10 Best Short Marvel Comics

Marvel Comics has dominated the industry since the Silver Age, with energetic and exciting heroes like Wolverine, Spider-Man and Captain America leading the pack. Having long surpassed DC’s position in the market, the titanic company has decades of stories that are required reading for any true comic book fan. While many of these come from classic runs by the likes of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, there have also been some fantastic recent stories.

Marvel Comics is home to some of the most iconic characters in fiction, and the universe has too many stories to count. While the company is best-known for its long runs from legendary creative teams, some of the best stories can be read in one go. Ranging from emotionally-driven graphic novels to action-packed miniseries and seminal story arcs, the company has a long list of compelling stories that can be enjoyed in a short period.

10 Killmonger (2018)

Bryan Edward Hill and Juan Ferreyra

In line with the 2018 Black Panther movie, Bryan Edward Hill wrote a story that examines the motivations and character of T’Challa’s enemy, Erik Killmonger. In this miniseries, the character’s origins and motivations are explored, beginning with the murder of his father by Ulysses Klaue, and his family’s subsequent exile from Wakanda. Swearing vengeance against both, he trains himself to be the best that he can be, later joining a group of mercenaries.

Killmonger works well both as a standalone exploration of Black Panther’s best villain and a companion to the 2018 film, touching on the same themes of cultural displacement, ostracism, lost identity and revenge. Hill’s story explains the rise of one of the universe’s deadliest killers, while also delivering a great revenge plot.

9 Silver Surfer Rebirth (2022)

Ron Marz and Ron Lim

Created by Jack Kirby, the Silver Surfer has long been one of the most iconic — and powerful — beings in the Marvel Universe. Once the Herald of Galactus, the character broke free from his master, and became a hero of the cosmos. In Silver Surfer Rebirth, the cosmic superhero is tasked with recovering the stolen Reality Gem, which is being used by its new owner to warp events.

Silver Surfer Rebirth doesn’t just explore the hero at his best, it also delivers a fantastic Mar-Vell story, whose son plays a major role in the outcome. Set back in the days of Marz and Lim’s original run on the character, this miniseries is pure fan service to long-time Marvel readers, borrowing from DC’s own “Rebirth” line of miniseries.

8 Civil War (2006-2007)

Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

Marvel’s Civil War takes the ideological rift between key Avengers, namely Iron Man and Captain America, and drives them over the edge, breaking up the team. The story revolves around the regulation of superheroes when a New Warriors mission goes awry, resulting in the death of more than 600 people. In response, the government attempts to create a registration of heroes, sharply dividing Avengers, X-Men and others over the proper course of action.

While the story is told as a major event, Millar and McNiven’s mostly contained Civil War miniseries remains a classic of modern Marvel Comics. Not only does the story break down the philosophical differences between major heroes, but it also challenges the ethics of unregulated superheroes, and the dangers associated with them. Pitting iconic heroes against one another, the miniseries is a good tour of Earth-616.

7 Predator vs. Wolverine (2023)

Benjamin Percy, Greg Land, Ken Lashley, Andrea Di Vito, Kei Zama and Gavin Guidry

Predator vs. Wolverine follows the crossover grudge match of the decade, exploring a years-long feud between Logan and the Yautja hunters. Told across several decades, the miniseries shows two of pop culture’s greatest killing machines in non-stop combat, notably clashing during the Vietnam War. Highlighting the skills of both warriors, the story culminates in a final showdown in the Canadian wilderness.

Predator vs. Wolverine follows Logan from the turn of the century to the jungles of Vietnam, proving him the greatest prey the Yautja have ever hunted. The series is a love letter to ’80s action movies as much as an excellent crossover, delivering the Predator its best grudge match since Judge Dredd.

6 The Maestro Trilogy (2020-2022)

Peter David, German Peralta, Dale Keown, Pasqual Ferry and Javier Pina

During Peter David’s original tenure on The Incredible Hulk, he created the Maestro, a futuristic, cynical version of the Hulk, who lived in the aftermath of an apocalypse. Along the way, he is forced to take on heroes and villains alike, with everyone from the Golden Age Human Torch and Namor to Doctor Doom and Abomination challenging him.

The Maestro trilogy encompasses three miniseries: Maestro (2020), Maestro: War and Pax (2021) Maestro: World War M (2022). Together they make up one of the most action-packed stories to come out of recent Marvel, exploring the future Hulk’s quest for dominion over the wastelands. Replete with everything from nostalgia from David’s original series and Golden Age Marvel history to Kaiju-levels of monster action, the trilogy is a must-read for all Hulk fans.

