By Zack Quaintance — Welcome to part two of the best comics of 2021 - Zack’s picks, where I’m about to run down the next part of my list. If you missed it, you can find part one #16 to #25 here, and you can check back early next week for the third and final part, the vaunted top five. In addition don’t hesitate to check out past year’s lists, which you can find here: 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017.

Now, a quick word about the logic I used to make this list, before we get into it:

• Learn to love categories: Cramming the best comics of the year into one list is a challenge, so why not make multiple lists? We have our group-sourced Staff Picks, which gives anyone who wrote for the site last year a chance to weigh in. On top of that, check back soon for our Best Graphic Novels of 2021 list, to be completed once I have read a critical mass of last year’s graphic novels (soon, I promise!).

• Monthly periodicals only: This list is also limited to books that came out monthly (or close enough) in the North American comics periodicals market. I say this every year, but we are still searching for someone to regularly write about webcomics, manga, or crowdsourced comics via monthly columns for us, so if you’re interested in any of that, please reach out via an email to zackq@batmansbookcase.com.

• Longevity matters: Finally, choices here considered how many issues were published in 2021. This makes it harder to put debuts or series that wrapped early on our list, barring some exceptions. Basically, I’m looking for comics most closely associated with 2021, so the list feels like a reflection of what comics I was reading this year.

Best Comics of 2021 - #6 to #15 - Zack’s Picks

15. The Dreaming - Waking Hours
Writer: G. Willow Wilson
Artist: Nick Robles
Colorist: Mat Lopes
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publisher: DC Comics - Black Label
Issues in 2021: 7
When Dream unleashed his latest nightmare, Ruin, he could not have expected that his creation would fall in love with the very first dreamer he met-sending him on a wild quest and drawing into his orbit both a fallen angel and a sorcerer with a startling connection to Dream himself.
Why It’s Cool: I really don’t think there’s been a better pure follow-up to Neil Gaiman and co.s’ all-time great run on Sandman than this 12-issue series. There’s so much to like in here, but one thing these comics do that feel refreshing is they don’t run away from using the Daniel version of Dream as a key character. If this is the last Sandman follow-up we get for some time, it’s a worthy one.
Read These Comics: The Dreaming - Waking Hours

14. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Writer: Ram V.
Artist: Felipe Andrade
Letterer: AndWorld Design
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Issues in 2021: 5
Humanity is on the verge of discovering immortality. As a result, the avatar of Death is cast down to Earth to live a mortal life in Mumbai as twenty-something Laila Starr.
Struggling with her newfound mortality, Laila has found a way to be placed in the time and place where the creator of immortality will be born. Will Laila take her chance to stop mankind from permanently altering the cycle of life, or will death really become a thing of the past?
Why It’s Cool: I’ve written quite a bit about these comics, but they’re a perfect blend of lyrical illustrations and prose, weaving in ideas about gods, mortality, and the way we live. Also really interesting is the vital use of Mumbai as a setting. A complete story from start to finish, you won’t read another comic like this one all year…or next year…or the year after that, either.
Read These Comics: The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, pre-order now ahead of Feb. 1
Read our interview with writer Ram V. and artist Felipe Andrade!

13. Hellions
Writer: Zeb Wells
Artist: Stephen Segovia
Colorist: Rain Beredo
Letterer: Ariana Maher
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues in 2021: 11
Bad is the new good! When the new nation of Krakoa opened its doors to all mutants and forgave all past crimes, its leaders knew they’d have to accept some of their worst foes into the fold — but they didn’t plan for what to do with them. Not to worry — Mister Sinister has his own ideas for the troublemakers. Meet his new Hellions: Scalphunter, Wild Child, Empath, Nanny, Orphan-Maker, Psylocke…and Havok?! They’re the new mutant team you’re going to hate to love! Though right now the Hellions can barely keep from killing one another. Of course, that might be just what Mister Sinister is counting on when he sends them to clean up his messes! But can this dysfunctional new squad handle the return of the grand dame of the damned: the Goblin Queen, Madelyne Pryor?!
Why It’s Cool: The cream of the crop of this year’s X-Men comics, Hellions has been a fantastic superhero team comic. It also makes the best use of the new Krakoa status quo, which based on this week’s Inferno #4 seems destined to live on in perpetuity. If we get more comics like Hellions — a darkly funny story about broken character relying on each other — hey, maybe that won’t be so bad.
Read These Comics: Hellions, Vol. 1

