Violent, disturbing, and transgressive comics
Sometimes morbid curiosity gets the better of me. I’m not proud of myself for compiling this list, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have fun making it. It collects comics from various subgenres that explore dark taboo themes, push the boundaries of free speech, don’t shirk from employing gruesome or sexually explicit imagery, or openly seek to shock or offend the reader (but not necessarily all at the same time!).
At this point, I should probably issue a formal warning that while this page doesn’t contain any X-rated material (aside from some tiny risqué cover thumbnails), looking up some of the titles listed here can easily lead you into NSFW territory. Please exercise good judgment.
More pertinently, I should also warn you that some of the comics included on the list are just really, really dumb and trashy. They are exactly the kind of stuff that announces itself as “mature audiences only”, with the clear implication that its content is going to be embarrassingly immature and suitable only for adolescents. While technically they were “recommended” in my sources, it’s clear that references to them function as memes or bad jokes.
Fortunately, it’s not all crude edginess, gratuitous gore, and shock value for the sake of it. While sometimes it’s not easy to draw the line separating nihilistic ultraviolence or titilating sexual extravagance from more artful and thoughtful transgresiveness, a large portion of the included works are at the very least interesting. These comics confront you with striking plot points and imagery in a way that, instead of providing momentary excitement, needs to be processed in some deeper sense, either emotionally or intellectually.
A cursory glance reveals that the list is dominated by a small number of well-known British and American “big name” writers who specialize in various brands of edgy material. I was hoping to include more international comics, as well as more of the niche stuff like the American “outlaw comics” from the 1990s or representatives of the “alternative comix” scene. Fortunately, enough of them managed to squeak in to provide counterweight to various rehashes of the question “what if superheroes were, like, real people and also immoral?”. I didn’t go out of my way to find manga titles suitable for this ranking (partially because I was too meek to explore the more extreme examples of it); the few that are featured on the list were just popular in my general, Western-oriented sources.
If you’re looking for a more general list of horror comics, I’ve compiled one for Western horror and another for horror manga. My list of weird, surreal, and psychedelic comics might also be relevant. And if you prefer some literary edginess and transgression, I refer you to my list of dark and disturbing books.
Crossed
by Garth Ennis and Jacen Burrows
5 figs out of 5
Preacher
by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
4 figs out of 5
The Boys
by Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson
4 figs out of 5
The Punisher MAX
by Garth Ennis and Laurence Campbell
4 figs out of 5
Berserk
by Kenturo Miura
4 figs out of 5
Faust
by David Quinn and Tim Vigil
4 figs out of 5
The Sandman #6 and #14
by Neil Gaiman, Mike Dringenberg, Chris Bachalo, and Malcolm Jones III
3.5 figs out of 5
Neonomicon
by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows
3.5 figs out of 5
Red Room
by Ed Piskor
3.5 figs out of 5
From Hell
by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell
3.5 figs out of 5
Invincible
by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley
3.5 figs out of 5
The Walking Dead
by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore
3.5 figs out of 5
Luther Strode
by Justin Jordan, Tradd Moore, et al.
3.5 figs out of 5
Miracleman
by Alan Moore et al.
3.5 figs out of 5
Hellblazer
by Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, et al.
3.5 figs out of 5
Nameless
by Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
3.5 figs out of 5
The Filth
by Grant Morrison, Chris Weston, et al.
3.5 figs out of 5
Black Hole
by Charles Burns
3 figs out of 5
Transmetropolitan
by Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson
3 figs out of 5
Uzumaki
by Junji Ito
3 figs out of 5
Prison Pit
by Johnny Ryan
3 figs out of 5
Brat Pack
by Rick Veitch
3 figs out of 5
Nemesis
by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
3 figs out of 5
Sin City
by Frank Miller
3 figs out of 5
Saga
by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
3 figs out of 5
Über
by Kieron Gillen and Caanan White
3 figs out of 5
Supergod
by Warren Ellis and Garrie Gastonny
3 figs out of 5
Irredeemable
by Mark Waid and Peter Krause
3 figs out of 5
Requiem Vampire Knight
by Pat Mills and Olivier Ledroit
3 figs out of 5
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
by Jhonen Vásquez
3 figs out of 5
Scalped
by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra
3 figs out of 5
Hard Boiled
by Frank Miller and Geof Darrow
3 figs out of 5
Stray Bullets
by David Lapham
3 figs out of 5
Crossed: Wish You Were
by Simon Spurrier and Javier Barreno
3 figs out of 5
Bomb Queen
by Jimmie Robinson
3 figs out of 5
The Pro
by Garth Ennis and Amanda Conner
3 figs out of 5
No Hero
by Warren Ellis and Juan José Ryp
3 figs out of 5
The Unfunnies
by Mark Millar and Anthony Williams
3 figs out of 5
Batman: Arkham Asylum (A Serious House On Serious Earth)
by Grant Morrison and Dave McKean
3 figs out of 5
Black Summer
by Warren Ellis and Juan José Ryp
3 figs out of 5
Wanted
by Mark Millar and J.G. Jones
3 figs out of 5
Spawn
by Todd McFarlane
2.5 figs out of 5
Kick-Ass
by Mark Millar and John Romita Jr.