5 The Death of Captain Marvel (1982)

Jim Starlin

While readers may think of Carol Danvers or even DC’s Shazam when they hear the name Captain Marvel, the title was originally held in the Earth-616 universe by Mar-Vell. In Jim Starlin’s graphic novel The Death of Captain Marvel, Mar-Vell is given a heartfelt, albeit tragic, send-off as he realizes that he has cancer. Confined to a bed as the disease brings him closer to death, the hero is visited by heroes and villains alike, all of whom reminisce, weep and make amends with the Silver Age hero.

The Death of Captain Marvel remains something of an unusual story, even if just for what many would view as an unceremonious death of a classic hero. However, Starlin manages to make even those who’ve never read a Mar-Vell story empathize with the cosmic superhero, while also revisiting old rivalries and friendships. Here, readers can see Marvel’s greatest characters in a non-action setting, instead mourning the demise of a hero and paving the way for a new era of the mantle.

4 “Old Man Logan” (2008)

Mark Millar and Steve McNiven

“Old Man Logan” takes readers away from the regular adventures of Wolverine and into a broken future, one styled after post-apocalyptic Westerns. The story follows an older Logan, one filled with regret after Mysterio tricked him into murdering his fellow superheroes. Now living a quiet life in the wastelands with his wife and son, the former hero lives in the shadow of despotic villains, such as the Hulk Gang. In order to provide for his family, the hero agrees to drive a blind elderly Hawkeye across America, to deliver a secret package to a contact.

“Old Man Logan” blends elements of the Western and dystopian genres into an epic road trip through various territories controlled by super villains. With a harrowing conclusion, the story remains one of Wolverine’s best tales, as well as a fantastic entry point for the character.

3 “X-Men: Days of Future Past” (1981)

Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austin, John Romita Jr and Bob McLeod

The X-Men’s success under Chris Claremont helped make it one of the hottest books of the comic book industry in the 1980s. In few stories was this made clearer than “Days of Future Past,” which follows the mutants’ attempt to prevent a horrific dystopian future from coming to pass. The story follows Kitty Pryde as her consciousness is sent back in time from the future to her younger body, where she wakes up and seeks the aid of the present-day X-Men. After convincing them she’s telling the truth, they set out to prevent Mystique from assassinating Senator Kelly.

Days of Future Past has rightly earned its reputation as one of the key, defining X-Men stories in the team’s history, exploring humanity’s xenophobic treatment of the mutants. In an all-too realistic tale, the heroes fight Sentinels, and stand against a literal genocide being carried out against mutantkind.

2 Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star (2021)

Daniel Warren Johnson

Created by Walt Simonson, Beta Ray Bill has been a fan-favorite hero of the Thor mythos for decades. In 2021, Daniel Warren Johnson gave readers one of Marvel’s greatest space-based adventures in a series that follows Bill on a quest to find a replacement for Stormbreaker, so that he can revert to his Korbinite form. Living in the shadow of Thor’s bravado, he begins his quest, soon joined by Skurge the Executioner and Pip the Troll as he travels through the Nine Realms.

Johnson’s Beta Ray Bill miniseries is one of the best showcases of his dynamic art, sending the hero on a cosmic odyssey that shows him every bit as worthy a hero as Thor. Reading like a blend of dark fantasy, science fiction and action, Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star can make even a newcomer fall in love with Simonson’s character.

1 Fantastic Four: Full Circle (2022)

Alex Ross

The Fantastic Four helped usher in the Silver Age for Marvel Comics, and the combination of Stan Lee’s writing and Jack Kirby’s art revolutionized the company’s image for readers. In 2022, Alex Ross left his mark on the family of heroes in Full Circle, a story that returns to the iconic “This Man, This Monster” tale from Fantastic Four #51 (Lee and Kirby). Here, the heroes discover the form of the scientist from that story, only to realize he’s made of living energy. In order to deal with the situation, they venture into the Negative Zone, where they come face-to-face with Annihilus.

Fantastic Four: Full Circle is a good story that’s elevated by Alex Ross’ masterful art, adopting a style that pays homage to its 1950s and ’60s influences. For readers who want to enjoy the foundational heroes of modern Marvel Comics through the art of a master, it doesn’t get much better than Full Circle.