Happy!

In Happy!, a gritty, hard-boiled detective story collides with the surreal as a down-and-out ex-cop is haunted by the cheerful, imaginary unicorn who might just be the key to saving a kidnapped little girl. Launched by Panini Deutschland in 2014, this single-issue debut establishes a darkly comedic tone that would later define the series, blending crime-noir violence with a bizarre, colorful fantasy. The property is most famously associated with writer Grant Morrison and artist Darick Robertson, whose visceral, expressive art grounds the absurd premise in a grimly believable world. Though it began as a one-shot, Happy! matters for its audacious, genre-bending concept and its success in translating that unique voice into a celebrated television adaptation.