For casual fans, when you hear the words "comic book", what usually comes to mind? Nine times out of ten, it would probably be superheroes. Yes, superhero comics have made the medium extremely popular for decades, but the superhero genre barely scratches the surface of the types of stories that the comics medium has told throughout its existence.
With that in mind, let's take this opportunity to look at our top choices for indie/non superhero comics for beginners. If you haven't read a comic book before and would like to dive into a story that doesn't necessarily revolve around superheroes, come with me through a myriad of worlds as we explore some of the most intriguing that the medium has to offer.
1. Punk Rock Jesus
Punk Rock Jesus was a DC Vertigo six-issue series which ran from September 2012 through to January 2013. It was written and drawn by Sean Murphy.
The series follows a vast array of characters, who all become intertwined within the confines of J2, a media empire who unveiled that not only are they going to clone Jesus Christ from the DNA found on the Shroud of Turin, but they're going to make a reality TV show about the clone's life. Once the child is born, he becomes a symbol of both hatred and adulation in the eyes of the world, and over the course of his life, the boy named Chris doesn't feel that the beliefs he was "taught" to respect should be followed anymore. He falls in love with punk rock music, and through this love he will change the course of human history forever.
The premise does sound very out there, which in some areas it is, but it's balanced by engrossing characters, well-paced storylines, and astounding artwork. The themes all connect with each of the characters, with them learning that relying on your own beliefs rather than what other people want you to believe; which is compounded by some heartbreaking moments and gut wrenching revelations. It's all combined to make Punk Rock Jesus one of my favorite comics of all time, so do yourselves a favor and pick it up.
2. IDW's TMNT
There are a couple of comics on this list that many would regard as "superhero" comics, the first of which being any version of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't think of the Turtles as superheroes, but mileage will vary.
The version of the TMNT Universe that I'd recommend for new readers is the IDW run of TMNT comics, specifically Tom Waltz's run, which ran for 100 issues and various mini series and one shots from 2011 through to 2019. There were so many artists who added their talents to this vast run, but the few standouts are Sophie Campbell, Mateus Santolouco, and work from TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman.
This version of the Turtles does have many of the core elements from past interpretations of TMNT, but it redefines them in ways I didn't think would work, which ultimately allowed this to become my ideal version of these characters and this world. I won't go into major spoilers, but Waltz and crew added elements of sci-fi, fantasy, and action that create a unique blend for the heroes in a half-shell. Not only that, the characterization of every single character is unique and refreshing.
This is a perfect introduction to the world of TMNT in comic form, because with the great stories, fantastic dialogue and character development, as well as all the various artists giving high octane action and drama with grace and technique, you can't go wrong with it.
3. Sweet Tooth
Many of you are probably familiar with the Netflix adaption of this comic, and while that show did the source material justice, I still think people should read the original comic stories. Sweet Tooth came from the DC Vertigo line of comics, and it was written and drawn by acclaimed creator Jeff Lemire.
The story follows Gus, a half-human half-dear hybrid that lives in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus wipes out most of humanity while leaving the hybrids like Gus unharmed. Gus was raised by a human father, who after his tragic death, is left alone in a world he doesn't fully know or understand. During his journey, he meets a grifter named Jepperd, who promises to lead Gus to a supposed safe haven for his kind called "The Preserve." Gus and Jepperd must navigate a world torn by fear in order to reach The Preserve and find a new place to call home.
Sweet Tooth was one of the first non superhero stories that I read during my early days of reading comics, and after doing a re-read for this article, it more than holds up. The characters, especially Gus, are endearing and you really care about them throughout the whole story, and Lemire's artwork has that rustic quality to it that makes it more evocative. Every character has their own unique design that makes it easy to identify them all when reading, which is a plus in my eyes.
To me, Sweet Tooth is perfect for anyone wanting to take a deep dive into what makes someone human and the lengths one goes to in order to find their place in the world. What are you waiting for? Give it a read!
