10 Best Comic Books Of The Decade

4. Mister Miracle - Tom King & Mitch Gerads

Tom King and Mitch Gerads took everyone by surprise with the release of 2016's Mister Miracle, a comic that reappraised the legacy of Jack Kirby's Fourth World by applying an introspective take to the eponymous escape artist, and the horrors an unending cosmic conflict would presumably inflict on those who couldn't flee its influence.

King and Gerads' grasp on Kirby's signature Fourth World iconography is a highlight, but where Mister Miracle really shines through is in its more personal moments between Scott Free and Big Barda. Their romance is so genuine, while Scott's troubles with depression are relayed unflinchingly. The end result provides readers with an authentic reimagining of one of Kirby's most iconic creations, and that one packs a hefty emotional wallop when it needs to.

There are moments where the book threatens to stall, but it all comes together in the end. Scott and Barda are just so believable as a couple, and while 'last day to live' stories are nothing new, the fact that their romance is so endearing makes the issue where King and Gerads implement that trope almost heart wrenching to sit through.

Issue five, the entry where this story takes place, may just be one of the best I've ever read. It's a beautiful story that effortlessly captures one of comics' most enduring romances, and exemplifies what made King and Gerads' series such a runaway hit when it released in 2017.