist Hayden Sherman craft a tale of a Bruce Wayne who becomes Batman without any financial advantages – and the gritty tale so far is drawing comparisons to classics including “Batman: Year One.”

3. Transformers

Artist Jorge Corona joined Daniel Warren Johnson for the second arc and beyond of “Transformers,” which mixes action, drama and intrigue with battles between the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.

4. Superman

Joshua Williamson and artists including Dan Mora continue to craft a classic version of the Man of Steel, whose 2024 included battling Brainiac and Lobo.

5. Ultimate Spider-Man

Jonathan Hickman continues to develop this alternate world of Marvel heroes, with a married father named Peter Parker discovering how to become Spider-Man. The series is illustrated by Marco Checchetto.

6. Duke

This lead-in to the new “G.I. Joe” series from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Tom Reilly gave depth and grit to the special missions force’s leader.

7. Exceptional X-Men

Kitty Pryde is done with the X-Men after the Krakoa era – but sometimes you can’t help who you are, and those who need your help find you. Kitty finds herself helping a group from the next generation of mutants with the help of Emma Frost (whose help Kitty doesn’t want) and Iceman (who may have his own secret agenda). The series is written by Eve L. Ewing and drawn by Carmen Carnero.

8. The Moon is Following Us

Daniel Warren Johnson and Riley Rossmo are the creative team for this Image Comic, in which

Sam and Duncan LaMarr must enter a magical world to rescue their six-year-old daughter, Penny.

9. Rook Exodus

The team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Jason Fabok craft this tale of the adventures of a former guardian of a post-apocalyptic world. One of the many excellent Ghost Machine titles available from Image Comics.

10. Power Fantasy

The world has six superpowered beings. The safety of the world requires a balance of power among them. An alternate history with superhero-type characters, written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Caspar Wijngaard.

What were some of your favorites from 2024?

Matthew Price, matthew@matthewLprice.com, has written about the comics industry for more than two decades. He is the co-owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman.