mike
4 Issues
Jun 6, 2026
Staff
Ranked
Best Single-Issue Comics Ever Written
The greatest standalone single issues in comics history, stories so complete and powerful that they stand alone as masterpieces without needing to be part of a larger arc.
#1
Watchmen
Watchmen (1987)
1
Watchmen #1 opens Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's masterwork, introducing the Comedian's murder mystery and a world where the existence of a real superhero has upended global politics.
#1
Issue #1
Batman: The Killing Joke (1988)
Jul 01, 1988
2
Batman: The Killing Joke is Alan Moore's definitive Joker story, a single issue that redefined both characters and sparked decades of debate about how dark superhero comics should go.
#15
Spider-Man!; The Bell Ringer; The Man in the Mummy Case; There are Martians Among Us
Amazing Fantasy (1962)
Jun 05, 1962
3
Amazing Fantasy #15 is the most important single issue in Marvel history, introducing Peter Parker as Spider-Man and establishing the moral foundation of the entire Marvel universe.
#1
Superman, Champion of the Oppressed
Action Comics (1938)
Apr 18, 1938
4
Action Comics #1 from 1938 is where it all started, the debut of Superman and the birth of the superhero genre itself in a single 13-page story.
Comments
0 CommentsSign in to join the discussion
Sign In to CommentNo comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
