The Best Image Comics Comic Book Series of 2021
It can often feel bizarre hearing comic book fans refer to Marvel and DC as the “Big Two” publishers, and discussing them with such reverence compared to their independent counterparts .
Independent publishers collectively release vastly more comics each week than Marvel and DC combined. Image Comics in particular often release close to as many titles each week as each of the two major publishers.
Once the conversation turns to the quality of the releases from indie and major publishers, forget about it. Image Comics consistently puts out more quality comic releases each week than any other publisher.
Image Comics had another stellar year in 2021, delivering many of the year’s very best titles (roughly a quarter of our own Top 50). Please enjoy our best Image Comics comic book series of 2021.
Want the latest comic book reviews? The Sea Shell mobile app is available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and the Play Store. Download it today.
1. Karmen
Writer: Guillem March
Artist: Guillem March
One of the most original concepts featured in a comic book in 2021, ‘Karmen’ is an unflinching expression of the selfishness and inaccuracy of personal despair and its effects on those around us.
‘Karmen’ manages to be simultaneously light and dream-like and painfully tense. It causes readers to reflect on the possibilities of an afterlife or the dread of nothingness, and their own individual turmoils and flaws.
The art is striking, consistently attractive and graceful, while visceral and graphic in the book’s harshest moments. It carries much of the story-telling weight, something Guillem March has also managed throughout 2021 with his ‘Batman’ visuals.
‘Karmen’ isn’t for everyone, especially those who could find the plot’s subject matter triggering. Readers that do love it will find it to be a new favourite book, one certain to stand the test of time.
2. Home Sick Pilots
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Home Sick Pilots offers readers so much.
Caspar Wijngaard’s art is something to behold. It’s wholly original, sharp, focused, loud, and energetic. Most notably, the colour palette used throughout ‘Pilots’ is superb, and does so much to define the comic. It champions a swathe of strong pinks and purples, supported ably by a range of blues, using darker shades for linework, lighter shades for shadows, and blinding white to cut through and accentuate the reader's focal choice.
The overall visual design of the comic is also something to behold, and Wingaard’s art is lifted by and shines thanks to Aditya Bidikar’s lettering, Tom Muller’s design work, and Erika Schnatz as production artist. Each aesthetic panel contains so much for readers to settle on and get lost in, while the repeated use of defined rectangular panels allows for a clear focus that drives the action forward. It’s very easy to imagine the panels being adapted straight into a movie storyboard, particularly with how well they would already translate as framed camera shots.
All of this wouldn’t mean much without Dan Watters hugely enjoyable ghost-punk tale, which delivers whether reading individual issues month-to-month or smashing through a ‘Pilots’ trade paperback in one sitting.
Horror and Punk Rock are both genres that revel in exploring new creative horizons, while being endlessly scrutinised and criticised by supposed die-hard fans for attempting to stray from what they believe to be their genre’s core characteristics. Possibly helped by nostalgia for ‘Home Sick Pilots’ early nineties setting, it’s highly unlikely to be chastised by the punk police or horror family, and instead could be regarded by hardcore purists as the one new title that “gets it.”
3. Man-Eaters: The Cursed
Writer: Chelsea Cain
Artist: Lia Miternique, Kate Niemczyk
‘Man-Eaters’ (2018) was a hugely successful title, easily accessible for new comic book fans and offering so much for seasoned readers. It struck a perfect balance between light-hearted silly horror fun and the perils of puberty and necessity of feminism.
Humorously funny and beautifully drawn and coloured, the action moved at a clip and delivered tight storylines that begged for repeat readings. Where ‘Man-Eaters’ really shone was in the graphic design of the comic. It featured new techniques and creative elements interspersed throughout the standard text-and-image of a comic, doing so in such a way that it evolved the comic book as a form.
If you enjoyed ‘Man-Eaters’, then pick up ‘The Cursed’ immediately. The driving creative combination of Chelsea Cain and Lia Miternique - hot off the back of 2020’s incredible ‘Spy Island’ - pair once again with Kate Niemczyk to deliver something above-and-beyond the quality of nearly all comics released in 2021.
Niemczyk’s highly emotive character expressions are delightful, and her excellent line definition is something to behold, whether capturing the nature of people and animals, or creating fantastical environments.
The story that ‘The Cursed’ tells lands effectively, simultaneously a breezy pleasure and dramatic tension. Miternique’s design work once again lifts the whole of the book into something incredible, whether supporting the core artwork and narrative, telling the story itself, or through supplemental design elements that deliver intriguing depth for the ‘Man-Eaters’ world.
All of this quality is supported by Joe Caramagna’s perfect letter work (showing why he’s one of the best in the world), beautiful colouring by Rachelle Rosenberg, and an ensemble of helpers offering additional creative material.
There’s not a cape in sight, so this book might not land for some more close-minded big-two diehards. For champions of ‘Man-Eaters’, it’s very likely to be their favourite book of the year, and rightly so. It’s also an immensely worthwhile read for any comic book fan excited to see the medium pushed further.
4. Inkblot
Writer: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
Artist: Emma Kubert and Rusty Gladd
‘Inkblot’ is a joy to read. You can choose to get lost in the incredible detail of its high concept fantasy, or cruise through it leisurely as merely a fun story about a mischievous cat. Or both, as it begs for repeat readings.
In a year of superb comics, ‘Inkblot’ would always be the first title we’d read any week it was released. It’s cute, fun, and silly, while understanding the core tenets of the Fantasy genre, and managing to deliver the epic-scale battles and tense stakes required to satisfy hardcore fans.
It’s the best type of all ages title, including being fit for a huge range of people that may not usually read comics. It’s a worthy starting point for a younger child you’re looking to introduce to comics, and will certainly inspire any that love to draw. It would also make for a great Christmas gift for any fans of Tolkien or Pratchett, or really anyone that has a cat.
5. Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton
Writer: Kyle Starks
Artist: Chris Schweizer
Something that is regularly frustrating about Marvel and DC comic books are how beholden each title is to their wider universe.
Even worse is when they realise a limited series is a success, and decide to commission additional issues, or even turn the limited series into an ongoing title.
Story structures are stretched, superfluous material gets added, pacing gets destroyed, additional creators are needed, and excellent quality work quickly devolves into mediocrity.
Thankfully, Indie publishers avoid this pitfall by consistently creating stories that adhere to basic story structure (crazy, right!). Even their ongoing series tend to break for a couple of months, factoring in time to allow creators to be able to plan their work, before putting their heads down to write and draw.
It’s a wise sales strategy, as you can be confident when picking up an indie trade that it’s going to tell a story with a beginning, a middle, and an ending, and that the quality isn’t going to radically dissipate after the first two issues of a ten issue book.
‘Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton’ is a mystery, the exact type of story that requires meticulous planning to steadily reveal its story, and keep readers intrigued while they ponder the possibilities in-step with the characters.
And it’s funny. As a mystery, ‘Six Sidekicks’ is focused on a murder with countless suspects, with no one really genuinely caring whether or not it’s solved. It successfully introduces a fun ensemble of characters with little in common apart from their respective work as TV sidekicks with the murder victim. They’re the only ones willing to attempt to solve the murder (written off as a suicide by police) due to, really, a lack of anything better to do.
Their lack of genuine care for the solution to the murder is explored through flashbacks to the abuse and mistreatment they each received from Trigger Keaton, the titular victim. As wild action and dangerous hijinks ensue, the strangers bond and become friends, and readers will find themselves hoping that they just forget about the case and head out for a beer and pizza.
Without spoilers, the story does have a satisfying conclusion, a deserved reward for any reader willing to take a chance on it. Highly recommended.
Want the latest comic book reviews? Download the Sea Shell mobile app. Available on the App Store and the Play Store.
6. Big Girls
Writer: Jason Howard
Artist: Jason Howard
There’s presently no shortage of entertainment options if you’re a fan of oversized mega-beasts battling it out in the centre of a city.
2021 saw the highly anticipated release of ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’. A popcorn blockbuster, it delivered the best outing for either character in decades, as long as you were willing to completely ignore the nonsensical plot.
There were also a host of giants hitting comic book racks this year, including ‘Kaiju Score’, ‘Jenny Zero’, and ‘Ultramega’. All three are worthwhile reads for fans of the Kaiju genre, each adding an original twist on the formula.
Dwarfing those titles was ‘Big Girls’ by Jason Howard, the critically acclaimed artist of ‘Trees’, written by the legendary Warren Ellis.
As both artist and writer of ‘Big Girls’, Howard manages to create a story that successfully intrigues as it works through the ‘Why?’ behind the titular big girls, before it unleashes the imminently necessary destruction.
When critiquing a movie like ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ it can be difficult to choose specifically what to criticise, when the sad answer is “the entire plot.” It’s hugely valuable to have creations like ‘Big Girls’ that can be pointed to as examples of how to do the genre right.
Sony Pictures are currently working on a ‘Kaiju Score’ film, with Brian and Mark Gunn (brother and cousin respectively to "Guardians of the Galaxy" director, James Gunn) announced as initial writers of the movie. Given the superiority of the source material, it would be very surprising not to see a ‘Big Girls’ movie come to screens in the near future as well.
7. The Department Of Truth
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Martin Simmonds
"Never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn." - Mark Brandon 'Chopper' Read (Australia's most infamous ex-criminal)
When it comes to creative endeavours, conspiracy theories are an undeniably rich source of material. Regardless of your opinions of the individual theories, the people that believe them, the psychology behind them, and their effects on present day society, they’re pure gold when measured against the majority of movie and television plots.
It’s no wonder that Hollywood has long drawn from conspiracy theories for their creative output, including Oliver Stone’s ‘J.F.K.’ (1991), Richard Donner’s ‘Conspiracy Theory’ (1997), or ‘The X-Files’ (1998) movies and television series.
It makes complete creative sense. The mystery genre is one of the best there is. A reveal that there’s an even more powerful villain behind an initial villain is a plot bombshell, which opens a piece of work up for sequels.
‘The Department Of Truth’ has much in common with its conspiracy theory subject matter. It’s a strange book, at least when focusing purely on its story. It continually breaks off on tangents, only ever revealing part of the picture, and is guilty of raising far more questions than it ever answers. It’s a mental scramble for readers to recall what occurred in previous issues, these vague and fragmented perfectly acting as a perfect compliment to the partial truths and manufactured fictions that it explores.
What makes ‘The Department Of Truth’ something special is the overall art and visual design. Much like the writing, it seems determined to give as little as possible away to readers, with blurred faces, constant shadow, and poor framing of subjects its bread-and-butter. It effectively combines images to deliver the feeling that something is always operating under the surface, and its superfluous addition of scratchy linework throughout its settings and backgrounds echoes the creations of a serial killer, ensuring readers remain extremely on edge.
‘The Department Of Truth’ feels like the kind of series that could easily run for many years, bubbling under the surface with sporadic series releases. While it might not be the first title you read when you get home with your new comics, it's a treat when you’re in the mood for it.
8. A Man Among Ye
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Craig Cermak, Josh George
2021 has been a breakthrough year for Stephanie Phillips, possibly more so than any other comic book writer.
Recent titles like ‘The Butcher of Paris’, ‘Artemis and the Assassin’ and ‘Descendent’ were all highly deserving of the critical acclaim they received, and the positive reception from in-the-know fans.
Taking on the refreshed ‘Harley Quinn’ title in 2021 was a big-enough task, given the high quality delivered by its previous long-running creators. Phillips not only met that challenge head-on, but throughout the year also managed to write basically all of DC Comics biggest characters, including Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Batman, along with some of the worst villains Gotham City and Arkham have to offer.
About as far removed from DC as a story could be, ‘A Man Among Ye’ is a pirate period piece that’s as exciting as it is fun. Phillips seemingly has a ball playing with the tales of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, two of the most famed female pirates of all time. True to the early eighteenth century time period, limited definitive truths are known about the pair, and Phillips deftly weaves her plot around their lives and myths, including their interactions with the famed pirate, Calico Jack Rackham.
Pirates in the arts and popular culture have a rich history that’s centuries long, dating back to when actual pirates still sailed the seven seas, and delivering long-standing classics like ‘The Pirates of Penzance’, ‘Treasure Island’, and ‘Peter Pan’. Twenty first century audiences may primarily relate pirates to the long-running ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ movie series, impossible to get away from, and increasingly wearing out their welcome with their ongoing decrease in quality.
‘A Man Among Ye’ delivers the best of the adventurous genre. Its grubby violence, ever-present dangers and journey towards glory at any cost are delivered with crisp humour, a frenzy of emotional betrayal, and thrilling action, certain to satisfy any reader.
9. Stray Dogs
Writer: Tony Fleecs
Artist: Trish Forstner
The ‘Stray Dogs’ pre-release pitch was “Lady and the Tramp meets Silence of the Lambs”, a lamb-and-tuna-fish calibre combination that no one was asking for.
The Disney-derivative preliminary pages had the look and feel of furry-art, perhaps unsurprising given the creators’ work on ‘My Little Pony’, and the partial fandom crossover.
In short, my hopes couldn’t have been lower for this book, readying myself for the worst title of 2021. Thankfully, I was extremely wrong. The book immediately landed successfully with critics and fans alike, and I was delighted to read every issue.
‘Stray Dogs’ plays well with an ensemble of canine characters who are hampered by their poor memories and unsure of, or even oblivious to, the danger they’re currently in. The warmth of the found-family of dogs is constantly shattered by violent flashbacks and grim foreboding, borne out of heinous human actions that some readers may find triggering.
It’s easy to buy into ‘Stray Dogs’ characters, and even easier to buy into their harrowing journey towards safety, especially if you’re the type that regularly asks worriedly “Does the Dog Die?”.
10. Crossover
Writer: Donny Cates
Artist: Geoff Shaw
The best way to experience it is to pick it up for yourself. Wildly ambitious and relentlessly creative, ‘Crossover’ may end up being the coolest thing Cates and Shaw have ever done, which is certainly saying something.
Find out about ‘Crossover’ here.
Head here for our Top Ten Best Comic Books of 2021.
Want more comic book news and reviews? The Sea Shell mobile app is available worldwide as a free download on the App Store and the Play Store. Download it today.