This year, The Beat is bringing you more Best Of lists than ever before — including a brand new look at kids comics — but it all starts today with our Best Comics of 2025 selections.
Put simply, these are the comics our staff loved most during the past 12 months. All of the site’s contributors were invited to add to this list, with a (soft) cap of three choices. As such, our Best Comics of 2025 is not so much editorial consensus, as it is a patchwork of selections made by the diverse folks who write for our site each day. And it clocks in at more than 60 comics this year.
Here’s hoping you find a book (or two…or ten) to love from the selections below…cheers!
Absolute Batman 2025 Annual
Writer/Artist: Daniel Warren Johnson
Colors: Mike Spicer
Lettering: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
It goes without saying that the Absolute line has been a massive win for DC. These new takes have hit a chord with modern readers, and the reason why is perhaps best exemplified with this year’s Absolute Batman Annual, specifically the main story from writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson. Even before the release, there was buzz surrounding how the book tackles the rise of white supremacy in the country.
While I’d be lying if I didn’t admit experiencing some catharsis in seeing the Caped Crusader giving racist nationalists what they deserve, it’s a nuanced exploration that neither condemns nor condones Batman’s actions. At a time when media often hesitates to take political stances of any kind for fear of potentially aliening any audience segments, it’s quite applaudable for both Johnson and DC to tackle such a hot button issue with a deep level of sensitivity. Despite certain opinions to the contrary, this story is a reminder that comics shouldn’t be afraid to comment on world events. — Taimur Dar
Absolute Martian Manhunter
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Javier Rodriguez
Lettering: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: DC Comics
There’s not a doubt in my mind that the best superhero book on shelves right now is Absolute Martian Manhunter, a masterpiece in utilizing the form of comics. A psychedelic and Pynchon-esque neo-noir romp through the city of Middleton, and the strange psyches of its residents, this book is staggering, with every issue pushing the creative team further into the depths of their character’s mind and the horrors that lurk within.
At the center of it all is a man crumbling into pieces, his family splintering apart, as he feels like an alien in his own home. This is the type of comic that’s so good, people will look back on how brilliant it must have felt to read it as it was coming out. So pick it up, read it, and make sure to hold certain pages towards the sunlight. — Jared Bird
Absolute Wonder Woman
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artists: Hayden Sherman, with Matias Bergara, Mattia De Iulis, Dustin Nguyen
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: DC Comics
The appeal of Absolute Wonder Woman starts with its aesthetics, courtesy of the superstar talent of artist Hayden Sherman. This is Wonder Woman as a goth Disney Princess; a sorcerer raised in Hell who wields a giant sword. So much of this series rests on the powerhouse talent of Sherman and their sense of design, not just the look of characters but the world surrounding our hero and, crucially, on the page itself. Between this and Batman: Dark Patterns, Sherman is emerging as a generational talent.
Combined with excellent, character-driven writing from superstar Kelly Thompson, every issue of Absolute Wonder Woman delivers thrills and feels. Joining Thompson and Sherman as stellar rotating artists are Dustin Nguyen (for cute backups of li’l Diana), Matias Bergara, and Mattia De Iulis, each of whom add their own stunning visuals. This book is easily a top contender for 2025’s best superhero comic. — Tim Rooney
Ancestral Recall
Writer: Jordan Clark
Artist: Atagun İlhan
Colors: Pippa Bowland
Lettering: Rob Steen
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
With the enticing elevator pitch of Black history meets Everything Everywhere All At Once, this sci-fi miniseries from Ahoy has been a true treat this year. I am always interested whenever a creative team sets out with intention to meet the moment. And Jordan Clark and Atagun İlhan are absolutely speaking to us right now, taking in subjects like forced disappearance, the proliferation of automation, and, of course, historical censure — all while keeping the story firmly rooted in vibrant characters. Playful and serious, historical and decisively present, Ancestral Recall is a joy and a prompt. Great, great comics. — Adam Karenina Sherif
Assorted Crisis Events
Writer: Deniz Camp
Artist: Eric Zawadzki
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Image Comics
Deniz Camp has put together an impressive body of work, and Assorted Crisis Events is perhaps his best book to date. Time is in a constant state of crisis. Cavemen and fascist soldiers mingle with immigrants and dinosaurs suffering through bouts of erratic time shifts.
Camp and artist Eric Zawadzki use an anthology format to craft stories that contemplate our current struggles while exploring the genre trappings of classic DC Crisis events. One story in particular follows an immigrant unstuck in time that goes through the trials and tribulations of leaving one’s home to settle and adapt in a new land that is alternate parts wondrous and heartbreaking. Assorted Crisis Events was one of this year’s most inventive comics. — Ricardo Serrano
Basket
Writer: Paco Moccand
Artist: Marie Derambure
Letterer: Steph Bulante
Publisher: Lucky Pocket Press
Done in an art (brut) style that takes my breath away, Basket is sketchy, scribbled, and delicate. Just like the underdog local girls’ basketball team. They get along better on the court than off, but that doesn’t mean that out there they don’t have each other’s backs.
The life stuff is pure shojo, whip smart, on point, and in a whirlwind of (indie zine scene) styles. Once the shot clock starts, things get psychedelic. Perspective montage and multiple-exposure action and long lens high focus all overlap. A visual story of static motion and emotion. Ball is life. Oh, also, will they win the big game? — Arpad Okay
Batman: Dark Patterns
Writer: Dan Waters
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Triona Farrell
Publisher: DC Comics
For me the best Batman comic this year (that is not in the Absolute Universe) has been Batman: Dark Patterns. The series has a lot of factors working in its favor with one of them being its focus on the detective side of Batman. Most Batman comics eschew one of the character’s central conceits in favor of massive action set pieces, but writer Dan Waters instead opts to focus on the detective work.
