Girl Genius is a long-running comedy/drama adventure following the story's namesake, Agatha, through an alternate history Europe whose Renaissance age had a much greater helping of mad science and conquering warlords. It's hard to encompass in words just how stellar Girl Genius is; the visuals come courtesy of a veteran artist employing his unique and expressive art style to its fullest, the writing is smart and entertaining, the plot is deep and well-planned, its world-building imaginative and full of character, and there are now several books worth of content to dig into.
Speaking of long-running stories about girl geniuses in imaginative worlds, Gunnerkrigg Court follows Annie and Kat as they attend school in a city where technology and mythology clash. What originally started off as a fairly simple episodic story about their adventures in school has steadily evolved over time first into uncovering the mysteries behind the Court and its creation to discussions on the nature of existence, the blurring lines between magic and science, the growth of artificial intelligence and self-identity, while still having time for an endearing coming-of-age tale.
A combination of many things, including its name, Paranatural is a cross between X-Men and Ghostbusters, a blending of action, drama and comedy, a stylistic mix of western comics and manga. Features great writing, characters and expressive artwork.
Unabashedly silly and outlandish, Dr. McNinja runs so far past your suspension of disbelief that it loops back around and starts to make perfect sense; I mean, just look at that cover page. Again, great writing and characters, it strikes a good balance of dramatic, meaningful moments without ever taking itself too seriously; this is very much a comedy, first and foremost. Also one of the few comics listed here that's actually completed.
In a similar vein, Sam and Fuzzy features plenty of helpings of wacky comedy and character drama, but leans more heavily on the dramatic side as it goes on; its long-running plot meaningfully touches on themes of identity, self-esteem, trust and the status quo even while revolving around a succession crisis for a mafia of ninjas and a tiny talking bear.
If you were caught up in the Game of Thrones craze of the past few years and looking for more "adult" fantasy featuring a grand scope, a deep but grounded world and a plot that jumps around between several different viewpoints and story threads that slowly brings them together to sink your teeth into, Drowtales definitely won't disappoint. Much like with GoT, Drowtales pulls few punches when it comes to the violent realities of war and social strife, but there's a lot to love following the stories of its young heroines as they mature into adulthood and find their places in the world.
While we're on that subject, Guilded Age follows that vein of fantasy with a bit of a darker, grounded edge, though with plenty more comedy to keep things leaning on the light-hearted side.
Books
The Urban Fantasy genre at its finest, The Dresden Files is the now-sixteen-book saga of a private detective who also happens to be a wizard, struggling to eke out a humble existence in a world brimming with supernatural powers butting heads just behind the scenes of modern society. It's hard to understate the masterful craft of the writing, the depth of the world-building and plots or the wit and charm of its characters.
A unique gem I've found, Foundryside could best be described as cyberpunk set during the Industrial Revolution: its setting and plot revolves around the technology to inscribe commands on objects that allow them to defy the laws of physics, taking the concepts of computer programming, hackers and gigantic corporations and reimagining them in interesting ways.
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