Beyond Marvel and DC: The Best Indie and Licensed Comics to Read Right Now

If your entire comics diet is Marvel and DC, you are missing roughly half of what the medium is currently doing well — and arguably the more interesting half.

Independent and licensed comics have no seventy-year continuity to service. Series begin, they end, and they get to take real risks along the way. Here is where to start.

Invincible

Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's superhero epic is, for a lot of readers, the best complete superhero story ever told. It starts as a cheerful teenage coming-of-age book and then, roughly thirteen issues in, does something that permanently reframes everything before it.

Two things make it ideal for new readers. First, it is finished — 144 issues with a real ending, not an endless serial. Second, it needs no context whatsoever.

The animated adaptation has brought an enormous new audience to the books, and the comics go considerably further than the show. Start at issue #1 or with the first collected volume.

Browse our Invincible collection.

Spawn

Todd McFarlane's Spawn is the longest-running creator-owned comic in history, and it has grown into a genuine universe of connected titles. The visual identity alone — that cape, those chains, the deep reds and blacks — is one of the most distinctive in the medium.

New readers often ask whether they need to read all 350-plus issues. You do not. The modern Spawn universe titles are built as entry points, and the original run is best approached in collected volumes at your own pace.

See our Spawn & McFarlane collection.

The Energon Universe: Transformers, G.I. Joe and Void Rivals

This is the most exciting thing in licensed comics right now, and it is not close.

Skybound's Energon Universe folds Transformers, G.I. Joe and the original series Void Rivals into a single shared continuity — and critically, it started from scratch in 2023. There is no decades-deep backlog to navigate.

The Daniel Warren Johnson Transformers run in particular has been a genuine phenomenon, treating giant transforming robots with a sincerity and visual ferocity nobody expected. If you have any nostalgic affection for these characters at all, this is the version that will earn it back.

Where to start: Void Rivals #1 for the true beginning, or Transformers #1 if you want the highlight reel immediately. Both work.

Explore the Energon Universe collection.

Godzilla

Godzilla comics have quietly become one of the most reliable pleasures in the medium. Each series is largely self-contained, the creative teams rotate freely, and the format suits the character — a kaiju story does not need continuity, it needs scale.

Pick whichever miniseries has the most appealing premise or the artist you like best. There is no wrong entry point, which is unusual and welcome.

See the Godzilla collection.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

TMNT has been running through one of the strongest periods in its history. The comics are considerably darker and more character-driven than the cartoons, and the long IDW run built genuine emotional weight across more than a hundred issues.

Where to start: the current volume's first issue for something immediate, or the original Eastman and Laird black-and-white material if you want to see how strange and violent the property was at its origin. They are almost different genres.

Browse Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Modern Horror Comics

Horror is arguably where independent comics are strongest right now. The medium suits it perfectly — you control the pace of the page turn, which means a comic can hold a moment of dread in a way film cannot.

Standouts worth seeking out:

• Something Is Killing the Children — monster hunting with real emotional stakes. One of BOOM!'s biggest successes for good reason.
• The Mark Spears horror titles — striking, high-concept supernatural books with a very distinctive visual identity.
• Classic horror reprints — the pre-Code horror archives are a fascinating and genuinely unsettling piece of comics history.

Dig through our Horror collection — it is one of the largest in the store.

Star Wars

Licensed Star Wars comics have been running at a consistently high standard, filling in eras the films never touched. The High Republic material in particular is set centuries before the films, which makes it completely accessible to anyone who has never read a Star Wars comic in their life.

See our Star Wars collection.

Why Indie Comics Are Often the Better Buy

Beyond the storytelling, there are practical advantages:

• Complete runs are achievable. A 30-issue series is a collection you can actually finish.
• First issues matter more. Indie #1s have smaller print runs, which historically has meant stronger long-term scarcity.
• Less variant saturation. Fewer covers per issue makes completing a run far less complicated.
• Creator-owned means creative freedom. Nobody is protecting a film franchise's status quo.

That first-issue point is worth taking seriously. If you are interested in the collecting side, our variant cover guide covers which covers hold value — and indie first issues sit near the top of that list.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best indie comics for beginners?

Invincible is the standard recommendation — complete, accessible and one of the best superhero stories ever published. Void Rivals and Transformers are the best current jumping-on points.

Do I need to read Void Rivals before Transformers?

Void Rivals came first and establishes the Energon Universe, but both series are written to be readable independently.

Is Invincible finished?

Yes. The main series ran 144 issues and has a complete, definitive ending — rare and valuable in superhero comics.

Are indie comic first issues good investments?

They carry more upside than most big-two issues because print runs are smaller, but comics are a poor investment vehicle generally. Buy what you want to read.

Where should I start with Spawn?

Either the modern Spawn universe titles, which are built as entry points, or the collected editions of the original run if you want the full history.

Try Something New

The big two will always be there. Spend one month's comic budget on something outside them and see what happens.

Start with Invincible, the Energon Universe or our Horror collection — and if you are watching your budget, remember that backstock is 35% off.