Updated All-Time Top Rated Comics 2024

Here is my updated list of all of the comics I've rated a 9 or above. Two books (Heartstopper Volume 1 and The Treasure of the Black Swan) were added in 2024..


9/10

All In The Family Part Two: Angel
Amulet Book Two: The Stonekeeper's Curse
Amulet Book Seven: Firelight
Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You
Boxers
Dog Man And Cat Kid
Dog Man: Grime and Punishment
The Flutter Collection
Ghosts
Guts
Heartstopper Volume 1
Life With Archie #16
Lumberjanes Volume 3: A Terrible Plan
Lumberjanes Volume 4: Out of Time
Lumberjanes Volume 5: Band Together
Machiavelli
Rival Angels Season 3 Volume 2
Saga Compendium 1
Small Town Type #1
The Treasure of the Black Swan
Understanding Comics
Warriors: Graystripe's Adventure
We Won't Be Erased
White Bird
With the Light Volume 2

9.5/10

Amelia Rules: When the Past is a Present
The Arrival
Castle Waiting Volume 1
I Kill Giants
A Monster Calls
The Prince and the Dressmaker
Vietnamerica: A Family's Journey

10/10

Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic In One Volume

Looking forward to reading more great books in 2024!

2024 Recap

After two rough years, I improved a bit in 2024, although I was still reading more graphic novels and manga than traditional comics or minicomics.

My total number of reviews in 2024 was 35, which is a big step up from 2023, but still not even one per week. I'm looking to give more attention to the Random Stack (box, really) of Unread Comics in 2025, so let's see if I can improve on that figure of 35.

Here are some highlights and lowlights of the year.

Highest Rated Comics of 2024:

Death Note Volume 3 (8.5)
Heartstopper Volume 2 (8.5)
Mage: The Hero Discovered Collected Edition Book 1 (8.5)
Once Upon a Time in the North (8.5)

Heartstopper Volume 1 (9)
The Treasure of the Black Swan (9)

Lowest Rated Comics of 2024:

Batman/Superman: World's Finest: The Devil Nezha (5)

Angel Sanctuary Volume 1 (4)
LiLing Po Volume 1 (4)

Favorite Books Read in 2024 (Any Genre)

 Comic-specific 2024 recaps coming soon. Here are my top 5 books (prose, comics, anything) read in 2024:

5. Doll Girl Meets Dead Guy by Lidiya Foxglove
4. Whalefall by Daniel Kraus
3. The Treasure of the Black Swan by Paco Roca
2. Swordspoint by Ellen Kushner
1. Luchadora by Alvaro Saar Rios

Mage: The Hero Discovered Collected Edition Book 1

From the books unpacked from storage.

Title: Mage: The Hero Discovered Collected Edition
Issue: Book 1
Date: October, 1998
Publisher: Image Comics
Writer: Matt Wagner
Artist: Matt Wagner
Colorist: Jeromy Cox, James Rochelle

This collected edition from Image Comics reprints the first two issues of Matt Wagner's take on Arthurian mythology which was the precursor to his classic Grendel and one of the mainstays of the independent comics boom of the 1980s.

Loner Kevin Matchstick sits down and spills his guts to a mysterious stranger on a streetcorner, and things get weird from there. Part urban fantasy with a bit of a superhero vibe (and a little bit of a Captain Marvel tribute), the story develops quickly but stays straightforward through concise use of dialogue and some solid action sequences. The coloring by Jeromy Cox and James Rochelle give the story a perfect 80s neon-noir feel.

This was fun without going in for the excessive grimdark that later 80s urban fantasies would rely on.

Rating: 8.5/10

The Baby-Sitters Club Volume 3: Mary Anne Saves the Day

Found in a Little Free Library in Amherst MA USA.

Title: The Baby-Sitters Club
Issue: Volume 3: Mary Anne Saves the Day
Publisher: Scholastic / Graphix
Date: 2015
Writer: Raina Telgemeier, Ann M. Martin
Artist: Raina Telgemeier
Letterer: John Green
Editor: Cassandra Pelham Fulton, David Levithan, Sheila Keenan

The main plot in this story, told from Mary Anne's point of view, is that a big fight breaks out between the four members of the Baby-Sitters Club, and none of them are on speaking terms with each other. A few attempts to work it out go wrong for various reasons, and the quality of their work begins to suffer as they close in on an upcoming birthday party that they are all expected to work together.

The main plot here, is a bit generic, and it's the least interesting thing going on in the book. Mary Anne makes a new friend, Dawn, who's new in town and discovers a connection between Dawn's mom and her dad. She also confronts her dad about his overprotective side, handles a genuine emergency on a babysitting job, and even changes her hairstyle.

The character development for Dawn is great, and so are a bunch of the small moments involving interactions with supporting characters. Raina Telgemeier has done a great job bringing Ann M. Martin's setting to life, and all of the small details really give the story some extra sparkle.

The series continues with #4, which I read previously and reviewed here.

Rating: 7/10

Attack on Titan Volume 7

Bought at Barnes & Noble, Middletown RI USA.

Title: Attack on Titan
Issue: Volume 7
Date: 2013
Publisher: Kodansha
Creator: Hajime Isayama
Letterer: Steve Wands
Editor: Ben Applegate

With the abnormal female titan immobilized, the survey corps tries to force the titan to release it's human controller, but the titan fights back with new powers that the survey corps has never seen before.

This leads to an absolutely epic battle between the female titan and Eren in titan form that goes on for over 30 pages of this volume. The artwork is spectacular in this sequence, and the aftermath does a good job of conveying the emotional toll of the outcome on the survey corps.

There's also the setup for a major new plot complication in the final pages, as well as significant continued deepening of titan lore.

Rating: 7.5/10

Spy Family Volume 5

 Bought at Barnes & Noble, Middletown RI USA.

Title: Spy Family
Issue: Volume 5
Publisher: Viz Media
Date: July, 2022
Writer: Tatsuya Endo
Artist: Tatsuya Endo
Letterer: Rina Mapa
Editor: Amy Yu, John Bae

It's back to school for Anya, and she's got midterm exams coming up, with a dreaded Tonitrus Bolt for any exam she fails. Even worse, the exams are happening on a day when Anya's mindreading powers won't be functional.

So it's up to Loid to cheat on his "daughter"'s exams the old fashioned way. By breaking into the school and changing her answers. The only problem is that there's a less-than-competent rival spy with the same idea.

This issue had a very different style and pacing than volume 4 (reviewed here). This was loaded with quick plot developments, short bits of comedy, and the introduction of several new characters. This was fun and a quick read that sets of lots of future storylines.

Rating: 6.5/10

LiLing Po Volume 1

Found at a Little Free Library in Yarmouth MA USA in October, 2024.

Title: LiLing Po
Issue: Volume 1
Date: 2005
Publisher: Tokyopop
Writer: Ako Yutenji
Artist: Ako Yutenji
Letterer: Yoohae Yang
Editor: Julie Taylor

LiLing Po is an infamous thief who is released from prison to help his government recover a set of stolen magical treasures.

This quickly turns into an episodic kind of thing where LiLing Po and the government agents working with him investigate people who have been influenced or changed by the wish-granting powers of the mysterious eight treasures. While this provides some nice structure, I found the characters hard to relate to and the dialogue dense. This could have benefited from slower pacing and a bit of breathing room to get to know everyone before plunging into a sort of monster-of-the-week mode.

Rating: 4/10