The best one-shots and short complete stories in comics are, at the top, The Killing Joke , For the Man Who Has Everything , Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow and Superman: Peace on Earth. This tier list ranks full stories in a single issue (or short story) according to their quality. Facts (authors, dates) verified, no invented odds; each entry refers to a record when it exists.
The one-shot is an exercise in style: telling a complete and striking story in a single issue. This tier list classifies these short stories according to their quality and their posterity. Many are signed by the greatest authors, who concentrate most of their art there.
Editorial Ranks, Facts verified. Each entry refers to a site file when it exists.
Collecting this series?
Track what you own, what you are missing and what your collection is worth. 7 day trial.
Start my trial →Tier S: the legendary one-shots
The Killing Joke offers the definitive Batman/Joker face-off in a single issue. For the Man Who Has Everything et Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow, two masterpieces by Alan Moore on Superman, and Peace on Earth of Dini and Ross complete this summit.
Tier A: notable short stories
Gotham by Gaslight (the first Elseworld), Daredevil #191 (“Roulette”, by Miller), ASM #248 (“The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man”, heartbreaking) and Sandman #19 (the only comic to win a World Fantasy Award) are the pinnacles of the format.
Tier B: the Dini & Ross and beyond
The series of great painted one-shots by Paul Dini and Alex Ross:War on Crime , Power of Hope , Spirit of Truth: and the Astro City #1/2 by Kurt Busiek illustrate the power of the short story.
Tier C: the cult one-shots
JLA: Liberty and Justice , Superman #400, Hellboy: The Corpse and the anthology Batman: Black and White complete the selection.
Tier D: the complete stories to discover
Batman/Judge Dredd , The Sandman: The Dream Hunters and Superman: The Wedding Album close this tier list: quality one-shots, more confidential.
To remember
- Alan Moore signs several of the best one-shots in history.
- The one-shot concentrates the art of an author in a single story.
- Some one-shots (The Killing Joke) are key numbers sought after.
- Each entry refers to a site file when it exists.
How to read and collect one-shots
A one-shot tells everything in a single issue, but they do not all come in the same form, and the distinction changes how you hunt for them.
Two forms of short story
Some are genuine standalone volumes: The Killing Joke (1988), Gotham by Gaslight (1989), Batman: War on Crime or Superman: Peace on Earth. Others are issues of a regular series: Daredevil #191 (1983), Amazing Spider-Man #248 (1984), Sandman #19 (1990) or Superman #400 (1984). For the latter, you need to look for the exact issue, often surrounded by far less memorable neighboring issues.
Three reading paths
The Superman path. Alan Moore wrote two peaks: For the Man Who Has Everything (1985) and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow (1986), published in Superman #423 and Action Comics #583. Add Superman: Peace on Earth (1998) to see the character in a completely different style, painted by Alex Ross.
The Dini and Ross path. The big painted one-shots are read in publication order: Peace on Earth (1998), War on Crime (1999), Power of Hope (2000), Spirit of Truth (2001), then Liberty and Justice (2003). The duo, Paul Dini writing and Alex Ross painting, gives them real coherence.
The creators path. Sandman #19 (1990, Gaiman), the only comic to win a World Fantasy Award, then The Sandman: The Dream Hunters (1999), Mignola's Hellboy: The Corpse (1996) and Astro City #1/2 (1996, Busiek and Anderson) show how a creator concentrates their art in a few pages.
Points to watch
Do not confuse a story with its edition: the same story can exist as an original single issue, a reprint or a collected edition, and only the original edition counts for a key-issue collector. If you simply want to read, collected editions are more than enough.
Two cases call for attention. Batman: Black and White (1996) is an anthology, so several short stories gathered rather than a single story. Astro City #1/2 carries an unusual numbering, easy to miss when you look for issues #1 and #2.
Finally, some one-shots are both masterpieces and sought-after key issues, like The Killing Joke: condition and edition weigh more than reputation. Start by reading, then decide which ones you want to own as single issues.
Frequently asked questions
The Killing Joke (Moore & Bolland) is the most famous. Alan Moore's stories about Superman (For the Man Who Has Everything, Whatever Happened…) are just as acclaimed.
It's a comic that tells a complete story in a single issue, with no planned sequel. It is a popular format for concentrating a strong and autonomous story.
By The Killing Joke (Batman/Joker) or Superman: Peace on Earth (painted by Alex Ross). Both can be read at once.
Do you own The Killing Joke or another cult one-shot? Estimate its value for free with our tool based on current eBay listings.