Because you demanded it, for the first time since…2020…my annual black comic books to read this year is ready! As always in case you’ve been living under a rock you need to catch up on our yearly recommendations check those out below!
20 Comics to Read in 2020: Black Superhero Edition
19 Comics To Read in 2019: Black Superhero Edition
18 Comics To Read in 2018: Black Superhero Edition
17 Comics To Read in 2017: Black Superhero Edition
16 Comics To Read in 2016: Black Superhero Edition
15 Comics To Read in 2015: Black Superhero Edition
14 Comics To Read in 2014: Black Superhero Edition
13 Comics To Read in 2013: Indie Edition
13 Comics to read in 2013: Black Superhero Edition
In no particular order, here are our 2022 must-reads:
- X-men: Red
WHO CAN SAVE THE RED PLANET? The mutants of Arakko spent millennia scarred by war—but on what was once called Mars, they’re learning to live in peace. STORM knows the red planet needs something greater than a queen. But ABIGAIL BRAND has other plans, along with an unstable VULCAN on her side and CABLE keeping his own secrets. Welcome to X-MEN RED. It’s a new world…and someone has to fight for it.
- Bang!
Matt Kindt! Wilfredo Torres!
A best-of-the-best secret agent with memories he couldn’t possibly possess, a mystery writer in her 60s who spends her retirement solving crimes, a man of action with mysterious drugs that keep him ahead of a constant string of targeted disasters, a seemingly omnipotent terrorist organization that might be behind it all . . .
And they’re all connected to one man: a science-fiction author with more information than seems possible, whose books may hold the key to either saving reality or destroying it.
- Icon and Rocket
Long ago, the stranded alien known as Arnus gave up hope of returning to his home planet. Tragically, he’d also realized that his adopted home of Earth was beyond saving. Content to waste away his long life in a human guise, Arnus was past caring…until the day a young woman named Raquel Ervin crashed into his life. Soon she’d convinced him to put his incredible power to work again as the heroic Icon…and to transform her into his sidekick, Rocket! But an innocent question on Rocket’s part—”Why can’t we do something about the drugs on my corner?”—quickly set a chain of events in motion leading to the pair becoming the most hunted beings on Earth…and they’re not just being pursued by Earthlings, either!
Writer, director, and producer Reginald Hudlin (Black Panther: Who Is the Black Panther?) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite unleash a tale of power and responsibility that will stretch from the boardrooms of corporate America to the jungles of South America and the depths of deep space! If you’ve ever thought there were certain things that a superhero story just couldn’t do, it might be time to start thinking different…
- Ant
“ANT: WHO SHE IS AND HOW SHE CAME TO BE!” Erik Larsen takes on a whole new wall-crawler! ANT’s epic adventure kicks off with this all-new origin issue! A new ongoing title by ERIK LARSEN.
- Black Manta
Following his appearance in the Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular, the scourge of the seas now gets his own series. Black Manta is chasing a rare metal with incredible powers, and he’s not the only one who wants to get his hands on it, friend and foe alike!
- Grimm Spotlight: Hercules Payne vs Scorpion Queen (2021-)
Writer Joe Brusha Cover Artist Al Barrionuevo
Variant Cover Artist Michael Dipascale Variant Cover Artist Igor Vitorino
Andre Payne is just trying to get through life. That’s not easy when you’re the son of the god Zeus…or when the Scorpion Queen decides she wants you dead and your power for herself. Things just aren’t easy when you’re a Demi-God. This stand-alone Grimm Universe story puts the spotlight on Hercules Payne.
- Nubia & the Amazons
After the thrilling events of Infinite Frontier, Nubia becomes queen of Themyscira, but the new title also brings challenges. With the unexpected arrival of new Amazons, our hero is forced to reckon with her past and forge a new path forward for her sisters. Little does she know, a great evil grows beneath the island and it’s up to this former guardian of Doom’s Doorway to unite her tribe before paradise is lost forever! This unforgettable miniseries from writers Vita Ayala and Stephanie Williams, along with all-star artist Alitha Martinez (Future State) brings the fan-favorite character back to the DCU for good. After Nubia, the world of the Amazons will never be the same!
