Top 5 Graphic Novels
Written on March 8th, 2026 by Dr Hobo
I’ll be honest — I haven’t read nearly enough graphic novels to justify a top 10, but the ones I have read have genuinely floored me. These five aren’t just good comics, they’re great pieces of storytelling, full stop. As of March 2026.
Watchmen
Writer: Alan Moore Artist: Dave Gibbons Year: 1986–87
Watchmen isn’t just the best graphic novel I’ve read — it’s one of the most meticulously constructed pieces of fiction I’ve ever encountered, in any medium. Indeed, Moore purposefully wrote it for the graphic novel medium and his refusal to be involved in any adaption, hints at its immense quality. If you’ve only seen the film or the TV series, do yourself a favour and read the source material, it’s on another level entirely.
Maus
Writer: Art Spiegelman Artist: Art Spiegelman Year: 1980–91
The book that proved graphic novels deserve to sit alongside any serious literature. Maus is Art Spiegelman’s account of his father Vladek’s survival through the Holocaust, told with Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. That premise sounds like it might trivialise things — it absolutely doesn’t. My first introduction into graphic novels and is why i’m keen to discover more.
Palestine
Writer: Joe Sacco Artist: Joe Sacco Year: 1993–95
Joe Sacco spent time in the West Bank and Gaza in the early 90s and came back with this — a raw, first-person piece of comics journalism that’s as relevant now as it was when it was published, maybe more so. Sacco doesn’t pretend to be neutral, but he’s honest about that, which makes it more credible rather than less. The art has this dense, scratchy quality that perfectly captures the claustrophobia and chaos of what he witnessed. It’s uncomfortable reading and is a reminder that graphic novels can do things that traditional journalism sometimes can’t — get under your skin and stay there.
Y: The Last Man
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan Artist: Pia Guerra Year: 2002–08
The premise — a plague wipes out every mammal with a Y chromosome except one hapless young man and his pet monkey — sounds like it could easily tip into exploitation or farce. Instead, it’s a moving, funny, and politically sharp story about gender, survival, and what society looks like when you strip out half of it. The ending is surprisingly satisfying. Unfortunately the TV adaptation flopped as it was worried about being ‘PC’; just read the comics.
Fables
Writer: Bill Willingham Artist: Various Year: 2002–15
The concept is irresistible and mad: fairy tale characters — Snow White, Bigby Wolf, Prince Charming, Bluebeard — driven out of their magical homelands by a mysterious Adversary and now living secretly in New York City. What Willingham does with that setup is surprising and consistently clever. Although I only fell in the love with the first volume, it starts as a noir mystery, the series does expand into an epic spanning centuries that received critical acclaim. A shout out too for its companion piece ‘the wolf among us’ - an excellent point and click game by telltale.
Honourable Mentions
Not quite at the top table yet, but they deserve a mention:
- Preacher by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon (1995–2000)
- Berserk by Kentaro Miura (1989–2021)
- Blankets by Craig Thompson (2003)
- The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman (2003–2019)
Recommendations very welcome — I’m clearly still at the beginning of my graphic novel education. What should I read next?
