Comic books are a great way to discover new types of stories, and become a fan of popular long-running characters. Comics offer incredibly broad range of characters, narratives, and artwork. Oftentimes, people assume that comics are primarily catered to young kids. This really isn't true. Comic books are read by people of all ages, from young kids to older adults. In fact, one of the largest genres in the comic book world is geared specifically towards young adults.
Between the massive publishers like DC and Marvel and the small independent publishers, there are countless great titles for young adults who are looking for good, relatable comic books.
10 Check, Please! Is A Sweet And Relatable Comic
Starting off as a webcomic of the same name, Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu is a sweet coming-of-age story about a young man named Eric. Eric is a former junior figure-skating champion who recently became a member of his college's hockey team. Check, Please! does a great job of emphasizing important, modern themes like fraternity and camaraderie. It juggles these themes while simultaneously criticizing other modern, more negative themes like toxic masculinity and bullying culture. These themes, and their respective criticisms, combined with the sweet and heartwarming story of a young man growing up makes Check, Please! a fun, sports-related read.
9 Monstress Is An Epic Fantasy For Adults Young
Written by Marjorie Liu and drawn by Sana Takeda, Monstress has been an ongoing series for 5 years, expanding into 6 volumes under the umbrella of Image Comics. Credited as having a level of ambition parallel to works like Game of Thrones and Lord of the Rings, Monstress depicts a teenage girl with the special ability to control a powerful monster.
As a great YA story, Monstress' plot is filled with classic fantasy elements like magical creatures and mysterious powers. It creates an excellent dynamic between the coming of age story of a teenage girl and the mysterious Tolkien-like world she finds herself in.
8 The Oracle Code Tells A Pivotal Tale In The Batgirl Mythos
One of the most grounded takes on Barbara Gordon readers have ever seen, The Oracle Code picks up right after Barbara is shot and paralyzed by the Joker. Showing Barbara, aka Oracle, going through mental and physical rehabilitation, author Marieke Nijkamp puts Oracle through her greatest challenge yet: learning to live with her new normal. Long-time Oracle fans will be happy to know that on top of this inspiring story, Oracle finds herself in a familiar place: at the center of a strange mystery unfolding before her eyes.
The combination of a classic Oracle mystery and a challenging yet heartwarming tale about overcoming obstacles makes The Oracle Code a thrilling and inspiring story that all Barbara Gordon fans will love.
7 Bubble Is A Hilarious Post Apocalyptic Adventure
Based on a popular audio series of the same name, Bubble is a hilarious graphic novel written by Sarah Morgan and Jordan Morris, with art from Tony Cliff. Bubble follows a girl named Morgan, who lives in a town called Fairhaven. But, Fairhaven is far from your ordinary town. The town sits inside a massive, protective shield (a literal bubble) made to protect the people inside from monsters called "imps" and small groups of humans with sinister intentions.
The main character, Morgan, kills these imps. With the help of her roommate, she uses the imp remains to create and sell illicit drugs. But, one day when an imp kills someone just outside of Morgan's apartment, she is thrown into a violent and intense adventure.
6 Teen Titans: Raven Is Something Fans Have Wanted For A While
As one of the most popular members of the Titans, Raven has been a DC fan favorite since her inception in 1980. The book, which is simply titled Teen Titans: Raven, was written by Kami Garcia and drawn by Gabriel Picolo. Teen Titans: Raven places a 17-year-old Raven in New Orleans, just after losing her mother and her memory in a tragic accident.
Teen Titans: Raven also has a sister series, by the same creative team, meant to be read alongside it called: Teen Titans: Beast Boy. This, of course, stars Raven's fellow Titan and long-time DC love interest, Beast Boy. Both series eventually lead into a combined sequel series called Beast Boy And Raven.
5 Anya's Ghost Is A Touching Story About Friendship
Written and drawn by Vera Brosgol, Anya's Ghost is a coming-of-age story about a little girl named Anya. Anya is a Russian immigrant living in the US who becomes best friends with the ghost of someone who died over a century before. After skipping school to avoid bullies, Anya goes for a walk in the woods when she suddenly falls through the ground and into an old well.
In the well, Anya finds a skeleton, and soon after, meets a ghost who tells her that she too fell in the well but was never rescued. Anya's Ghost sees Anya inadvertently taking a piece of the ghost's remains with her when she's rescued from the well. She finds that the ghost, whose name is Emily, is attached to her.
4 Shadow Of The Batgirl Has Become A DC Fan Favorite
Batgirl has been a popular member of the Bat-Family since her inception in Detective Comics #359. But, the newest character to take up the mantle, Cassandra Cain, has been an immediate fan favorite. In Shadow Of The Batgirl, written by Sarah Kuhn with art from Nicole Goux, Cassandra Cain is on a mission to prove to herself that she is worthy of taking over the Batgirl name and becoming a protector of Gotham.
Shadow Of The Batgirl is a great coming of age moment for Cassandra, overcoming unique obstacles to discover who she truly is.
3 Monster Is A Daring Story About Choices
Released in 1999, Monster tells the story of a teenaged boy, named Steve Harmon, who is on trial for allegedly participating in a murder. As Steve sits in prison awaiting his trial, he starts documenting his experience in the form of a screenplay in his notebook. Written by Walter Dean Myers and drawn by Christopher Myers, Monster has gone on to receive lots of critical acclaim and was even nominated for the National Book Award in 1999. In 2018, Monster was adapted into a Netflix original film that was directed by Anthony Mandler.
2 Incredible Doom Is A Wild Adventure
Written by Mathew Bogart and Jesse Holden, also drawn by Bogart, Incredible Doom is an emotional story about finding a community in a completely unexpected place. Dealing with a toxic relationship between her and her father, the main character (Allison) takes to the internet to find peace in her life and an escape from her father. Unexpectedly, Allison meets someone online named Samir, and within a few minutes, the two agree to run away from home together. Incredible Doom is immediately gripping and the subtle art does an excellent job of showing exactly how Allison is feeling at all times.
1 Ms. Marvel: No Normal Became An Instant Classic
In her debut appearance in Captain Marvel #14, Kamala Khan was immediately seen as a much-needed breath of fresh air into the Captain Marvel mythos. But, once she officially made her solo debut as Ms. Marvel in a self-titled series, the sky became the limit for the potential popularity of Kamala Khan. In volume 1 of her solo series, which is titled Ms. Marvel: No Normal, fans are introduced to Kamala as a normal girl from Jersey City who is suddenly gifted with extraordinary powers.
Ms. Marvel: No Normal adopts many of the classic superhero origin story tropes that we all know and love. No Normal does an excellent job of giving Kamala an entirely original and unique origin that any superhero fan can appreciate. It was recently revealed that Ms. Marvel is going to make her MCU debut in a self-titled Disney+ series that is expected to release in 2022.