- Black Panther (2021)
NEW CREATIVE TEAM, NEW DIRECTION – “THE LONG SHADOW” STARTS HERE! Academy Award-winning writer John Ridley and Stormbreaker artist Juann Cabal launch an all-new BLACK PANTHER series with an action-packed espionage story that will upend everything in T’Challa’s life and have ramifications for the entire Marvel Universe! Secrets from T’Challa’s past have come back to haunt him! Fresh from returning from his travels in space, Black Panther receives an unexpected and urgent message from a Wakandan secret agent! Now T’Challa must race the clock not only to save his agent, but also to keep his true agenda under wraps. Because if the truth comes out, it could cost T’Challa everything…
- After the Rain
John Jennings (Adapter), Nnedi Okorafor (Author), David Brame (Illustrator)
During a furious storm a young woman’s destiny is revealed . . . and her life is changed forever
After the Rain is a graphic novel adaptation of Nnedi Okorafor’s short story “On the Road.” The drama takes place in a small Nigerian town during a violent and unexpected storm. A Nigerian-American woman named Chioma answers a knock at her door and is horrified to see a boy with a severe head wound standing at her doorstep. He reaches for her, and his touch burns like fire. Something is very wrong. Haunted and hunted, Chioma must embrace her heritage in order to survive. John Jennings and David Brame’s graphic novel collaboration uses bold art and colors to powerfully tell this tale of identity and destiny.
- Aquaman: The Becoming
Jackson Hyde finally has it all. Mentors who support him, a community that loves him, an honest relationship with his mother, a cute new guy in Amnesty Bay who’s caught his eye, and access to Aquaman’s private training facility in Atlantis. Well, he had it all-until that training facility and half of the Atlantean palace got blown to kingdom come with Jackson in them. Now Jackson stands accused of wrecking the life he worked so hard to build. Aqualad’s going to need all of his skills, wit, and cunning just to prove his own innocence, let alone graduate from sidekick to Aquaman!
- Miles Morales: Spider-Man
(W) Saladin Ahmed, More (A) Carmen Nunez Carnero, More (CA) Taurin Clarke
• HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY, MILES MORALES! This is it, ten years as Spider-Man and his future has never looked brighter. A who’s who of Miles Morales Spider-Creators has been webbed together to make this the best Anniversary Special of all time!
• MMSM TEAM-SUPREME Saladin Ahmed and Carmen Carnero show off Miles’ new suit (designed by Chase Conley) and kick off his eleventh year (AND BIGGEST ONE YET)!
• And the creative minds behind the Miles movies PHIL LORD, CHRISTOPHER MILLER and two-time Oscar nominee KEMP POWERS celebrate Miles’ birthday in style with Miles Co-Creator SARA PICHELLI!
• And that’s not even all the candles we’re putting on Miles’ cake! Don’t miss this Anniversary Special!
- Shadowman (2021-)
Written by CULLEN BUNN Art by JON DAVIS-HUNT
Colors by JORDIE BELLAIRE Letters by CLAYTON COWLES
Jack Boniface is a musician from New Orleans who receives the mantle of Shadowman — the protector of our mortal world from the demons of darkness. When a group of wealthy elites tries to pierce the veil for more power than their earthly privilege provides, Shadowman must stop the barrier between worlds from cracking.
- I am Batman
No one, including Batman and his allies, have escaped the last year without some battle scars, and Jace Fox and his family are no exception. The fallout the Fear State attack on Gotham City forces Jace and his family to leave Gotham and Lucius & Luke Fox for a new home base. Beginning with issue #6 of Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley (12 Years A Slave, The Other History of the DC Universe, The American Way)’s I Am Batman, the series shifts permanently to New York.
- Noir is the new black
Unhinged. Unfiltered. Unstoppable…This is NOIR IS THE NEW BLACK!
There certainly have been many Noir Comics written and drawn by black creators in the past. Now, for the first time, the most revered Black American comic book creators (David F. Walker, Brandon Thomas, MD Bright, Melody Cooper, N.StevenHarris, Gary Phillips,…), as well as a new generation of writers and artists of color, are banding together for a unique anthology of 100% creator-owned BlackNoir comic stories! This new edition includes one new story: TheCircuit by TC Harris and David Brame, as well as a behind the scenes bonus section featuring black and white art.
- Abbott
Hugo Award-nominated novelist Saladin Ahmed (Black Bolt) and artist Sami Kivelä (Beautiful Canvas) present one woman’s search for the truth that destroyed her family.
Hard-nosed, chain-smoking tabloid reporter Elena Abbott investigates a series of grisly crimes that the police have ignored. Crimes she knows to be the work of dark occult forces. Forces that took her husband from her. Forces she has sworn to destroy.
