The Best Comic Book Runs of All Time

In superhero comics the characters never retire, but the people writing them do. A run is the stretch when one writer, usually with a defining artist, takes over a title and bends it to their own vision. The best comic runs don’t just tell good stories; they redefine a character so thoroughly that every later creator works in their shadow. This guide picks the runs we think are worth reading start to finish, and the specific collected edition we’d buy to begin each one, because with long runs the starting book matters as much as the run itself.

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How we chose: we started from the runs we’ve read cover to cover and rate highest, then matched each to a collected edition currently listed on Amazon, favoring books that start at or near the beginning of the run and are in stock today. Prices and availability change often, so the buttons show Amazon’s current price.

What makes a run great?

A great run has a clear authorial vision, a reasonably stable creative team and a shape you can read as a complete work, even inside a title that never ends. The best of them are self-contained enough that you don't need decades of continuity homework, which is why they make the smartest entry points for new readers. If you're just getting into capes, start with one of the modern runs below rather than a decades-long classic.

1. Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1 — Best overall run

Best overall run

Why we like it

• Rewrites the character's origin within the first few issues
• Horror, ecology and romance carried by superb prose
• Bissette and Totleben art still looks startling
• A clean starting point with almost no homework

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Alan Moore / various, including Stephen Bissette and John Totleben
Publisher	DC Comics
Collects	Not stated in listing; the start of Moore's run, including The Anatomy Lesson
Pages	208
Format	Paperback, first of a numbered series
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; horror imagery and violence, best for older teens and up

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1 — Alan Moore, DC Comics, 208-page paperback

Alan Moore took over a cancelled-in-all-but-name horror title in 1984 and, within a couple of issues, rewrote what Swamp Thing was. "The Anatomy Lesson" reveals that the creature is not a transformed scientist at all but a plant that believes it was one, and everything that follows grows from that idea: grief, identity, the Green, and one of the strangest love stories DC has ever published. Moore stayed until 1987, and the run made his name in America before Watchmen did.

We rank it first because it is the most concentrated great run there is. Claremont's X-Men is bigger and Morrison's Batman more ambitious, but no run packs as much invention into so few pages, and none is easier to start. Book 1 drops you in at Moore's beginning, the numbered paperbacks continue in order, and the box set exists if you get hooked. It is also the clearest ancestor of the Vertigo line covered in our best Vertigo comics guide.

A fair warning: the opening chapters tie up threads from the issues before Moore arrived, and the narration is dense. Give it two issues and it opens up.

Get Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1 on Amazon

2. X-Men Epic Collection: God Loves, Man Kills — Best classic Marvel run

Best classic Marvel run

Why we like it

• Claremont's run at its most confident
• Includes material drawn by Paul Smith and Brent Anderson
• Lots of comics for one paperback
• In stock while several neighboring volumes aren't

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Chris Claremont / Paul Smith, Brent Anderson and others
Publisher	Marvel
Collects	Not stated in listing; early-1980s Uncanny X-Men issues
Pages	496
Format	Epic Collection paperback
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; superhero action, suits teens and up

X-Men Epic Collection: God Loves, Man Kills — Claremont, Marvel, 496-page paperback

From 1975 to 1991 Chris Claremont wrote the X-Men almost without a break, the longest single-writer run on a major superhero title and the one that built the modern franchise. He turned a reprint book into Marvel's biggest property through serialized character drama decades ahead of its time: Dark Phoenix, Days of Future Past, the Brood, Storm's mohawk, Kitty Pryde growing up.

The problem with recommending Claremont is that his run is sixteen years long and collected in many overlapping formats. This Epic Collection is the one we'd pick from what's in stock now. Its contributor list points to the early-1980s Paul Smith issues, a high point of the run, and to Brent Anderson, the artist of the God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel it's named after. If you want to begin at the very start or read Dark Phoenix first, our best X-Men comics list maps the rest.

Get X-Men Epic Collection: God Loves, Man Kills on Amazon

3. Thor by Walter Simonson Vol. 1 — Best myth-scale superhero run

Best myth-scale run

Why we like it

• One creator writing and drawing, so a unified vision
• Beta Ray Bill's first appearance opens the run
• Bold, kinetic art and sound effects
• Stands alone with no prior Thor reading

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Walter Simonson
Publisher	Marvel
Collects	Not stated in listing; the opening of Simonson's run
Pages	232
Format	Paperback, Vol. 1 of a numbered set
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; fantasy action, fine for most ages

Thor by Walter Simonson Vol. 1 — Simonson, Marvel, 232-page paperback

Walter Simonson's Thor (1983 to 1987) is a masterclass in blending superhero action with Norse myth. It opens with a horse-faced alien named Beta Ray Bill lifting Thor's hammer, and builds over the following years to the Surtur saga, one of the great slow-burn payoffs in Marvel history. Simonson wrote and drew most of it, so the storytelling and the art pull in exactly the same direction.