4. Grendel
Grendel is the brainchild of writer/artist Matt Wagner, who along with a variety of other writers and artists, created a world where violence and deception is the norm. And at the center of it all is Grendel. The Grendel series began in October of 1982, and the story is still going strong to this day. But what is the story? That is hard to explain without going into spoiler territory but I'll give it my best shot.
The early comics follows Hunter Rose, a man who becomes obsessed with being the most feared criminal in the world, and devotes his life to the pursuit of that dream through years of physical and mental training to become the masked criminal Grendel. The only being who seems to be able to challenge Grendel is the humanoid wolf named Argent, who fights for justice. The entire story of Hunter Rose was told through piecemeal short stories, many of which were published alongside Wagner's other creator-owned series Mage. Eventually, Rose and Argent would meet in a final duel that left the former dead, and changed the latter for life. But this would not be the end of Grendel, as the mantle would be passed to different people throughout the centuries, long after Hunter Rose is but a forgotten part of history.
Wagner's Grendel, to me at least, is the most unique reading experience of my life, not just in the world of comics, but literature as a whole. Each of the short stories about Hunter Rose was written by Wagner but brought to life by different artists, giving each one its own unique feel. Once Rose's story concluded, new characters took up the Grendel mantle for their own reasons, and the art style of the story moving forward continues to change and evolve.
Grendel breaks many of the conventions of comic book storytelling in a way that might seem too out there, and sometimes it does go too far for my liking, but most of the time it's done with enough technique to keep the reader engaged. An example of Wagner breaking comic conventions is during the Legacy years where a character is fighting off becoming Grendel while an unseen voice is telling that character to give in to their emotions and become Grendel. The format of that story which combined with the bizarre art makes for an interesting read.
Although Grendel is a strong recommendation, it's probably best to read a couple of other comics before this one, just to get the feel of a traditional comic book before comparing it to the convention-breaking stories that Wagner and others provide.
5. Middlewest
Skottie Young is known for the fantastic Strange Academy, but what about his other work outside Marvel? I've been going through his independent works, and it started with the miniseries Ain't No Grave (which was a great read) but the work of his that we'll discuss today is one of his best: Middlewest. An 18-issue series that ran from 2018 through 2020, this one was written by Young with art by frequent collaborator Jorge Corona.
The story follows Abel, a young boy who lives with his abusive father in the world of Middlewest, a land that combines aspects of the real world with fantastical elements like wizards and talking animals. Abel and his father both unlock a terrible power within themselves that destroys everything in their path, which Abel finds intolerable. With his friend Fox (who's also a talking fox), he sets out away from his home to find the answers to the power inside him, and along the way become friends and allies to the various, wondrous, and sometimes dangerous denizens of Middlewest.
The thing that makes Young's work so compelling is the way he combines the familiar with the unexpected, such as his choice of making the world of Middlewest a cross between Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings and the state of Texas. I have said this multiple times before, but to me, while cool-looking art and worlds are essential to any story, it's the well-written characters that make a story work, and without it, everything else that's good won't matter in the end. And I'm happy to say that this comic doesn't shirk creating characters that are not only interesting, but ones you become very attached to until the story's ending. I highly recommend this comic for those looking for something both familiar yet unafraid of an interesting twist.
6. Dark Horse Era Star Wars
Star Wars is one of the most iconic franchises in all of pop culture, and it's been around for decades. Throughout those decades, there have been many films surrounding the Skywalker saga, but what if I were to tell you that there are so many stories that take place in different eras of the Star Wars universe, such as in the distant past?
Enter the Dark Horse Era of Star Wars comics, where many of its titles focus on characters and events that take place thousands of years before the films. For some background, Marvel owned the license to make Star Wars comics during the 1970s and 1980s, and they mostly focused on the characters from the original trilogy on adventures taking place during, between, and a little after those original films. These comics set the groundwork for future Star Wars storytellers to take their own crack at the galaxy so far, far, away and its world, and when Dark Horse got the license for Star Wars in the early 1990s, they wasted no time in making their own stories with their own characters set within this sprawling universe. So, the question is, where do you start?
