I Read Comic Books’
Best Comic Books of 2025
Thousands of comic books were published in 2025.
These are our top picks.
Mike
Assorted Crisis Events
W: Deniz Camp
A: Eric Zawadzki
C: Jordie Bellaire
L: Hasan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Image Comics
No one is writing comics this raw and vocal about the state of the western world like Deniz Camp. Paired with Eric Zawadzki, Assorted Crisis Events has been the hardest comic to read every month in 2025 but the first I read each week it is released. I refuse to look ahead at previews because I know whatever this team has to say is worth my reading. I cannot express how powerful and important this comic has been in 2025.
Sleep
W/A: Zander Cannon
Publisher: Image Comics
What can I say about a comic I feel like I know so much and so little about at once? Zander Cannon has delivered us a mysterious story about one man’s life physically and metaphysically falling apart through the guise of unseen black and white horror and snaps of lost time. While the final issue has yet to be released, this has been a must-read for me since issue 1 and no matter where the final issue goes I am certain that I will be riveted by its ending.
Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma
W: Ram V
A: AnandRK, Butch Guice, Mike Perkins
C: Mike Spicer
L: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC
This was a comic that would have breezed past me had it not been suggested to me by my pal CK. To me, this comic seemed to beg the question of: What is it to die a perfect death? Perhaps that wasn’t the intended meaning, but with issue 1 I was hooked on the premise and the absolutely spectacular art in this book. All said and done, I am still flabbergasted at how perfectly thought provoking and perfectly super-hero-bullshit this comic is by the end. Bravo, team.
DROME
W/A: Jesse Lonergan
Publisher: 23rd Street
Drome is a tome of an OGN. A massive story inside of a massive physical object that deserves the time and attention to each page as a testament to Jesse Lonergan’s ability to play with how you read within the comic book medium. I was dumbfounded with just how fun and impressive this book was, reminding all of us that you do not need much if any dialogue to tell an incredible story.
The Corus Wave
W/A: Karenza Sparks
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
I’ve been an advocate of Avery Hill Publishing’s Kickstarters for a while, so when the campaign for The Corus Wave went up, I was all in to grab myself a copy of what looked like a cute, fun romp through a fictional English town. Through The Corus Wave, Karenza Sparks delivers a perfectly paced story that rewards you page after page as you discover the mysteries of the titular phenomenon as things progress. Sparks’ art style combines a modern day light-hearted, rounded character aesthetic with a clear passion and love for architecture and geography–something that I would not have worked well in comic form before reading this book! This book was a true delight and I cannot wait to see what Sparks’ next release looks like.
Meat Eaters
W/A: Meredith McClaren
Publisher: Oni Press
Meat Eaters is a story that twists on the supernatural (or “Creepies” in this tale) and rides a very fine line between horror and college-age uncertainty of one’s place in the world. It never once rides directly inside of one genre and it’s that smart dashing between things that keeps you glued to the pages of this OGN. I have to say that McClaren’s art has consistently been such a beautiful treat for me since I first found her work. Her use of character expressions and rounded linework always forces me to readjust myself while reading and with Meat Eaters, that continues to be true.
Kate
Spent: A Comic Novel
Writing / Art: Alison Bechdel
Coloring: Holly Rae Taylor
Shadowing: Jon Chad
Publisher: Mariner Books
Alison Bechdel’s Spent is a laugh-out-loud autofictional graphic novel that follows a fictional version of Bechdel as she frets over money, privilege, and what it means to “do something” amid Trumpism, late-stage capitalism, and the climate crisis. What makes it hit so hard is how the artwork carries both the jokes and the ache, with a playful color scheme and a looser, more fluid page rhythm that lets scenes breathe. Politically sharp and structurally sure-footed, it is also deeply tender about community and care.
The Once and Future Riot
W/A: Joe Sacco
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
Joe Sacco's latest gripping work of comics journalism is about the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, showing how contested memories, misinformation, and political opportunism turned a local flashpoint into sectarian violence. His dense black-and-white draftsmanship and tightly organized pages turn on-the-ground testimony into a clear, relentless narrative that is meticulous and haunting.
This Beautiful Ridiculous City
W/A: Kay Sohini
Publisher: Ten Speed Graphic
Kay Sohini’s This Beautiful, Ridiculous City is a sharp, big-hearted graphic memoir about immigrating from Kolkata to NYC. Her use of color and design is beautifully controlled, moving between saturated city scenes and quieter, more intimate compositions that mirror the emotional volatility of starting over. By pairing her personal story with clear-eyed attention to power and precarity, from housing and gentrification to the grind underneath the glamour, This Beautiful, Ridiculous City earns its place as one of 2025’s best.
