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Netflix’s popular “greedy” series revealed the kinds of worlds available to those willing to look beyond superheroes and see what else comics have to offer. there’s more to be found than good-guy vs. bad-guy fights, even within the seemingly narrow field of post-apocalyptic settings and stories. Take a look at the list below and discover new ways the world could end, both large and small, without a single superhero showing up to save the day.
You are reading: Comic books not about superheroes
‘something is killing the children vol. 1’
The title of james tynion iv and werther dell’edera’s hit series paints an evocative picture, but it’s only part of what actually happens in the comic. Yeah, something is killing the children in the small town of Archer’s Peak, but what that something actually is, and who’s been interested in preventing those deaths from happening, isn’t exactly what you’d expect. , turning this horror story into something that feels like the next generation of “buffy the vampire slayer” or “scream,” if only one of them managed the feat of being truly creepy.
‘something is killing the children’ buy it
lazarus: one
Leaning heavily on the fears of a generation, the future imagined in greg rucka and michael lark’s dystopian series is one in which corporations rule the earth, under the guise of “families”, creating something that is partly feudal rule and partly large-scale industrialization. inserted into this are lazaruses, genetically modified soldiers created to serve the interests of each of the 16 ruling families on the planet. If this sounds like a recipe for disaster, you’re right, and the result is something that reads like “Game of Thrones” by way of “Blade Runner” and occupies Wall Street, with political intrigue and pure science fiction. the menu.
‘lazarus vol. 1’ buy it
‘fran of the floods’
a recently rediscovered and reissued genuine 1970s rarity, “fran of the floods” is a surprisingly bleak tale of environmental collapse from the otherwise “jinty“ comic book pages respectable and harmless, in the uk. As if it’s not bad enough for poor teenage Fran to lose her hometown when Britain is flooded as a result of a freak storm, she also loses her family…and all her friends…and then the new friends she makes. on his journey to try to find out if his sister has somehow survived the storms. Alan Davidson and Phil Gascoine are the men responsible for such a tragedy befalling the poor girl, but you are the reader who will enjoy every bit of it. your monster.
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‘fran of the floods’ buy it
‘the hard tomorrow’
Eleanor Davis’s graphic novel about hannah, a home health worker, and her relationships with her husband and best friend, is both invigorating and amazingly kind. In contrast to the political turmoil of recent years in the United States, it is a book that asks difficult questions and does not settle for easy answers; It’s also a book that will win your heart as you follow Hannah through her attempts to have a baby in an era when the future was becoming increasingly difficult to imagine. For those who want more of the father/son relationship at the heart of the show’s opening, here’s where to look.
‘hard tomorrow’ buy it
‘woodcutters vol. 1: watch out for the holy kitty’
Maybe it’s the spirit of gus that can do what drew you in during that first “greedy” season. if that’s the case, boom! “lumberjanes” of studies, a series that almost defines the term “brave” by how enthusiastic it is about the value of friendship and bravery in the face of adversity, is a must-read. created by the team of shannon watters, noelle stevenson, grace ellis and brooke allen, “lumberjanes is the story of five teenagers at a “tough ladies” summer camp where weird things happen on a regular basis . …not that anything can really challenge the bond of friendship between the five of them. funny, uplifting and (of course) mean.
lumberjacks vol. 1: watch out for the holy kitty buy it
‘die vol. 1: fantasy heartthrob’
An attempt to return to the nostalgic pastime of RPGs goes very, very wrong in this twist on the fantasy genre from writer Kieron Gillen and artist Stephanie Hans. imagine “tron”, but with dungeons & Dragons, and you basically get the premise of the series, but Gillen and Hans are smart enough to infect the entire company with some horror tropes to keep the reader (and the characters themselves) off balance. After all, it wouldn’t be a good game if there wasn’t the possibility of being killed by members of your own party, would it…?
‘die volume 1: fantasy heartthrob’ buy it
‘and: the last man abridged one’
almost everything that writer brian k. vaughan has written in the past decade or so could land on a recommended reading list, whether it’s the bogus social media short story “the private eye,” the epic sci-fi family drama “saga,” or the retro game of time travel that is “paper girls“. It is his collaboration with Pia Guerra, “Y: The Last Man”, which is closer to “The Sweet Tooth”, Set after a mysterious pandemic has destroyed males in all species, the series follows the last two males alive, a boy and his pet monkey, as they try to figure out what happened and if humanity can survive without men. Find out now before the fx tv adaptation starring diane lane, amber tamblyn and ben schnetzer airs on september 13.
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‘y: the last man compendium one’ buy it
‘beasts of burden: animal rites’
this is not a heartwarming “incredible journey” style story about everyday pets, the neighborhood dogs and cats in evan dorkin and jill thompson’s story are the only thing standing between us and the supernatural threats to our lives. own existence, be it creepy. wizards, scary zombies or just an outbreak of plague frogs. To make matters more exciting, he manages to treat the subject with no small amount of humor, as might be expected from the former Dorkin writer of “space ghosts from coast to coast.”
‘beasts of burden: animal rites’ buy it
jack kirby’s kamandi bus
If the hope at the heart of the netflix series is what floats your boat, or if you just love the talking animals that people attract from hybrids, then “kamandi” could be your perfect comic. created by the artist behind captain america, the x-men, the avengers and most of marvel’s most famous characters, it’s a series that starts from a very basic place: what if a child were let loose? on the planet of the apes? , but not only apes can speak, but all animals? The resulting series, a cult hit in the mid-1970s that has since been recognized for how classic it is, is at times dazzling, hilarious, exciting and downright ridiculous, but never dull.
‘kamandi’ buy it
the walking dead: compendium one
Perhaps the best-known post-apocalyptic comic in recent years (if not ever), Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard’s “The Walking Dead” has become the benchmark for measuring just about every other dystopian reality in comics. And not just because it lasted long enough to explore the collapse of society from multiple different angles… and because it managed to do it while also including zombies and the looming threat of dehumanization on a whole other level. think of it as a two-for-one horror deal.
‘the walking dead compendium one’ buy it
greedy compendium
for those familiar with the comic series, netflix’s “sweet tooth” probably came as a surprise; Creator Jeff Lemire has spoken about how the two are quite different in terms of tone and atmosphere, to the point where the two almost seem like completely different versions of the same basic characters and concept. the comic is more classically post-apocalyptic, with the doom and gloom it suggests, making it ideal for those who are fascinated by hybrids and the world that led to them, but feel convinced there’s more to the story than it seems: as well as those who want to know how the story of gus ends.
‘greedy compendium’ buy it
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