Vol. 1 is the cheapest way in and it's in stock. The larger omnibus is currently showing as temporarily out of stock, and the later numbered paperbacks are thinning out, so if you love Vol. 1, don't wait too long on the rest. Our best Thor comics guide covers the omnibus and the Jason Aaron run that followed decades later.

Get Thor by Walter Simonson Vol. 1 on Amazon

4. Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 — Best Batman run

Best Batman run

Why we like it

• Treats every era of Batman as canon
• Introduces Damian Wayne, Bruce's son
• Big ideas that pay off years later
• Three omnibus volumes cover the epic in order

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Grant Morrison / Andy Kubert, Tony Daniel and others
Publisher	DC Comics
Collects	Not stated in listing; the start of Morrison's Batman, from Batman and Son
Pages	672
Format	Hardcover omnibus
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; violence and some disturbing imagery, teens and up

Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 — Morrison, DC Comics, 672-page hardcover

Grant Morrison's Batman (2006 to 2013) is a sprawling, seven-year story that treats everything that ever happened to Batman, including the goofy 1950s stories, as part of one life, then builds a genuine tragedy around Bruce Wayne and the son he didn't know he had. It's the most ambitious superhero run DC has published, and the ideas keep paying off long after you'd forgotten the setup.

It also rewards reading in order, which is why the omnibus is the right format. Vol. 1 opens with "Batman and Son" and the first appearance of Damian; Vols. 2 and 3 complete it and are both in stock. If you'd rather sample first, the compact Batman and Son paperback is a cheaper test. Our Batman reading order shows where it sits among everything else.

Get Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 on Amazon

5. Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus Vol. 1 — Best espionage superhero run

Best espionage run

Why we like it

• A superhero book that reads like a spy novel
• Steve Epting's moody, grounded art
• The Winter Soldier story the movies borrowed
• Long, unbroken chunk of the run

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Ed Brubaker / Steve Epting and others
Publisher	Marvel
Collects	Not stated in listing; the opening of Brubaker's run
Pages	744
Format	Hardcover omnibus (new printing)
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; gun violence, teens and up

Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus Vol. 1 — Brubaker, Marvel, 744-page hardcover

The early 2000s brought a wave of grounded, noir-flavored superhero comics, and Ed Brubaker's Captain America is the best of them. Starting in 2004 with artist Steve Epting, Brubaker turned Cap into a Cold War-style espionage thriller and brought Bucky Barnes back as the Winter Soldier, a story so good it reshaped the films. The run continued until 2012 and stays remarkably consistent.

We prefer the omnibus to the smaller Winter Soldier paperbacks because the run is a single long story, and stopping after the first arc leaves you on a cliff. Stock is low, so if this printing goes, the Modern Era Epic Collections are the fallback. For more Cap, see our best Captain America comics.

Get Captain America by Ed Brubaker Omnibus Vol. 1 on Amazon

6. Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 — Best big-ideas run

Best big-ideas run

Why we like it

• Sets up a story that pays off years later
• Puts family back at the center of the FF
• Paperback format keeps the cost of trying low
• Leads straight into his Avengers and Secret Wars

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Jonathan Hickman / Dale Eaglesham, Sean Chen and others
Publisher	Marvel
Collects	Not stated in listing; the start of Hickman's run
Pages	384
Format	Paperback, Vol. 1 of a Complete Collection set
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; fine for most ages

Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman: The Complete Collection Vol. 1 — Hickman, Marvel, 384-page paperback

Jonathan Hickman's Fantastic Four opens with Reed Richards joining a council of his alternate selves who have dedicated themselves to solving everything, and it gets bigger from there. It's a family book at heart, with Franklin and Valeria Richards treated as major characters, but structurally it's a long con: plot seeds planted in this volume bloom years later, and the run flows into Hickman's Avengers and the 2015 Secret Wars.

It's the most rewarding pick here for readers who like puzzle-box plotting. It's also the least emotional, so if you want character drama first, start with Brubaker or Claremont.

Get Fantastic Four by Hickman: Complete Collection Vol. 1 on Amazon

7. The Immortal Hulk Omnibus (Panini) — Best modern run

Best modern run

Why we like it

• Reinvents the Hulk as a horror comic
• Joe Bennett's grotesque, unforgettable transformations
• Needs almost no prior Hulk reading
• In stock while the US editions aren't

Specification	Details
Writer / Artist	Al Ewing / Joe Bennett and others
Publisher	Panini Books (Marvel's UK licensee)
Collects	Not stated in listing; the opening stretch of the run
Pages	388
Format	Paperback, first of a numbered set
Reader age / content	Not stated in listing; graphic body horror, older teens and up

The Immortal Hulk Omnibus — Ewing and Bennett, Panini Books, 388-page paperback

Proof that the great-run era isn't over: Al Ewing and Joe Bennett's Immortal Hulk (2018 to 2021) reimagined Bruce Banner's alter ego as something that rises every night after Banner dies, and turned a familiar character into the most talked-about book at Marvel. Across 50 issues it's terrifying, philosophical and gorgeously grotesque, with the horror always serving a story about trauma and guilt. Our Immortal Hulk review goes deeper.

