Best Comics of 2022 (So Far): Image Comics
By Zack Quaintance — Today we have our Best Comics of 2022 — Image Comics edition. As with the earlier Marvel Comics and DC Comics entries, the idea here is to create a list that we update steadily throughout the rest of the year. So far, it’s been a relatively strong year for Image, powered by the return of one of its most popular series (see below) as well as some very successful direct-to-graphic-novel releases (see below again).
You can find all our picks for the Best Comics of 2022: Image Comics below now…enjoy!
Best Comics of 2022: Image Comics
1. Saga
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Letterer: Fonografiks
Why It’s Cool: After a years-long hiatus, the Saga comic has returned this year, with Saga #55 arriving in January. The comic was on pause for 3 1/2 years while writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples took a breath and recharged. Now that it’s back, I’m happy to report that the book remains as strong as its ever been. In fact, my reaction to the first arc has been something along the lines of, Oh! They took all that extra time off to make sure they got it right. So yes, Saga remains my favorite Image book, a comic that I would recommend to any new readers (even those hesitant to read a comic), because I still find it to be an excellent gateway into the medium, an ongoing demonstration of sequential art’s power of great imagination and great meaning.
Easiest Way to Read: The Saga Compendium One has all 54 previous issues in one place
Pre-Order The Next Trade: Saga, Vol. 10
How to Read Saga by Comics Bookcase!
2. Monkey Meat
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Why It’s Cool: Monkey Meat is cool for a few reasons. First, I really enjoyed its format. It’s an anthology series wherein all five issues share the same setting and explore similar themes. This means that you can pick up any issue of Monkey Meat and enjoy it as a standalone, or you can read all five and get added meaning from the cohesion and throughlines. The second reason is that Juni Ba’s coimcs aesthetic is singular and striking, a mix of West African art influences and hip animation, which all adds up to something bold and exciting and very cool. Finally, the third reason I absolutely love Monkey Meat is that it has a firm point of view in each issue, a desire to say something meaningful about our odd and tumultuous times, be it about corporations or media worship or heroes. Monkey Meat is also one of the easier series on our list to catch up on, given that there are so far only five issues, with a collected trade due in September.
Easiest Way to Read: Pre-order the Monkey Meat Trade, or read all five issues digitally
Additional Reading: Juni Ba’s debut graphic novel, Djeliya
Read our review of Monkey Meat #2!
3. The Department of Truth
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Why It’s Cool: A lot of comics try to tackle the issues of the day, be it through extrapolating them into near-future apocalypses or setting stories within our tumultuous modern times. Perhaps no comic, however, has done a better and more thoughtful job of it than Department of Truth, the number 3 entry on our Best Comics of 2022 - Image Comics list. The concept of this book has been great from the start — what if truth doesn’t matter? What if when a certain number of people believe something, it alters the fabric of reality? What if a shady government agency headed by Lee Harvey Oswald is in charge of addressing this? And from that excellent conceptual jumping off point, The Department of Truth has remained interesting, surprising, and vibrant now through three collected volumes, the links to which you can find below.
Easiest Way to Read: Department of Truth, Vol. 1; Department of Truth, Vol. 2; and Department of Truth Vol. 3
Read Best Comics of 2021 - Zack’s Picks - #1 to #5!
4. Ice Cream Man
Writer: W. Maxwell Prince
Artist: Martin Morazzo
Colorist: Chris O’Halloran
Letterer: Good Old Neon
Why It’s Cool: Like Monkey Meat, Ice Cream Man is an anthology comic, except instead of its stories sharing one setting like the aforementioned book, each of these issues shares the same sort of existential horror tones. Strictly speaking, one could call Ice Cream Man a horror comic (and the art team of Morazzo and O’Halloran’s work certainly unnerves), but more than that, the book is about how it feels to be a person these days, in all its anxious and terrifying and occasionally bittersweet glory.
Easiest Way to Read: Ice Cream Man, Sundae Edition Book 1 (issues #1 - #12); or Ice Cream Man, Vol. 1; Ice Cream Man, Vol. 2; Ice Cream Man, Vol. 3; Ice Cream Man, Vol. 4; Ice Cream Man, Vol. 5; Ice Cream Man, Vol. 6; and Ice Cream Man, Vol. 7
5. Monstress
Writer: Marjorie LIu
Artist: Sana Takeda
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Why It’s Cool: Monstress is the best-looking fantasy story in comics, and it’s also become of the most intricate. If you want to get lost in an elaborate world — complete with its own nuanced history, power structures, and mythos — Monstress is easily the best comic for it, pressing as it is on rapidly toward 50 issues. Sana Takeda’s artwork in this book is also absolutely stunning, blending influences from her home in Japan with the narrative styles of North American serialized comics. There’s a reason this comic is currently one of Image’s longest running, as well as why it has won multiple Eisner Awards.
