AIPT’s Best Comics of 2024: Part 1

At this point, it seems almost superfluous to say that comics are in a great place. Not only from a sales or economic standpoint, but in terms of quality. And that trend has really been settling for the last few years: creators everywhere are just doing some bang-up work.

But if we’re going to dig a little deeper – beyond just “ain’t we lucky” – there are a few trends that really struck out in 2024. For instance, the level of creativity and innovation that defined a lot of stories – not just indie darlings but even some of the fare from the Big Two. Or, how creators tried to tap into the insanity and humanity of our times further with stories that cut deep into our bizarre socio-political landscape as both a further salve and defense against stupidity/tyranny. Even this idea that, even if books are still only going to get four to six issues, creators are still able to tell these deeply impactful stories.

Don’t believe me? Just peep our coverage for this year. Be it the best artists, our favorite OGN, a standout maxi-series, and even the coolest comic Substack (one of several new categories this year), the proof is very much in the pudding. All of these winners are just us skimming the surface of the kind of important and powerful risks creators took this year and how, through commitment and creativity, they made deeply important books. The kind of titles and stories that are very much of our time, and yet speak to something bigger and deeper. A desire to transcend this moment (even as we perhaps can’t?) and make comics that can stand the test of time. You know, that thing that the best, most important art does, yeah?

So, please enjoy just some of the creators and stories that truly spoke to us across 2024. If you still need more, you can check out the remainder of our coverage on Thursday. Sometimes, we feel like we’re repeating ourselves, like very anxious parrots, but that’s just because every year, we’re blown away by new releases. But don’t take our word for it: go out there and see the kind of life-affirming goodness that is waiting for you. You’ll see why this year, and every year, we really love comics.

– Chris Coplan, Comics Editor

PS: This year, you may have noticed we only have one “winner” per category. Does that deny the sheer volume of great book and creators? Oh yeah. But since we could never truly cover everything anyway, we thought we’d try and let our celebrations be a little more authoritative. Perhaps let our staff choose their clear favorites and let that really resonate. If you disagree, tell us how you feel – we don’t mind being wrong if it means we can spread a little more love.

Check out AIPT’s best comics of 2024 Part 2.

Best Writer: Deniz Camp

Consistency is a hard quality for comic writers to figure out and even maintain. Oftentimes, you write a hit, and suddenly you’re busy, and now quality declines. Other times, you can’t quite get a foothold, and you end up writing endless minis that nobody seems to care about, maybe not even you. Deniz Camp has been able to thread that needle this year by focusing on making The Ultimates one of the best books monthly — not to mention it being the only one with his name on it.

Camp keeping the releases to only bangers (banger?) was a good way to stand ahead this year, especially after 20th Century Men last year and Absolute Martian Manhunter in 2025. I like his “less is more” approach a lot, even as he is clearly becoming more in-demand based on that quality. Here’s to Camp holding the quality at “must read!”

– Keigen Rea

Best #1 Issue of the Year: Batgirl #1

Writer Tate Brombal, artist Takeshi Miyazawa, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Tom Napolitano

As Cassandra Cain’s biggest fan and supporter, it meant the world to me for this book to be released and be as good as it is so far. I went into it with all my misgivings and fears over the character’s past decade of stories and had them all completely wiped away by the time I was two pages in. That’s how true the character in this book is in nearly every aspect. Tats Brombal has the heart of a truly dedicated fan, and I felt that kinship over a shared love of the storied history of Cassandra. That’s true through all her good and bad years, breaking through that deafening sound of silence that’s followed her throughout her recent publications. It’s the most triumphant return to form for one of the greatest characters in the history of comics, full of love for the greatest of all the Batgirls. I say this with the utmost and total respect and admiration to a fellow Cass fan: I couldn’t have written it better myself.

— Crooker

Best Original Graphic Novel: We Called Them Giants

Writer Kieron Gillen, artist Stephanie Hans, and letterer Clayton Cowles

I discovered Die and artist Stephanie Hans through our website shortly after I joined. A reviewer covered issue #17, saying its artwork “belongs in the Louvre,” and after thoroughly enjoying the series sometime later, I can enthusiastically say I agree. Hans is a masterful artist who can portray the most gray emotions in the most beautiful, colorful ways. She recently brought her talents to We Called Them Giants this year, her first OGN collaboration with her Die partner Kieron Gillen.

Hans’s artwork complements Gillen’s script tremendously well. She depicts the titular giants as both beautiful and mysterious but also frightening. Gillen’s prose runs throughout the book as Lori narrates the story in a way that makes it almost feel like you’re reading a novel – a gorgeously, gorgeously illustrated novel. We Called The Giants contains some of my favorite writing from Gillen; he absolutely nails the themes of embracing the unknown and the eternal “don’t judge a book by its cover” (unless we’re talking comics). I very much hope Gillen and Hans pair up for their next collaboration sooner rather than later and that their first OGN together isn’t “first and only” but “first of many.”

— Austin Manchester

Best Miniseries: Parliament of Rooks

Writer-artist-colorist Abigail Harding and writer-letterer Richard Starkings

Coming off the heels of Ask For Mercy for ComiXology Originals, Harding’s next venture with the digital publisher is a masterful debut series as both artist and writer. Taking a number of influences ranging from Gothic romance, dark fantasy, and various forms of horror, Harding tells a compelling psychological and physical exploration of its main protagonist, Darius Ravenscar, going through love, a horrific transformation, and secrets about his own family.

The highlight of the comic is Harding’s stellar art, which revels in both the monochromatic atmosphere and the Victorian Gothic-inspired fashion. Also, once you start throwing monsters into the mix, it becomes deliciously nasty as Harding draws such incredible detail with the body horror transition from man to giant bird-like monster, which requires pages featuring the flesh ripped off.

— Rory Wilding

Best Ongoing Series: Ultimate Spider-Man

Writer Jonathan Hickman, artist David Messina, artist Marco Checchetto, colorist Matt Wilson, letterer Joe Sabino, and letterer Cory Petit

Hickman has managed to twist the Spider-Man mythos in some surprising ways — including breaking the golden rule of “Uncle Ben always stays dead” — but still keeps the core of who Peter Parker is and why he chooses to be Spider-Man. Yeah, this is a Peter Parker who had a choice in becoming Spider-Man, but he still keeps the idea of “with great power comes great responsibility” by how Peter approaches crimefighting and how MJ and his kids eventually find out his secret. Checchetto is turning in some of the best artwork of his career; the way Spidey moves feels very spider-y, and I love his redesigns for characters like the Green Goblin and Kraven the Hunter — not to mention giving Peter a beard was a great decision. We also can’t forget David Messina’s fill-in art; it’s absolutely gorgeous! Much like Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, Hickman ,and Checchetto are creating the definitive Spider-Man book for a generation — and a Marvel universe that longtime fans and newcomers alike can enjoy.

— Collier “CJ” Jennings

Best Event: Absolute Power

Writer Mark Waid, artist Dan Mora, artist Mikel Janin, colorist Trish Mulvihill, and colorist Alejandro Sánchez

It’s fair to say Absolute Power was the best event this year. Not to disparage other events, but it radically shifted character powersets and character dynamics and pushed Amanda Waller into the main villain role in a believable way. Add in the fact that the event enacted real changes to characters, and storylines made it all the more valuable. So often, with events, the story is a blip where characters deal with hordes of faceless killers, only to carry on a month later as nothing happened. Not so with Absolute Power, which built up with Brainiac Queen and Failsafe and then dragged characters like Jon Kent through the mud.

— David Brooke

Best Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

We here at AIPT have been praising him for a few years now, but it wasn’t until this year that Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou won an Eisner for best letterer. A consummate professional and incredibly prolific — he’s lettered everything from fan favorites Poison Ivy and The Flash at DC to the critically acclaimed Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees for IDW, as well as The Infernals and Kill All Immortals. But he also letters books for smaller, indie publishers like Kosher Mafia for Mad Cave and Beyond Real for Vault, among many others. For each book, he changes his lettering to match the comic’s style, literally making his lettering a part of the art. It’s common for publishers to put a big-name writer or artist in a book to build interest. But, for my money, when I see Otsmane-Elhaou’s name on a book, it immediately grabs my attention because I know there’s quality inside.

— David Canham

Best Single Issue: The Boy Wonder #4

Writer-artist Juni Ba, colorist Chris O’Halloran, and letterer Aditya Bidikar

In a year with about a billion great first issues, my favorite is the climax of this fantastic miniseries about Damian Wayne and his messed-up family. This issue focuses on him and his life and why he is the way he is, and it’s heartbreaking. Juni Ba is always incredible, but he really popped off on this one. He used the space he was given to tell what’s probably the definitive take on Damian. Still, what might be more impressive is that he did do so without compromising his style in the slightest. This issue — the whole series ,really — is a perfect demonstration of how personal corporate comics can be.

— Keigen Rea

Best Maxi-Series: The One Hand and The Six Fingers

The One Hand: Writer Ram V, artist Laurence Campbell, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Aditya Bidikar

The Six Fingers: Writer Dan Watters, artist Sumit Kumar, colorist Lee Loughridge, and letterer Aditya Bidikar

I’m slapping The One Hand and The Six Fingers with the illustrious “maxi-series” label because I can, and it wins not only because it’s an incredible comic but also because it’s a great experiment. What if two teams tried to replicate the publishing style of House of X/Powers of X but on their own original series? And what we got was two heartfelt, personal stories that were actually one, and it rules.

This wouldn’t have worked without two teams who have incredible chemistry with themselves and each other. A lot of trust goes into making any comic, but something as weird as this requires more than most, and its success shows how these guys can probably do anything together. Next time someone’s pitching a spiritual successor to 52, they should be the first calls.

— Keigen Rea

Best Comic Substack: It’s Chip Zdarsky’s Newsletter, Okay?

A year ago or so, Substack seemed like all the rage for comics creators. Everyone seemed to be launching a page, and it felt like a new era for engagement with some of our favorite writers and artists. Flash forward a bit, and not everyone’s been as robust and consistent across the platform — except for Chip Zdarsky, of course.

Just as he has across books like Batman and Daredevil, Zdarsky brought a mix of oddball charm and genuine passion to his Substack. Whether he was sharing some new work, answering fans’ increasingly weird questions, and/or championing other books and creators, Zdarsky achieved the promise of the “Substack boom” by making comics feel special and human all over again.

He gave folks a chance to connect with him and the industry at large, and he even went as far as launching “companion projects” that furthered our immersion. The best stories always have a human presence behind them, and Zdarsky proved that doubly with this platform that brought us all together to celebrate art, life’s madness, each other, and what happens when you make dope stuff. It’s just a truly great newsletter, okay?

— Chris Coplan