With films like Avengers: Endgame and Justice League, Marvel and DC Comics have dominated the comic book industry and taken the world by storm. But while the Big Two have seemingly dominated pop culture and invaded almost every home across the globe, comics fans may be surprised to learn that there are, in fact, other comics out there. Surprising, no?

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So let’s break down some of the greatest comics of the last decade that Marvel and DC had absolutely nothing to do with.

10 The Umbrella Academy

When most people discovered that My Chemical Romance lead singer, Gerard Way, was creating a superhero comic, the initial reaction was “Huh?” closely followed by a “What? Why?” But when comics fans eventually got their hands on The Umbrella Academy, there was a stark difference in their reactions. The comic was not only good, but it was unique, funny and exciting. Not to mention expertly drawn by Gabriel Ba. The inventive series collected some truly unique and memorable characters, fantastic writing, and brilliant art. Not only did the series manage to wrangle in an Eisner for the duo, but it was also picked up by Netflix which turned out a pretty great adaptation as well.

9 Blue Is The Warmest Color

While Blue Is The Warmest Color had an incredible movie adaptation back in 2014, the original graphic novel by Julie Maroh is something that comics fans simply cannot miss out on. Although the film spent much of its run time dedicated to the relationship between two young women as it began to blossom, the graphic novel tells a much different story. After the death of her partner, Clementine, Emma goes to visit Clementine's parents (as was requested in her will) in order to get access to her personal journal. Emma reads through Clementine’s journal, which tells the story of their entire relationship (starting in 1994 and ending in 2008 with Clementine’s death). The story is both beautiful and tragic and is a perfect fit for its medium.

8 Goodnight Punpun  

The cover of Goodnight Punpun.

Goodnight Punpun, by artist Inio Asano, is a coming-of-age tale that follows Onodera Punpun from the time he is in elementary school through his twenties. Though it began publishing in the original Japanese in 2007, it wasn't until 2016 that English readers got to dive into this heartbreaking tale. While Punpun and his family are all normal humans, to the reader they all appear as birds.

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Goodnight Punpun explores themes of love, social isolation, depression, love and so much more. The series typically follows Punpun as he goes throughout his life, but sometimes switches to the perspective of those closest to him. The series is utterly devastating and not what anyone would call an easy read. That being said, it’s also a series that readers can’t possibly afford to miss.

7 Saga

Saga, by writer Brian K. Vaughn and artist Fiona Staples, is something that most readers will find stunningly familiar while remaining completely unique. The series takes inspiration from other epic stories like Star Wars, Game Of Thrones, Romeo And Juliet and Lord Of The Rings. The series follows Alana and Marko, star-crossed lovers whose people happen to be at war with one another (sound familiar?). But when the couple discovers that they are with child, they’ll have to escape the wars fought by their people in order to find a new home for their soon-to-be-born daughter. The series has won a whole plethora of awards including twelve Eisners and seventeen Harvey awards between 2013 and 2017. If that doesn’t convince would-be readers to pick up the series, well, there’s not much else that will.

6 The Wicked + The Divine

The Wicked + The Divine tells the story of a young girl named Laura as she is drawn into the world of the ultra-famous Pantheon. As the reincarnations of twelve different deities collected from various religions, the Pantheon as not only powerful but well-loved by the masses (think The Beatles, only bigger).

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However, after Lucifer is killed, Laura’s life becomes much more complicated and the Pantheon seems to think that she knows more than she’s letting on. Creator Keiran Gillan and Jamie Mckelvie have truly created something unique that comics fans will not want to miss out on.

5 Bitch Planet

Bitch Planet is a stunning feminist portrayal of the exploitation film genre set in the backdrop of a dystopian society where “uncompliant” women are rounded up and sent off to a prison off-world. The story focuses on the lives of the women in the prison both before they were shipped off to the prison as well as their individual experiences in the prison. Think Orange Is The New Black meets any number of dystopian futures where women have had to take the brunt force of the patriarchy.

4 Hip Hop Family Tree

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As its title suggests, Hip Hop Family Tree tells the story of hip hop as it grew to take America-- and the world-- by storm. Chronicling some of the most formative years in hip hop history, Hip Hop Family Tree does a deep (and thoroughly researched) dive into the times and the artists who pioneered the musical form. From its humble beginning at DJ Cool Herc’s rec room parties at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue to icons like Grandmaster Flash, the Beastie Boys, Dr. Dre and even Will Smith. Hip Hop Family Tree is a comic that music fans (especially hip hop fans) simply cannot afford to miss out on.

3 Southern Bastards

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While DC and Marvel spend a lot of time telling stories that span years and universes, with Southern Bastards Jason Aaron and artist Jason Latour explore a much smaller space with a rich and violent history. The series has won multiple Eisners (for writing and best continuing series) as well as a Harvey award for best new series. While Craw County, Alabama loves BBQ, football and the state championship-winning team the Runnin’ Rebs, beneath the surface, however, there is a much darker presence taking over. War is coming and the space underneath the bleachers is already filled with bodies.

2 East Of West

When Jonathan Hickman approached artist Nick Dragotta with an idea for a western and Dragotta said he was more interested in doing something in the realm of sci-fi, they did what any good collaborators would do, they reached a compromise. And fortunately enough for comics fans around the world, they did reach a compromise because what fans got was East of West. While the pair have seamlessly blended both the western and sci-fi themes that they had originally envisioned, they’ve also managed to throw in some biblical themes and work in the Apocalypse. East Of West is truly an epic tale filled with all the hallmarks of a Hickman story (and one that fans simply cannot afford to miss out on).

1 Deadly Class

Deadly Class Marcus

While Rick Remender has created a veritable cornucopia of incredible worlds to dive into through his work with Image Comics, one of his greatest (and perhaps, most well-known) stories to date is Deadly Class. The series follows Marcus and his fellow students at King’s Dominion, a school that trains the greatest assassins in the world. Remender and artist Wes Craig have truly made some that should not be missed. There’s blood, gratuitous violence, betrayal, patricide, drugs and so much more. So, pretty much business as usual for high school students.

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