Before there was a DC Black Label, we had Vertigo Comics, an imprint of comic book publisher DC Comics started by editor Karen Berger in 1993 and dedicated to the publication of comics with adult content. Liberated of the restrictions of DC’s main line, those comics benefited from the larger creative freedom offered to artists and writers who gave us memorable series.
During the 1980s, DC launched a mature readers’ line, and, following the success of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen, this kind of book started to evolve separately from the main line. But the real origin of the Vertigo Imprint was when DC stopped submitting The Saga of the Swamp Thing for approval by the Comics Code Authority. Alan Moore’s book opened the door for a new generation of writers, most of them coming from the UK (the famous British Invasion).
Launched in January 1993, Vertigo Comics offered a mix of new and old series, limited or ongoing, and even graphic novels. The first comic book published under the “Vertigo” imprint was Death: The High Cost of Living by Neil Gaiman and Chris Bachalo (see Death Reading Order). A lot of books followed during the 1990s and 2000s and became classics (some are even in our best comics of all-time list), but the imprint started to slowly lose its appeal. Karen Berger left the company in 2012 and was replaced by Shelly Bond. In 2016, new changes at the head of the imprint did nothing to help save it. In fact, even the return of the Sandman Universe (see reading order) didn’t stop the inevitable. DC announced that, as part of a consolidation into a unified branding, the Vertigo imprint would be discontinued in January 2020.
For a long time, Vertigo was synonymous with quality comics for adults, innovative storytelling, and great art. Here is the list of our favorite Vertigo books. Don’t hesitate to submit yours in the comment section.
The Best Vertigo Comics:
Note: Even if it heavily influenced Vertigo titles, The Saga of the Swamp Thing from Alan Moore was not a Vertigo title. In fact, Swamp Thing joined the imprint with issue #129, during Nancy A. Collins’ run – you can take a look at our Swamp Thing Reading Order for more information. It’s the same story with Grant Morrison’s Animal Man or his Doom Patrol, not Vertigo titles.
1. The Sandman
Clearly, the most notorious Vertigo series, Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman joined the imprint at its launch and alimented it with numerous spin-offs after that. Is it even necessary to add anything about this series? Maybe. After all, there are young readers, they may not be familiar with this eerie, sometimes horrific, often mythical, and extremely influential series that clearly help open new horizons in the mainstream comics world.
For more information, go to our Sandman Reading Order. Also, here is the story: Upon his escape from an embarrassing captivity at the hands of a mere mortal, Morpheus finds himself at a crossroads, forced to deal with the enormous changes within both himself and his realm. His journey to find his place in a world that’s drastically changed takes him through mythical worlds to retrieve his old heirlooms, the back roads of America for a twisted reunion, and even Hell itself—to receive the dubious honor of picking the next Devil. But he’ll learn his greatest lessons at the hands of his own family, the Endless, who—like him—are walking embodiments of the most influential aspects of existence.
2. Hellblazer
The quintessential Vertigo series. Spun-off The Saga of Swamp Thing, Hellblazer started before the creation of Vertigo, but it was its longest series (with 300 issues). Set around the streetwise British magician John Constantine, Hellblazer is pure horror coming from writers like Jamie Delano, Garth Ennis, Mike Carey, Peter Milligan, and more (like Paul Jenkins, Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, Denise Mina, and Andy Diggle) with art from Simon Bisley, Mark Buckingham, Richard Corben, Steve Dillon, Sean Phillips, and more. A lot of the biggest names that are associated with the imprint, and the result is captivating, disturbing, extremely imaginative, and occasionally trippy.
For more information, go to our Hellblazer Reading Order. Also, here is the story: John Constantine is an unconcerned, somewhat amoral occultist with a British working-class background. He’s a hero, of sorts, who manages to come out on top through a combination of luck, trickery, and genuine magical skill.
3. Lucifer
Taking over Neil Gaiman’s creation (from the Sandman Universe), Mike Carey wrote an epic/world-shattering story about free will and the “tyranny of predestination” (with art by Peter Gross and Ryan Kelly). An elaborate narrative filled with captivating themes on a very large scope. Lucifer is one of the best comic books series and had almost nothing to do with the TV adaptation.
For more information, go to our Lucifer Reading Order. Also, here is the story: Since resigning his throne and abandoning his kingdom, Lucifer Morningstar has filled his days supervising a considerably reduced staff at Lux, Los Angeles’ most elite piano bar. The arrival of a once-in-an-eternity job offer, however, is about to put an end to his quiet retirement. The contract comes straight from the Creator Himself, and if Lucifer successfully completes his task, the former lord of Hell can name his own price. But negotiating this particular razor’s edge between opportunity and catastrophe will require all of his legendary subtlety and will–and no small amount of sacrifice. For his part, the Lightbringer is prepared to risk everything to win the power of Heaven’s reward. The Devil’s hands have been idle long enough.
