Hello everyone, I’m Liam McCoy, a new writer at Best-Comic-Books.com! These are my picks for 10 must read comics!

 

1. Bloodshot

This is my all-time favorite comic. It’s full of action, takes all kinds of twists and turns, the stories are always intense and the main character is (in my opinion) the most bad-ass character in comics. I should also mention that I haven’t seen art I didn’t like in this comic. If you like action, anti-heroes and suspense (who doesn’t) this is a series I can’t recommend enough!

 

2. Bloodshot Reborn

This is what happens when the legendary Jeff Lemire starts writing the world’s best comic. He shows us a different take on anti-heroes as the former Bloodshot has become a drug-addicted wreck with PTSD who is forced to perhaps become Bloodshot once again. Lemire gives the character more depth and there’s a lot of drama but that doesn’t mean the action, suspense and ability to find great artists that makes Bloodshot so great in the first place are gone. It’s never predictable, the action is always there and the art is always really good. I still like regular Bloodshot more but only by a little bit because Bloodshot Reborn is another series every comic reader should at least try.

3. East of West

“Have you heard the message?” My message is if you’re not East of West, you’re missing out! In this comic Death leaves the other 3 horsemen to do his own thing which involves killing politicians and finding his family. I unfortunately can’t say too much without spoiling the story except it’s a complex, action-packed pre-apocalyptic sci-fi western with shocking commentary on politics and religion, there are cowboys, samurai and robots all amazingly illustrated. If that isn’t enough to make you want to read a book I don’t know what is

4. Fatale

Women can be very seductive but none quite as much as Jo, the stunning lead character of the appropriately named Fatale series. Men literally go crazy over this girl! She never ages and she can make men do anything she says (sort of like Killgrave or Jesse Custer from Preacher). This is an action-packed, well-written, amazingly drawn, dark and arousing tale of mystery and horror done in the style of film noir. I’ve only read the first 2 volumes so far but it’s already made my top 5 and that’s really impressive.

5. American Vampire

American history with vampires sounds awesome, right? Well, thanks to Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque we have a comic that’s exactly that. It’s an amazing story, each volume tells a tale in a different part of American history, it’s amazingly illustrated and full of awesome vampire action! It’s a must-read, especially for people like me who are fans of history and horror.

6. Deadpool

Marvel is most well known for (mostly) family-friendly tales of goody two-shoes characters like Spider-Man, Captain America, Ms. Marvel, etc. so when we get an R-rated action story of a man with next to no morals and dark humor it turns out to be a fantastic change of scenery. Wade Wilson is a flawed character who had cancer but now thanks to his super powerful healing factor, he can’t die and unlike many characters who get powers and decide to do good in the world he decides to kill people for money and make smart-mouth comments about everything. This comic is full of great action and humor, the writing and art is often hit or miss but usually really good and the main character is arguably the most flawed character in Marvel comics, but as people we are flawed so it makes him so much more relatable than the previously mentioned goody two-shoes characters… and that’s all what makes Deadpool so damn good.

 

7. The Fix

This critically acclaimed comedy from Image comics is one of the best books on the market and (in my opinion) the funniest comic ever. In this crime-comedy we follow the misadventures of 2 crooked cops who are total screw-ups, just lucky ones. Nick Spencer challenges readers as he makes the main characters total dicks but ones you end up rooting for even though you kind of know you shouldn’t be. Steve Lieber does a fantastic job drawing this story, every panel is well done. There’s tons of humor of many kinds, a bit of action and many shocking moments. It’s almost like if Archer was a cop show and 100% uncensored (who doesn’t like the sound of that) so you seriously need to read this series.

8. Punisher: War Journal

Another more R-rated flawed character of the Marvel universe who really deserves attention and praise is The Punisher. The original run of Frank’s second series is one that is underrated and amazing. It’s an action-packed tale of revenge with amazing writing and art that really pushed the boundaries of the oppressive comics code. One thing I really gotta note about this series and what makes it the best Punisher work I’ve read (at least so far) is the really well done journal narrative as we see the story told from Frank Castle’s “war journal”.

9. Outcast

When most people hear the name Robert Kirkman they think of The Walking Dead and while that certainly a praise worthy series one that is even more epic (in my opinion at least) is Outcast. It is the story of a man who has always struggled with demons… literally. He’s back in his hometown and he runs into a pastor he has known since he was a kid. This series is really well told with both amazing writing and art, is very suspenseful, it has characters worth caring about and is one of the few horror comics that actually scared me… I’ve only read the first volume so far and am saying all that!

 

10. Wayward

A series that definitely deserves more attention is Wayward. It’s about a young girl named Rori Lane, a snarky, foul-mouthed teenager who struggles with anger and depression. Shortly after moving to Tokyo she discovers she has superpowers and meets other super-powered teens, all of which are being hunted down by evil monsters. It is well-written, has amazing anime-style art (which as a fan of both comics and anime I love), relatable characters, it’s never predictable and has tons of brutal action and horror. If you’re at all a fan of supernatural action and/or superheroes you need to read this.