The best noir, thriller and crime comics are, at the top, Sin City by Frank Miller, Criminal by Brubaker and Phillips, 100 Bullets and Gotham Central. This tier list classifies crime stories in comics according to their darkness, their tension and their quality of writing. Facts (authors, dates) verified, no invented odds.
The thriller is one of the most adult genres in comics: betrayals, fatality, gray morality. This tier list brings together the stories that best convey the spirit of the noir novel: atmosphere, ambiguous characters, relentless intrigue. Criterion: criminal intensity coupled with mastery of the story.
Editorial Ranks, Facts verified. It is a reading guide.
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Start my trial →Tier S: the heights of black
Sin City (1991) takes the thriller to its graphic incandescence: stark black and white, absolute inevitability. Criminal by Brubaker and Phillips is the modern reference of the genre, an anthology of criminal destinies. 100 Bullets unfolds a vast conspiracy over a hundred issues. And Gotham Central follows the Gotham Police Department in Batman's shadow: a masterful procedural thriller.
Tier A: the great criminal stories
Stray Bullets by David Lapham weaves a web of broken lives. Scalped by Jason Aaron plunges into an Indian reservation plagued by crime. Road to Perdition (adapted to the cinema) and Fatal (thriller tinged with Lovecraftian horror) confirm the richness of the genre.
Tier B: assumed darkness
Kill or Be Killed , The Fade Out and A History of Violence explore guilt and ordinary violence. Punisher MAX by Garth Ennis pushes the revenge tale toward brutal realism: one of the character's peaks.
Tier C: the nuggets of the thriller
Incognito crosses superheroes and dark novels, Whiteout transposes the investigation to Antarctica, and Torpedo (Bernet & Abulí) is a 1930s European gangster classic. Three remarkable noir reads, one step below the highs.
To remember
- Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips are the flagship duo of the genre (Criminal, Fatale, Incognito).
- The thriller is a stronghold of the indie, far from superheroes: even if Gotham Central is a brilliant bridge to them.
- Several titles have been adapted for cinema (Sin City, Road to Perdition, A History of Violence).
- Each entry refers to a file or a key number of the site when it exists.
Where to enter crime comics: reading paths
The ranking says what is worth reading, not in which order. Here are paths depending on what you are looking for.
For short, self-contained stories
Criminal (2006), by Brubaker and Phillips, is built as an anthology of criminal fates: each arc reads almost independently of the others. It is the most welcoming entry. Sin City (1991), by Frank Miller, also works in closed stories, very cinematic, in sharp black and white.
For a long-running plot
100 Bullets (1999, Azzarello and Risso) unrolls a vast conspiracy over a hundred issues: you have to accept being carried along without understanding everything at once. Scalped (2007, Aaron and Guéra) demands the same commitment, with a crime-ridden Indian reservation as its setting.
For the police procedural
Gotham Central (2002, Brubaker and Rucka) follows Gotham's police in Batman's shadow. It is the best bridge for a reader coming from superheroes, since the setting is familiar but the tone is that of an investigation.
Following the Brubaker and Phillips duo
Their collaborations read in publication order: Criminal (2006), Incognito (2008), Fatale (2012), The Fade Out (2014) then Kill or Be Killed (2016). Each series changes register: classic noir, dark superheroes, Lovecraftian horror, 1940s Hollywood or a modern vigilante. The common thread is the same attention to the fatality of the characters.
For the European classic
Torpedo (1982, Bernet and Abulí) carries the 1930s gangster into a European auteur comic. Whiteout (1998, Rucka and Lieber) moves the investigation to Antarctica: an original setting for whoever has already read the classics.
Pointers for collectors
- Many of these titles are creator-driven works published outside the big superhero publishers: look for the printing mention on first issues.
- Several were adapted (Sin City, Road to Perdition, A History of Violence): these titles attract new readers with each broadcast.
- To read rather than collect, collected editions are often the most practical format, since short series fit in one or two volumes.
- Record finished series and those still to complete in your tracking: crime comics lend themselves well to a collection by arcs.
Frequently asked questions
Criminal by Brubaker and Phillips is the modern reference, with Sin City for the stylized side and 100 Bullets for the long-term conspiracy.
No. Almost all of this tier list is pure thriller, without superheroes. Gotham Central is the only exception, and again: it is above all a detective story.
By Criminal (short and accessible stories) or Sin City (very cinematic closed stories). Both exist in collections.
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