Comic books are a medium that is always charging ahead. Dozens of new comics release every week from a litany of publishers and creative teams, all aiming to tell their own story in the best way they can. Marvel Comics is no different. Marvel released fifty-one new comics this past May, coming from twenty-two ongoing series and twenty-nine limited series, all working together to craft universes that so many incredible heroes and villains inhabit. Countless stories have advanced, ended, and done everything in between. Some will be very important to the Marvel Universe, and others won’t, but sometimes it’s hard to tell which comics fall into which category.
Time, money, and tons of other factors limit how many comics each of us can read each month. With so many opinions on the shelves, it can be hard to know which one to pick, especially if you can only snag one or two. We’re here to help alleviate that problem. Today, we’ll be taking a look at the five best books that Marvel put out in May 2026 and ranking them based on just how great they are. There are plenty of awesome issues, but these five are the cream of the crop, and if you can only pick one book from Marvel this month, it should be one of these.
This issue focused on the fallout from the “Invincible Woman” arc and Marvel’s First Family pitching their ideas for a new Future Foundation. Reed, Sue, and Johnny all had their own ideas of what it should look like, and their fight nearly set the family on fire. Of course, the heart of the issue was Ben, as he saw the truth of what the Future Foundation needed and how they could make it a place that could truly save the world. This was a slow issue that was all about big, emotional questions, and it tackled them with the nuance and light-hearted optimism that both the Thing and Ryan North are known for. This issue will make you smile, without a doubt.
Cyclops is stuck on a mountain without his visor, flying blind, but he’s still the most dangerous person around. This issue saw the reluctant team-up between Scott and the Reaver, Tearjerker. They have a surprisingly good dynamic, with Tearjerker being absolutely terrified of Cyclops, but also calling out how he enjoys hurting his enemies. Scott is the star of the show, demonstrating his unmatched tactical genius and improv skills as he dismantled the Reavers while making it look easy. We also saw Mei take some more agency, pushing to save her fellow mutants against a threat bigger than anything she’s faced. If you’re a fan of watching Cyclops remind everyone why he’s in charge, then this series is definitely for you.
Every month, Mortal Thor continues to blow me away, and this is no exception. We see the tale of Sigurd Jarlson ramp up to a whole new level as he storms the skyscraper that holds his greatest foes. Sigurd is just a man, but he still finds his way through the ever-increasing danger of his situation with nothing but grit, creativity, luck, and a hammer. Pasqual Ferry’s art makes every impact feel heavy, dangerous, and so visceral. This is genuinely some of the most impactful violence in comics in the best way possible, and it doesn’t even feel over the top or needlessly gory. Sigurd’s journey can only get more hectic from here, and it’s guaranteed to be a blast to the very end.
Captain America’s fight for Latveria came to a world-shaking conclusion in this issue. It had a little bit of everything. Between the mystery of the new Doctor Doom clone, the terror of General Ross’s Hulk army, and the hype arrival of another Captain America, this issue had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The massive implications of global power and colonialism are constantly undercut by Steve’s simple desire to save lives, and his willingness to sacrifice everything for a stranger is the heart of this issue and this entire book. The ending is the perfect mix of painful and intriguing, and I’ll definitely be waiting to pick up the next one and see how it ties into the Armageddon even that promises to shake the entire Marvel Universe.
This isn’t just a good comic; this is a generational Moon Knight story. Marc just broke out of a two-week imprisonment by some of his worst enemies, only to find that all of his friends and allies have disappeared into a mysterious haunted house that seems to be growing and eating people. The tension just keeps rising in the best way possible, but what sets this already amazing book over the edge is the art. Dev Pramanik’s pencils and Rachelle Rosenberg’s colors work together to create a grand feast for the eyes that’s on a whole different level from everything else Marvel is putting out. I stopped multiple times to simply admire what I was looking at. This book is pure art in every sense of the word.
Which Marvel comic do you think deserves the top spot this month? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts on the ComicBook Forum!
