Dark Horse (among others) | Years: 1984–present
Dark Horse Comics | Years: ongoing
While the Hernandez brothers occasionally use color, their back-up black and white stories are legendary. Jaime’s ability to draw beautiful women, rock and roll energy, and slice-of-life drama using only a pen is unparalleled. It feels like a punk zine. blacknwhitecomics 20 comics best
by Craig Thompson: A sprawling, beautiful coming-of-age memoir.
by Jason Lutes: A sprawling historical drama chronicling the fall of the Weimar Republic. Love & Rockets Dark Horse (among others) | Years: 1984–present Dark
Often cited as the most important graphic novel in history, Maus is a Pulitzer Prize-winning masterpiece. By depicting the Holocaust with Jews as mice and Nazis as cats, Spiegelman uses stark black and white ink to emphasize the absolute horror and moral clarity of the story. 2. The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
This autobiographical masterpiece uses a deceptively simple, high-contrast, black-and-white art style to depict Satrapi's coming-of-age in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The stark visuals perfectly complement the themes of identity, freedom, and political turmoil. 3. Sin City by Frank Miller By depicting the Holocaust with Jews as mice
This zombie epic is perhaps the most famous modern black & white comic, utilizing stark, gritty art to emphasize the bleak, post-apocalyptic world.
A dense, scratchy, and atmospheric investigation into the Jack the Ripper murders. The messy ink work perfectly captures the soot and grime of Victorian London. 7. Uzumaki by Junji Ito
Running for an unprecedented 300 issues, this epic series began as a simple parody of sword-and-sorcery comics before evolving into a massive, complex examination of politics, religion, and gender relations. 14. Ghost World Creator: Daniel Clowes
A samurai epic that influenced Frank Miller’s style. Kojima’s brushwork is expressive and violent, utilizing heavy inks and stark white space to depict the violent path of the ronin Ogami Itto. It is the gold standard for action inking.