Marvel Comics: 50 best Marvel comic books of the 2000s

30. New X-Men

Writer: Grant Morrison

This series created one of the darkest moments in comic books. Cassandra Nova took Sentinels and ordered them to attack the island nation of Genosha. Millions of mutants were wiped out in minutes. This wasn’t just a grim, this is how the series begins. Things may not get worse in comparison, but they certainly don’t get better.

If you haven’t read the series, this writer won’t spoil much for you. But, be prepared. A lot of awful things go on. Marriages are ruined, mutant kids are killed, and one of the premiere mutants is murdered by a villain posing as someone everyone thought was dead. An X-Men must-read.

29. The Daredevil: Devil in Cell-Block D

Writer: Ed Brubaker

This is the series where the world almost saw Daredevil broken. It’s happened many times before and after this run. The difference here is Matt was so desperate that he worked with Wilson Fisk and Bullseye.

Being in jail was bad enough. What really sent him over the edge was hearing his best friend (Foggy Nelson) killed and there was nothing he could do about it (he was actually alive and in witness protection). Matt wanted revenge. If not for the Punisher reminding him who he was, Daredevil may have gone too far and killed a prison full of people.

Daredevil: The Devil in Cell-Block D was a fantastic beginning to Ed Brubaker’s run of the Man Without Fear.