CBR Editor Picks: The Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2020 – CBR – Comic Book Resources

From Immortal Hulk to X of Swords and The Magic Fish, these are the CBR Editors' picks for the best comics and graphic novels of 2020.

By any measure, 2020 was a tough year. Between unprecedented delays, cancelations, editorial shuffling, distribution changes and the myriad other issues facing the rest of the world, the comic book industry faced its own set of challenges, big and small. However, 2020 still had more than its fair share of great comics and graphic novels.

Batman's Joker War brought epic action to Gotham City with a killer Punchline, while Far Sector explored new corners of the DC Universe and titles like Crema and Lore, Olympus made romance as harrowing as any action-packed epic. Classic Marvel characters like Doctor Doom, Iron Man and Wolverine returned in breakout series that reminded readers about what makes them great, while Superman Smashes the Klan and Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams mixed fact and fiction in modern-day fables. Comics like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin proved that multimedia franchises could be as unpredictable and exciting as the bold, captivating new worlds of Tartarus or Once & Future.

While there were far too many outstanding comics in 2020 to mention in a single list, the writers and editors of CBR put their heads together to come up with 15 comics that helped make this year a little more bearable.

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The Other History of the DC Universe follows in the footsteps of Marv Wolfman and George Perez's original History of the DC Universe as a guide to mapping out DC's historical tapestry. Penned by award-winning writer John Ridley, the series takes a look back at the history of DC from the eyes of less mainstream characters from traditionally marginalized groups. The initial issue focuses on the seventies through the nineties from the viewpoint of Jefferson Pierce, the man who would become Black Lightning, brought to life by the art of Giuseppe Camuncoli and Alex Dos Diaz.

In the first of the series' four issues, Pierce brings to light the issues faced by marginalized characters, even when they are trying to do the right thing; he discusses the way he, as a Black man is looked at as menace when he essentially does the same thing as Batman, who is seen as a help to the police force. He peels back the layer of the Justice Leagues initial distrust of him because of his race, while they count aliens among their membership. He calls out Supermans tendency to turn a blind eye to the plight of the impoverished, ignoring the problems in his own backyard while he rushes off to save other worlds, and he examines John Stewart's role as a "back-up" Green Lantern when the "real" one isn't available.

The Other History of the DC Universe is a plain reminder of where we are as a society through the eyes of a superhero, making it plain that although weve come a long way collectively we still have far to go. It serves concurrently as both a sober reminder of the past and a hopeful beacon for the future. - D.R. Bickham

One of the most influential crossover events in recent memory is Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's 2017 story Dark Nights: Metal, where the DC Universe was invaded by the newly introduced Dark Multiverse and the fearsome Batman Who Laughs. After steadily seeding the DC Universe with a growing evil festering in the world's darkest corners, the resulting follow-up Dark Nights: Death Metal not only serves as an explosive sequel to the preceding event but serves as the culmination of years of comic book storytelling across the DCU.

Reuniting with inker Jonathan Glapion, colorist FCO Plascencia and joined by letterer Tom Napolitano, Snyder and Capullo's Death Metal succeeds in going deeper and darker than its predecessor, which a much more tightly constructed central narrative. And amidst all the bombastic, apocalyptic action, Death Metal is a clear love letter to the entire history of the DCU, as the creative team leaves no major stone unturned as the heroes scramble across a hellishly rewritten DC Multiverse to restore their home from unrelenting evil incarnate. - Sam Stone

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In the landscape of childrens, middle grade and young adult graphic novels -- which, lets face it, are the future of comics -- a handful of titles stand above the rest for their thoughtful storytelling, stunning artwork and necessary messages. In 2020, a slew of brilliant graphic novels hit shelves, but Trung Le Nguyens debut, The Magic Fish, holds a particularly special place in the hearts of many readers. The Magic Fish follows 13-year-old Tin, a Vietnamese-American boy whose immigrant parents practice English by reading library books aloud.

