The 5 Best Marvel Comics Of 2023

In 2023, Marvel Comics' lineup continued to be strong with its ongoing series, miniseries, and one-shots spotlighting what makes the publisher's characters and universe great. The comic books took readers through the multiverse, whether that was in the main Marvel Universe, across the Spider-Verse, or a newly conceived Ultimate Universe.

Picking five comics as Marvel's best of the last year wasn't the easiest thing to do. Strong contenders that didn't make the list include "Avengers" (by Jed MacKay, Carlos Villa, Federico Blee, and Cory Petit), "Strange" (by MacKay, Marcelo Ferreira, Roberto Poggi, Java Tartaglia, and Petit), "Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise" (by Tradd Moore, Heather Moore, and Clayton Cowles), "Savage Avengers" (by David Pepose, Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern, and Travis Lanham), "Daredevil" (by Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Matthew Wilson, and Cowles), "Fantastic Four" (by Ryan North, Ivan. Fiorelli, Brian Reber, and Joe Caramagna), "Ultimate Invasion" (by Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie, Alex Sinclair, and Joe Caramagna), "The X-Cellent" (by Peter Milligan, Mike Allred, Larua Allred, and Nate Piekos), "Guardians of the Galaxy" (by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Kev Walker, Matt Hollingsworth, and Cory Petit), "Invincible Iron Man" (by Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri, Bryan Valenza, and Caramagna), "Bloodline: Daughter of Blade" (by Danny Lore, Karen S. Darboe, Cris Peter, and Joe Sabino), "Deadpool" (by Alyssa Wong, Javier Pina, Matt Milla, and Sabino),and "Scarlet Witch" (by Steve Orlando, Lorenzo Tammetta, Sara Pichelli, Frank Williams, and Petit).

However, factoring in things like their incredible art, writing, and meaning to the overall Marvel Universe, a handful of books stand out. These are the five best Marvel Comics of 2023 — plus one series we can't help but recognize for its continued excellence.

"Punisher" (by Jason Aaron, Jesus Saiz, Paul Azaceta, Matt Hollingsworth, and VC's Cory Petit) faced one comics' biggest and seemingly most insurmountable challenges in recent memory: Reinventing a classic character in the shadow of real-life hatred. The Punisher's iconic logo being adopted by bad actors and used as a symbol of division in the real world forced Marvel's hand, and the company responded by taking Frank Castle in a wildly new direction. In the end, the creative team succeeded in their uphill battle of transforming the deadly antihero through a compelling story that will be remembered as one of Castle's best.

Aaron takes the Punisher off the streets of New York City, placing him in Japan and teaming him with the Hand as the assassin organization brings his wife back to life in exchange for Castle serving as their ultimate warrior, the Beast. While the main arc follows the Punisher dealing with Maria's return and the hope that his dead children will also be resurrected, the story also offers important new details about his childhood, revealing that the Hand shaped him into becoming the deadly antihero long before his family's demise. Saiz's bloody realism and Azaecta's grounded style masterfully differentiated the periods the story took place in, perfectly connecting the Punisher's past and present.

The series shows Castle at his most powerful as well as his most vulnerable. He knows working with the Hand is a mistake, but they offer him the one thing he's ever wanted. As a result, he spirals out of control into something he barely recognizes. By the end of the series, the Punisher reaches a place no reader could have expected, opening an exciting new path for the character whenever he inevitably returns.

Before "Immortal Thor" (by Al Ewing, Martin Coccolo, Matthew Wilson, and VC's Joe Sabino) launched, the mighty Avenger's future was unclear following writer Donny Cates' unexpected departure from the previous "Thor" series. Torunn Gronbekk, Juan Gedeon, and Wilson did their best to try to end their run in as satisfying a way as possible and did as good of a job as anyone could have expected. Still, there was no way they could avoid leaving Thor in a bit of a messy place. Thankfully, the unexpected ending led to a creative rebirth under the watch of Al Ewing, who previously scripted the horror-filled "Immortal Hulk," taking over the reins on a new Asgardian-led title alongside Coccolo and Wilson. Now, five issues into their run, "Immortal Thor" is one of Marvel's best books.

"Immortal Thor" succeeds due in large part to Ewing's expertise in Marvel history as the series dives deep into the character's past. At the same time, Ewing deftly massages Thor's lore to create something fresh and different, adding new bits to the Avenger's mythology, including introducing one of the hero's most terrifying villains yet, a powerful Elder God named Toranos, who has connections to the God of Thunder's mother, Gaea. Ewing gets what makes Thor great and writes a hell of a Loki, too; the story that shows the trickster god testing his brother ahead of a major battle with Toranos is the best issue of the comic so far. Coccolo is more than up for the challenge of Ewing's scripts, which, at times, veer into wild storytelling ideas. Coccolo continues to craft epic, massive-scale battles and settings, making Thor look, well, godly. And with Alex Ross providing the comic's covers, it's not just what's inside that shines.

While we've technically already covered our top five, if we're reflecting on 2023, we have to talk about one specific Marvel hero.

When discussing the recently concluded "Captain Marvel" (by Kelly Thompson, Sergio Davila, Sean Parsons, Arif Prianto, and Clayton Cowles), one expression comes to mind: Don't cry because it's over; cry because it happened. Thompson's run with Carol Danvers represents the writer's career-best work, where she explores what makes the hero great and, at times, frustrating — someone whose journey has led Carol to learn more about her incredible abilities and responsibilities while diving deep into her psyche.

Nobody in the modern era knows how to write Carol Danvers as well as Thompson. Too often, heroes and villains, especially powerful ones, are put on a pedestal, allowing their larger-than-life abilities to overshadow any development and growth. "Captain Marvel" proved that while the titular hero may be one of the mightiest beings in the universe, she's still funny, flawed, complex, and always trying to do better. Despite a rotating roster of artists tackling the story — including Dalvia and Parson's awesome pencils and inks to finish the series — the book remained consistently outstanding until the end. Fifty issues (plus annuals) is a tremendous feat for a character, especially one who has had so many relaunches over the years, and the talented writer's work on the character will end up being the benchmark of excellence for all future Captain Marvel tales. As cliché as it sounds, Thompson and co. took Carol's stories to new heights, guiding the Avenger "higher, further, faster" than anyone else had before.