This has been one of the more difficult lists for me to make. When it comes to keeping track of comics, things are a lot harder and it forces me to to do some fairly arbitrary line drawing. Is it really fair to compare a traditional published graphic novel to a webcomic to someone posting on social media? And how do I track what I read? By book? Not all comics have had the luxury of publishing a full volume. By page? By strip? It’s a messy process throwing an entire medium into a narrow pot and saying that they’re all “close enough.” It also makes it difficult to say how many comics I went through this year. I know that I did read a couple printed volumes. I know that I’m currently caught up on reading 11 different ongoing webcomics. I know that I follow 23 different comic creators on instagram. But I have no idea how much I read of an individual webcomic or creator. Everyone has different posting schedules and preferences, and the way that archives are ordered and numbered can vary greatly. This makes me more susceptible than I’d like to admit to recency bias when I think about the comics that I’ve gone through. I’m trying to better track my media habits, not just in comics but across the board, and try to keep better track of good stuff I see earlier in the year. In this super stuffed offering, I’m going to recommend the 18 best comics/creators I’ve come across over the past year

Last year I made the choice to try and distinguish between “narrative” and “narrative optional” comics to try and better compare like with like. It’s a distinction that I’m going to stick with but don’t love. In many ways it feels similar to when awards shows attempt to distinguish between “drama” and “comedy”. This isn’t helped by the fact that most narrative comics tend to lean more into drama and narrative optional comics tend to be more humorous. But even the narrative optional comics tend to have recurring characters and bits, with even the occasional multi-part storyline. It’s a bummer that many of these more serial comics are shackled to instagram, where there’s a pretty set standard for how comics go. Four panels, box on the end showing all the panels together. I love when artists are better able to experiment and use the ways that the internet differs from the printed page to be more creative. I remember reading an Order of the Stick comic where the character Belkar is falling, and as a reader you just keep scrolling and scrolling down the page in a way that truly emphasized just how far of a fall this was. Similarly, I’ve become a fan of Webtoonz that seem to really make use of and understand how the vertical scroll itself can be implemented into the reading experience. Comics is a hard industry. It requires talent as both an artist and writer, talents that most of us would be happy to simply good with one. But despite this, as an industry and an audience the output that is expected of creators is simply massive, and the risk of art theft is high in the social media age, and even more so now that AI is entering the picture.

I want to end this piece on a happy note, saying that hard work and talent will be justly rewarded in the end, at that the creativity of the human spirit will surpass all attempts at mimicry, forgery, and plagiarism. But we all know that isn’t the case. Some of my favorite artists make next to nothing creating comics, and pleas for support often go unanswered. People aren’t getting rich off of webcomics, most people can’t even make it a career. Some of my favorite comics aren’t even available anymore because servers have been shut down (although at least Camp Weedontwatcha has some parts backed up on the Internet Archive god bless). This is part of why I want to do this. I’m not rich, I can’t support every artist that I want to. What I can do is spread the word, hopefully get artists some extra readers, and some of those extra readers will become extra supporters. Is it enough? I don’t know. But it’s what I can do, and nothing can stop me from trying. Before we begin, I want to note that I’m not comfortable just reposting comic art straight up on my page, so many of the splash screens I’m going to use aren’t the best representations of these comics. The best way to see if a comic and its art style are for you is to go to the comic directly. On that note, my favorite comics, narrative and narrative optional, of 2024.

Narrative Optional Comics

Honorable Mentions

Mattie Lubchansky (4⭐): Mattie is one of the few political cartoonists that I follow and enjoy, and I almost never scroll past her work when it shows up on my feed. She previously worked for The Nib before it closed, and now is doing independent work. Her comics and art style are focused on politics, and often on trans issues. Something that I appreciate is that she is often very scathing about how willing and ready people are to engage in fascism and oppression because it is simply easier than resistance. She also focuses on the ways that oppression tangibly affects marginalized groups. From time to time, she also engages in more personal artwork such as the great piece Recurring Dream that I highlighted recently.

The Other End Comics by Neil Kohney (4⭐): The Other End Comic is for the sickos and I love it. The comics tend to be extremely visceral in a way that is meant to elicit humor through discomfort, very much a “ha ha, what the fuck?" type of vibe. There can be extreme violence, but also sexuality both done in a way that is incredibly uncomfortable. I particularly enjoy his Christmas comics that often have Santa acting as either a real shitheel, a loser, or both. These comics are over the top in a way that is highly enjoyable, both in terms of the art and the written content. There’s an ugliness to the way people are drawn that feels incredibly deliberate. The people in these comics aren’t good, they’re often terrible people doing terrible things, and making them look slightly off-putting works well in this context. Sometimes the over the top nature of the comics is too much even for me, but even if I don’t like a particular comic, I can’t help but be morbidly fascinated by the massive swings the author takes.