Another factor working in the series’ favor is Hayden Sherman and Triona Farrell’s art. The composition is layered with rich watercolors and figure work. The expressions on Sherman’s faces combined with the piercing colors of the characters’ eyes are visually striking. Dark Patterns is just such a well-constructed and well-executed Batman comic that it deserves to go down in the canon alongside all of the other great evergreen Batman stories. — Jordan Jennings
Batman: Full Moon
Writer: Rodney Barnes
Artist: Steven Subic
Publisher: DC Comics
It takes vision to create a truly frightening, menacing, and imposing werewolf. They’re violence personified (but with a lot more fur and teeth). Stevan Subic makes his mark in this arena with his werewolf designs for Batman: Full Moon, written by Rodney “Killadelphia” Barnes.
A Lycanthrope is loose in Gotham and Batman has to stop it. Easy, clear, and to the point. But there’s purpose to the classic werewolf setup here. Barnes and Subic give themselves a lot of space to dig into the pain that comes with becoming such a thing. They build their werewolves as creatures whose viciousness is more a reflection of their humanity rather than their monstrosity. Subic makes sure that quality comes through visually, and it makes for some of the best werewolves seen anywhere in recent times. — Ricardo Serrano
Beat It, Rufus
Writer/Artist: Noah Van Sciver
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Beat It, Rufus is Noah Van Sciver’s element: an acerbic, unflinching, and humane portrait of a man left behind by time. Rufus—an aging, hair-metal hopeful clinging to the glory days that died with his bandmates decades ago—is both absurd and painfully relatable. Van Sciver depicts him with the sympathetic scrutiny he gives his most delusional characters (e.g. Fante Bukowski of Fante Bukowski infamy), avoiding easy moral lessons in favor of a deeper exploration: a study of human limitations.
Rufus’s hallucinatory journey through regret, nostalgia, and, frankly, self-deception becomes a meditation on cultural obsolescence and the personal myths we construct to make sense of the harshest of realities. Expressive cartooning and lettering, paired with a color palette that shifts between wistful melancholy and vivid psychedelic chaos heighten every moment. Instead of offering hope for redemption, Beat It, Rufus lingers on the uneasy truth: some dreams inevitably sour but they still merit some kind of understanding. — AJ Frost
Black Arms to Hold You Up
Writer/Artist: Ben Passmore
Publisher: Pantheon Books
This thoroughly-researched account of Black American history is at turns informative, evocative, and darkly funny. Integral but lesser known historical moments are explored through the eyes of a cartoon Ben Passmore, who is sent catapulting through time by his absentee father. Passmore faces white supremacy head-on and draws clear connections between the past and present, all without losing his signature storytelling style. It’s a feat not just for graphic novels, but for art as a whole. — Samantha Puc
Black Ritual: The Book of Nyx
Writer: Thomas Healy with Todd McFarlane
Artist: Nat Jones
Lettering: Andworld Design
Publisher: Image Comics
Nyx has been one of my favorite characters in the Spawn universe since she appeared way back to nurse an amnesiac Al Simmons back to health. And releasing Mammon upon the Earth. A lot has happened since then, including saving the world a few times, her disappearance, death, and recently her status as Queen of Hell. Before that, though, this series sets to fill in some of the gaps and points to a potential new future.
Thomas Healy, Nat Jones, and Andworld Design work to expand on the role of magick in Spawn’s Universe in this occult-laden murder mystery. All in an accessible way that doesn’t require reading all of her previous adventures. — d. emerson eddy
Bowling with Corpses & Other Strange Tales from Lands Unknown
Writer/Artist: Mike Mignola
Colors: Dave Stewart
Lettering: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
This is magic. In printed, visual form. Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is one of my favorite continuing narratives ever. Even after the “main” narrative ended (at least briefly), how it wove new stories into the gaps was still wonderful. Since then, we’ve seen Mignola do a few projects with other worlds, and now he’s back writing and illustrating these fables in a new world.
They’re absolutely stunning. Short little tales that feel familiar, but are new, breathing life into a new mythology of dragons, ghosts, vampires, and corpses that bowl. Building on the feel and style of past masters like Howard, Dunsany, and Lovecraft, but with that inimitable sense of humor and charm that Mignola infuses in his work. — d. emerson eddy
Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland
Cartoonist: Kasia Babis
Publisher: 23rd Street Books
Polish cartoonist and political activist Kasia Babis’s graphic memoir Breadcrumbs: Coming of Age in Post-Soviet Poland offers a compelling dual portrait: one of a young woman’s evolution from rebellious teenager to engaged political activist, and another of Poland’s turbulent shift from communism to capitalism. A kind of graphic autoethnography, the book uses Babis’s personal history to illuminate a period of Polish history that may be unfamiliar to many readers.