2.5 figs out of 5
Watchmen
by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
2.5 figs out of 5
Lost Girls
by Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie
2.5 figs out of 5
Ruins
by Warren Ellis, Terese Nielsen and Cliff Nielsen
2.5 figs out of 5
Beautiful Darkness
by Fabien Vehlmann and Kerascoët
2.5 figs out of 5
100 Bullets
by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso
2.5 figs out of 5
Sex Criminals
by Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky
2.5 figs out of 5
Saga of the Swamp Thing
by Alan Moore et al.
2.5 figs out of 5
The Authority
by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch
2.5 figs out of 5
Marshal Law
by Pat Mills and Kevin O'Neill
2.5 figs out of 5
Verotika
by various
2.5 figs out of 5
The Furry Trap
by Josh Simmons
2.5 figs out of 5
Ultimatum
by Jeph Loeb and David Finch
2.5 figs out of 5
Ferals
by David Lapham and Gabriel Andrade
2.5 figs out of 5
Lobo
by Keith Giffen & Alan Grant
2.5 figs out of 5
The Crow
by James O'Barr
2.5 figs out of 5
Black Kiss
by Howard Chaykin
2.5 figs out of 5
We3
by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely
2.5 figs out of 5
The Mask
by Doug Mahnke and John Arcudi
2.5 figs out of 5
Boiled Angel
by Mike Diana
2.5 figs out of 5
Nailbiter
by Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson
2.5 figs out of 5
Locke & Key
by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez
2.5 figs out of 5
The Goddamned
by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guéra
2.5 figs out of 5
Criminal
by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
2.5 figs out of 5
Blackgas
by Warren Ellis and Max Fiumara
2.5 figs out of 5
Ice Cream Man
by W. Maxwell Prince and Martín Morazzo
2.5 figs out of 5
Hitman
by Garth Ennis and John McCrea
2.5 figs out of 5
Big Man Plans
by Eric Powell and Tim Wiesch
2.5 figs out of 5
Kill or Be Killed
by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
2.5 figs out of 5
RanXerox
by Stefano Tamburini and Tanino Liberatore
2.5 figs out of 5
Bedlam
by Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo
2.5 figs out of 5
Providence
by Alan Moore and Jacen Burrows
2.5 figs out of 5
Evil Ernie
by Brian Pulido and Steven Hughes
2.5 figs out of 5
Fell
by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith
2.5 figs out of 5
Old Man Logan
by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven
2.5 figs out of 5
Crossed +100
by Alan Moore, Simon Spurrier and Gabriel Andrade
2.5 figs out of 5
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
by Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill
2.5 figs out of 5
Something is Killing the Children
by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera
2 figs out of 5
Gravel
by Warren Ellis, Mike Wolfer, and Raulo Cáceres
2 figs out of 5
Wytches
by Scott Snyder and Jock
2 figs out of 5
Marvel Zombies
by Robert Kirkman, Sean Phillips, et al.
2 figs out of 5
God is Dead
by Jonathan Hickman , Mike Costa , et al.
2 figs out of 5
Fury MAX: My War Gone By
by Garth Ennis and Goran Parlov
2 figs out of 5
Caligula
by David Lapham and German Nobile
2 figs out of 5
The Biologic Show
by Al Columbia
2 figs out of 5
Hack/Slash
by Tim Seeley, Stefano Caselli, and Federica Manfredi
2 figs out of 5
The Invisibles
by Grant Morrison
2 figs out of 5
The Metabarons
by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Juan Giménez
2 figs out of 5
Druuna
by Paolo Eleuteri Serpieri
2 figs out of 5
Gantz
by Oku Hiroya
2 figs out of 5
Southern Bastards
by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour
2 figs out of 5
Ichi the Killer
by Hideo Yamamoto
2 figs out of 5
Crossed: Psychopath
by David Lapham , William Christensen, et al.
2 figs out of 5
Monsters
by Barry Windsor-Smith
2 figs out of 5
Severed
by Scott Snyder , Scott Tuft , et al.
2 figs out of 5
Colder
by Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra
2 figs out of 5
East of West
by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta
2 figs out of 5
Chew
by John Layman and Rob Guillory
2 figs out of 5
Gideon Falls
by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino
2 figs out of 5
Shaolin Cowboy
by Geof Darrow
2 figs out of 5
Ed the Happy Clown
by Chester Brown
2 figs out of 5
Terror Assaulter: O.M.W.O.T. (One Man War on Terror)
by Benjamin Marra
2 figs out of 5
Batman: The Killing Joke
by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland
2 figs out of 5