How to Say Goodbye in Cuban
W/A: Daniel Miyares
Publisher: Anne Schwartz Books (an imprint of Random House Children’s Books)
Daniel Miyares’s How to Say Goodbye in Cuban is a tense yet tender graphic novel based on his father’s childhood during the Cuban Revolution. Miyares’s ink-and-watercolor art does the heavy lifting, using warm tropical tones and inky shadows to make childhood details feel immediate and the growing danger feel inescapable. It stands out because it holds the personal and the political in the same frame, turning a sweeping historical event into an intimate story of love, fear, and resilience.
Kait
The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel
Writer: Maggie Stiefvater
Adapted By: Stephanie Williams
Art: Sas Milledge
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
This graphic novel is based on the first book in The Raven Cycle novel series. It combines the YA, supernatural, mystery, and romance genres all in one character-driven story. I had been excited about this adaptation since it was announced and I’m equally excited that the graphic novel will be getting a sequel.
Ginseng Roots
W/A: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Pantheon Books
Like all Thompson’s works, this book is a brick and absolutely worth reading. It’s part memoir and part informational comic about the history and industry of ginseng. I could stare at the art all day.
We Could Be Magic
W: Marissa Meyer,
A: Joelle Murray
This is a whimsical and charming story of a girl who works at a large, popular amusement park. She makes friends, gets into good trouble, and learns to stand up for herself.
Helen of Wyndhorn
W: Tom King
A: Bilquis Evely
C: Matheus Lopes
L: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Dark Horse
Helen returns to her family estate after the death of her novelist father. She gets to know her mysterious grandfather, uncovers family secrets, and goes on great adventures. The Eisner this book earned was well-deserved.
Paul
Batman: Dark Patterns
W: Dan Watters
A: Hayden Sherman
I: Triona Farrell
L: Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: DC
This is, for my money, the best Batman comic of 2025. Instead of reimagining the character (like Absolute Batman) or relying on nostalgia (Hush 2), Watters and Sherman tell a series of detective stories that take Batman to the darkest parts of both Gotham and his own mind. Sherman’s art is as always fantastic and nightmarish at times. A perfect series for both Batfanatics and casual fans alike.
The Knives: A Criminal Book
W: Ed Brubaker
A: Sean Phillips
C: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Spread the word around, because the boys are back in town. Brubaker and Phillps return to the world of Criminal with a comic that feels both familiar and ambitious at the same time. While revisiting characters from previous Criminal stories, The Knives feels more narratively playful than some of their other work as the story bounces from different times and places. It;s yet another masterpiece of crime comics from two of the very best.
Absolute Martian Manhunter
W: Deniz Camp
A: Javier Rodriguez
L: Hasan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: DC
Between this and Assorted Crisis Events, 2025 was a banner year for friend of the show Deniz Camp. This is a bold and creative reimagining of one of DC’s oldest characters that also feels like a book that pushes the limits of the genre itself. Rodriguez’s art is always unique, and here it captures the mind-expanding take on J’onn J’onzz perfectly.
Zach
The Power Fantasy
W: Kieron Gillen
A: Casper Wijngaard
L: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
This book has been one of my favorite, “crunchy,” titles of this year. Gillen’s look at the idea of superheroes, and how, realistically, they might play a role in global politics. Specifically if they were so powerful as to render the idea of nuclear war pointless (since what they could do in a heartbeat would be so much worse). The idea that the doomsday clock is almost always at 11:59, and remains there only because the 6 “atomics” are able to keep the peace with one another keeps tensions high. Along the way there are lots of philosophical takes that I have enjoyed (as each of these atomics is very different in their approach to being gods among us. This is more about the conversations had than any battles that could occur.
The Power Fantasy really feels to me like Gillen releasing any built of pressure from working on books for Marvel, and taking his crazier, often more high brow ideas that came to him while writing stuff like Immortal X-Men, and just unleashed them onto the pages. If you missed it in 2025, I suggest jumping in in 2026.
Spectrum
W: Rick Quinn and Dave Chisholm
A: Dave Chisholm
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Mad Cave has been putting out a lot of great comics, and I’d list this one as part of that trend. It’s a bit weird. It’s a tale about a dimensional war that’s been raging forever, all based in human creativity. Art. But mostly through music as a means of magic…sorta. We follow Melody as she learns her place in a battle for the universe. Along the way we break into very Box Brown biographical featurettes about famous musicians (almost all made up for this comic) and how their music affected the people and world around them. Driving that idea that music and art as a whole can change the world. The art is kinda nuts, and can take a bit to get used to, but it fits with this wild tale really well, and eventually you come to realize this story couldn’t be told without it. It’s part Harry Potter, part Star Wars, part Tenet, part musical biography. It’s all over the place, but in a great way.