Easiest Way to Read: Monstress Book One; and Monstress Book Two (out in July)
Panels to Prose: Novels for Fans of Monstress!
6. Ghost Cage
Writers: Caleb Goellner & Nick Dragotta
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Letterer/Designer: Rus Wooton
Why It’s Cool: Talk about stylish. Ghost Cage is the most stylish book on our list of Best Comics of 2022 - Image Comics, this side of Monkey Meat. Yes, artist Nick Dragotta (East of West) is just a towering talent, laying out what feels like his own take on manga in Ghost Cage, but what elevates this comic even further is how clever and funny the writing is throughout. We’ve so far gotten two of three total issues, and on every page it’s been apparent that something is unfolding with this book. It’s also another one that tackles questions about corporations, dystopian work states, and other interesting questions of the day.
Easiest Way To Read: Ghost Cage #1 - physical / digital; Ghost Cage #2 - physical / digital; or pre-order the Ghost Cage Trade
Read our Ghost Cage #1 review!
7. That Texas Blood
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Why It’s Cool: Put simply, if you enjoy crime comics with touches of neo-noir, That Texas Blood is a great book for you. There are now two volumes out in trade. The first one establishes the setting of this book — Texas, obviously — as well as the tone, which is sparse and homey, yet still thoughtful and complex. The second volume of this comic elevates the entire series to new territory, one that makes it feel like a Texas-flavored answer to Fargo on TV, a lasting crime story concept that is as versatile as it gets, laying the groundwork for many more volumes and stories to come.
Easiest Way To Read: That Texas Blood, Vol. 1; and That Texas Blood, Vol. 2
Read Comics Anatomy - Creator Perspective - That Texas Blood!
8. The Silver Coin
Writers: Various
Artist: Michael Walsh
Colorists: Toni Marie Griffin and Michael Walsh
Why It’s Cool: Yet another anthology series makes the list of Best Comics of 2022 - Image Comics. This one is another horror book, and the individual issues — which all standalone quite well, I should note — are united by two things: the titular silver coin appears in each story, and they are all illustrated by Michael Walsh, who also does the lettering and coloring, with an occasional assist on the latter from Toni Marie Griffin. But that’s really the other interesting thing about this book for anyone who is fascinated by the way that assembly line comics are made. It’s not uncommon for a series to be penned by the same writer and illustrated by different artists. This book, however, welcomes a lineup of A-Tier comics writers from monthly books, and all the stories are drawn by Walsh. What writers are we talking here? Names like Jeff Lemire, Chip Zdarsky, James Tynion, Ram V., Kelly Thompson, Josh Williamson, and the list goes on.
Easiest Way to Read: The Silver Coin, Vol. 1
Honorable Mentions: The Good Asian, Home Sick Pilots, Joe Hill’s Rain, Newburn, and Step By Bloody Step
Best Image Comics Trades and Graphic Novels — 2022
This section is dedicated to recent Image Comics trade collections and graphic novels. These books are a nice mix of recently-concluded miniseries, new compilations of classic comic runs, straight-to-graphic-novel series, and more. Perhaps miraculously, the majority of entries on this list present a complete reading experience, one you can just pickup and enjoy with a clear beginning and a clear end. Enjoy!
Astro City: Metro Book: physical / digital
Coffin Bound
Vol. 1: physical / digital
Vol. 2: physical / digital
Decorum Collected HC: physical / digital
Read our Decorum Collected HC Review!
Fire Power
Vol. 1: physical / digital
Vol. 2: physical / digital
Vol. 3: physical / digital
Vol. 4: physical / digital
Made In Korea: physical / digital
Reckless
Book 1: physical / digital
Friend of the Devil: physical / digital
Destroy All Monsters: physical / digital
The Ghost in You: physical / digital
Saga Box Set, Vol. 1 - Vol. 9: physical
Checkout our other Best Comics of 2022 (So Far) Lists:
Read more great graphic novel and comics reviews!
Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He has written about comics for The Beat and NPR Books, among others. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.