What makes Breadcrumbs especially powerful is Babis’s ability to weave these parallel narratives into a story that speaks to humanity’s universal struggles: the oppression of women, the grip of Catholic conservatism, and the limitations faced by progressive movements. Throughout, Poland’s past resonates with the present, mirroring political tensions in the United States and underscoring the importance of grassroots resistance in the face of rising fascism. — Ollie Kaplan
Cannon
Writer/Artist: Lee Lai
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
In her sophomore graphic novel, cartoonist Lee Lai provides yet another masterclass in character-driven storytelling. Through engrossing queer-platonic relationships and devastating (yet relatable) family dynamics, we witness the unravelling of the eponymous Cannon, a chef whose life has in no way come together the way she might have hoped. Lai employs a monochromatic color palette and animal imagery to give visual weight to Cannon’s anger, regret, and grief, creating a deeply intimate, tension-filled narrative that’s hard not to stay enmeshed in even well after turning the final page. — Samantha Puc
Closer
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colors: Tamra Bonvillain
Lettering: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
This one-shot was an arrestingly thoughtful and fun self-contained story that is one of my favorites of the year. The blending of music and comics here turn the metaphorical into something literal, making for a beautifully absurd story about closure. The art stuns with colors that fly off the page. I have caught myself thinking about the titular song and in turn this story. Its meditation amidst the chaos takes a moment to question relationships and specifically their endings. What better place for that exploration than a one-shot? — Khalid Johnson
The Confessional
Cartoonist: Paige Hender
Publisher: Silver Sprocket
A coming-of-age story like no other, The Confessional by Paige Hender is about power, sex, patriarchy, appetites, and unholy unions. Starring Cora, a forever 21-year old vampire who was thrust into having a new power set in the backdrop of 1920s New Orleans, The Confessional follows her journey to embracing her new powers and letting go of old ones through her tumultuous relationship with Father Thibodeaux. To say anymore would spoil the book. A hell of a debut. — E.B. Hutchins
Cornelius: The Merry Life of a Wretched Dog
Cartoonist: Marc Torices
Translated by: Andrea Rosenberg
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Cornelius opens with a lie: the several hundred pages we are about to read are a snapshot of the 300-year history of the iconic, Mickey Mouse-like cartoon mascot of the fictional nation of Maiame. This lie sets up a dizzying, fragmented narrative of metafiction and humor, the story of a loathsome tramp in the trappings of a beloved kids cartoon. The book is structured, sort of, as a series of strips in differing art styles meant to represent different eras in the publication history of Cornelius. Of course, they all form together to tell a bigger story so that artifice, too, is a lie.
Throughout, Marc Torices hides footnotes around the edges of the page, leading you to the backmatter annotations that outline the fictional history and controversies of Cornelius and the company that publishes the character. Altogether, it’s a glorious, postmodern condemnation of “good guy” narratives and screed against the exploitation of art for capital and an industry that churns through cartoonists. Torices embraces influences as varied as Camus and Mickey Mouse, Matt Furie and Neon Genesis Evangelion. It’s a surreal journey and a towering accomplishment. — Tim Rooney
Crush Depth
Writers: David “DB” Andy & Tim Daniel
Artist: Alex Sanchez
Colours: Kurt Michael Russell & Jason Finestone
Lettering: Justin Birch
Publisher: Mad Cave
I’ve been very impressed in recent years of how well Mad Cave has been building up the breadth and depth of their catalogue. From their licensed comics, young adult line, and expansion of bespoke creator-owned works.
Fitting in that latter is this deep sea body horror from DB Andry, Tim Daniel, Alex Sanchez, Kurt Michael Russell, Jason Finestone, and Justin Birch that fits well within the realm of films like Leviathan and Deep Star Six. The story is set at a breakneck pace, as the Absolution’s science officer is set between two timeframes, one trying to get off the ship and one earlier as an outbreak takes hold of the vessel. It hits all the right notes as it leaves you struggling to breathe. — d. emerson eddy
Cry When the Baby Cries
Writer/Artist: Becky Barnicoat
Publisher: Gallery Books (US), Jonathan Cape (UK)
Cartoonist Becky Barnicoat (The New Yorker, The Guardian) turns to longform for her debut graphic memoir: a warts and all retelling of becoming a first-time mom that is as darkly hilarious as it is emotive and insightful. Through comics, surreal charts and wry diagrams, she draws you into her unique story — and is perfectly willing to go the extra mile with gross-out humour. Split across 17 chapters, she turns key moments of her personal journey into a well-formed story that moves you by the final page. — Dean Simons
Daystar
Writers: Aaron Losty and Matt Emmons
Artist: Matt Emmons
Letterer: Becca Carey
Publisher: Second At Best Press
Absolutely gutting. Give a mouse a man’s mind and he’ll tell you the truth: sentience sucks. A bizarre, haunting twist on post-apocalypse survival stories. Whatever it is that crashed in the woods changed everything. The creatures started getting smarter. And then stranger.
Matt Emmons has a kind touch. Aaron Losty is a sadist. Together they defy genre, taking a horror concept and playing it out like a sword and sorcery tale, only without weapons or magic. And everyone is a little guy in the Beatrix Potter fashion: Mouse the Forager. One Bad Spider. The Deer Without a Face. An unforgettable comic, try as you might. — Arpad Okay
Death of Copra
Writer/Artist: Michel Fiffe
Publisher: Copra Press/Image Comics
Damn, is this really the final time I’ll be able to throw Copra onto The Beat’s best comics of the year list? But wow, what a way to go out. Death of Copra #1-4 (aka Copra #46-49) had the adrenaline dial set to 11. Michel Fiffe pulled no punches, and, as the title implies, not everyone made it out alive.
Copra #50, the final issue of the series, was a great send off to the characters that didn’t fit into Death of Copra, and it’s a terrific capstone on the series. Now bring on the oversized Copra Master Editions! — Billy Henehan
Demon Summoner Gash Gash
Cartoonist: Connor McCann
Publisher: Strangers Publishing
This book is bananas. Magical hero girl trying to save the world, or at least her brother. Maybe even herself. Cut off a piece of your body and trade it in for a wish granted or the answer to an awful question answered; a boon. By the end, though, will there be anything left of anyone to save? Not if the dimension-consuming centipede has its say.
