Due to historical legacy and franchise properties, this is the genre that American comics are known for. Marvel and DC, often referred to as the “Big Two,” specialize in superhero comics. While most comic characters that are household names are properties of Marvel or DC, there are also other publishers out there with notable entries in the superhero genre.
For the Big Two publishers, there are specific product lines covering the older/earlier issues of a specific superhero/group, like Marvel’s Essential line or DC’s Showcase Presents line. Those are good books to start with if you have very little to no background on superhero reading.
With regards to ongoing comics, the Big Two are regularly making strides to make their books more accessible to new readers. In Summer 2018, Marvel will be relaunching most of their superhero books with MARVEL FRESH START. DC did the same with their books in summer 2016 with DC REBIRTH. It may be a good time to jump in on some current comics series.
Following below are some character-specific recommendations for superheroes:
DC #
Marvel #
Other superheroes? #
Here are some other notable superhero books:
Astro City by Kurt Busiek
Klaus by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora
The Black Beetle by Fracesco Francavilla
God Hates Astronauts by Ryan Browne
Incognito by Ed Brubaker
Invincible by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley
Irredeemable by Mark Waid
Powers by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming
Sex by Joe Casey and Piotr Kowalski
The Shadow Hero by Gene Luen Yang & Sonny Liew
Sleeper by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Zot by Scott McCloud
LGBT-inclusive comics #
Are you looking for comics with positive LGBTQ+ representation? There’s plenty of those, and they can be found here!
All ages comics #
Looking for comics for all-ages? Here’s our list of kid-friendly all-ages comics!
Genre Recommendations #