Berkely Mews by Ben Zaehringer (4⭐): Berkely Mews is probably the most inconsistent of the comics that I’m recommending today. When Berkely Mews is going strong, it’s some of my favorite comedic writing in the game. The recent comic God’s Back was one I really enjoyed. Other times, things just don’t hit. In part I think the simplicity of the art is part of the fluctuations here. There’s nothing wrong with a simple art style, but when that’s the direction a creator chooses, the writing has to really hit for a comic to be good. And Berkely Mews hits often enough for me to recommend, but there are certainly times I do more of a mindless scroll through his page rather than truly enjoying and engaging with the work. See for yourself and hopefully you find some comics you like.

Pseudonym Jones/Fanlee and Spatzel. (4.5⭐): I always love the work of Pseudonym Jones. I first became aware of her work on Twitter through her Fanlee and Spatzle comics which feature anthropomorphized animals going through life, but the characters were written with such clear and vivid personalities that I was sucked in. As time has gone on, she’s begun to do more autobiographical comics about living as a trans woman in society. Over the past year in particular, she’s done a lot of comics about the joys and fears of trans parenthood, something that has been incredibly touching and enjoyable to watch. Her output isn’t always consistent, and you never know what comic she’s going to put up, which is the only thing that keeps her from being higher up on this list. But no matter what, I’m always thrilled whenever I see that she’s posted.

5)Last Place Comics

By Zach Cranor. Available here. 4⭐. There’s not much for me to say about Last Place Comics other than they’re consistently clever, consistently funny, and consistently good. Most of the comics I’ve listed here tend to have some pretty big highs and lows, but Last Place is always consistent. The art style is unique in a way that I appreciate but don’t always enjoy. My favorites are his multi part comics, such as when he did a series with superheroes based on photoshop tools, or a recent one about kids trying to one up each other. I don’t know if this is any better or worse than those I mentioned in the honorable mentions, but it is certainly more consistent in quality and/or output, meaning that I see a lot more of it and/or enjoy a lot more of it. And you know, in my book that counts for something.

Haus of Decline

Available Here. 4⭐. Haus of decline is probably the most NFSW comic on this list and that’s saying something. It’s incredibly edgy and dark humor, and frankly is often hit or miss for me. The art has a simple style but fluctuates between highly detailed and simple sketches. The biggest reason that haus of decline is on this list is because this past year, after a break of over a year from comics, the artist came out as trans. Her work has always towed the line of acceptability, and often crossed that line, but seeing her incorporate trans themes into this style was a fascinating process. Her work was attracting some terrible edgelords, and seeing the way that she has managed to stay true to her original transgressive style without appealing to the worst people among us has been like watching an incredible tightrope act. I don’t always enjoy this comic, but I’m constantly thinking about it. And frankly I think that’s what the artist is going for more than anything.

3)Exo Comics

by Li Chen. Available here. 4⭐. Exo Comics feels like reading the funny pages in the best way possible. It’s consistently funny and well written, but less over the top than many of the comics I’m highlighting. This often makes it feel like a breath of fresh air after I’ve been fed a steady stream of degen comics. Pairing the fairly bubbly comedy with the bouncy art style means that the art and writing are working in concert tonally in a way that I really enjoy. While the style is often somewhat simplistic, the artist has showcased that she is very technically talented, bringing in additional details whenever it benefits the work. A true delight, and something for people looking for a comic that’s less in your face.

2)Daily Obstruction

Available Here or Here. 4.5⭐. I first found Daily Obstruction on Tiktok of all places, and I was immediately taken in. Specifically, I was taken by the comics surrounding the character The Chimney Fucker, a man who enters homes through chimneys and brings pleasure to all. While the gags surrounding the character are enjoyable enough, what I really love about this comic is the art style. The author draws people in a pretty simplistic way, but has extremely detailed backgrounds, something that I’m always a sucker for. The one character who is an exception to this is the Chimney Fucker himself, drawn with incredibly detailed linework. I also love just how thick the lines are in this comic, creating an even deeper contrast between the dark and light tones. It’s funny, it’s irreverent, but the art is the biggest draw for me, and it shows that even with a simple style, you can still be creative and do great things.