A judgment call on the edition: Marvel's own Vol. 1 paperback is currently unavailable and its complete hardcover omnibus is temporarily out of stock, so we've picked Panini's UK paperback, which is in stock. It's an official licensed edition, but the listing doesn't give an issue range, so check the contents if you plan to mix it with US volumes.

Get The Immortal Hulk Omnibus (Panini) on Amazon

Also worth reading

These runs could easily sit in the list above; we left them as plain recommendations because the best-starting editions are scattered, out of stock or overlap with picks on our other guides.

• Daredevil by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev (2001 to 2006): a slow-burn crime tragedy that exposes Matt Murdock's identity and never lets up.
• Daredevil by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee (2011 to 2015): the opposite approach, bright swashbuckling adventure, and a pile of Eisner Awards.
• Batman by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo (2011 to 2016): Court of Owls and Zero Year, the friendliest great Batman run for newcomers.
• Avengers and New Avengers by Jonathan Hickman (2012 to 2015): the chess game that builds to Secret Wars, best read after his Fantastic Four.
• Thor by Jason Aaron (2012 to 2019): the best sustained Thor since Simonson, from the God Butcher to Jane Foster's Thor.
• JLA by Grant Morrison (1997 to 2000): the Justice League as modern gods, collected in one omnibus.
• Hawkeye by Matt Fraction and David Aja (2012 to 2015): a short, stylish run about what Clint Barton does on his days off.

How to start reading by run

Treat a run like a boxed TV series: pick one, read it start to finish and ignore whatever else the publisher was doing at the time. Crossover banners and event tie-ins will appear in the middle of most superhero runs; skim them and keep going.

Run	Creators	Years	Good first if you like
Swamp Thing	Moore, Bissette, Totleben	1984–87	Horror, literary comics
Uncanny X-Men	Claremont and many artists	1975–91	Soap-opera team drama
Thor	Walter Simonson	1983–87	Fantasy and myth
Batman	Grant Morrison and others	2006–13	Big ideas, Batman history
Captain America	Brubaker and Epting	2004–12	Spy thrillers
Fantastic Four	Jonathan Hickman	2009–12	Puzzle-box plotting
Immortal Hulk	Ewing and Bennett	2018–21	Body horror

For newcomers we'd start with a self-contained, modern run, such as Immortal Hulk or Snyder's Batman, before tackling the sprawling classics. Format matters too: omnibuses give the best reading experience and per-page value for a run you know you'll finish, while Epic Collections and numbered paperbacks are the cheaper way to test one. Our best comic omnibus editions guide compares the big books, and our best comic book writers list follows these creators to their other work.

Pros and cons of reading by run

The upside is obvious: you get complete creative visions with real beginnings and endings, you skip filler, and you get the smartest entry point into characters with decades of history. The downsides are cost (hardcover omnibuses are a real investment), the occasional run that assumes you know the cast, and the risk that a great run spoils you for average monthly comics. Collected editions also go in and out of print, which is why a few of our picks are paperbacks or UK editions rather than the obvious omnibus.

Frequently asked questions

What is a run in comics?

A run is the continuous stretch during which a particular writer, usually with a regular artist, works on a title. Fans talk about "Claremont's X-Men" or "Simonson's Thor" the way film fans talk about a director's filmography.

What is considered the greatest comic book run of all time?

Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men (1975 to 1991) is the most common answer, because it is the longest single-writer run on a major title and built the modern X-Men. Alan Moore's Swamp Thing is the usual pick among critics who value quality per page, and it's our first choice for where to start.

Do I need to read earlier comics before a great run?

Usually not. The best runs are designed as jumping-on points. Immortal Hulk, Simonson's Thor and Moore's Swamp Thing need essentially no prior reading; Morrison's Batman rewards some familiarity with the character but doesn't require it.

Are omnibus editions the best way to read a run?

For a run you know you'll finish, yes: an omnibus collects a large chunk in reading order with better paper and binding. Epic Collections and standard paperbacks are cheaper ways to test a run first, and they're often easier to find in stock.

Which run is best for a total beginner?

Immortal Hulk if you like horror, Simonson's Thor if you like fantasy, and Snyder and Capullo's Batman if you want a familiar hero. All three start cleanly and don't depend on events in other titles.

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