4. Fables
The epic fantasy work of Bill Willingham (with mostly art by the great Mark Buckingham), Fables takes characters from fairy tales and folklore to tell us a massive 150-issue (plus miniseries) story about war, love, and family. A great (and gorgeous) achievement that became an instant classic for all the right reasons.
For more information, go to our Fables Reading Order. Also, here is the story: When a savage creature, known only as the Adversary, conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, the famous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of a modern New York, these magical characters created their own peaceful and secret society, which they called Fabletown. But when Snow White’s party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it’s up to Fabletown’s sheriff — the reformed Big Bad Wolf, Bigby — to find the killer.
5. Transmetropolitan
There are some pieces of fiction that seem to have been written today, even if they are 20 years old. That is the case of Transmetropolitan, written by Warren Ellis and co-created and designed by Darick Robertson. A cyberpunk satire in which a journalist – and his “filthy assistants” – fights the corruption and abuse of power of two successive United States presidents. When the dystopian future feels like today, it’s scary, but also really entertaining and quite brillant.
Here is the story: After years of self-imposed exile from a civilization rife with degradation and indecency, cynical journalist Spider Jerusalem is forced to return to a job that he hates and a city that he loathes. Working as an investigative reporter for the newspaper The Word, Spider attacks the injustices of his surreal 21st century surroundings.
6. Preacher
Created by writer Garth Ennis and artist Steve Dillon, Preacher is a masterpiece. It’s an irreverent, violent, and thought-provoking road trip that pushed boundaries to talk about religion, beliefs, accountability, depravity, love, and friendship with the help of iconic characters. The kind of work that changed the medium and stays with you for a long time.
Here is the story: Jesse Custer was just a small-town preacher in Texas…until his congregation was flattened by powers beyond his control and the preacher became imbued with abilities beyond anyone’s understanding. Now possessed by Genesis–the unholy offspring of an angel and demon–Jesse holds Word of God, an ability to command anyone or anything with a mere utterance. And he’ll use this power to hold the Lord accountable for the people He has forsaken.
7. The Invisibles
Grant Morrison wanted to rewire our brains with The Invisibles, a mind-blowing tale about non-conventional people fighting oppression with time travel and psychic trip. It’s the kind of story you never really know how to describe because it’s just too weird by design. If you want to understand Morrison’s work, you’ll find the keys here, but you’ll need to reread the books multiple times to understand everything. Reading The Invisibles is an experience in itself.
Here is the story: the adventures of The Invisibles, a secret organization out to battle against physical and psychic oppression brought upon humanity by the interdimensional alien gods of the Archons of Outer Church!
8. American Vampire
Written by Scott Snyder with art by Rafael Albuquerque, American Vampire is an ambitious horror tale, a western with sci-fi elements that explore the History of America by injecting monsters into it. A great (and beautiful) adventure in which the scope of the story can’t stop growing leads us to an epic conclusion. A great genre series.
Here is the story: Cunning, ruthless, and rattlesnake mean, Skinner Sweet is a thoroughly corrupt gunslinger. When European vampires come to the American Old West, they turn Skinner into a true monster: the very first American vampire. Skinner becomes something entirely new–a stronger breed of vampire immune to sunlight, who hates every last one of his aristocratic European ancestors. Follow this dark symbol of the New World’s bloody path as he moves through American history’s most distinctive eras–from the Wild West in the 1880s to the glamorous classic Hollywood of the 1920s to mobster-run Las Vegas in the 1930s, and beyond. But as Skinner’s war with his predecessors inspires a mysterious society to rise and fight them both, his most upsetting decision might involve the first person he chooses to join his vampiric ranks: a struggling young movie star named Pearl Jones.
9. Shade, the Changing Man
Like The Invisibles, you can’t talk about Shade, the Changing Man from Peter Milligan without using the word “weird”. A commentary on everything that is not glorious in American culture (from racial tensions to gun violence, homelessness, and more) in the middle of a love story. An exploration of what it means to be human that dealt with controversial topics in a really innovative way.
Here is the story: beginning with Kathy George’s encounter with Shade’s arrival on Earth from his home dimension of Meta – in the body of her parents’ killer. From there, Shade and Kathy journey into America’s collective unconscious to find the evil known only as The American Scream.
10. 100 Bullets
100 Bullets for 100 issues. Written by Brian Azzarello with art by Eduardo Risso, the series started by questioning the willingness of people to act on their desire for violent revenge, then it developed into a complex crime saga. It’s a morality tale that is as dark as it is clever. Also part of our Top Crime Comic Books to Read.
Here is the story: If you were given a chance to kill anyone you wanted, with a guarantee that the law could not touch you, would you take it? That’s the opportunity that a man called Agent Graves provides, in the form of a special case containing a gun, a hundred rounds of ammunition, and total immunity for their use. To the damaged and downtrodden living on the fringes of society, Graves’s offer is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to even their scores. But beyond the fundamental dilemma of whether or not to pull the trigger, there is a deeper and even more troubling question that everyone who picks up the briefcase must ask themselves: Just who is making all of this possible—and why?