12. That Texas Blood
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist/Letterer: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues in 2021: 7
Sheriff Joe Bob Coates travels down the long and winding road of memory to a dark night in 1981 that saw a boy killed, a girl missing, and a mad cult on the loose in Ambrose County, Texas.
Why It’s Cool: Bow howdy, That Texas Blood’s second arc (all of which was published this year) sure was a fine read. It used some of the same characters as the first arc as well as the same fictional Texas county setting, but more importantly it has the same sort of ambiance and interest in sparse, often-brutal rural Texas themes. There’s also a good touch of the occult, and a well-paced story arc that really builds to a riveting conclusion and come down. Fans of crime comics, don’t miss this one.
Read These Comics: That Texas Blood, Vol. 2
Read our interview with the creators of That Texas Blood!

11. Superman Comics, including Superman and the Authority, Action Comics, Superman, and Future State
Writers: Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Tom Taylor, Grant Morrison, and Sean Lewis
Artists: Mikel Janin, Phil Hester, John Timms, Daniel Sampere, and more
Publisher: DC Comics
Issues in 2021: 21
A new chapter in Superman’s life begins as the challenges of Dark Nights: Death Metal are causing Clark Kent to feel...a change in his powers. Is it possible the Metropolis Marvel could be losing a step? His struggles in taking down the creatures from the Breach would suggest as much! If he’s going to continue to protect the people of Earth, he’ll have to adapt-especially with threats like Mongul out there waiting to launch their biggest attacks on the Earth yet. That’s right, those are Warworld battleships just outside our orbit, and they are heading straight for us!
Why It’s Cool: Coming into 2021, the Superman comics were in a great place. Departing lead writer Brian Michael Bendis had just wrapped up his run, throwing some fantastic story pins into the air and stepping aside for the new teams to catch them. What has ensued has been a scorching 12-month block of Superman comics with no sign of slowing down as the year on the calendar turns over. Yes, from the Future State books to the Grant Morrison-penned Superman and the Authority to the ongoing Action Comics, there is a bonified Superman sage taking place. Results may vary on Superman: Son of Kal-El, but Action Comics is a blistering ride that feels like an event is landing every month.
Read These Comics: Start with Superman and the Authority

10. Made In Korea
Writer: Jeremy Holt
Artist: George Schall
Letterer: Adam Wollet
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues in 2021: 6
A QUICKSTART GUIDE FOR YOUR PROXY
STEP 1: Remove box.
STEP 2: Power on.
STEP 3: Raise your child.
For Jesse, the world’s first true A.I. system, growing up means learning to think outside the box. This exciting new six-issue miniseries will redefine what it means to be a family in an age when biological parenthood is no longer a reality.
Why It’s Cool: I went into this comic largely blind, not even really reading the preview text or plot description, and I absolutely loved it. This is a grounded and compelling story about adoption, good intentions, artificial intelligence, and the always-tricky business of caring for developing beings. I absolutely loved this comic, and it’s a trade paperback I will be gifting to friends for years to come.
Read These Comics: Made In Korea TP, pre-order for Feb. 1