- Hardware: Season 1
Curtis Metcalf was the brightest shining star of Alva Industries, a brilliant scientist mentored by Edwin Alva since childhood…until the failures of Alva technology at the “Big Bang” disaster threatened to destroy the company, and Alva needed a scapegoat. Now Curtis is on the run from the Dakota police department…but a man as smart-and paranoid-as Curtis takes precautions. With a nearly indestructible suit of armor and remarkable inventions that he never handed over to Alva, Curtis stands determined to do much more than clear his name…he’s going to take the fight back to Alva himself!
- Iyanu: Child of Wonder
Iyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people. It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an ”age of wonders,” as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink of destruction! The Corrupt–cursed wildlife and strange, divine beasts–are determined to destroy humanity, unless Iyanu can stop them.
* Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios launch a shared universe of African fantasy and superhero stories–the YouNeek YouNiverse! * Extraordinary stories about extraordinary characters inspired by African history, culture, and mythology.
- Green Lantern (2021-) Vol. 1: Invictus
Far Sector’s Jo Mullein’s first meeting with the rest of the Green Lantern Corps gets delayed when something causes the Central Power Battery to explode. Now faced with lost Lanterns across the cosmos and an unknown threat still stalking the Corps, Jo must team with Teen Lantern to uncover the truth and save the other Lanterns. Green Lantern Vol. 1 Invictus collects Future State: Green Lantern #1-2 and Green Lantern #1-4.
- Killadelphia
Featuring the show-stopping talents of SPAWN series artist JASON SHAWN ALEXANDER and the writer behind such hit shows as Wu-Tang: An American Saga, Marvel’s Runaways, and STARZ’s American Gods—RODNEY BARNES. When small-town beat cop Jimmy Sangster returns to his Philadelphia roots to bury his murdered father, he stumbles into a mystery that will lead him down a path of horrors and shake his beliefs to their core. The city that was once the symbol of liberty and freedom has fallen prey to corruption, poverty, unemployment, brutality…and vampires.There’s a reason they say you can’t go home again. Welcome to Killadelphia. Collects KILLADELPHIA #1-6Praise for KILLADELPHIA: “It’s the best graphic novel I’ve ever read.” —Chris Rock “The stunning and fresh horror fable I’ve been craving. This one feels like a classic.” —Jordan Peele “[An] atmospheric horror story with a terrifyingly real sense of place.” —Brian K. Vaughan “Sparely written, beautifully rendered and topical…a genuinely frightening horror graphic.” —Steven Barnes & Tananarive Due “A dark, deep, seamless story that plays into multiple genres without becoming fully any one of them…offers a tantalizing nightmare of urban horror that feels real, rich, and mysterious. It’ll infect you if you let it, and you should.” —ComicBook.com
- Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom
Spinning out of DC Future State, the story of how Shilo Norman became the Mister Miracle of tomorrow starts here. The Mister Miracle show used to be the hottest ticket in town, whether you caught him onstage escaping from perilous traps or spotted him on the streets of Metropolis taking out bad guys. What Shilo Norman forgot is the first rule of both showbiz and super-heroing: always leave them wanting more. Now it’s time to start showing the world what a miracle man can do. Showbiz/superhero rule #2: timing is everything. There’s a new performer in town who wants to knock Mister Miracle off his pedestal and stake a claim to his famous moniker! Can Shilo break free of this trap? (Why yes, that is a clue.)
- Static: Season 1
At long last, the most famous face of the Milestone Universe is making his shocking return! Bullied nerd Virgil Hawkins wasn’t the kind of kid you’d normally find on the streets at a protest– but like everyone else in the city of Dakota, he was fed up. Unfortunately, the first time he stood up to raise his voice, the world turned upside down. The experimental tear gas released that day left some of his classmates maimed or dead…but it left Virgil, and others, with stunning new abilities. Virgil has power inside him now — real power, the ability to channel and manipulate electromagnetic fields. But there’s anger burning inside him, too. What is he supposed to do about all of this? And first and foremost — what is he supposed to do about his bullies, now that they’ve got superpowers too? A dynamic creative team of new comics voices and Milestone Media veterans join forces to open up a new chapter in the story of the most iconic Black teen superhero in comics history.
- Bitter Root
by David F. Walker (Author), Chuck Brown (Author), Sanford Greene (Artist)
It is 1925, a great evil has invaded the world, and the monster-hunting Sangerye family is about to discover that they do not have what it takes to protect themselves, let alone humanity. The only way the Sangeryes can ever hope to defeat the sinister forces ravaging the world is if they each face their own internal demons…but some will not survive. The Eisner and Ringo-award winning team return for the epic showdown that will determine the fate of one family, and the world.
There you have it!
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What books are on your pull list?