1)Swan Boy

By Branson Reese. Available Here. 5⭐. Branson Reese is the funniest man on the internet in my opinion. Swan Boy revolves around three friends: Swanboy, Noel, and Rona. Swanboy is the most loveable degenerate ever put to print, Noel is the classic pretentious asshole who falls victim to his own hubris, and Rona is the definition of a bundle of nerves. The hijinks that the trio gets up to never cease to make me laugh. In particular this past year, a small arc about Noel getting pilloried after not taking fantasy football seriously had be dying. The writing is both absurd and extremely clever. This is a seriously debauched comic, which you might have discovered is something I tend to enjoy, but no one does it better than Branson Reese. He’s not doing shock for shock’s sake, but carefully laying a groundwork to surprise and delight. I can’t count how many times a bit from this comic has popped into my head and I’ve just burst out laughing. Even with the inconsistent release schedule, Swan Boy is my favorite gag comic and I can’t see that changing anytime soon.

Narrative Comics

Honorable Mentions

Dagger to the Heart by Oori. Available here. Series Length: 9 Chapters. 4⭐

Dagger to the Heart follows the assassin Rafael and the princess Sazet. Rafael has been hired to kill Sazet, yet after a botched first encounter, he finds himself charmed by her (quite literally). As Rafael seeks to find a way to fulfill his contract, Sazet wishes to use Rafael for her own purposes.

Dagger to the Heart is extremely enjoyable thus far, but also too early in its history to really tell where it is going or how good it will be. One of my favorite things about the series is how the author uses perspective. Taking advantage of the vertical scroll, shots are often done at a wide angled birds eye view. The writing and art are fun, and there have been hints that the world the story inhabits is truly expansive. The only flaw that the series has thus far is that it can undercut serious moments with an annoying level of “UwU” style art and comedy that just don’t hit for me. Yet even in spite of this, the series promises a depth and a seriousness to its tale, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

The Golden Boar by Magnolia Porter-Siddell. Available here. Series Length: 5 (markedly longer) Chapters. 4⭐

The Golden Boar is a Fantasy Romance comic. In a world where civilization and nature are in constant tension, a group of magic users summon guardian beasts to fight back against malevolent nature spirits. Mero is an aspiring summoner, and she becomes tied to the gruff Boar. Mero and the Boar must grow closer to each other to make it through the violent summoning season.

The Golden Boar was a series I struggled with this past year. After a lot of setup, the current chapter of the comic introduced guardian beasts for the main characters. However, while the series continued to be solid, my own expectations betrayed me. I really expected the series to speed up a bit once the beasts were introduced, but instead, the series is taking a very deliberate pace. The author is taking the time to really focus on the relationships between all the characters, including now the relationship between the Beasts and their Summoners. Magnolia Porter-Siddell really excels when focusing on the emotions within relationships, as highlighted in my favorite comic series of all time, Monster Pulse. Golden Boar hasn’t quite managed to reach the same peaks, and the fact that the comic had to take a few extended breaks only served to heighten my struggles with the pacing. However, some excellent character work and a vibrant art style that I’m consistently delighted by kept me feeling high on this series.

Rising Sand by Ty Dunitz and Jenn Lee. Available here. Series length: 190 comics. 4⭐

Rising Sand follows a ragtag group of heroes attempting to prevent the death of the sun.

It’s hard to truly describe in words what makes Rising Sand sing. Rising Sand probably has the strongest art style of any series on this list. I don’t know if I can go so far as to say it is the most technically proficient, I don’t have the skills or knowledge to speak on that. But the level of detail and a truly distinctive style are truly grabbing. But even more than this, Rising Sand has an incredibly intricate fantasy world. There are fully fleshed out religious, multiple civilizations and races with deep sociological histories, and the level of desolation showcased really highlights that this is a dying world. That’s not to mention that the relationships between characters, especially main characters Dal and Qebrus, are extremely well done. The only flaw to the series is that the release schedule is extremely inconsistent and infrequent. It’s a pleasure to binge, but the length between updates can make it a struggle to keep up with what’s going on with the story. However, this past year has seen an uptick in updates, and some of the best writing in the series thus far.

Girl Genius by Phil and Kaja Foglio. Available here. Series length: 25 books. 4.5⭐

Girl Genius is a steampunk epic that follows the journey of Agatha Heterodyne. At the start of the series, Agatha unlocks her potential as a Spark, the mythic mad scientists who lead the nations of Europa, and is revealed as a member of the Heterodyne family. Through a series of trials and hardships, she takes control of her family’s ancestral home, only for it to be locked in stasis. This past year has seen Agatha on the verge of freeing her city, but once the time stop is removed, there may be greater consequences than first imagined.