9. Ice Cream Man/Haha
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artists: Martin Morazzo, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, Zoe Thorogood, Vanesa Del Ray, and more
Publisher: Image Comics
Issues in 2021: 11
ICE CREAM MAN writer W. MAXWELL PRINCE brings his signature style of one-shot storytelling to the world of clowns—and he’s invited SOME OF THE BEST ARTISTS IN COMICS to join him for the ride.
HAHA is a genre-jumping, throat-lumping look at the sad, scary, hilarious life of those who get paid to play the fool—but these ain’t your typical jokers.
Why It’s Cool: Ice Cream Man makes our Top 10 comics of the year for the third consecutive year, and this time, it’s brought a sister series. Haha was a six-part anthology in which writer W. Maxwell Prince teamed with different artists on stories that thematically felt a bit like Ice Cream Man, yet they explored different territory that eschewed horror touches for characters involved with circus theatrics. The sixth issue brings it all together in a way that enhances both Haha as well as its ties to Ice Cream Man. These remain some of the smartest comics for adults who like to read more than just comics. I love them.
Read These Comics: Haha TP, and Ice Cream Man, Vol. 7

8. Iron Man
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Cafu
Colorist: Frank D’Armata
Letterer: Joe Caramagna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues in 2021: 11
Tony Stark is looking to restart his engine. He's going back to basics, putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. It's time to put on some old-fashioned metal — and fly! But can Tony really lay down that Stark-sized ego? Life just isn't that simple, something old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out. So Iron Man takes the fight back to the streets, facing down old-school villains like Arcade and the Absorbing Man. But what's really going on in Tony's head? As old friends like Hellcat try to help him find peace of mind, lurking on the horizon is a threat Tony — and the entire cosmos — hasn't seen in years. Prepare for the new saga of Korvac!
Why It’s Cool: I had high expectations for this book — I’ll read any comic that Christopher Cantwell writes, at this point — and this book has exceeded them. It just does so much well, blending deep Iron Man/wider Marvel Universe continuity cuts with high adventure sci-fi storytelling that harkens back to original series Star Trek. And it just keeps getting better and better, with no sign of slowing down in the year to come.
Read These Comics: Iron Man, Vol. 1: Big Iron

7. Barbaric
Writer: Michael Moreci
Artist: Nathan Gooden
Colorist: Addison Duke
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Issues in 2021: 3
Owen the Barbarian has been cursed to do good with what remains of his life. His bloodthirsty weapon, Axe, has become his moral compass with a drinking problem. Together they wander the realm, foredoomed to help any who seek assistance. But there is one thing Owen hates more than a life with rules: Witches.
Welcome to the skull-cracking, blood-splattering, mayhem-loving comic brave enough to ask: How can a man sworn to do good do so much violence? Hah! F***ing with you. It’s just…BARBARIC.
Why It’s Cool: I have heaped so much praise on this sword and sorcery comics deconstruction, which easily had one of the best #1 issues of the year. This book is gritty and hilarious, a slightly sarcastic take on high fantasy adventuring that co-stars a talking axe that gets intoxicated by enemy blood. It’s sooooo good.
Read These Comics: Barbaric HC
Read our interview with writer Michael Moreci!

6. Immortal Hulk
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Joe Bennett
Inker: Ruy Jose
Colorist: Paul Mounts
Letterer: Corey Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Issues in 2021: 9
The gamma monsters are back - converging, one by one, on New York City. Who can stop them now? Who can save us…from the immortal Hulk? The Avengers will give it their best shot - but last time, they destroyed an entire town while fighting the Hulk. Now they're in the middle of New York, about to take on a very different kind of monster…and it's become personal. In the wake of this earth-shattering confrontation, a shaken Hulk will turn to the one person who always understood him. It's finally time for truths to be told, but will it be Betty Banner who tells them…or the Red Harpy? And how will they affect the eternal life of the immortal Hulk?! Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's acclaimed run reaches its horrific end! Abandon hope, all ye who enter here!
Why It’s Cool: Immortal Hulk came to an end this year, wrapping up one of Marvel’s best and most ambitious runs in recent memory, and doing so in a satisfying and exciting way. These comics already rank as one of the best runs on the character of all-time.
Read These Comics: Immortal Hulk Omnibus

Read Best Comics of 2021, #16 - #25, Zack’s Picks!

Check back in the next week for parts two and three of this list! And don’t miss our Best Comics of 2021 - Staff Picks list!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.