10 Best Comic Books Of 2018

2. X-Men Red

X-Men Red Vol 1 Hate Machine
Marvel Comics

Although X-Men: Grand Design might be blowing readers away left, right and centre, X-Men: Red has given readers something no other X-Men book has done for a long time - a team for a whole new generation.

Although the book may not be called Uncanny X-Men (that flagship title has only just relaunched as a part of Marvel's mutant resurgence), Tom Taylor and Mahmud Asrar's X-book may as well be. Providing a salient, refreshing and defiant story that places the X-Men allegory right at the heart of the current zeitgeist, Red combines action, suspense and a hefty dose of social commentary to remind everyone why Xavier's group of mutants are such an essential component of the Marvel Universe, with Jean Grey assembling a new team to found a brand new 'Mutant Nation' to rally the oppressed from right across the globe.

It's a thoroughly entertaining read, chockfull of spirit, brilliant dialogue and some excellent art. Asrar's work is vibrant, defined, and benefits massively from Ive Svorcina's immaculate colours, while Taylor nails each and every voice in its cast, carrying his experience on writing All-New Wolverine to this book with Laura and Gabby along with him.

It's simply brilliant, and the X-book both Marvel and its fans have desperately needed for years now. Plus, Nightcrawler has a beard! What's not to love?

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WhatCulture's very own resident movie guy, Ewan has been working in the content creation biz for over 10 years now, having started as a freelance contributor to WhatCulture Gaming all the way back in 2015. After graduating with a First-Class Honours in History from Northumbria University in 2017 (where he won a prize for a totally killer dissertation on the Watergate years), Ewan took on the role of Comics Editor at WhatCulture and quickly developed WhatCulture Comics into one of the biggest superhero-focused channels on YouTube. He followed this with a brief hiatus at Screen Rant in 2021, where he worked across the Gaming and Film sections as a writer and editor, before returning to WhatCulture as a Senior Content Producer / Presenter in 2023. He started his own podcast, We Love Dad Movies, in 2022, and has contributed several written pieces to the Eisner-nominated comics website Shelfdust as well. In his current role, Ewan incorporates his love of cinema, comic books, and history into written pieces and video essays for WhatCulture's Film & TV channel, as well as WhatCulture Gaming and WhatCulture Horror, with a particular focus on nineties-era Dad Movies, old school Westerns, and Golden Age Hollywood Noir. John Carpenter is his fave, and he thinks Batman Beyond should never have been cancelled. If that's your vibe, you'll probably like his stuff.