The best science fiction comics: the tier list

Science fiction in comics is not limited to space opera: it encompasses dystopia, political anticipation, time travel, post-apocalyptic. This tier list brings together the series which build the richest universes and strongest ideas. Criterion: SF ambition combined with narrative mastery.

Editorial Ranks, Facts verified. It is a reading guide.

Tier S: the heights of SF

Sagais the family space opera that reconciled the general public with independent comics.Y: The Last Manimagine a world where all males die except one — masterful social anticipation.East of Westunfolds an apocalyptic SF western of crazy ambition. AndTransmetropolitanis a cyberpunk satire about a journalist in a twisted future.

Tier A: the great universes

Paper Girlsmixes 80s nostalgia and time travel.Go down by Jeff Lemire follows a child robot in a hostile galaxy.The Manhattan Projects rewrites the scientific history of the 20th century, and We Stand on Guard imagine a war between the United States and Canada.

Tier B: inventive anticipation

Ex Machinaintersects superheroes and municipal politics.Low plunges humanity to the bottom of the oceans,Trees imagine a passive alien invasion, and Black Science launches a mad escape across dimensions.

Tier C: the gems of the genre

Injection mixes SF and folklore, Prophet reinvents an old character in a psychedelic space opera, and Copra is a jubilant indie homage to supervillain team-ups. Three demanding and rewarding SF reads, a notch below the peaks.

To remember

• Brian K. Vaughan dominates the genre: Saga, Y, Paper Girls, Ex Machina, it's him.
• SF is a stronghold of indie(Head image), far from superheroes.
• Gender covers everything: dystopia, time travel, post-apo, cyberpunk.
• Each entry refers to a key file or number on the site.

Frequently asked questions