I'd recommend going in chronological order for these comics (in the order of which these stories take place in the Star Wars timeline). And that begins with the Tales of the Jedi comics. These comics are set at various points in the timeline, with the earliest being 25,000 years before the films, showing the Jedi Order at a very different point in it's history. While this story in particular was written after the initial wave of Tales of the Jedi comics from the 1990s, it has been recently rebranded to fit within those comics because of how early the stories take place within the timeline.
When Marvel got the rights back in 2015, they re-released their early Star Wars comics and the Dark Horse ones into Omnibus and Epic Collections, and it's in the latter where the Tales of the Jedi and many other stories can be found easily. The early Tales of the Jedi comics from the 1990s and the later stories set 25,000 years before the films greatly expanded the scope of Star Wars outside the original films, by showing the state of the galaxy during a time when the Jedi were more widespread and powerful. While I'll admit that some of the characters aren't as fleshed out as I would like and the art can vary, I still highly recommend these early Dark Horse comics because of how different writers and artists expanded the Star Wars lore, taking it into interesting and new territories.
After Tales of the Jedi, you should try out the Old Republic comics, but you're more than welcome to follow your own path through the expanded Dark Horse Star Wars world, you won't regret it.
7. The Goddamned
Picture this, if you would: A world over a 1,000 years after the original sin committed by Adam and Eve, and in that world mankind has become so entrenched in sin that God has given up on His creation. It's a pretty bleak picture, but that's the world that writer Jason Aaron and artist R.M. Guera create in the pages of The Goddamned, where in the first volume, the story follows Cain, the first man to commit murder, and his journey through the hellscape that is Earth. The second volume follows two girls who begin to fall away from their clan of nuns when they are chosen to become the "Brides of the Sons of God."
If anyone who reads this article is a fan of Aaron's run on Thor, then they must read The Goddamned, because it's Thor ramped up to an eleven. Both stories are a very visceral reading experience, not just for the violence but also for the potential of whether our real world could follow in this story's footsteps. I've always been fascinated by creators different takes on the various stories from The Bible, and this one paints a very dreary picture of humanity, and I highly recommend giving this one a read.
As a side note, the way the second arc ended it left room for more stories to be told in this world, but there haven't been any updates on the next set of stories from either creator, so the overall story of The Goddamned remains unfinished.
8. Dynamite's Zorro
Similar to TMNT, there will be those who see the character of Zorro as a superhero - one of the first - but also similar to TMNT, we're going to operate as though he isn't a traditional superhero. In this case, would you consider Robin Hood to be a superhero? While he does heroic deeds for the good of many, he doesn't necessarily exist in the same vein as characters like Batman or Spider-Man. Let's say the same for Zorro.
Zorro has been around since 1919, when he was created by Johnston McCulley in the pages of pulp magazine All Story Weekly. Most of the characters' defining characteristics and world were created by McCulley, which were expanded upon or changed up by the various adaptions of the character since his debut. Yes, Zorro has appeared in every form of media imaginable, from novels, movies, and comics.
I can safely say that the Zorro comics from powerhouse creator Matt Wagner and artist Francesco Francavilla and a slew of other artists for Dynamite Entertainment is a solid starting place. The story does follow many of what previous adaptions have done with the original idea, but it presents them in a new and easy to digest way that is perfect for long-time fans and newcomers alike. It showcases Zorro's origin from being part of the wealthy de la Vega, his real name being Diego. From an early age, Diego witnessed the brutality wrought by the militaristic Spanish on others, and unfortunately on his own family, which sets the stage for Diego to travel to Paris to learn the skills he needs to take down the oppressors of his home and free the people from their tyranny.
While keeping to the traditional aspects of the character, Wagner injects the series with his own set of writing tropes that fits well into Zorro and his world. Most of Wagner's Zorro run deals with the character's early days, but later comics do deal with a more seasoned Zorro if there are those of you who aren't too enthralled by the idea of another retelling of a classic character. Overall, if you're looking to get into more of the pulp side of comics, than I think there's no better place to start than with Wagner's Zorro!
What do you think? Have you read any of these titles before? If so, what do you think of them?