Partially based on Trungles own life, the book explores Tins coming out story, as he attempts to find a way to tell his parents that hes gay. In addition to illustrating Tins actual life, Le Nguyen also depicts the fairy tales his protagonist is reading, in elegant and breathtaking detail. Through telling stories within a story, Trungles reminds readers that stories can and often should change, that fairy tales arent just for straight, cisgender people and that compassion for self -- especially at a young age -- is crucial. The Magic Fish is a queer story we all need, and its one that should have a place of honor on everyones shelf. - Samantha Puc

Ever since the start of the DC Rebirth era in 2016, Joshua Williamson and a rotating roster of fan-favorite artists have charted a new path for The Flash. After over four years and over 100 issues, Williamson's run -- pun whole-heartedly intended -- came to a dramatic end in 2020. As a clear love letter to Barry Allen from start to finish, Williamson's climactic issues on the title significantly restored and expanded The Flash's mythos for modern audiences while paying off on numerous plot threads that the writer had quietly woven into the epic narrative since his very first issue.

While all these seemingly disparate elements hurtling into a collision course in Williamson's final storyline "Finish Line" -- penciled by Scott Kolins, Rafa Sandoval, Christian Duce, Howard Porter, inked by Kolins, Porter, Jordi Tarragona, colored by Arif Prianto, Luis Guerrero and Hi-Fi and lettered by Steve Wands -- that saw the full Flash Family take on one of the largest groups of Flash villains ever assembled in a heart-racing finale. Williamson also penned an epilogue that serving as a tie-in to Dark Nights Death Metal with Speed Metal, penciled by Eddy Barrows, inked by Eber Ferreira, colored Adriano Lucas and lettered by Wands. The special brought the Flash Family together for an apocalyptic race that resolved years of tension between Barry Allen and Wally West in a perfect capstone to his run. - Sam Stone

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Tim Daniel, Michael Moreci and Joshua Hixson's The Plot follows a family plagued by a generations-old curse. The blight has crept into the Blaine family gene pool and passed down from generation to generation. And when Chase Blaine becomes the legal guardian of his niece and nephew after the horrific death of his brother, the Blaines move into the family home, where they find themselves set upon by a supernatural being out in a bog. While the story has all the trappings of a classic haunted house tale, this is a far deeper tale that interrogates generational mental illness.

The story opens with the deceased brother talking about a medication that he helped develop to combat mental illness, and it runs through the veins of every Blaine family member. The story handles the narrative with care as the characters struggle against the sins of their family's past and the burdens they never asked for. Hixsons art through the series emulates classic pulp horror style with horrific monsters that ooze off the page. The proceedings are bumped up to the next level by colors from Jordan Boyd and Kurt Michael Russell and letters by Jim Campbell. Its a horror story with a lot to say about heritage, mental health and facing one's monsters. - Dan McMahon

After years of build-up, hand-wavy retcons and a conclusion that leaves some open questions about the core conflict of the story, Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson's Batman: Three Jokers may have left some fans wanting. However, it still excels as an exploration of trauma, familial conflict and grief built with some of DC's most iconic characters.

Three Jokers is really the story of three victims. Batman, Batgirl and Red Hood's individual coping mechanisms (or lack thereof) are compared and contrasted with compassion throughout this series in a way that adds new depths to some of the most famous moments in Batman history. As those three heroes try to chase down the three Jokers who've been tormenting the DC Universe, Jason's anger, Barbara's fear and Bruce's detachment are put on a collision course by the Jokers in a masterfully illustrated story that marks the best work of Fabok's career. While the series doesn't end with definitive answers to every question it posed, Three Jokers gives readers a chance to see how deep the Bat-Family's scars go and illuminates the emotional core of characters weve known our whole lives. That's a rare and very special thing, indeed. - Eric Switzer

While Marvel's X of Swords crossover may have been sold on the image of the X-Men wielding swords into battle, the actual crossover was far stranger and more surprising than that initial teaser entailed. Across Marvel's X-Men titles, Marvel's mutants fought must-win battles in a tournament to save their new homeland from other-dimensional invaders. Thanks to its lengthy 22-issue span, the crossover had room for emotional vignettes, pulse-pounding fights and subversive plot twists that turned mainstream comic book conventions on their head before culminating in a celebratory finale that reasserts the X-Men's place in the Marvel Universe.

