10 best comics of 2021: Marvel, DC, manga and more

In 2021 the comics industry exploded like never before. Top Marvel and DC authors found new creative avenues. Graphic novels thrived in bookstores. And several blockbuster series reached their highly anticipated and historic conclusion. The comics medium is a beautiful and interconnected ecosystem, and nowhere is that better represented than in Polygon’s list of the best comics of 2021.

From seminal manga available in English for the first time to the latest off the shelves of Marvel Comics, these books are all ready in paperback form for your eager hands — no worries for trade-waiters. Eligible comics are those that have been collected for the first or last time in 2021.

Image by Shotaro Ishinomori/Seven Seas

By Shotaro Ishinomori

Jack Kirby is the King Of Comics. There is another person who has that title. Shotaro Ishinomori is the apprentice to the legend Osamu Tzuka and the mentor of Go Nagai. The undisputed Japanese King of Comics, he is undisputed. He is considered the father of Tokusatsu, alongside Eiji Tsuburaya.Gojira, Ultraman), Ishinomori is the creator of Kamen Rider, as well as Super Sentai — which would go on to spawn the iconic Power Rangers series.

A hugely under-appreciated and under-read figure in the west, Ishinomori’s done comics of every kind on every kind of subject: economics to jazz to biographies and more. This is the first time his iconic ’70’s Super Sentai comics have been collected into an English volume (published by Seven Seas Entertainment), and it’s a historic collection of an icon’s work. It’s the perfect place to begin with an artist whose entire oeuvre still remains staggering. His work is a true master of this form and he remains one of the most accomplished action storytellers. And it’s all too visible here, as you see the foundations of something that would go on to be a cultural juggernaut. It’s a master at work, depicting numerous varying iterations of the same core concepts within this collection, and it’s thrilling to read as you get to witness how different execution leads to different results. This comic is an icon of comics. — Ritesh Babu

Image: Aminder Dhaliwal/Drawn & Quarterly

Aminder Dahaliwal

Aminder Dhaliwal’s debut graphic novel Woman World should have been the first sign that the cartoonist was a hilarious but extremely on-the-ball voice for a diverse — if not entirely jaded — generation. Regardless, Dhaliwal’s new book Cyclopedia Exotica It feels refreshing to be able to breathe in fresh air amid a sea heavy handed (and self-indulgent!) inclusion narratives.

She originally serialized the story on her Instagram. Cyclopedia Exotica opens with a history of cyclopses and their tumultuous relationship with the more dominant “two eye” standard. The current era is finally covered. This story focuses on loosely linked relationships among cyclopses. Each thread tells stories about an accepting world that’s not always kind.

Helped by Dhaliwal’s playful, dynamic cartooning, the struggles of the cyclops characters stand true as metaphors for sexuality, race, disability, and a multitude of other oppressed groups while never reading as diminutive or didactic; instead using the grey areas of existing in a marginalized body as a way to connect characters, as well create a connection with the reader. As its title suggests, Cyclopedia Exotica plants itself as something “for those who don’t feel seen,” with a lightness visible to just about anyone. — Chloe Maveal

Molly Knox Ostertag. Maarta laiho.

When you’re rescued from drowning by a beautiful girl in the sea, what do you do? If you’re Morgan, a closeted gay teen in a tiny fishing town, you kiss her. This must seem like a fairy tale. Until she shows up at your home the next day saying true love’s kiss has turned her into a human. Because she’s a selkie, you see. The Girl From the SeaThe classic Little Mermaid setup is given a modern, queer twist. This book is about young gay love, in all of its complexity and beauty. While she can’t help but be pulled toward Keltie’s free spirit, Morgan is determined to keep her head down and keep her identity a secret until after high school. The story’s flaws, and her mistakes will make sense to many teens just like them. Molly Ostertag’s art is expressive, and Laiho’s colorwork here highlights the simple beauty of the setting while revealing the intensity of Morgan and Keltie’s connection. Even with its sad ending, The Girl From the SeaIt is all about hope, love, joy and hope for the next chapter… even if it seems far off. —Katie Schenkel