Rendered in the style of a Kozik cartoon disemboweling industrial music concert poster, of course. Doom, vulnerability, whimsy, and so, so much gore. A sick, twisted delight to read. — Arpad Okay
Dimwood
Writers: Richard Corben, Beth Corben Reed
Artist: Richard Corben
Colors: Richard Corben, Beth Corben Reed, José Villarubia
Lettering: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Books
A final word from Richard Corben, my goodness. Dimwood is the original graphic novel Corben was working on at the time of his death in December 2020. Finished after his passing by his daughter Beth Corben Reed and long-time Corben collaborator José Villarubia, Dimwood sits perfectly alongside other late-period Corben works like the Lovecraftian Ragemoor and the Edgar Allan Poe-inspired Shadows On The Grave.
A gothic artist in the truest sense, Corben’s capacity to visualise real-world malaise through his monsters remains utterly unique. And with a core theme of decay, Dimwood is a timeless tale that responds to the then-present moment of 2020 (and beyond, in truth). Nudging any work across the threshold in the artist’s absence is always a tricky, complicated thing, but I applaud Corben Reed and Villarubia for their work supporting this beautiful last act from an unparalleled comics creator into the world. — Adam Karenina Sherif
The Dissident Club
Writer: Taha Siddiqui
Artist: Hubert Maury
Colorists: Elise Follin & Ariane Borra
Translator: David Homel
Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
An engrossing, highly readable graphic memoir about Taha Siddiqui’s upbringing in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, his decision to become a journalist, and the course of events that led him to become a political exile. Taha’s fascinating recollections and sometimes painful observations are complemented by the levity instilled by artist Hubert Maury to keep you turning every page. A really interesting book. — Dean Simons
Drome
Writer/Artist: Jesse Lonergan
Publisher: 23rd Street
As I wrote in my Drome review, I’ve been a fan of cartoonist Jesse Lonergan for some time, following him through a string of excellent work, including the over-sized newsprint stunner, Hedra, and his fantastic Mike Mignola collaboration, Miss Truesdale and the Fall of Hyperborea. With a loose-yet-finely-honed aesthetic and a playful approach to breaking panel layout, Lonergan felt like a budding master cartoonist, in search of an emphatic masterpiece.
Well, that masterpiece is here. Clocking in at over 300 pages, Drome is a blend of creation myth and disembodied, feudal sci-fi action blood struggle. It’s a book about stories, about colors, about art, and about appealing to our better natures. It’s engrossing, and it will get you in equal parts with what it has to say about the foundations of the universe as well as with badass sword fighting scenes. It is, put simply, one of 2025’s true must-read comics. — Zack Quaintance
The Fables of Erlking Wood
Writer/Artist: Juni Ba
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Designer: Jeff Powell
Publisher: Goats Flying Press
Juni Ba added to his already-strong body of comics work this year with the publication of The Fables of Erlking Wood, which was lettered by Aditya Bidikar. One could be forgiven for flipping through this new book and thinking it was simply a set of stories within a shared world. And it is indeed that. It makes it clear from the opening page.
But as the book progresses, its many characters and throughlines also cohere into a fully-realized, thematically-united graphic novel. Add to that Ba’s rich and singular artwork, and the end effect is a poignant and rewarding book, a must-read for all lovers of great comics storytelling. — Zack Quaintance
Future Me Is Fat
Writer/Artist: Molly Cronin
Publisher: Conundrum Press
Cartoonist Mollie Cronin’s debut graphic novel is a semi-autobiographical sci-fi exploration of bodies both in time and out of it, as she travels to the past and future using the scale at her doctor’s office as a time machine. Mollie meets her ancestors, her younger selves, and her descendants, and in each scene learns something about how fatness is perceived (or could be perceived).
As in her social commentary cartoons, the writing is sharp and incredibly poignant, but Future Me Is Fat truly shines through Cronin’s art. One spread in particular imagines the cosmos as a beautiful fat person, and the adulation of abundance as a throughline is so beautifully rendered it’s actually breathtaking. — Samantha Puc
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero
Writer: Larry Hama
Pencillers: Chris Mooneyham, Paul Pelletier
Inkers: Chris Mooneyham, Tony Kordos
Colors:Francesco Segala
Lettering: Pat Brosseau
Publisher: Skybound/Image Comics
While the Energon Universe gets the lion’s share of the attention in the Skybound era of Hasbro comics, don’t sleep on the OG series, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. Continuing the same story he began in the early 1980s over at Marvel Comics, G.I Joe legendary writer Larry Hama is bringing the heat in this new era. And don’t forget the stellar art, divided between Chris Mooneyham some months, and the team of Paul Pelletier and Tony Kordos other months.
G.I. Joe hasn’t looked this good in a long time. Every time I finish a new issue, I’m looking at that back page to see how long I have to wait until the next one. — Billy Henehan
The Giant
Writer/Artist: Youssef Daoudi
Publisher: 23rd St.
What does it mean to remember an artist? Do we hold our memories based on their successes, their failures, or what they leave behind? The Giant is a descent into the life and times of Orson Welles as he works within and outside of the Hollywood system as it, time and time again, stabs him in the back and breaks his heart. And yet, one can’t help but love the game. One of art’s greatest con artists unfolding himself before our very eyes. — Sean Dillon
Ginseng Roots
Writer/Artist: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Craig Thompson returns to autobiographical comics with Ginseng Roots, a partial sequel to his magnum opus Blankets, and also an exploration of Ginseng farming across the world and history. By blending together the personal and intimate with the statistical and factual, Thompson creates an informative and entertaining read that always feels emotional and, at its core, deeply human.