Masterminded by Jonathan Hickman and Tini Howard and featuring work from a host of creators like Gerry Duggan, Benjamin Percy, Zeb Wells, Leah Williams, Vita Ayala, Ed Brisson, Rod Reis, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia, Carmen Carnero, R.B. Silva, Mahmud Asrar, Leinil Yu, Matteo Lolli, Marcus To, Carlos Gomez, Stephen Segovia, Viktor Bogdanovic, Stefano Caselli, Joshua Cassara and David Baldeon, X of Swords encapsulates the best of what Marvel's current X-Men books have to offer. With a cast of dozens of mutant heroes and villains, this ambitious storyline's intricate plotting, dynamic characterizations and jaw-dropping art made it one of the most legitimately surprising crossovers in recent memory. - Tim Webber

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The tragic backstory of Mister Freeze is one of the most well-known romances in the DC Universe. However, the original graphic novel Victor and Nora: A Gotham Love Story reveals who they were before their hearts were frozen. Lauren Myracle and Isaac Goodhart tell the romantic origins of the blossoming relationship between Victor Fries and Nora as young adults.

Much of the story follows Nora grappling with her illness that is quickly worsening while she is falling in love with Victor. Lauren Myracle writes a heartbreaking story of young love being put on ice far too soon. Her take of Victor as someone who is learning to love before having his future snatched away by something he cannot control is heart-wrenching. Isaac Goodharts artist style shifts through the series with beautiful homages to other artists that tie into the themes of the story seamlessly. His art is matched by colorist Cris Peters vibrant palette that reflects the story with color painting the themes of love, desire, and depression. Victor and Nora is an essential retelling of one of Batmans saddest foes. - Dan McMahon

Wonder Woman might be a superhero, an ambassador and a cultural icon, but part of her will always be an Amazon warrior. While that aspect of Diana Prince gets lost in the mix among her other myriad roles, Wonder Woman's warrior skills were put on full display in Daniel Warren-Johnson, Mike Spicer and Rus Wooton's Wonder Woman: Dead Earth miniseries. This post-apocalyptic miniseries follows Wonder Woman as she leads the last remnants of humanity through a hyper-detailed fallen world that can shoulder-to-shoulder with the worlds of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Kingdom Come.

Dead Earth embraces the gleeful weirdness of DC's strangest Elseworlds alternate realities, and its bloody, bone-crushing battles make it one of the best superhero fight comics in recent memory. From the stunning choreography of the Amazon's fight with Superman to the macabre joy of Wonder Woman wielding the bones of her late allies in battle, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth might just be the most metal comic DC published this year. - Tim Webber

The new Thor series by Donny Cates, Nic Klein and Aaron Kuder had the unenviable task of following writer Jason Aarons fan-favorite, character-defining multi-year run on the character. And yet, the creative team pulled it off. In less than a dozen issues, the title was even more exciting than the previous volume thanks to a new, unexpected premise that changed Thors role in the Marvel Universe. As the Herald of Galactus, Thor embarked on a cosmic adventure of epic proportions that introduced threats such as the universe-annihilating Black Winter, and the shockingly frightening return of Thors human alter ego, Donald Blake.

In its first year, the new Thor series was a fresh start that was steeped in Thor mythology, yet approachable enough to crossover with the Fortnite video game. A new costume, new powers, responsibilities and new mysteries made Thor a must-read title month in and month out, and the consistently kinetic and majestic art made for a cinematic experience. Under Cates and Klein, Thor became a different, darker cosmic epic that delivered shocking twists and powerful moments. The book is shaking up the Thor mythos in a massive way, and the best part of Thor is that it's just getting started. - Ian Cardona

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Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondos run on Suicide Squad introduced a brand new group of DC characters known as the Revolutionaries. This group of new characters turned the Suicide Squad's usual 'bomb-in-the-neck' story it had become on its head with sharp. pitch-perfect plotting and a diverse new cast of characters, including a non-binary hero named Aerie. The two series; tentpole characters, Harley Quinn and Deadshot, stuck around with this new batch to handle the new management and the seriess unlikely villain.

With incredibly written character beats, twists around every bend and outstanding artwork from start to finish, Suicide Squad is an example of what mainstream superhero comics can be. The series walks the line of an action-packed thriller with edge-of-your-seat cliffhangers and of a heartfelt story of a group of outsiders fighting to make a change for good. - Dan McMahon

Beautiful women get seduced by the promise of immortality and are then sucked dry of their very essence. Are we talking about Dracula or Hollywood? That's one of the fascinating questions posed in Alex de Campi and Erika Henderson's stunning gothic neo-noir graphic novel, Dracula, Motherf**ker!, which transplants the iconic vampire to 1974 Hollywood.

