Trades
Some of these might be too late (or early) for 2025, but that's when I read them. My list, my rules, kids.
Fun, Loud Big-Ass Reboots
Absolute Batman (DC)
Scott Snyder (writer), Nick Dragotta (artist)
Writer Scott Snyder, a known and revered writer for his tenure on the monthly Batman title, strips Bruce Wayne down to the studs of the nearly the poverty line to ask, "What makes him Batman?" Not the wealth, gadgetry or privilege, but the singleminded focus. And, of course, Bruce is massively ripped. Absolute Bats is big, loud and crazy, with a sort of young version of Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns, which makes for big, loud, size-queen fun. Imagine if a Texan wrote Batman, reintroducing the garish rogues' gallery., some of whom Bruce plays cards with each week. Nothing under-sized in this iteration, pardner.
Absolute Wonder Woman (DC)
Kelly Thompson (writer), Hayden Sherman (artist)
Thompson, a terrific ensemble and character writer, as evidenced by her fantastic work on the current Birds of Prey floppy, has a flair for a punchy, punchy-punchy, in fact, script. Circe raises Diana in Hades, not Paradise Island, imbuing her with Underworldly powers which WW readily employs against a Kaiju—er, Medusa the Gorgon, all raucously penciled by Hayden Sherman. Steve Trevor, oddly, resembles a little boy. Still, it's a blast.
Wrap-Up of a Run With a Beloved Character by a Fine Writer
Daredevil & Elektra: The Red Fist Saga Part Three (Marvel)
Chip Zdarsky (writer), Rafael De Latorre and Marco Checchetto (artists)
Zdarsky sticks the landing, as Yankee podcasters would say, wrapping up his epic time on the monthly DD title with a script that veers well off-trail, particularly the destination, stunningly depicted by fan-favourite Marco Checchetto who draws everyone beautiful. Feel sorry for follow-up writer, Saladin Ahmed, who had to pick up the pieces to make the whole thing go again. At least John Romita Jr. was the new penciler. But, great work from Zdarsky, who is offensively talented, also penning the monthly Batman title simultaneously. (Editor's note: What? No cross-over?)
Refreshing Take on a Very Established Team with a Magical Writer-Artist Team
Justice League Unlimited
Mark Waid (writer), Dan Mora (artist)
Masterful classical character writer Mark Waid takes his partner-in-crime, prolific artist Dan Mora from the new Shazam! monthly now focusing on Billy Batson's found orphanage family (I prefer Billy, Mary and Freddy) and givies the Justice League a hard restart in the spirit of the influential, well-executed Justice League Unlimited animated series, a gateway medium for younger-generation superhero fans. This translates into pulling on B-C-and-D-list characters instead of only focusing on the mainstays. The chess-pieces are in place. Let's see how Waid and Mora do.
Same Team, Some of the Same Characters (Bruce and Clark)
Batman/Superman: World's Finest Volume 6: IMPossible
Mark Waid (writer), Dan Mora (artist)
Waid and Mora play with Big Blue and the Dark Knight, having much fun, more or less making this unofficially a mainstay JLA title, involving Mxyzptlk, Bat-Mite, the dorky Metalmen, Zatanna and others. It's a technicolour hoot. The real hidden plot gem in all this, though, is the uneasy rapport between Robin (aka Dick Grayson) and Supergirl (aka Kara Zor-El), who had a famously unsuccessful date and as a result fight like cats and dogs whenever in the same panel. With apologies to Shakesepeare's shrew, methinks the Boy Wonder and the Woman of Tomorrow doth protest too much.
Most Illuminating Yet Dense Read
Legalization Nation (Rosie the Elephant)
Brian Box Brown (writer, artist, letterer, colourist)
Want to know why it's hard to find reasonably priced weed, on a state-by-state basis? Brown lays it all out in excruciating detail. The same old story (spoiler alert) is that whether you're in New England or Maine, it's big business and Big Pharma getting infrastructure and shoes on the ground with pot dispensaries, then leaving state law to establish Labryinthine red tape and barriers that pot-shop owners must somehow scramble over like a Marine boot camp obstacle course, from the cost of the business application, upfront money to set up shop, permits for the retail space, outrageous state-controlled costs of marijuana and the unreasonable wait-time business owners must somehow endure before evening opening their grassroots business. Opened my eyes.
Most Unsettling Horror Treatment of a Fun, Goofy Character
Plastic Man: No More! (DC)
Christopher Cantwell (writer), Alex Lins, Jacob Edgar (artists)
Cantwell can do no wrong in terms of dark, surprising-at-turns character journeys, as he proves with Plastic Man: No More! and his creator- owned stuff such as the deconstructionist superhero series The Blue Flame, an Alan
Moore tribute that is a close cousin to Watchmen and Miracle Man. The arrogant Justice League members roundly ignore, laugh at or talk down to quintessential comic relief source Eel O'Brian even as his body dematerializes. Plastic Man cracks a plan for a desperate heist, harkening back to his criminal roots born of abject poverty, in a classic film noir plot, to save his similarly diagnosed and estranged son. Alex Lins and Jacob Edgar graphically depict the horror-show of Eel's physical deterioration. Terrific body horror.