It’s a book unafraid to let itself be nuanced and live in the ambiguous areas of travel writing and memoir, with Thompson reflecting honestly and vulnerably on his career as he gets older, as well as how it makes him feel to see an industry he grew up in change and modernize, leaving him behind. It’s exquisitely drawn too, with Thompson’s gorgeous style making every page impressive, be it complex information or small, intimate moments with other people. The end result is a huge, impressive book that never loses sight of the ties that bind us, around the world and across time. — Jared Bird
Hello Sunshine
Writer/Artist: Keezy Young
Publisher: LB Ink
Of the works that I’ve reviewed this year for The Beat, Hello Sunshine remains my favorite. A ghost story wherein the secret monster lurking within is self-loathing and also demons. A Scooby-Doo pastiche that transcends the stereotypes to become something special. An absolute riot of a book, highly recommended to all. — Sean Dillon
Holy Lacrimony
Writer/Artist: Michael DeForge
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Channeling the experiences of Billy Pilgrim, Michael DeForge plants protagonist Jackie—the saddest man in the world—on an alien planet where he’s asked to teach its inhabitants how to be sad. The aliens don’t have any concept of sadness. For them, it’s performance art. But after he successfully teaches the aliens how to perform sadness (per their rubric, which isn’t entirely clear), he returns to earth and finds community with others who have apparently been contacted by aliens themselves—authenticity pending. This book is bizarre, and a little bit stiff, and terribly melancholy. And it’s excellent. So it goes. — Samantha Puc
Hunger
Writer: Nihaarika Negi
Artist: Joe Bocardo
Colorist: José Villarrubia
Publisher: The Lab Press
Colonialism and horror speak the same language when it comes to portraying human suffering. Nihaarika Negi and Joe Bocardo’s Hunger is well aware of this, but its focus isn’t just on the pain colonizers inflict on the colonized. Rather, expectations are flipped to focus on the oppressed and their ability to create monsters of their own to resist systemic abuse.
The story is set in 1896 Bombay under British rule. A mutated woman is being kept in a concentration camp as a photographer is called in to take pictures of her. Little does anyone know that the monster have the upper hand, and they know revenge can be quite exquisite. Fans of Clive Barker and early Vertigo comics will find a lot to love here. It’s a story that cares for its monsters in the same way that Tod Browning’s Freaks cares for its sideshow performers. This is the type of weird we need more of. — Ricardo Serrano
Insectopolis
Writer/Artist: Peter Kuper
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Kuper imagines a world taken over by insects, but instead of a horror story, it’s a world teeming with life, as talking insects explore the New York Public Library and their place in history. This dazzling book explores the intersection of humans and oft-ignored beetles, bugs and butterflies with spectacular visuals: double page spreads, winding balloons and minute details suited to tiny insects. The history of humans who connected with insects—Rachel Carson, Victor Nabokov, and more—also get their due.
It’s also a story of wonder: a monarch butterfly suddenly perceiving the magnetic field that is bringing her home is a magical moment of satori. Kuper has produced many excellent comics, but he truly outdoes himself with this masterpiece of art and science. —Heidi MacDonald
It Rhymes with Takei
Writer: George Takei
Story Adapters: Steven Scott and Justin Eisinger
Artist: Harmony Becker
Colors: José Antonio Villarrubia
Lettering: Nathan Widick
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
In activist and actor George Takei’s latest graphic memoir, It Rhymes with Takei, he recounts his life in the closet and why, at 68, he decided to come out. An emotional read every time, Takei’s memoir blends humor with a thoughtful undercurrent of activism as he explores how differences, both visible and invisible, shaped how he expressed himself as a gay Asian man, how the silent harassment he experienced slowed his journey toward self-actualization, and how the advocacy of other civil rights activists working on the gay marriage movement encouraged him to publicly break his silence on his sexual orientation.
With the current uptick in the U.S. administration’s attempts to erode the queer community’s legal protections, Takei’s story of resilience, political activism, and personal conviction is (unfortunately) as timely as ever—not only because it draws parallels between the early 2000s fight for marriage equality and today’s fight for trans rights, but for the clarity with which it celebrates a life lived boldly and publicly, without apology, a way of living my life that I strive for. — Ollie Kaplan
Kaya
Writer/Artist: Wes Craig
Colors: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Publisher: Image Comics
Kaya by Wes Craig is, for my money, the best ongoing comic on the stands, and everyone else is playing for second. Craig’s imagination runs wild on every page, drafting beautiful and evocative imagery, inventive panel layouts, and pure magic. Where else will you find an evil robot empire fighting lizard men and toxic monsters? The story is archetypal, but what makes this book special is the craftsmanship and the purity of its endeavor to build something timeless and grand in scope.
As the series dives into its second half, Craig is unafraid to break the status quo that has been working so well and drop our heroes alone into the wilderness. Joining Craig is colorist Jason Wordie, who adds a lush, painterly style that gives the series a modern storybook feel. Tom Napolitano continues to push the lettering in new ways, playing into Craig’s inventive paneling and making bold choices with balloons and SFX I’ve not seen before. Every page of Kaya sings with pure artistry as this book solidifies itself as one of the best titles of the decade. — Tim Rooney
The Knives
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist/Letterer: Sean Phillips
Colors: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips make their triumphant return to the world of Criminal nearly six years after we last inhabited it, delivering the first original graphic novel in the series. The Knives is a gargantuan, sprawling story, bouncing between time and places and characters with ease, but it never feels obtuse or impossible to figure out. It feels like the threads tying together various characters in the long-running comic are finally coming together, with the series entering the modern day for the first time as Jacob Kurtz tries to deal with someone attempting to scam a wealthy relative of his.
Sean Phillips and his colorist/son Jacob Phillips deliver some of the best work of their careers, with the book looking gorgeous even in the small, unimportant moments, and Brubaker is working at a remarkable level here, making every moment count without the story becoming cluttered or needlessly complex. With more Criminal on the horizon, it’s good to be back, and the team has shown absolutely no signs of wear and tear, seemingly only improving as it goes. — Jared Bird
Lucas Wars
Writer: Laurent Hopman
Artist: Renaud Roche
Translator: Jeremy Melloul
Publisher: 23rd St.
Lucas Wars is a beautifully illustrated and emotionally resonant biography of George Lucas that reimagines him not as a mythical figure, but as a flawed and resolute individual. Instead of glorifying his legendary status, the book delves into the restless and creative mind that conceived Star Wars. The book takes its time to emphasize Lucas’s insecurities, the challenging collaborations that molded him, and the arduous process that nearly derailed his iconic saga.
Hopman and Roche concentrate on Lucas’s most vulnerable moments: initial setbacks, executive conflicts, and the friendships that salvaged the film from failure. Consequently, they present an intimate and sincere portrait that unveils the determination, self-doubt, and unwavering willpower required to construct an entire universe from nothing. This comic serves as a candid reminder that revolutionary art often originates with a solitary and idiosyncratic creator who refuses to succumb to defeat. — AJ Frost
Mafalda
Writer/Artist: Quino
Translator: Frank Wynne
Publisher: Elsewhere Editions
Mafalda is a great kid who happens to hate soup and has more questions about geopolitics than her parents or friends can handle. Quino’s playful, existential cartoons strike an incredible high-wire balance, published during Argentina’s first Military Junta era.
This delightful volume from Elsewhere Editions marks the first time Mafalda has officially been translated into English for distribution outside of Argentina. The character is a global comics icon and while long overdue, it’s fantastic to see this amusing, historically-important strip make its debut in our market. — Adam Karenina Sherif
Magick Lantern
Writer: Jinx and Shaky Kane
Artist: Shaky Kane
Publisher: Floating World Comics
There really was no other comic like Magick Lantern this year, or really any other year. Once again Shaky Kane, with co-writer Jinx, creates a comic that’s weird, funny, and genuinely unexpected. To describe this comic too much would do a disservice to the joy of surprise that one gets coming in cold.
All of that said, this comic is laugh-out-loud funny on every page. It’s a particular sense of humor, but if you love the absurd, then this is the perfect book for you. No one makes comics like Kane, and Magick Lantern is further proof of that. — D. Morris
Meat Eaters
Writer/Artist: Meredith McClaren
Publisher: Oni Press
Recently converted ghoul Ashley has to navigate her new state of life (or unlife) as she encounters all the things that go bump in the night. Meredith McClaren’s take on horror is both hilarious and haunting, with darkness that lies on the edges. Absent or abusive parents, along with other very human horrors, are the real terrors in this book.
Still, McClaren is also okay with putting actual monsters in this, and her gift for creature design, as seen in her work on Black Cloak, gets put to good use here. Ultimately, this is a story about finding friends and oneself even if life goes into totally unexpected, potentially horrifying directions. — D. Morris
Metamorpho, The Element Man
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Steve Lieber
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Ferran Delgado
Publisher: DC Comics
The phrase “criminally underrated” gets thrown around a lot (by me), but to no comic has it applied more this year than to Metamorpho, The Element Man, the DC Comics series from writer Al Ewing and artists Steve Lieber and Lee Loughridge. So criminal was this book’s underratedness that the fabulous freak’s ongoing adventures were cut entirely too short after just six issues, but oh what a wonderful six issues they were.
This series was a love letter to Metamorpho’s creators—Bob Haney and Ramona Fradon—in every way imaginable, from Ewing’s throwback-style scripting to Lieber and Loughridge’s’s vibrant visuals. The team perfectly captured the way-out weirdness of the ’60s’ swinging-est superhero, integrating elements (pun definitely intended) from across the character’s decades-long history, resulting in a rich redefinition of Rex Mason’s backstory and place within the larger DC Universe. Truly one of the most fun Big Two comics of the past few years. — Joe Grunenwald
Milk White Steed
Writer/Artist: Michael D. Kennedy
Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly
Milk White Steed is a singular work, and I am personally very glad for its publication this year by D&Q. With an easy confidence in his distinctive visual language, Michael D. Kennedy weaves together a beautiful set of West Indian British folk tales.
Unafraid of diasporan specificity, Milk White Steed traverses the UK’s Midlands across decades (with occasional stops in outer space). And with rich, inky textures and mood-making magical realist colors, this dreamy book really rewards unhurried, intuitive reading. — Adam Karenina Sherif
The Moon is Following Us
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Creators & Artists: Daniel Warren Johnson & Riley Rossomo
Colorist: Mike Spicer
Letterer: Shawn Lee
Publisher: Image Comics
The Moon is Following Us is another entry into Daniel Warren Johnson’s collection of comics about the emotional challenges of parenting. If Do a Powerbomb! is about wrestling with the loss of a parent, The Moon is Following Us is about what lengths parents will go to in order to fight for their child. Johnson’s signature art style is complemented by Riley Rossmo’s equally dynamic aesthetic. They both work from the same school of thought and are able to equally capture the absurd as well as the heartbreaking. Mike Spicer’s coloring helps bridge the gap between the two artists to the point where it is hard to tell which page was done by which artist.
The Moon is Following Us captures the ugly strife and beautiful joys of parenting. As a parent myself, I teared up reading the final two issues of the series. It’s one of the best comics to come out this year, and I implore everyone to enjoy this magnificent piece of work. — Jordan Jennings
More Weight
Writer/Artist: Ben Wickey
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
This is a tome with an Alan Moore quote on its front cover. It’s very hard not to just point at that and be done with it. A haunting of New England told through the lens of one of its cruelest ghosts. A story about power and those who wield it purely for petty, petulant reasons. An empathetic look at people who have caused harm, both great and small. And an engagement with what inspires us to create art. Also, it uses the exact same Bela Lugosi quote as Thomas Pynchon’s Shadow Ticket. — Sean Dillon
The Once and Future Riot
Writer/Artist: Joe Sacco
Publisher: Metropolitan Books
If pioneer comics journalist Joe Sacco investigates a topic, I know he’s going to do it justice. Based on that trust, I picked up The Once and Future Riot knowing nothing about the Indian region of Uttar Pradesh or its 2013 riot that is the subject of the book. I was rewarded with an insightful and gripping work (with plenty of cultural context for outsiders like me), exploring how cycles of sectarian violence begin—and what fuels them to continue—through the lens of one specific conflict.
Sacco’s interviews and portrayals of the events he hears are immediate, visceral, and personal, yet his conclusions remain balanced and fair. Be prepared for some difficult scenes, though it is not as graphic as some of his wartime works. Sacco’s powerful examination of the origins and consequences of violence could not be more relevant to our current times, making it one of this year’s essential reads. — Kerry Vineberg
Orla!
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Sally Cantirino
Colorist: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
I did not read another comic this year quite like Orla! In fact, come to think of it, I did not read another comic even lightly similar to Orla! This book is a hybrid romance-horror comic that’s also quite funny. It’s about a woman looking for love while also turning into a man-eating monster (only when the men get very shitty). It’s filled with disparate elements that don’t seem like they should fit together, yet they absolutely do, bonded by fantastic comic book storytelling. What it all adds up to is one of the most unlikely and surprising Best of 2025 comics on this year’s list. — Zack Quaintance
Out of Alcatraz
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Oni Press
Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook’s series is nothing short of cinematic. From its ’60s thriller setting, to the blend of fact and fiction, all the way to the hardcover design, Out of Alcatraz feels like a long lost Nicholas Ray movie.
Crook’s use of watercolors is gorgeous, adding a sense of longing, nostalgia and dread to the book that helps setup the inevitable tragedy about to unfold. Cantwell’s work always leans into existential musings, and this is no exception, using the premise to explore metaphorical, spiritual and physical prisons that give the series weight despite its breezy pace. There’s something for everyone in this book, whether its comics people, film people or people who just want a very pretty art object. — Steve Baxi
The Power Fantasy
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Caspar Wijngaard
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Image Comics
The Power Fantasy is a superhero book that asks all the right questions about power, emotions, and control, and gives all of the wrong answers to spectacular effect. Watchmen for a newer age, The Power Fantasy follows six superpowered people and the power struggles they have with one another. The thing is, “super” is defined as having world-ending abilities if they were to fight each other.
But you really have to go in cold on this one. To spoil what has to be one of the most intriguing antagonists (if calling them that in these circumstances is even accurate), would be a major disservice. — E.B. Hutchins
Santos Sisters
Writer: Fake
Artist: Greg
Publisher: Floating World Comics
I love Santos Sisters. I haven’t loved a comic this much since latching onto Copra early on, so expect Santos Sisters to be a recurring entry in The Beat’s best of lists in future years. Greg and Fake have created such a beautiful, fun, and funny comic. I look forward to each new issue and to their offshoot anthology starring the Santos Sisters, American Nature Presents. If you haven’t yet started reading Santos Sisters, big up the gorgeous hardcover from Fantagraphics. — Billy Henehan
Spector: Incorruptible
Writer: John Wagner
Artists: Carlos Ezquerra & Dan Cornwell
Colorist: Dylan Teague
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Rebellion
The near future and the entire system is crooked, not least the police. Since humans are so easy to corrupt, the only solution is…a robot detective (?!). Originally started as a side project by frequent powerhouse collaborators John Wagner and Carlos Ezquerra (creators of Judge Dredd and Strontium Dog), when Ezquerra passed suddenly in 2018 the project was left abandoned. Eventually Wagner dusted off the scripts and saw the project through with Dan Cornwell (who successfully pulls off an unenviable job).
It’s a fantastic romp. Full of action and wit, it is both a solid book and a last hurrah for a late master. — Dean Simons
Spent
Writer/Artist: Alison Bechdel
Publisher: Mariner Books
Alison Bechdel triumphantly returns to the territory of Dykes to Watch Out For in this brightly-colored autofiction about living and working in modern day Vermont. Alison and her partner Holly are running a pygmy goat sanctuary while the TV show adaptation of Alison’s memoir, Death and Taxidermy, airs. Her friends, familiar characters from Dykes to Watch Out For, are now middle aged and experimenting with communal living and polyamory. But when Alison’s partner’s shortform video goes viral, how will Alison find her own critical and artistic success? Very funny, very fun! — Masha Zhdanova
Star Trek: Red Shirts
Writer: Christopher Cantwell
Artist: Megan Levens
Colorist: Charlie Kirchoff
Letterer: Jodie Troutman
Design & Production: Neil Uyetake
Publisher: IDW Publishing
If you’ve been following my weekly Ensign’s Log in the Wednesday Comics Reviews column, you already know about this must-read series. Building on the “Redshirt” trope, this TOS-era series follows an all-new, all-different crew of characters… most of whom do not make it out of the five-issue miniseries alive.
The series uses the well-developed backdrop of the franchise to tell an original and interesting story that is unlike any other in the Star Trek universe. I’m not sure if this story would have ever worked on-screen, and that makes it the perfect story for the expanding IDW Star Trek comic line. I do hope we see some kind of continuation of this story, but its next iteration would probably have to be substantially different than this one. And if you’re wondering, the “best” death comes at the end of issue three! — Avery Kaplan
Star Trek: Voyager — Homecoming
Writers: Susan Bridges & Tilly Bridges
Artist: Ángel Hernández
Colors: Charlie Kirchoff
Lettering: Neil Uyetake
Publisher: IDW Publishing
If you’re anything like me, you’ll always have Tom Paris — and the rest of the VOY crew. But thanks to Voyager — Homecoming, we also have a continuation of the story that began when the U.S.S. Voyager returned home. Drawing upon several subplots from the show, including Species 8472 and B’Elanna Torres’ pregnancy, Voyager — Homecoming feels like a few bonus episodes of the series.
As I mentioned in my weekly Ensign’s Log in the Wednesday Comics Reviews column, I hope we get to see writers Tilly Bridges and Susan Bridges continue to play in the VOY sandbox, preferably in an ongoing series — but I could also stomach a spinoff focused on Seven of Nine, and her journey to Star Trek: Picard. Latinum on the table, IDW! — Avery Kaplan
Strange Bedfellows
Writer/Artist: Ariel Ries
Publisher: Harper Alley
I love fantasy that drops me into the middle of the world and expects me to figure it out. It tells me that the author has so much confidence in their storytelling that they don’t have to write for a second audience. Ariel Ries is a confident storyteller. They are confident discussing their themes of collectivism, family bonds, and the maintenance of cultural practices. The confidence shows in every page of Strange Bedfellows.
Bedfellows follows 19-year-old college dropout Oberon as he navigates life on a not-so-distant future planet of Meridian. When he ends up developing powers to make anything he dreams about come true, it calls into question the nature of how and what he desires and the consequences of pursuing it. Beautifully drawn, wonderfully poignant. — E.B. Hutchins
System Preference
Writer/Artist: Ugo Bienvenu
Translator: Edward Gauvin
Publisher: Titan Comics
In a future where data centers are almost full and space needs to be made for the deluge of ultra, ultra HD social media posts, corporations hire human staff to decide what gets permanently erased from existence. Gorgeously rendered, System Preference leaves you wondering about the impermanence of culture over time, and how it is passed on. — Dean Simons
This Place Kills Me
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Nicole Goux
Publisher: Abrams Fanfare
I previously wrote a review of this book for The Beat, and I stand by what I said. This is a stand out work of YA noir that’s as bleak and honest as the adult fare gets. Nicole Goux does a tremendous job cartooning a cast of characters who are frequently catty, depressed, cruel, and delightful to behold. And this might be Mariko Tamaki’s finest hour yet. — Sean Dillon
Tongues, Volume 1
Writer/Artist: Anders Nilsen
Publisher: Pantheon
Anders Nilsen continues to be one of our greatest living cartoonists, and the first volume of Tongues only adds to his reputation. Tongues continues to refine the interpretation of fantasy and mythmaking that he’s spent his career exploring. He fills each chapter with his interpretations of various Greek myths — from Prometheus to Leda and the Swan — with images and ideas uniquely his own. This is also one of the best looking comics of 2025, with Nilsen’s clear line and innovative page layouts making truly innovative comics. Few comics played with form like this book. Though this is only part one of this series, Tongues just might be his magnum opus. — D. Morris
Tramps of the Apocalypse
Writer/Artist: Alice Darrow
Colorist: Hugo Blanc
Letterer: Frank Cvetkovic
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Futurama character designer Alice Darrow’s debut comic reads like what would happen if Russ Meyer directed a Mad Max movie. Roving gangs of ‘roided up, über macho men terrorize the desert as a group of young women—Baby, Belladonna, and Babette—perpetrate righteous violence on their pursuers.
Darrow deploys clean line work and a sharp sense of humor in the telling. Her animation background is a help rather than a hindrance, filling the book with fun character designs. Every issue revels in her clear love of ’70s and ’80s exploitation films. This is violent, weird, and full of characters posing with attitude. The limited color palette used by colorist Hugo Blanc gives this sci-fi satire a unique visual identity. Hopefully there’s more adventures for Baby, Belladonna, and Babette in the future. — D. Morris
Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Belén Ortega
Colors: Alejandro Sánchez
Lettering: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: DC Comics
After starring in a number of backup stories in the main Wonder Woman title, Lizzie Prince, better known as Trinity, is headlining her own miniseries for an adventure that involves time travel, magic, and corgis. Much like James Gunn embraced Silver Age silliness for the Superman film, writer Tom King does the same for this Trinity comic, except he cranks the dial to 11. The result is an incredibly delightful and much needed escape from the darkness of modern storytelling, and the world in general if I’m being honest.
It’s almost inconceivable that a creator like King, who has garnered a reputation for grim and gritty stories, is able to craft such a sincerely sweet comic that rejects cynicism. The artwork from Belén Ortega exudes sheer joy, and the end of every issue had me with the same expression as Superman watching the footage of his parents in the Fortress of Solitude. I only hope a sequel series is in the works. — Taimur Dar
The Witch’s Egg
Writer/Artist: Donya Todd
Publisher: Avery Hill Publishing
The cat witch and the insect angel knew that having a child together was forbidden, but they did it anyway. The worm king, their cute little baby boy, is (of course) harbinger to the epic, fantastic apocalypse. The witch must escape with her other kittens, so that they can grow strong enough in spirit and magic to help their mother stop their mother. The tales look and feel medieval, borrowing from the style and structure of the illuminated manuscript, but also rendered in a distinctly indie, flat “muralist” style that evokes contemporary cartoonists like Michael DeForge and Beck T.
A cartoonist who understands the value in “just drawing little guys” is perfect for referencing the age of drolleries. What truly makes this book a modern work is its empathy towards what is depicted as grotesque. Who can love the cursed? Well, for one, there’s me. — Arpad Okay
Don’t miss all of our Best of 2025 lists:
Anime | Comics & Graphic Novels | Kids Comics & Manga | Manga & Manhwa | Movies | TV Series | Video Games | Webcomics & Webtoons
And in case you missed it, here are The Beat’s Best Comics of 2024.