Girl Genius is such a long running series that it’s hard to briefly explain this series. However, as someone who tends to shy away from Steampunk settings, the fact that Girl Genius lands so strongly for me is quite a testament. For over 20 years, the Foglios have crafted such a detailed and intricate world, and Agatha walking thin lines of sanity and madness, heroism and tyranny have been genuinely delightful. The art style is a bit weird, but certainly distinctive, but the writing is where this series shines. It’s a true epic fantasy series, and seeing the characters and world grow for the last 12 years I’ve been caught up has been a real pleasure. This series is a beast, but I can tell you from experience that if you start reading it, you’ll quickly find yourself sucked in. I can’t tell if the series as a whole is drawing to a close, or if a nearly 10 year long storyline is, but tensions are reaching a boiling point in this world. It will be interesting to see what 2025 brings, but 2024 was pretty excellent.

5)Gunnerkrigg Court

by Thomas Siddell. Available here. Series Length: 8 books/97 chapters. 4.5⭐

Gunnerkrigg Court follows Antimony “Annie” Carver as she goes to school at the enigmatic Gunnerkrigg Court. The Court is a strange place, mixing the technological and magical, leading Annie to discover her own connections to the spiritual realm. This last year has seen both the Court and its magical neighbors making some serious power grabs, and Annie and her best friend Kat have to try their best to keep the balance between reality and the ether.

Similar to Girl Genius, Gunnerkrigg is a similarly long, similarly old, epic story. Gunnerkrigg is very Harry Potter adjacent, once again following a fantastically gifted child leaving a nonideal home life, living in their parents’ shadows, and going to a fantastical British boarding school. But I’ve always preferred Gunnerkrigg (for a variety of reasons) because the way that technology and myth are interlaced with the fantasy. This is a series where you get to see the characters grow and mature as they pass through their grades, seeing them go from young children to the cusp of adulthood. Something that emphasizes the feeling is how the art has progressed. Tom Siddell was pretty unexperienced when the series started (see below) and seeing his art grow and mature with the characters manages to take something that should have been a negative, and instead turns it into a positive. Gunnerkrigg is approaching its ending, and the way that the story grapples with a battle between the spirit and the real is something that I find endlessly fascinating from both a narrative and thematic standpoint. This is something I consistently struggle with in my day to day, and seeing the main characters attempt to mediate between these two intrinsic parts of life always encourages me to find better balance myself.

4)Kingly

by Nicholas Edwards. Available here. Series Length: 3 extended chapters. 4.5⭐

Kingly follows Kingly, the King of an unnamed Medieval country. Kingly is an intensely unqualified idiot, who knows almost nothing of the world, yet possesses a deep curiosity and naivety. The story follows Kingly and his friends (advisors) as he enjoys life, and they desperately try to hold the country together.

Kingly is an intensely funny, irreverent comedy. I was tempted to put it in the narrative optional category, but truthfully, it is so important to know the arc of the different characters and their trajectories, that to truly appreciate the series it is pretty important to read it sequentially. Kingly is one of the best examples of comedic drawing I’ve seen, period. Oftentimes, comedy comics rely on solid writings and some straightforward visual gags to convey the humor. Kingly still has both of those things, but Nick Edwards truly understands how to seep comedy into every aspect of the art, from character design, to the use of perspective, to lighting, to backgrounds and staging, and beyond. The series is so richly creative, and it knows when to have verbal comedy and when to shy away and let the visuals take center stage. But saying this isn’t meant to take anything away from the writing or story. Seeing Kingly bumble through life and everyone else trying to cover up for his failings is deeply entertaining. And the series isn’t afraid to get dark at times, utilizing war, plague, child labor, and even child abuse to deeply effective means. The biggest downside I have with Kingly is the fact that the best and practically only way to read the series is on the creator’s instagram. Instagram is such a painful way to have to engage with a narrative comic, it can be a real turnoff at times. Even with that, Kingly is one of the funniest comics I’ve read in a long time, and even though the current storyline is dragging a bit (which is why it isn’t higher on the list) if I were to consider Kingly as a whole and not just what came out over the past year, Kingly is a comedy almost on par with Swan Boy, and that’s saying something for me.

3)All-Star Superman

by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Have to go to the library for this one. Series length: 1 book. 4.5⭐

All-Star Superman is the greatest Superman story ever told. After being poisoned by Lex Luthor, Superman must accomplish 12 tasks to cement his legacy and ensure the protection of Earth after he’s gone.

