The 6 Best Non-Superhero Comic Books Of 2021

The superhero genre understandably takes the lion’s share of the spotlight when it comes to the comic book medium. Industry giants, Marvel and DC Comics, have their respective pantheons of heroes and villains, but 2021 brought a solid amount of non-superhero comic book series.

Smaller and creator-owned comics bring some memorable stories to the page that venture into some wonderfully weird places. They’re more than worth a read, with 2021 seeing publishers release some fascinating stories ranging from noir to horror under various creative writers and artists. Some of those comics were even published under the likes of DC thanks to their exceptional Black Label imprint.

The Human Target (DC Comics)

Former Batman writer from the 2016 Rebirth initiative over at DC Comics took to the aforementioned Black Label imprint to tell a different kind of story. The Human Target sees King team up with artist Greg Smallwood (of Moon Knight fame) to do an inventive and subversive take on the noir genre. The series is still young in its run but is already amassing an impressive degree of critical acclaim.

Its story focuses on Christopher Chance — a sort of “reverse hitman” within the DC universe — who acts as a decoy to take heat off of his targeted clients. Chance faces his most brutal job yet, as protecting Lex Luthor (of all characters) attracts the ire of many people. This includes some of DC Comics’ best heroes. Part of the praises going into The Human Target is how it tells a gritty detective noir story that’s contrasted by Smallwood’s colorful, vibrant art.

The Nice House On The Lake (DC Comics)

Another former Batman writer — including both Batman and Detective Comics — by way of James Tynion IV has done an exciting job stretching his legs into the more ominous and bizarre of the comic book medium. The Nice House on the Lake was also published under the Black Label imprint and was also one of DC’s best comic books in general of 2021.

It’s six issues into its run, with another six left to conclude the series, and it’s already engrossed many fans of the horror genre. Along with the suspenseful writing, artist Alvaro Martinez Bueno’s visuals do an excellent job of portraying eerieness and dread to convey a sense of horror in an unsettling eccentric millionaire’s dream vacation house. The Nice House on the Lake has been a great commercial and critical success so far, with the series proving to be another creative reinvention of both horror and the “murder mystery” style of stories in comics.

Once & Future (Image Comics)

Artist Dan Mora is one of the most exciting up-and-coming pencilers in comics right now, with his work on Batman through Detective Comics and the upcoming World’s Finest showing his unique blend of stylish modernism with an unmistakable comic-y art style. Paired up with writer Kieron Gillen, Once & Future is a thrilling take on dark-fantasy storytelling.

Gillen’s world is a modern-day England mixed with fantasy/Arthurian legend, where a group of British Nationalists used dark magic to try and resurrect King Arthur for nefarious purposes. Duncan McGuire, a museum curator, gets sucked into this impending disaster and his monster-hunting grandmother, Bridgette, comes out of retirement. The story throws in horror elements as well, resulting in a compelling and inventive narrative that shows no signs of slowing down, even 23 issues later.

Something Is Killing The Children (BOOM! Studios)

James Tynion IV has been lending his talents across several comic book publishers, and Something Is Killing the Children at BOOM! Studios is another one of the writer’s best works in horror comics and in general. This series has had a longer run, with it spanning 20 issues as of last September. Like with A Nice House on the Lake, this series has garnered an impressively consistent level of acclaim.

Its story follows the mysterious disappearance of several children of Archer’s Peak, with only a few managing to return alive. What they lived to tell was nothing short of horrific, suggesting a creature stalking the shadows. Erica Slaughter, a monster hunter, comes in to help the children kill this terrifying new threat. Artist Werther Dell’Edera also deserves special praise for crafting stylish, moody visuals that sell the tense atmosphere of the setting.

The Good Asian (Image Comics)

Pornsak Pichetshote’s The Good Asian has been one of Image Comics’ finest works overall, blending bleak crime-noir thriller with meaningful political commentary. The story follows a Chinese-American detective attempting to solve a brutal case of murders happening within the community, with his psyche deteriorating the longer the case goes on.

Alexandre Tefenkgi’s artwork also does a fantastic job of setting the mood and atmosphere of the era, while unabashedly showing the grisliness of the string of killings. It’s a riveting thriller set to the backdrop of 1930’s Chinatown, balancing an engaging crime saga with a story that challenges the modern stereotype of the “model minority” immigrant by tackling themes of overwhelming systematic corruption.

The Department Of Truth (Image Comics)

Aside from horror, Tynion IV has demonstrated that he also has a great knack for venturing into the conspiratorial. Also with Image Comics, The Department of Truth is an enticing story set in an alternate history where every popular conspiracy theory is true. One shadowy organization has been covering them all up, and an astonishing series of revelations unfold after Cole Turner investigates further.

Though not an outright horror story, the premise of The Department of Truth carries a special brand of terror, in a metaphorical sense. It’s by using the story as social commentary for the real-world conspiracy theories and efforts to combat objectivity with tribalist preconceptions that this clever comic strikes a sense of fear. On top of Tynion’s consistently intriguing writing, this comic features a revolving cast of talented artists lending their pencils and ink to its 15 issues — with more to come.

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