Xombi

Author: John Rozum

DC was killing it in the 1990s by introducing new comic imprints that were geared towards specific audiences. The Milestone Universe was an attempt to draw a multi-cultural audience by presenting comics with black, Hispanic, and Asian lead characters like Static, Icon, and the Blood Syndicate. Xombi was certainly the best title of the bunch, as it served as Milestone's answer to DC's Vertigo comics. More adult than the other Milestone titles, it tells the story of Dr. David Kim, a researcher who ends up injecting himself with nanomites, microscopic robots, who end up making him functionally immortal, though they also devour his lab assistant as a part of repairing him on their first go-round. The stories were dark, mixing magic and science to tell a story of a man who may or may not want to die but can't in a world that may or may not want him to exist. This theme is a big part of what made Xombi so great, and one that makes it a title that is worth seeking out. The art of Denys Cowan is wonderful, and would influence artists throughout the 1990s and 2000s. Why it's on the list: The Milestone experiment didn't quite catch on, but it left this fantastic comic that even Alan Moore loved.