By Ryan North, Derek Charm, Wes Abbot

John Constantine certainly doesn’t seem like he’d fit in a pre-teen book, but the all-star team of Ryan North and Derek Charm perform real magic in this middle grade graphic novel. In order to get himself out of a silly misunderstanding with certain vengeful British ghosts, Johnny “Kid” Constantine gets sent to a fancy boarding school in New England. Unfortunately, his new teacher might be an evil witch, his powers aren’t working right, and all his classmates think he’s a weirdo.

Like his adult counterpart, Johnny is a bit of a selfish brat, but new friendships with the rhyming demon Etrigan and fellow magic wielder “Anna” (DC fans can guess who that might be) teach him how to be a better person, and maybe even a hero! North balances humor and sincerity well in all of his books, and I particularly like how he handles Johnny and Anna’s friendship throughout the story. Charm’s art (especially his colors) are richly atmospheric and help sell the spookiness of the whole story — definitely great for kids who like scary mysteries that aren’t Too scary. It’s a wonderful way for kids to learn about a beloved comic character. —KS

Image by James Harren/Image Comics

Dave Stewart by James Harren

UltramegaA simple hook that was easy to understand: The story of three Average Joes who are endowed with an Ultramega, Tokusatsu-style fighting ability in the war against the plague which has infected everyone on earth with the possibility for sudden transformation into Kaiju, feigns out the reader. Then, at the end of the first issue, every single One of them died horribly and the book jumped a decade forward into a post-kaiju-apocalypse coming-of-age story.

James Harren’s commitment to the details of his Kaiju Mad Maxterpiece setting — a crumbling human sports arena outfitted with a miniature plywood city so that diminished kaiju rulers can stage to-scale gladitorial battles with regular size humans being only one major setpiece — is matched only by his creativity in body horror. Guts bubble up with gas and explode, sphincters pucker and spew firehoses of neon acid (Dave Stewart’s colors, as always, are impeccable), limbs are detached to use as projectile weapons and a disembodied eye and severed head are, honestly, major characters.

It’s all, undeniably, gorgeous. The monsters jump off the pages, while the character designs show you all you need without having to read a single word. This is it. Ultramega wins the award for the book that made me start chanting its name over and over again when I saw it in the batch of that week’s press review copies, an award previously held by Gogor. — Susana Polo

Image by Jamal Campbell/DC Comics

N.K. Jemisin, Jamal Campbell

Everyone on 2020 Twitter was discussing the relationship of superheroes to copaganda. Far Sector — a book conceived and started in 2019 and finally collected in 2021 — he was ready to confront the idea. N.K. Jemisin (yes that N.K. Jemisin spun a mystery about a murder at the edge space and grafted it just so slight to DC Comics continuity. Newly minted Green Lantern Sojourner “Jo” Mullein, who just It happensJanelle Monae was a close relative of Janelle Monae. She began breaking the cycle of state violence that had been enacted against the exploited, disadvantaged subclass.

Indisputablely one of the most important science fiction novelists in this time period, The top, Jemisin walks into the medium of comics as if she was born to it — which, in an era of high profile creators dipping into the comics world, is not at all a given. You would never guess this is her very first graphic novel, and not simply because she’s working with one of the best artists in the industry right now. Jamal Campbell breathes vibrant life and character into Jemisin’s intricate multi-species alien society, and their partnership leaves plenty of room for him to deliver his impeccable grasp of expression, motion, and framing. Jamal Campbell was the last to draw a complete comic. This year it was one of its best. And with Jemisin, it’s not surprising. Far SectorThis year, the winner is —SP

Image: John Higgins/2000 AD

By John Higgins

A story about the Judges of the Long-running. Judge Dredd strip, writer Michael Carroll and artist John Higgins’ Dreadnoughts explores the presence of police brutality just 14 years into our future — only six decades before the time frame of the original Dredd story — and how it begins the descent into Dredd’s fascist police state of Mega-City One.

It is positioned as near future fiction. Dreadnoughts paints an unsettling picture of how the justice system and democracy disintegrates — not by focusing on protests and resistance from oppressed citizens, but by placing a magnifying glass over the jackboots on the ground and the systems that give them power. Finally connecting the dots between the world we know and the world that the Judges of Mega City have been preparing us for for more than 40 years, it’s a book that forces us to reckon with just how close to a dystopian sci-fi comic we really are living.

The result is brutal and intelligent, as well as an inexplicable journey into unchecked realities. Dreadnoughts It might not the most lighthearted of books, but its brilliance makes it stand out. —CM

Image: Naoya Matsumoto/Shueisha

By Naoya Matsumoto

The rare modern Battle Shonen book that actually centers on a largely adult cast of characters, Matsumoto’s Kaiju No. 8It’s a fun and exciting action adventure. Kafka Hibino is a Kaiju cleanup worker who longs to be a Defense Force member so that he can take on Kaijus. He’s failed all his adult life, and now he has one last chance at the age of 32. Except … he ends up becoming a Kaiju himself, and thus the target of the defense force and all mankind.

This is as hilarious and inspiring as it gets. Kaiju is a comic with real heart — a book about second chances and trying to become the person you’ve always wanted to be, even after endless failure, even if it feels like it’s too late. It’s both cool and terrifying to see kaiju battles, but they are also beautiful. Beyond all that, the actual texture of systems and world-building around the Kaiju-presence and mankind’s response is an immersive treat. You won’t find Kaiju-intenstine cleanup anywhere else. Also, detailed breakdowns on Anti-Kaiju weaponsry.

It’s hard not to love the try-hard underdog monster hero, and Kaiju No. 8Another great example is the one above. —RB

Image by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer/Marvel Comics

By Daniel Warren Johnson, Mike Spicer

Beta Ray Bill is a character who only makes sense in comics: A lover of the warrior Sif, he’s a sensitive paladin warrior in personality. In execution, he is the orange, horse-faced Chosen Hero of a dying alien race given powers similar to Thor’s by Odin. Daniel Warren Johnson provided him with a 5-issue character study that was worthy of Jack Kirby and Walter Simonson.

Skurge The Executioner and Pip the Trolley are the supporting characters. A talking spaceship called Scuttlebutt is also included. But this is not just an exercise in Marvel Comics’ obscure characters. Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star is simply a gonzo adventure comic about a man taking on far too great odds to trying and make his face look pretty again while ignoring the good stuff he’s already got right under his horse nose.

Johnson and colorist Mike Spicer deliver the spectacle of it all — gods, monsters, lakes of fire, guns the size of trucks — on page after page. The great beasts of the earth are destroyed. The best advice is to remember the simple things. The end is bittersweet. There’s an intricate cutaway drawing of a spaceship’s dozens of rooms, including tiny cubicles for Beta Ray Bill’s creative team to toil away at it. It’s a comic in which you can immediately desire the next issue after you have finished one issue. —SP

Image by Alex Ross/Marvel Comics

By Al Ewing, et al.

All the MarvelsDouglas Wolk, an author, points out that when Marvel Comics began, the core of their universe was monsters. Al Ewing, along with many other artists, has been reminding us of this fact since 2018.

From its beginnings as a ghost tale to its conclusion as a primal screaming begging for answers, the series seemed constantly to reinvent itself after six issues. The series was repeatedly resurrected, just like its title. It used a thicket of snapping bones to stretch skin and then snagged its teeth onto the neck of another monster before eventually landing on God.

Four years ago, it was the series that finally showed the world Ewing’s potential. This year it was completed and collected. The Immortal Hulk is already a classic of the Marvel Comics canon — in the literary sense, not the continuity one. This is one of the most memorable Marvel stories. —SP