The Best Comics of 2021

We are lucky to live in a land promised to comics. The legendary forefather Čech must have known that even though our territory is small, comics would be published here in huge quantities every single month. And that's regardless of crises, viruses, or wars. Hopefully, the publishers have done their math right and this comic bubble won't burst. For now, we can enjoy how many beautiful pieces we have in Czech. Here is a modest selection of the best that we think appeared on the market in 2021.

Katsuhiro Otomo - Akira

Akira has long been considered the cult pinnacle of manga. It took the Crew publishing house many years to secure the rights, and the book went through a complex approval process by the brand owners. That's why it looks a bit retro. It had to look exactly like the original release from the eighties. Was all that trouble worth it? Yes. Akira is one of the foundations of cyberpunk. It is a book that inspired many authors and influenced literature, film, and art. It is the story of an ordinary biker gang from Tokyo that accidentally gets tangled up in much more complex events, leading to the discovery of a mysterious being - Akira. A curiosity is the time in which the story takes place - in the fabled year 2019, which was the distant future at the time of release.

Ed Brubaker - Criminal

Criminal isn't exactly a new release, but the series received a reprint with new covers in 2021. And because it's a great comic, it had to make it into our selection. Criminal is a dark detective noir story with supernatural elements. If you like life-worn detectives, even more broken villains, cigarette smoke, and scantily clad women, you'll be purring with delight while reading. Ed Brubaker is a master of comic book scripts who knows how to create living, believable heroes and gripping stories. The Criminal series proves that comics can be mature. That they don't need guys in capes. And despite that, it wins many awards from all over the world.

Jeff Lemire - Sweet Tooth

A little boy named Gus lives with his father in seclusion by the forest. He enjoys reading, drawing, and loves chocolate. At first glance, it's idyllic. But he lives in a cruel post-apocalyptic world where humanity is dying out, fighting among itself, and children are born mutated into various animals. Even Gus has cute antlers on his head. And very soon, he will clash with the cruel reality of his world. Everyone loves Jeff Lemire. I especially do. It was thanks to the Sweet Tooth series that he gained his fame, and since then, he has been showing that he belongs to the top tier of comic book writers. Sweet Tooth, by the way, also received a nice series adaptation produced by Netflix.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank - Doomsday Clock

Trying to follow up on the iconic Watchmen by Alan Moore is a tough task. Alan himself would rather say it's better not to even attempt it. The Before Watchmen series tried it quite successfully. The two-part Doomsday Clock series attempts it again and goes about it completely differently - it releases the Watchmen heroes into the DC world. This creates a comic where Rorschach teams up with Batman and Superman compares his strength with Dr. Manhattan himself. Is it fun? Yes. Is it comparable to Watchmen? No. But few expected that. Even so, you will have a great time, I guarantee it.

Paul Tobin - Colder

Thomas Declan has a strange trait that led him to an asylum. He has the ability to empathize with the madness of others. He thus has a unique opportunity to observe the darkest places of the human mind. These are places full of monsters, violence, horrific scenes, and decadence. Just like the whole book, which is bursting with ideas. It's probably not a work that would win awards for the best script, but thanks to its visuals and the pure joy of originality and charming disgust, it deserves a place in our selection.

You can find more great comics here.

author Karel Krajča