Nick
Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees: Rite of Spring
W/A: Patrick Horvath
L: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Production/Design: Nathan Widick
Publisher: IDW
Not merely satisfied to just spend 2025 penning one of its best single issues with Free For All (Oni Press), Horvath also kicked off the follow up to his acclaimed 2023 miniseries, Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees (IDW). What began as 1980s “catch me if you can” murder spree at the hands, err, paws of an anthropomorphic bear named Sam, has masterfully pivoted into a mid-90s game of cat and mouse bear and duck. With Rite of Spring, Horvath has given us someone to root for, dialed up the tension, and forced Samantha’s sadistic extracurriculars to navigate a world that now includes DNA, the World Wide Web, and other scientific/technological advances that emerged in the eight years that transpired between miniseries. Somehow, Horvath is responsible for one of the coziest, and simultaneously, grossest reads of 2025.
Lazarus: Fallen #-1-6 (Volume 8)
W: Greg Rucka
A: Michael Lark
C: Santiago Arcas
L: Ariana Maher
Production/Design: Eric Trautmann
Publisher: Image
Thirteen years ago, Lazarus debuted as a terrifyingly prescient warning shot across the bow of global sociopolitics. These days, Greg Rucka isn’t so much the bespectacled and beanie-sporting Nostradamus of yore, but that’s only because his work is now less of a prediction and more of a depiction of current events. That said, while those looking for “escapism” or “easy breezy fun” in their comic choices should continue to peruse the stacks, Rucka, Lark, and their cohorts are still creating some of the most realized worldbuilding ever seen in comics. If anything else, the book just paid off a thirteen-year-old mystery established in the very first issue. If that’s not commitment, what is?
Out of Alcatraz
W: Christopher Cantwell
A/L: Tyler Crook
Above and beyond any sort of pithy critique I can offer regarding Out of Alcatraz, let me ask the question: WHO in the comic book community has John Malkovitch’d my brain for comic book ideas? A follow-up; WHY does this person think the stuff I enjoy is capable of amassing dollars, or awards…or somehow, both?
And yet here we are, with one of my “top 5” writers and “top 5” artists weaving a speculative fiction yarn about the fabled Alcatraz escape of June 1962. Those unfamiliar with the events can rest assured they’ll be brought up to speed, as Cantwell is less interested in musing over the minutiae of the breakout than he is figuring out what these escapees intend for their hard-fought freedom. Ultimately, it’s both the gorgeously-rendered thriller that’ll have you pouring over panels for a second and third viewing…and a thought piece that slyly asks how a handful of white felons on the lam are still able to move through society more unfettered than the marginalized characters.
Danny
Ultimate Spider-Man
(Special shout out to the rest of the Ultimate line)
W: Jonathan Hickman
A: Marco Checcetto & David Messina
C: Matthew Wilson
L: Corey Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
This is the best Spider-Man book on the shelves, allowing Peter to grow up and have a family is the best thing that could ever happen. Hickman unravels the mysteries, and the twist and turns at every step and the art team delivers the action and big bombastic superhero moments with precision and it’s so cool!
This Place Kills Me
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
A: Nicole Goux
Publisher: Abrams Books
On the surface this book is a little school mystery in the style of a Nancy Drew type of story, but once you dig deeper this is also a coming of age story about someone in a new place just looking for acceptance. Nicole Goux’s illustrations ranges from dream like scenarios, to scary hallways and vacant forests all, the way to the most heartbreaking moments in a young girl’s life. One of those books you cannot put down, once things get going
Daredevil: Cold Day In Hell
W: Charles Soule
A: Steve Mcniven
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The last Daredevil story that ever needs to be told. Steve McNiven manages to reach a new gear and take this apocalyptic world to another level. Charles Soule’s understanding of the character of Daredevil / Matt Murdock is masterful. It delivers on the action, the thrills, the cameos and surprises but overall closes out with hope and that is the best thing to come out of this book
Absolute Batman
(Special shout out to the rest of the Absolute line, especially Wonder Woman & Martian Manhunter)
W: Scott Snyder
A: Nick Dragotta, Daniel Warren Johnson, Meredith McClaren, Jock, James Harren, Marcos Martin
C: Frank Martin
L: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
The reinvention of Batman continues and this year takes its darkest turn as Snyder and company continue to deconstruct the character and the essence of Batman. Every artist that steps into this book leaves their mark with big and bold ideas. There is action and a big mystery that continuously unravel - this book anchors the Absolute Universe.
Paloma
Neighborhood Craftsmen: Stories from Kanda's Gokura-chou, Vol. 1
W/A: Akihito Sakaue
Publisher: Yen Press
Tower Dungeon
Tsutomu Nihei
Publisher: Kodansha
Batman (2025)
W: Matt Fraction
A: Jorge Jimenez
Publisher: DC Comics
Cannon
W/A: Lee Lai
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly