The Year's Best Graphic Novels, Comics, and Manga #[nn]

Clark Kent starts his career as a writer in Manhattan, drawn into a world where his life begins to blur with the legend he’s meant to embody. When he finally meets Lois Chaudhari, their connection sparks something deeper—until his dual identity leads him into a hidden laboratory, where he’s taken not as a hero, but as a subject.

In "Scott Pilgrim," a young musician finds himself unexpectedly drawn into a surreal romance when his new girlfriend, Ramona, reveals a bizarre condition: to be with her, he must defeat her seven ex-boyfriends in battle. As his band, Sex Bob-Omb, takes the stage, the first challenger arrives—Matthew Patel—setting off a chain of chaotic, over-the-top confrontations that blur the line between love, rivalry, and rock 'n' roll.

In a tense, high-stakes mission spanning Europe and South America, a young woman is pulled into a dangerous web of espionage after a British intelligence officer is found dead in a Venezuelan hotel room and a powerful Russian industrialist vanishes in Georgia. With the stakes rising and her own past weighing heavily, she must navigate shifting loyalties and hidden agendas—especially as a chance to make amends for a long-ago failure presents itself.

In the rugged heart of a war-torn realm, Artesia stands at the Tauria bridge, facing the shattered remnants of the Thessid-Golan vanguard. With cunning and resolve, she offers them a chance at surrender—binding their oath with noble hostages, sealing a fragile truce that could shift the tide of a relentless northern campaign.

In the shadow of the Warsaw Ghetto, Yossel draws his way through terror, using his art to survive and strike back. As his family is taken to a concentration camp, he finds a fragile chance to fight back through secret visits and hidden defiance. When the Rebbe returns with harrowing tales, Yossel leads a small band of resistance, holding on with courage and his sketches—until the final, desperate stand.

In "Ex Machina," Mitchell Hundred, the former Great Machine, grapples with the aftermath of an assassination attempt that forces him to confront the past—both the accident that transformed him and the early days of his political rise. The story weaves together memory and present danger, revealing how one man’s transformation into a symbol of power began with a single, fateful moment.

In "Demo," John Hatfield, a young man from a struggling background, joins the army for the chance at college money and a better future. When deployed overseas, his unmatched precision with a weapon becomes a burden—each shot he makes forces him to confront the moral cost of survival in war, leaving him torn between duty and conscience.

In a quiet moment after the dust settles, Snow White, Bigby Wolf, and the others gather at the edge of the Mundy world, where the lines between fairy tale and reality blur. As the weight of farewell hangs in the air, a sudden shift in the wind hints that old stories aren’t done—especially when someone’s water just broke.