Marvel Comicshas some exceptional comic stories from over the years. You can find intergalactic adventures, touching personal stories, and people overcoming incredible odds. Between mutants, super soldiers, power suits, super intelligence, and so many other powers and abilities, there’s a little bit of something for everyone in Marvel’s comics.
With more than 80 years' worth of stories under their belt, Marvel’s writers, artists, editors, and more have produced some fantastic stories and arcs to get lost in. If you’re looking for a few amazing stories that both new readers and long-time fans can enjoy, you’ll absolutely love these adventures into the Marvel universe.
Thor: The Saga of Gorr the God Butcher
Hawkeye, Vol. 1: My Life as a Weapon
Hawkeye takes center stage in one of the best comic runs ever
Hawkeye, Kate Bishop (also Hawkeye), and the pizza-loving dog Lucky all come together to see what life is like when they’re not saving the world. Turns out, they’re still saving people, but on a smaller scale. With amazing artwork, a compelling story, and a look into a hero’s life once the mask comes off, this series is a must-read for any Marvel fan.
Sometimes, the greatest heroes in the Marvel universe are just regular people doing the right thing. For a long time, Hawkeye was a B-Tier hero, one who was often around during major events but was shadowed by heavy hitters in the Marvel universe.
That’s where Hawkeye fell until Matt Fraction and David Aja pitched 2012’s Hawkeye comic. The run took a look into Hawkeye’s life while he was not doing official Avengers work. Fraction and Aja aren’t afraid to dive into some more creative storytelling elements either. Therun also brings Kate Bishop in for antics,and introduces Lucky the Pizza Dog as their loyal companion.
Perhaps one of the most compelling issues from the run comes from when the comic depicts Clint adapting to his loss of hearing and his difficulty accepting his need to use American Sign Language again. Speech bubbles pop up in the comic, indicating to the reader that characters are talking, but they’re left blank or disjointed, while depicting ASL diagrams with no translation, letting the reader feel the same confusion that Clint is experiencing.
Infinity Gauntlet
Thanos has finally won, but can he hold on to victory?
One of the most dangerous beings in the universe, Thanos, the Mad Titan, has finally completed his lifelong mission to wipe out half the universe, but the heroes remaining aren’t going to let that happen. Read the inspiration for the Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame and see how the cataclysmic fight ends.
There arefew more climatic tales of cosmic conflictin the greater Marvel universe than that of the Infinity Gauntlet. Thanos, the Mad Titan, has returned from death and secretly claimed the six Infinity Stones, and in doing, annihilated half of all living beings in the universe.
This massive cross-over comic takes heroes from Earth and mashes them together with the biggest names in the Cosmic side of Marvel. Part of what makes this comic so good is seeing the depths that both heroes and villains will go to succeed, whether it’s Thanos committing impossible crimes against life, or heroes teaming up with some of the most hated villains in order to survive.
X-Men: Days of Future Past
You can change the future
Even though the Days of Future Past arc is only a few issues long, it has had a lasting impact on the future of X-Men comics since. Kitty Pryde steps into the center stage in this comic, making it a great pick for any X-Man fan.
In the not-so-distant future, the giant, mutant-killing Sentinals have overwhelmed mutant-kind, pushing them to the brink of extinction. Kitty Pryde sends her mind into the past to help change the events that cause this future.
The actual story of Days of Future Past is a relatively short run, with only two actual issues, though themes and concepts that this storyline dive into have been revisited several times since then. If you’re looking for a solid story to lay the groundwork for future X-Men storylines, you can’t go wrong here.
Marvel 1602
Super heroes, but 400 years ago
The world is changing and no one can figure out what exactly is happening, and now its up to Sir Nicholas Fury, court magician Dr. Stephen Strange, and a few other familiar faces from Marvel’s roster must get to the bottom of the changing world.
If you’re on the hunt for something a little different than your traditional Marvel adventure, then why not give Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert’s Marvel 1602 run? This series came out back in 2003 and explores what the world might look like if the modern-day age of heroes had occurred back in the year 1602.
Many of your favorite characters make appearances in this story, like Sir Nicholas Fury, an agent of Queen Elizabeth, his apprentice, Peter Parquagh, Count Von Doom, and even a version of the X-Men. All these characters and more get wrapped up in a world-bending plot that will leave you hungry for more.
Wolverine: Old Man Logan
The worst road trip ever
It’s a road trip across America! Though America is looking a little different, with the country divided into different zones, each one controlled by a different villain. Wolverine has to team up with a blind Hawkeye to try an protect his family while surviving the wastelands of America.
Another alternate future story focused on the X-Men, Wolverine: Old Man Logan takes you to a slightly more distant future where the major villains of the world have taken over, killing or subduing all the biggest heroes of the world.
A broken and defeated Wolverine, who just goes by Logan, lives quietly in a remote region of America with his family, having sworn to never use his claws again. Despite this, he has to team up with a blind Hawkeye to go on a cross-country trip across dangerous lands, where he has to come face to face with the reality of the world. This is the comic that inspired much of the Logan film, and similarly, has an exceptionally dark and brutal tone that regular comic fans might not be prepared for going in.
Magic and Cosmic combined
Hundreds of years ago, Thor was brutally attacked by a mysterious foe. In the present, Thor is watching the gods of the universe die around him. Far in the future, Thor is the last god standing against a cosmic foe. All these timelines converse in one fantastic comic that will make you question the role gods play in the Marvel universe.
Diving into the more magical and at the same time, cosmic aspect of Marvel Comics is 2012’s Thor: God of Thunder series, partly collected in Thor: The Saga of Gorr the God Butcher. This series follows Thor through three distinct times in his life, once when he is in his youth in the year 893 A.D, a modern, current Thor, and then thousands of years in the future, where he stands alone among all the gods of the universe against a divine threat.
Thor is one of Marvel’s heavy hitters, but this comic places him in a cosmic detective story for a good part of the tale, with the riddle of who is massacring gods across the universe being rolled out across the three timelines. There’s no shortage of fighting though, with Thor having to become something more than a god to put a stop to Gorr.
If you’ve seen the Thor: Love & Thunder film, you might be familiar with Gorr, but the comics that inspired the film are so much more of a complete experience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where To Start Reading Marvel Comics?
Honestly, the best place to start with reading most comics is to find a character you like and pick up the most recent run. You can do some quick research to find out what the name of the current comic run is, or pop on down to your local comic book store and see what’s on the shelf!
Heading to a local comic book store is a great place to find comics of your favorite Marvel characters. If that’s not an option, you can always check out Marvel Unlimited, which has tons of comics to read online.
What Is The Longest Running Marvel Comic?
The Amazing Spider-Man is the longest running Marvel comic. It more than 900 issues released since it’s debut in 1963.
