Standing atop the comic book mountain with DC, Marvel Comics has a host of popular characters in the superhero community who have spawned some of the publisher’s best. Ranker’s voting community has compiled a list of the best comics/graphic novels of all time, and while DC takes the lion’s share at the top of the list, Marvel also ranks high.
Daredevil’s works have figured upwards, with the X-Men also appearing frequently. That makes sense, as both of these properties are some of the best-written in the superhero genre.
ten Amazing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted
The X-Men have suffered a lot in their history from Marvel Comics, and this first volume of the series’ relaunch began on the premise of Cyclops and Emma Frost reforming the team. However, their plans to do so are threatened by the prospect of a “mutant cure” being discovered by a scientist, which intrigues an extremely mutated Beat.
This first arc was characterized by the reintroduction of the main X-Men characters to set them up down the line and included the rebirth of Colossus. Amazing X-Men Vol. 1: Gifted was praised for its history and for being a good starting point for a new era.
9 Civil war
One of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: Civil Warwas loosely based on the Civil war comic cross bow. Ironically, writer Mark Millar and artists Steve McNiven and Dexter Vines’ comic book series received polarized reception when it aired in 2006-2007.
The story centered on the US government’s passage of the Superhero Registration Act which required superheroes to operate under official law enforcement-like regulations. This pits Captain America’s rebels against Iron Man’s supporters, with the X-Men remaining neutral. However, over time, meta-comment explored in Civil war made the comic retroactively well received.
8 The MAX Punisher
Similar to past DC imprints like Vertigo, Marvel has the MAX imprint which focuses on more mature content. One of the best to come out of this line was The MAX Punisher by Garth Ennis, Gregg Hurwitz and Laurence Campbell. The first volume brings back a classic Punisher villain in the form of Microchip while pitting the titular antihero against two rival gangs in the midst of a bloody war.
His first bow, Irish cuisinewas also a comic book influence for the famous MCU daredevil TV series on Netflix. The MAX Punisher took place in the main Marvel canon, but told an isolated story on a smaller scale that did not focus on crossover with other main characters.
seven The Infinity Gauntlet
The MCUs Infinity War and End of Game were loosely influenced by Jim Starlin The Infinity Gauntlet limited series. Starlin created the villainous Thanos in the early ’70s, and over the years the writer has chained several stories that ended up serving as a sprawling prelude to The Infinity Gauntlet.
Its plot centered around Thanos having collected all the Infinity Gems, leading him on a quest to wipe out half of all life to impress Mistress Death. However, her granddaughter, Nebula, stole the gauntlet, prompting the Titan to team up with the surviving heroes to stop her. The six-issue limited series became one of the most beloved and influential comics of the 90s and spawned several sequels and spinoffs.
6 Wolverine
Writer Chris Claremont has teamed up with fellow industry veteran Frank Miller on pencils for one of the best Wolverine comics. The duo were together in the first Wolverine series, which spanned a four-issue limited run. At this point, it chronicled Wolverine’s adventures in Japan against yakuza and high-profile figures. daredevil villains, The Hand.
Likewise, it also showed the X-Men superhero’s engagement with romantic interest Mariko Yashida, who belonged to the powerful Japanese Yashida crime family. This arc was iconic for the character, being the main influence of the 2013s. The glutton film directed by James Mangold with Hugh Jackman in the lead.
5 wonders
1994 wonders the limited series was a celebration of the most acclaimed moments in Marvel Comics history. Writer Kurt Busiek and iconic artist Alex Ross launched their careers with their work on wonderswhich took a grounded, street-level approach to grand superhero storytelling.
He told famous in-universe stories from the perspective of a press photographer named Phil Sheldon. These landmark stories include the Fantastic Four defeating Galactus and the death of Gwen Stacy at the hands of Green Goblin. It was the “everyday life of a superhero” theme that became famous and influenced their work and that of other creators across the medium.
4 X-Men: Days of Future Past
Chris Claremont and John Byrne days of future past arch of the Weird X-Men the series is one of Marvel’s most acclaimed x-men works. It was the inspiration for Fox’s similarly titled 2014 film, with the X-Men-focused narrative traveling back in time to prevent a dystopian calamity that leads to maximum anti-mutant aggression.
This alternate dystopia saw mutants being rounded up and forced into internment camps, prompting the future version of Kitty Pryde to transfer into the current Pryde to help prevent this. The X-Men have always been a strong allegory for civil rights and other social issues, and days of future past is a pivotal story in the mythos of the superhero team.
3 X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga
Although Fox twice failed to tastefully adapt it (The last Stand and dark phoenix), The Dark Phoenix Saga the comic arc remains a classic. Veteran x-men Creative duo Claremont and Byrne also put together this arc, written around Jean Gray becoming a supervillain in the form of Dark Phoenix.
She manages to achieve a daunting level of power that maximizes her telepathic potential, but it corrupts her as a result. The X-Men struggle to fight her and decide if saving her is worth the disastrous cost of letting her run rampant for too long. Starting with the introduction of the Hellfire Club, The Dark Phoenix Saga spirals into an emotionally resonant story.
2 Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Industry legend Frank Miller is known for his acclaimed work on Batman and daredevil, but it was in the latter that he made his debut. And like he did for the Dark Knight in the 80s with First yearMiller wrote Daredevil’s definitive origin story in The man without fear. This ’90s comic was part of Miller’s reimagining of Daredevil that began in the early ’80s as the gritty, noir persona of the crime he was celebrated for.
The story shows Matt’s disadvantaged beginnings with his accident and the death of his father, through to his training under Stick and beyond. It’s a gripping, intimate-scale story that also introduces key characters that will become pivotal later on, like Foggy, Kingpin, Typhoid Mary, and Elektra. The man without fear also featured the classic makeshift black costume that the Netflix series would use in seasons 1 and 3.
1 Daredevil: Born Again
Miller is responsible for many of the best Daredevil comics, with born again and the above The man without fear arguably his best work. The first centers on Karen Page selling Matt Murdock’s identity out of desperation, which is ultimately sold to the New York Kingpin himself.
What follows is an intense revenge story depicting Matt Murdock at one of the lowest points of his life, with Kingpin serving as the dark architect of its denouement. born again is a gripping crime drama that culminates in one of the most triumphant and cathartic moments of Daredevil’s career. As with the origin story comic, it had a major influence on Netflix daredevil. Specifically, it was the narrative anchor of the masterful third season.
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