Over the past five years, Tom King has risen to notable prominence in the comic book industry. With numerous Eisner Award nominations under his belt and numerous Eisner Award wins for best writer, King has written numerous popular series with publishers such as DC, Marvel, and Vertigo.
With his first published comic published by a major publisher releasing in 2013, King has a very stylistically distinct means of writing comics often using the classic three by three, nine-panel grid to great effect. Let's delve into the various works of Tom King and examine which serve as the pinnacle of his work by ranking ten of the best comics he's crafted.
10 Heroes In Crisis (2018-2019)
One of the more polarizing works of Tom King, Heroes In Crisis, is a large-scale crossover within the DC universe.
The story takes the form similar to that of a "whodunit," as heroes of the DC universe attempt to figure out who is responsible for many of their fellow heroes' deaths. Heroes In Crisis's biggest strength is its focus on superheroes' mental health, taking an intimate look at how what these heroes do impacts their psyche, even establishing a canonical superhero therapy center in the DCU.
9 Grayson (2014-2016)
In 2014, Grayson is mandatory reading for any fans of King's work, as it was the first full-length series that he'd written.
The series follows Dick Grayson in a period in which he was assuming neither Robin nor Nightwing, rather opting to work as an agent of an organization called syral. The series is an excellent change of pace from many other DC comics and features a tone, pacing, and subject matter reminiscent of 007.
8 Omega Men (2015-2016)
A lesser appreciated work of King's Omega Men was initially a twelve-issue limited series that ran from 2015 to 2016. The series follows Kyle Rayner, who is forcibly recruited into a group of space terrorists known as the namesake Omega Men.
The series follows this group through a myriad of intergalactic exploits that routinely blur the lines of morality. Very few characters in Omega Men are pure, with nearly every character introduced being corrupt or some flavor of evil, bringing the morality of each side introduced in a conflict into question.
7 Strange Adventures (2020-Current)
Strange Adventures has yet to reach its conclusion. A story centered around two under-appreciated heroes of DC, Adam Strange and Mister Terrific.
This limited series uses a DC-based Sci-Fi setting to tell a complex story that details the war's horrors and the dangers of propaganda. The comic notably makes excellent use of a form that utilizes two artists, Mitch Gerads and Evan Shaner, displaying the past in the present in two distinct visual styles.
6 Swamp Thing Winter Special (2018)
Likely the most underrated entry on our list, the Swamp Thing Winter Special is a one-shot written by King and Illustrated by Jason Fabok in 2018. A short, self-contained tragedy, this comic depicts Swamp Thing as he travels through the wilderness in the midst of a blizzard, all trying to ensure the safety of a small child.
Due to the comic's length, it's hard to divulge much more information without getting into spoiler territory. Still, this comic does a stellar job of characterizing Swamp Thing and delving into what makes a monster.
5 Batman (2016-2019)
King's run with Batman is, without a doubt, the longest comics work he's penned. Writing issues one through seventy-five and three annuals, King showcased an excellent understanding of the character of Bruce Wayne, embracing the grittiness and camp of Batman alike.
While not all arcs within his run of Batman are of equal quality, there are numerous noteworthy gems such a "Date Night," which, over the course of two issues, showcases a double date between Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Clark Kent, and Lois Lane. This arc showcases excellent character work and highlights King's strengths with dialogue.
4 The Sheriff Of Babylon (2015-2016)
While most of the work of Tom King falls within the superhero genre, The Sheriff of Babylon is a significantly more grounded comic inspired by King's time stationed in Iraq while working with the CIA.
Set within the year 2003, this comic examines the post 9/11 middle-east, using it as a wartime crime-thriller setting. The Sheriff of Babylon manages to be simultaneously intimate and emotional whilst also being full of gruesome violence and action, in a masterful balancing act.
3 Mister Miracle (2017-2018)
One of Tom King's biggest strengths is the ability to take a character who is lying on the brink of obscurity and place them in the center of masterful work. Mister Miracle follows Scott Free, the namesake Mister Miracle, as he juggles a grizzly war within an alternate dimension with his job as a super escape artist in Los Angeles. The comic features numerous themes ranging from depression, self-worth, and family, splayed across its two distinct halves: the war in Apokolips and life in LA.
It's a bizarre comic that frankly doesn't care if the reader doesn't know what's going on, and that's a great deal of the appeal. While the series may not explain its deeper meanings outright, it allows the reader to say for themselves what Mister Miracle was really about.
2 Batman/Elmer Fudd Special (2017)
A one-shot released in 2017, this special is, without a doubt, one of the most underrated comedic gems in DC's history.
This is a comic that features an archetypical noire inner monologue but from the perspective of the scorned lover, Elmer Fudd, The opening line of the Batman/Elmer Fudd Special is, "Sometimes the wain comes down so hard you forgot that you’ve ever been a day." Need we say more?
1 The Vision (2016)
Released in 2016, Tom King's work on The Vision ties together his strengths in a package that is as cohesive as it is stellar. Following the under-appreciated cybernetic Avenger, the Vision, rather than follow the super-heroics of the character, this comic follows the Vision's life in the suburbs of Washington D.C. with a family he built.
Having more in common with a thriller or horror comic, The Vision satirizes suburban life itself, allowing the family to serve as a caricature of normality.