11. DMZ
Written by Brian Wood, with art by Wood and Riccardo Burchielli, DMZ is a post-9-11 comic book that offered a compelling commentary about that period of time by installing the war in New York. It’s a worst-case scenario that exposes how bad ideologies led to deaths, and how they are justified by those who validated them. The truth is the first victim, but not the last one.
Here is the story: In the near future, the United States has been plunged into a second civil war — Manhattan, or as it’s now known, the DMZ, has become one of the most dangerous cities in the world, making it the perfect place for aspiring photojournalist Matty Roth to be. With an opportunity to follow a veteran war journalist through the heart of the DMZ, Matty Roth moves to a new and terrifying place with the hopes of making a name for himself. But things quickly go terribly wrong, leaving Matty alone in a world he’d only seen on TV. Can Matty survive in a war zone long enough to report the truth? Will he even know what the truth is…if he finds it?
12. Scalped
Written by Jason Aaron with art by R. M. Guéra, Scalped is about the consequences of bad choices, the story of a man sent on a dangerous journey that led him to the worst place possible. Mixing elements like crime, politics, poverty, drug addiction, and alcoholism, the series focuses on the Oglala Lakota inhabitants of the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation in South Dakota and explores the preservation of cultural identity in a really dark way.
Here is the story: Fifteen years ago, Dashiell “Dash” Bad Horse ran away from a life of abject poverty and despair on the Prairie Rose Indian Reservation. Now he’s back, but this time he’s got something to hide: Dash is an undercover FBI agent sent to investigate tribal leader Lincoln Red Crow, former “Red Power” activist and current crime boss. Surrounded by the same mess of meth labs, murder, and organized crime he thought he’d left behind, Dash must decide how far he’s willing to go—and how much he’s willing to lose—to uncover the bloody secrets of the Rez.
13. Human Target
Another comic written by Peter Milligan, Human Target gave a new life to the character created in 1972 by Len Wein and Carmine Infantino. Milligan takes Christopher Chance on a psychological exploration to question his own self. An espionage series like no other.
Here is the story: Bodyguard to the stars Christopher Chance uses makeup and mimicry to transform himself into the people he protects. Chance is hired to impersonate an aging movie star who’s been targeted by a murdering extortionist. When the threatened actor refuses to pay, the killer strikes, only to discover the able and deadly Chance awaiting him. In the ensuing fight, Chance kills the extortioner. Or does he? The same extortioner is believed to have kidnapped a child star, whose parents hire Chance to find him. In the process of trying to locate the kidnapped teen, Chance takes on the identity of this killer (who turns out to be a nutty failed screenwriter), only to find his own sense of identity, and that of the killer’s, merging into one confusing multiple personalities.
14. The Unwritten
After Lucifer, Mike Carey and Peter Gross teamed up again for another great series, The Unwritten. The idea feels a bit like Fables (there’s even a crossover between the two series), but it follows a different path by exploring the relationship between fiction and human consciousness – It’s also about fame and celebrity. Carey also uses his vast literary knowledge to give weight to his story.
Here is the story: Tom Taylor’s life was screwed from go. His father created the Tommy Taylor fantasy series, boy-wizard novels with popularity on par with Harry Potter. The problem is Dad modeled the fictional epic so closely to Tom’s real life that fans are constantly comparing him to his counterpart, turning him into the lamest variety of Z-level celebrity. In the final novel, it’s even implied that the fictional Tommy will crossover into the real world, giving delusional fans more excuses to harass Tom. When an enormous scandal reveals that Tom might really be a boy-wizard made flesh, Tom comes into contact with a very mysterious, very deadly group that’s secretly kept tabs on him all his life. Now, to protect his own life and discover the truth behind his origins, Tom will travel the world, eventually finding himself at locations all featured on a very special map — one kept by the deadly group that charts places throughout world history where fictions have impacted and tangibly shaped reality, those stories ranging from famous literary works to folktales to pop culture.
15. The Exterminators
Introduced at the time as Six Feet Under with cockroaches, The Exterminators was written by Simon Oliver with art by Tony Moore. It is an unpredictable dark conspiracy comedy. A bit gross, but this smart action horror story has a rich universe and great characters. Unjustly, it’s one of the less known of the great Vertigo titles.
Here is the story: The Exterminators centers on a dysfunctional group of bug killers prowling the barrios and bungalows of Los Angeles — the thinnest point on the shaky borderline between civilization and the violent chaos of nature. Henry James, the newest exterminator, sees the job as a means to cleanse the sins of his dark past. He has a hard time getting his view across to his careerist girlfriend, sociopathic partner, and the general bunch of freaks he calls co-workers. But what the “bug brothers” of Bug-Bee-Gone Co. don’t understand is that human beings may be the true pests — and bugs could be the real exterminators.