The only traditional comic on my list, I understand why All-Star Supermans is widely agreed to be the best Superman story ever told. First, the book emphasizes just how wholesome Superman is. As both Clark and Superman, the character is incredibly caring, constantly putting others before himself and never whining or fighting against his fate. Even when he interacts with Luthor, he’s never mad, just disappointed. The amount of love that Superman has for his friends, his city, humanity, and earth shines through so frequently throughout. No problem is too big or too small for him to take the time to help out with, as emphasized in what is likely the most famous Superman page of all time. In spite of all the memes and deconstructions, Superman is meant to be an aspirational figure. He’s impressive because he chooses to be good, despite everything wrong in the world, despite having every opportunity not to be, and he consistently fights problems with love. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of my favorite bits in the book. The book does a good job of showing just how oafish and bumbling Clark Kent pretends to be, and he often is knocking things over and running into things. But as readers, we are shown that whenever Clark does this, he is actually averting some sort of larger problem, emphasizing how close attention Clark pays to everything around him. The art is admittedly not for me, but I had a great time with this book, and it was almost enough to make me want to start reading from the Big 2 again. Almost.

2)Rose Tide Rising

by Boín Day. Available here. Series Length: 79 Chapters. 5⭐

Rose Tide Rising exists in a world where individuals are told the broad strokes of their life and fate at birth. Rose is a princess, and her entire life she has lived in her castle, as if she ever leaves she will die. Roha is a pirate captain, and his crew houses a dark secret. After Roha saves her brother’s life, Rose and Roha meet and fall for each other. Rose runs away with Roha, and when she doesn’t immediately die, she decides to live life to the fullest as a Fatebreaker. But not everything about Roha and Rose is as it seems on first glance, and both have a lot to learn about the other and themselves if this is going to work.

The fact Rose Tide Rising made my list this year is a testament to its quality. The series had multiple months long breaks over the past year, releasing fewer than 20 chapters. Yet Boín Day is one of the smartest writers and artists out there right now. Rose Tide Rising is one of the best examples of an artist taking full advantage of the medium. Pages bleed into each other, color is used sparingly but wisely to make specific emotional points, the use of perspective is incredibly intentional. Will there are times where there are clear “pages” to RTR, more often than not the comic flows seamlessly from moment to moment. The narrative of RTR is excellent, the art of RTR is excellent, but the paneling and layout are what consistently impresses me the most. This is a comic that fully understands the medium, and it is necessary that RTR is a comic. Seeing someone fully master a medium is a true delight that never ceases to amaze me, and RTR is one of the best if not the best in the game right now. If there had been even slightly more output, RTR would have topped my list.

1)Kid Vampire

by Mummy Joe. Available here. Series length: 23 cartoons. 5⭐

Kid Vampire follows the titular Kid, son of the terrifying vampire Count Papa. Kid goes to school to hunt for prey, but manages to make friends instead. He and his friends are forced to go on an elaborate adventures to create a science project to appease the whims of their crazy teacher Mr. D.

I was torn as to whether i could count this at the comic, but at the end of the day, this is my list and I get to make the rules. Kid Vampire is a wonderful series of flipbook cartoons. While there is music and voice acting (which are admittedly excellent), the series can be enjoyed silently, thus making it a flipbook series, and thus making it essentially a comic in my eyes. The delightful bubbly art style, the clever writing, and the wild shenanigans our characters get into consistently surprised and delighted me. While Mummy Joe as an artist would be perfectly at home in the narrative optional category, Kid Vampire does follow a strict narrative that requires viewing the series sequentially to understand. It’s funny, it’s charming, it’s absurd, and just plain delightful. Another series that I first saw on Tiktok, Kid Vampire became a series where I eagerly awaited each new installment. It’s rare for a purer comedy series to be my favorite narrative work, but Kid Vampire won me over by being the most charming series I came across all year.

And there we are. My favorite comics of 2024. We’re almost at the end of my 2024 recap series, and I’m looking forward to getting you all my January roundup and into more formal reviews. All we have left to go over still are my favorite podcasts of 2024, a list that was even harder to narrow down than this one. Apologies on the delay getting this out, the weekend got a bit away from me. I’m hoping to either get something out during the week, or two pieces out next weekend. We’ll see how it goes.

If you check out something on the list, let me know! I’d love to hear what you all think, and if you have any recommendations, I’m always open to suggestions. I’ll see you all next time.

Soma