Best Follow-up to a Fine Meta-Mash of an Indie Mini-Series or To Sir Comic Aficionado With Love
Public Doman Volume Two: Building Something New (Image Comics)
Chip Zdarsky (writer, artist, letterer, colourist)
Toronto comic creator Zdarsky (spoiler alert: it's his nom de plume) not only write ol' hornhead and the Dark Knight concurrently, and well, took on the Captain America monthly in 2025, but he also managed to shine in his creator-owned books. His follow-up arc to Public Domain, about a father and son wresting the rights back of an iconic comic character, reads like one imagines Jerry Siegel and Joe Schuster clawing back the rights for Superman from DC. This is insider-insider baseball trading, kiddies,. Zdarsky delivers with his appealing, quirky art, plenty of heart, and ever-reliable editor Alliaon O'Toole in the room, a frequent collaboraor (the excelkent one-off Afterlift being an example). It's a comic he made for comic lovers with, you guessed it, love. Much love.
Best Universal Monster Treatment I didn't Know I Needed
Creature from the Black Lagoon Lives! (Image Comics)
Dan Watters and Ram V (writers), Matthew Roberts (artist)
The capable and cerebral writer Ram V, who killed it on Swamp Thing, as the parlance goes, and fellow brilliant comic creator Dan Watters of Lucifer breathe fresh air (or water?) into the classical creature feature. The resilt's astonishing and compelling. They modernize and somehow eroticize the story with Matthew Roberts' jaw-dropping and cinematic panels and outré artwork and a compelling story. It's better than going to the movies, as director/man-fanboy said of Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's
raucous n' randy Preacher series.
A Heartfelt Cosmic Adventure I didn't Know I Needed
Space Ghost (Dynamite)
David Pepose (writer), Jonathan Lau (artist)
Somehow, Pepose makes me feel for characters I have not had any stake in before, being unfamiliar with the TV show. The titular driven Space Ghost character adopts two young teens, Jan and Jace and their pet monkey Blip, who saw invading aliens murder their parents. Lau's wonderfully adventuresome pencils and the splashy colour array suit this cosmic odyssey. There's something very compelling
about original characters who are not established flagship ones that raises the stakes. They have no plot armour. The kids are not immune to pain and trauma. And, at the heart, this thing's got heart. Remarkable, particularly for a writer who just came off the oft-hard-to-write Punisher monthly book. Also, I usually hate stuff with monkeys. Now that's a testament to cosmic storytelling
Best New Mini-Series from a Contemporary Favourite Comic Writer
Traveling to Mars (Ablaze)
Mark Russell (writer), Robert Meli (artist)
My favourite satirist Mark Russell continues his blue streak. In this series, a corporation sends Roy Livingston, a terminally ill former pet store manager with few prospects on a one-way spaceship trip to Mars. The goal? To stake the claim for the company. Russell's clever sci-fi ideas, such as androids gaining sentience and adding a spin to how to launch a rocket from Earth, have game even as he pokes fun at the big business of it all. There's at least one sly wink to sci-fi master Ray Bradbury, Mr. Mars himself.
Reversal (Dark Horse Comics)
Alex de Campi (writer), Skylar Partridge (artist)
Genre-hopping de Campi can do no wrong, in my books. She writes it all well, whether lit', horror, or sci-fi/fantasy, in this case. Reversal's more of a YA-targeted effort, with magical creatures in longstanding conflict with humans, and a contentious magical forest where the usually quite scared or hungry dragons and what-not get to the nearby city. But still, de Campi, like Russell, puts her own indelible imprint on the genre. Looking forward to her stuff, as always, in the New Year.
Just Plain Breathtaking
Helen of Wyndhorn
King (writer), Bilquis Evely (artist)
Tom King does it again He pairs with artist Bilquis Evely to make a beautiful thing. Last outing, they concocted Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, currently in production as a film adaptation. Wyndhorn King describes as Conan the Barbarian meets Nancy Drew, and he's accurate. Helen, the daughter of a famous and prolific pulp author, goes home after her father’s death and discovers that the fantasy world he wrote about actually exists in the wood surrounding his house. Evely, who went all cosmic in Supergirl, here goes total fantasy and sword-and-sandal pulp. Monsters, action, family drama unfold. It's gorgeous. The script is intergenerational high adventure. Hands down, arguably the year's best.
Honourable Mentions
Most Bizarre Horror Mash-up with Misleading Covers that Don't Match the Interiors
DC Horror Presents....
Four-issue limited series.
Various writers and artists
Best Meditation on Death
Euthanauts (Black Crown)
Tini Howard (writer), Nick Robles (artist)
