The Best Graphic Novels of 2026

Watchmen is widely considered to be among the greatest pop-culture works of the 20th century, and that’s because Alan Moore’s script is a peerless deconstruction of the superhero myth from the post-Vietnam era. And the art style is nothing short of iconic; Dave Gibbons’s line work and John Higgins’s colors evoke a bygone age in DC Comics history while maintaining a power and timelessness across decades. Call it required reading. Plus, this Absolute Edition hardcover will look gorgeous on your shelf.

Saga shows what a great comic-book series can offer in a way that wouldn’t work as well in most other media. Space fantasy, romance, humor, action, and every strange creature Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples could possibly dream up—it’s all here in this sprawling postmodern Star Wars from Image Comics. If you like love stories, colorful characters, or great writing, you’re in for a treat. This 1,300-page compendium ought to keep you entertained for a while.

If you’re looking for my personal recommendation, and you don’t mind a little horror and dark fantasy, Locke & Key is the one you’re after. This box set includes all six volumes of the main story, so you don’t have to worry about any cliffhangers or complicated reading orders.

This is the tale of the Locke family, survivors of a bloody tragedy who move into a magical old New England house filled with secrets—and strange keys. Hill’s writing is brilliant and inspired, and Gabe Rodriguez’s meticulous illustrations are astonishing.

The Batman Box Set is an inspired three-book collection pegged to the release of Matt Reeves’s 2022 film, The Batman. Here, you get 728 pages of Batman storytelling in one affordable package.

Batman: Ego and Other Tails collects Darwn Cooke’s stories of the Caped Crusader and Catwoman; Frank Miller’s Year One tells the story of Batman’s earliest years of working with Jim Gordon and Selina Kyle to take down Gotham’s worst mob bosses; and The Long Halloween is an evergreen favorite that inspired both Reeves and The Dark Knight.

These are must-own stories for any Bat-fan. And if you can’t get enough of Miller’s Year One, check out The Dark Knight Returns, set decades later.

Rachel Smythe’s smash-hit Webtoon series boasts vibrant watercolors, unforgettable style, and an engrossing blend of contemporary dialogue and Greek mythology. What if Hades was a depressed workaholic, and the underworld was run like a large corporation? What if Persephone was a troubled millennial navigating friendships, love, and awkward social situations? Smythe’s long-form comic delivers all the romance you can handle—without forgetting that, ultimately, the gods of myth can be wicked, vile schemers from time to time.