Each year, more comics hit the shops than any one person could ever read. And while the splashy superhero titles are (somewhat) easier to keep up with, finding all of the great hidden gems each year is tough. We're here to help. Below, just in time for you to spend the holiday break catching up, are some of the best books of 2018. We say some of the best because we're not mentioning titles that have appeared in previous year-end wrap-ups—like, say, DC's Mister Miracle, which would have appeared otherwise—nor are we including books that have only just launched, which explains the absence of Vertigo's Goddess Mode. But enough about what didn’t make the cut—let's look at the books that did. And the best part? Some are continuing titles, which means you've got more to look forward to in 2019.

Sabrina (Drawn & Quarterly)

For some people, Nick Drnaso's paranoid comic about the aftermath of a murder is known as the first graphic novel nominated for the Man Booker Prize, but for those unimpressed by mainstream British literary awards, consider this: Sabrina is also a masterwork in translating the anxiety and confusion of the "fake news" age into something beautiful and disturbing. It's a book that lingers long after you've finished reading. Buy Now

Want more? Read all of WIRED’s year-end coverage

Immortal Hulk (Marvel)

It's taken more than half a century, but Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and a handful of guest artists have finally taken the Marvel antihero back to his horror roots, and the result is easily the most compelling comic book that the company has released in a long time. Restless and unafraid to pull at narrative threads that others might avoid for fear of being too outlandish (the Hulk's father issues get taken to a whole new level in this series), it's a comic that feels creepy and revelatory in the same way that you can imagine Alan Moore's Swamp Thing felt in the 1980s. And, much like that comic, Immortal Hulk makes it impossible to see its title character the same way ever again. Buy Now

Woman World (Drawn & Quarterly)

The question of what the world would be like if all the men died isn't a new idea—Brian K. Vaughan explored the notion a decade ago in Y: The Last Man—but Aminder Dhaliwal's episodic graphic novel approaches it with such lightness and humor that it feels fresh all over again. In Dhaliwal's post-male world, nothing is different, but everything is, and the space between those two statements allows for everything from jokes about Beyoncé and Paul Blart: Mall Cop to wonderfully understated unrequited romance and gender commentary. Hilarious, silly, and surprisingly deep all at the same time, it's a feel-good book about a (potentially) very bad situation. Buy Now

Beneath the Dead Oak Tree (ShortBox)

That Emily Carroll is a cartoonist at the top of her game shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who's been paying attention, but her release for British indie publisher ShortBox was, nonetheless, breathtaking in its mastery of the medium. Few cartoonists are as good at short horror stories with twists in the tail as Carroll—take a look at The Worthington on her website for proof—and even fewer are able to match strong writing with brilliant visuals. In general, ShortBox might be the publisher to pay attention to for anyone interested in the potential of comics as a visual and storytelling medium right now, and certainly its 2018 lineup was impressive—but Beneath the Dead Oak Tree is the pinnacle of their output. Buy Now

Crowded (Image Comics)

If ever a comic was squarely of its time, it's Crowded, a fast-paced satire of the gig economy that doubles as an action-comedy buddy movie about the target of a crowdfunded assassination attempt and the woman she hired from an app who has the entirely unpleasant job of keeping her alive. Christopher Sebela's high concept is buoyed by quick-witted snark, while Ro Stein and Ted Brandt's vital artwork skews enough toward caricature to make Crowded feel like the best animated movie you've never seen. (Of course, the movie is already in the works, but it'll be live-action.) Buy Now

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