Best comics I've read in 2025
This list is an attempt to reflect on the comics I have read this year, as a way to be more conscious of my reading. (It is easy to just read issue after issue without much thought otherwise.) This list features books, whether single issues or collected editions, and is not in any particular order:
- Spectators (graphic novel) by Brian K Vaughan and Nico Henrichon - very much an adult book and NSFW but it uses the comic medium to dive deep into the human impulses to procreate and fight
- Wonder Woman: Dead Earth (graphic novel) by Daniel Warren Johnson - released quite some time ago, but this is the first story where DWJ starts really getting noticed; what if Wonder Woman wakes up on a devastated Earth?
- Bug Wars (ongoing) by Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar- probably one of the most innovative comics to come out in recent times; blends bugs, fantasy, and all-out action in a compelling series
- The Sheets (series) by Brenna Thummler - Thummler's mostly understated style is peppered with beautiful spreads that bring to life a story that sheds light on loss, grief, and creating a life of meaning in the face of tragedy
- Assorted Crisis Events (ongoing) by Deniz Camp and Eriz Zawadzki - come for the chaotic timelines and stay for how deep it dives into what it means to live and love
- Absolute Martian Manhunter (ongoing) by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez - the art is very unlike what you'd find in superhero comics but really elevates this psychological take on a relatively B-list DC character
- Absolute Wonder Woman (ongoing) by Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman - this kind, magic-wielding Wonder Woman who was raised in Hell is probably my favourite take on the character
- Lunar New Year Love Story (graphic novel) by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham - a love story that marries an honest glimpse into the Asian American experience with soulful art
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Return to New York (graphic novel) by Jason Aaron - didn't grow up reading the comics but Aaron's run depicts Turtles worth rooting for
- Warworld Saga (graphic novel) by Phillip Kennedy Johnson - one of the most optimistic and inspiring depictions of Superman who goes deep into space to save one girl and ends up in the gladiatorial Warworld
- Transformers Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer - one of the most dynamic stories of the year with real stakes; beloved characters get killed off and stay dead :O
- Ultimate Spider-Man (completed) by Jonathan Hickman and Marco Chechetto - if you've ever wondered what would it be like if Spider-Man only got his powers as an adult, this book has an answer for you