Crime photographer Quincy Harker is a different kind of bloodsucker, a crime scene photographer who makes money off of blood and gore. He gets sucked into the orbit of the one and only Dracula, who had been out of commission for decades but is now back on the scene. Erika Henderson is already well-known for her impressive art on books like Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Jughead, but she kicked things up about seventeen notches in Dracula, Motherf**ker!, taking an intriguing approach where each individual panel is its own distinctive painting. Still, the art all fits de Campi's striking pacing beautifully. One of the most memorable aspects of the comic is Henderson's depiction of Dracula himself - devoid of all haughty nobility, Henderson and de Campi's Dracula is an evil force of nature, barely even a person. The end result of the project is an insightful stripping of the charm of Dracula and instead showcasing the creepy misogynistic villainy behind the iconic vampire, set in a lush, noir 1970s hue. - Brian Cronin

The Immortal Hulk was already one of Marvel's best comics before 2020. The horror-tinted take on the Jade Giant has been one of the publisher's most engrossing titles since it launched in 2018. It's consistently exciting and thought-provoking, occasionally hilarious and moving, and constantly frightening in a way mainstream superhero comics almost never get to be.

But 2020 saw The Immortal Hulk (somehow) become even more ambitious. It reintroduced the obscure concept of Xemnu and turn him into a painfully relevant observation of modern consumerism and explored the loneliness at the heart of the Hulk as a concept -- while still being terrifying. And there aren't enough words here to describe how the series revitalized the Leader into one of Marvel's most fascinating villains, making him truly horrifying in the process. Al Ewing's writing blends perfectly with Joe Bennett's art to produce one of Marvel's grimmest and grossest books ever, but it's with a sense of purpose and mastery of craft that can't be overstated. It's not often you get to read the modern successor of genre-defining stories like Alan Moore's Swamp Thing. It's even rarer for something to surpass those heights. But The Immortal Hulk isn't most comics, it's one of the best. - Brandon Zachary

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Through acclaimed comics like Criminal and Sleeper, Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have mastered a particular type of gritty noir tale about desperate people doing bad things to survive in an unforgiving world. With their graphic novel Pulp, the duo -- along with colorist Jacob Phillips add the warmth of an arid desert to their winning formula in a gripping story that reasserts them as one of comics' best modern creative partnerships.

This book follows pulp fiction writer Max Winters as he faces his own failing health and the encroaching specter of Nazism In New York on the eve of World War II. Against these twin threats, Max hops back into the saddle for the kind of rip-roaring adventure that he usually only writes about. Phillips' consistently strong art captures the claustrophobic tension of 1939 New York and the dusty charm of the Old West equally well, giving both an impeccable lived-in look. While this is certainly a satisfying tale of bloody revenge, Pulp mixes its lurid thrills with a thoughtful meditation on death and getting old that makes it one of Brubaker and Phillips' most memorable outings to date. - Tim Webber

Since 2019, the powerhouse Daredevil team of Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Cho, and VCs Clayton Cowles have made Daredevil's life a living hell. This series takes Matt Murdock back into familiar territory as the Guardian Devil of Hells Kitchen faces a mountain of adversity from all directions.

In a story that could be a direct extension of the recently concluded Netflix series and offers something new for seasoned fans of the character, Daredevil continued to explore the fallout and far-reaching ramifications of Daredevil being implicated in the death of a thug he was fighting. This sets into motion a series of events that has Daredevil elect to give up the life of a vigilante and lose his edge, only to require the assistance of Elektra to regain his skills and confidence. The result is a thoughtful Guardian Devil we've never seen before, who is still skilled and confident enough to almost protect Hell's Kitchen from a siege-like attack from supervillains in one of the year's most thrilling action sequences, highlighted by Checchetto's frenetic, angry art that gives the book an edgy, noir-like style.

What's equally engrossing are the stories of Daredevils supporting cast, from the officer committed to bringing him to justice to Wilson Fisk's struggle to leave the world of crime. Even visits from familiar characters like Elektra and Spider-Man offered new insights on well-established relationships that were always in service to the overall story.

Although it's not the most celebrated Marvel title, Daredevil is one book that deserves to be on everyone's radar - D.R. Bickham

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CBR Editor Picks: The Best Comics and Graphic Novels of 2020 - CBR - Comic Book Resources

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero