The Year in Comics, 2025 Edition
By Dan Brown Another year gone! That means it’s time again to pick out the highlights from the last 12 months in the comics and graphic-novel world. As I always say when introducing the annual list, the categories are entirely my own invention, the choices reflect my tastes and no else’s, and I would love to see you chime in with your own picks! Best graphic novel of the year: Contenders include Jeff Lemire’s 10,000 Ink Stains (more of a memoir than a graphic novel, I know), Guy Delisle’s Muybridge and David Petersen’s Mouse Guard: Dawn of the Black Axe (yes, I know it will be several weeks before it appears in collected form), but I am going with D. Boyd’s Denniveniquity, which recounts the creator’s misadventures growing up in 1970s New Brunswick. I was transported back in time to a different Canada, and the book’s central character made me laugh! Best comic of the year: I’m going to say the J.Michael Straczynski-written Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon No. 1, in which the Latverian ruler drafts the genetically engineered rodent to help him travel back to a time before the Big Bang to understand the purpose of the universe. It includes a Jack Kirby-inspired collage, which got me excited. Local comics coming on strong: With offerings like Scott Wojcik and Jeff McClinchey’s Probed and Loaded, as well as Jeff McClinchey and Scott Brian Woods’ Black Helm Saga, it was a strong year for local creators. Speaking of which, Byron comic creator Jeff Lemire took over art duties on Skottie Young’s I Hate Fairyland this year! Best graphic novel I read this year not from this year: The second volume of Chip Zdarsky’s Public Domain came out in February, collecting previously published issues. As I wrote, “it’s a sophomore collection that enriches the storyline of an ongoing comic series, putting the characters in new and surprising situations.” Best comic adaptation of the year: The Sook-Yin Lee version of Chester Brown’s Paying For It came to London in 2025, and it stayed with me long after I saw it last winter. Brown himself sat a couple rows over. Most underwhelming comic adaptation: This is a tie between this summer’s Superman and Fantastic Four: First Steps. There, I said it. These movies were popular for about one second, and consider this: The best character in Superman is Krypto, the superdog. The most intriguing character in Fantastic Four is Doctor Doom, who is in the thing for like half a second. Blerg. Comic adaptations still hanging in: Despite all the talk of superhero fatigue, there were four such motion pictures in the domestic box office’s Top 12 for 2025: Superman (No. 3), Fantastic Four (No. 7), Captain America; Brave New World (No. 10), and Thunderbolts (No. 12). What was cool for comic fans is that for Superman and the FF movie, magazine-sized digests were published showing the stories that inspired each movie. Most confusing comic marketing: As part of the industry crossover involving the two biggest comic companies, DC released the one-shot Batman Deadpool and Marvel released Deadpool Batman. Got it? These were two different things. Creators involved with the making of these titles had to take to social media to combat the resulting confusion. Best local comics-marketing move: Joe Ollmann helped put together Bonk’d Volume 1, which collects work from Hamilton-based and -connected comic creators (Ollmann also has The Woodchipper coming out next year, his latest collection of short stories, which I am eagerly anticipating). Comic villain of the year: Alberta Premier Danielle Smith took aim at graphic novels in school libraries, particularly the ones depicting LGBTQ relationships. I thought we were done with comic witch hunts in the 1950s, but apparently not. Biggest comics-adjacent development of the year: Netflix’s animated movie K-Pop Demon Hunters has caused quite a stir, although I have yet to see it. Now, it’s over to you! Tell me in the comments about your picks for this year! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 33 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Autumn Mini-reviews
By Dan Brown Here are brief reviews of a some of the comics I’ve been reading this fall. As always, there’s no logic to these selections, other than each cover caught my eye on the new-releases shelf at L.A. Mood. Alien Vs. Captain America No. 1: The result of a partnership between Marvel and 20th Century Studios, this miniseries takes place during the Second World War. Last seen on the big screen in Alien: Romulus, the xenomorph is the weapon Nazis hope will turn the tide as the allies march closer to Germany. Best moment is when Cap uses his shield as a Frisbee to decapitate a baby alien that has just burst out of a chest cavity, about to jump Nick Fury. Herobear and the Kid: What can I say? I’m as much a sucker for a cartoon polar bear as the next guy. This all-ages book taps into the Calvin and Hobbes vibe with the young protagonist alluding to the final Bill Watterson strip by declaring, “We’re going explorin,’” in one of the opening panels. Also, the bear exists as a stuffed animal until he is bopped on the nose, which brings him to full-sized life. Fun. Binary No. 1: One of the big events happening over in the Marvel Universe these days is its Age of Revelation crossover, which takes place a decade into the future in an alternate North America where a virus has killed millions and turned the survivors into mutants. Oh, and Carol Danvers is once again Binary, but a Binary on steroids. “I have the powers of the Phoenix,” she explains. No biggie. Cloak or Dagger No. 1: Cloak and Dagger are also caught up in the Age of Revelation event. They seem to be government/military operatives. This story also has a marauding hippo, which I did not have on my bingo card. Probed & Loaded: Love the heedless energy of this Scott Wojcik/Jeff McClinchey joint. Our redneck heroes are abducted by a UFO, which is bad news for their alien captors. It’s a weird situation. “Lucky for me, weird is where I shine,” the Elvis-esque Gunny narrates. McClinchey’s art calls to my mind classic Mad Magazine stuff. Black Helm Saga No. 1: My favourite of the bunch. Created by Jeff McClinchey and Scott Brian Woods, it takes place in the interregnum between Ragnarok and the coming of a new world in a snowy forest. SBW’s pencils remind me of Jeff Lemire’s expressive lines. And the idea of a many-eyed, fanged monster lurking beneath the snow, waiting to push its way up like a great white shark, actually makes a lot of sense to me this dreary fall. Fantastic Four No. 4: A thought-provoking one-and-done story about aliens that appear to be cute, harmless puppies, but are actually many-tentacled beasts with jagged teeth. The only problem is that Alicia, Ben Grimm’s blind partner, is the only one who can perceive them in their true form. Loved the Skottie Young cover featuring H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot, who was last seen on the big screen this summer in First Steps. The Amazing Spider-Man No. 15: With a cover that riffs on Peter Parker’s first-ever glimpse of Mary Jane Watson, this story finds our arachnid hero having deep-space adventures which involve a sentient costume. “I have a complicated history with alien suits,” he deadpans at one point. This suit, called Glitch, is mechanical in nature, not organic like Venom. He also gets to kiss an alien with yellow skin and cat’s ears. Absolute Batman No. 1: This one actually came out a few months ago, and imagines a Gotham City in which Bruce Wayne is of humble means while the Joker is a billionaire. It has apparently generated quite a stir among fans of the Dark Knight. With Alfred as a traveling mercenary, it doesn’t lack action! What comics or graphic novels have you picked up this fall? If you have recommendations, I’d love to hear them in the comments! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
Here’s a Bunch of Mini-Reviews
By Dan Brown Here’s the lowdown on a stack of comics I bought recently. There’s no logic to the choices, other than each cover struck my fancy while I was browsing the new-releases wall at L.A. Mood. Fantastic Four No. 29: Perhaps I have a case here to sue Marvel for bait-and-switch. I picked this one based on the cover, which promises an out-of-continuity tale answering the question, “What if . . . Mickey & friends became the Fantastic Four?” I was intrigued by the idea of Goofy switching places with the ever-loving Thing. As it turns out, it was a variant cover. Instead, I got a Ryan North/Cory Smith joint titled The Dream Team about Doctor Doom taking over . . . everything. This looks to be Marvel’s event series this summer, One World Under Doom, and I applaud the House of Ideas for taking this one on, if only because they are going to get so much blowback from Trump fans claiming it’s a metaphor for the current situation in the U.S. The FF goes to bat for the downtrodden . . . who in this case are vampires left over from the previous event series. Doctor Doom & Rocket Raccoon No. 1: I love the movie Rocket more than the comic Rocket, so in my mind I read his dialogue in Bradley Cooper’s voice. I haven’t read a J. Michael Straczynski-penned story in a long time, and this one is long on philosophy, short on action. Doom partners with the genetically engineered rodent to help him delve into the origins of . . . everything. Essentially, the Latverian ruler wants to travel back in time to a time before time. That is, before the Big Bang. I give Doom props for recognizing that a lowly raccoon is almost his mental equal. And one page features a Jack Kirby-esque collage, which is a bonus. What do they discover in preshistory? “The purpose of the universe is to understand the purpose of the universe.” It’s one of them paradoxes. Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four No. 1: This is easily the best-illustrated issue among my purchases, featuring John Romita Jr. art based on a Ryan North script. Marvel takes the existing Marvel continuity and fuses it with the Toho storyline, as happened with the original Marvel series about the fire-breathing unfrozen dinosaur. Reed even tips his hat to Dr. Daisuke Serizawa’s oxygen destroyer in the opening panels. One cool concept in this issue sees Godzilla foe King Ghidorah taking on the power cosmic in his role of herald of Galactus. And yes, it’s all leading up to an eventual battle between the Tokyo-demolisher and the world-devourer. Godzilla Heist No. 1: If you’re a fan of Godzila, this is truly an awesome time to be alive because you can read about him in more than one company’s comics. This IDW-published series reads sort of like what would happen if Quentin Tarantino directed a kaiju flick. As powerful as Godzilla is, here his rampages are just a massive distraction for a ring of human thieves who, naturally, don’t know which one of them might betray the others.The story begins with the big G destroying a casino, which is certainly one way to make sure the authorities don’t pay attention to your scheme to plunder their treasures. Godzilla vs. Chicago One Shot: As part of the Godzilla vs. America series, local creators get a stab at fitting Godzilla into their own community’s neighbourhoods, politics, and culture. Also part of IDW’s current offerings, it’s really just an excuse to pay tribute to old-school comic sound effects such as:Dong donk!Zang!Zong!Choom!Fwomp! Fwooosh! Shreeonk!What can I say? I know what I like. Daring the Sun No. 2 by Forest City creator Scott Brian Woods: Called Crash Down, this tale of an astronaut traveling through the heart of a sun is “inspired by imagination comics of the past, science fiction, and a deep love of old-school adventure, sci-fi fantasy space operas.” The Kirby Crackle on the opening splash page jumped out at me, and the drawing on the back cover shows the pilot in a Flash Gordon-esque outfit with an old-school raygun. Somehow, he is connected to a warrior named Vala, who fends off dinosaur-like aliens in a barren landscape. If you like classic George Lucas intercutting, you will love the structure of this piece, ending naturally with a cliffhanger. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 10th Anniversary Special No. 1: I don’t know how, exactly, Lunell Lafayette got a hold of the ultimate nullifier, but it’s one of the items she brings to her surprise 10th birthday party in New York. A back-of-the-book story flashes forward to when Moon Girl has grown into Moon Woman, and she visits Earth from the orbiting satellite. Senior Marvel Editor Mark Paniciccia says the series has lasted a decade because “it’s inspired young readers to embrace their individuality and believe in their potential.” Or maybe they just really like to groove on the blood-red T-Rex who is Moon Girl’s constant companion. What comics or graphic novels have you been reading lately? I’d love to hear about it in the comment box below! Dan Brown has covered pop culture for more than 32 years as a journalist and also moderates L.A. Mood’s monthly graphic-novel group.
