My 2025 in Comics
Picking it up and putting it down
Man. This year went by fast and the days were full. I found a lot of comics I liked, I dropped a few from the pull file that got boring, and I even bought enough to regret a few purchases here and there. I’m gonna cope and say that this is encouraging—I’m confident enough to take risks on new things, and most of the time I’m rewarded for it.
I have a few absolute favorites, some comfortable entertainers, some uncertain titles, and then those left behind. Let’s work our way from the top down, shall we?
The A-List
I pull titles from the three main publishers: DC, Marvel, and Image—although under that last one, it’s mostly Skybound and Ghost Machine. Of the DC titles, Absolute Superman continues to be an unqualified favorite. It’s not only the best Absolute title, it’s my favorite Superman take right now, and volume 2 just came to an insane end. Putting Superman up against Ras Al Ghul (or however you spell it) was an inspired decision, but on top of that, the story execution is awesome. It’s not without its flaws but they’re grossly overshadowed by its successes. This is the kind of story the Absolute Universe should be.
On the Marvel side, I thought the new Captain America run was pretty cool, even if issue 6 had a bit of a cliched ending. 1776 had a very strong first issue, wherein the Avengers go back in time to the Revolution to stop Morgan le Fay, who is trying to prevent America from existing (so that the Avengers never assemble). Definitely timed for a 2026 trade paperback.
From Image, Ghost Pepper has been a pleasant surprise and soon I will sit down to do a video that walks you through volume one. What a unique and enjoyable book. I didn’t think I'd get into it as much as I have but it’s very charming, with a good blend of light and heavy elements.
Skybound’s Transformers wrapped its first four volumes and saw Daniel Warren Johnson exit the project, handing the reins to Robert Kirkman. The art changed (and looks awesome), and while there are a few jarring hiccups in the story beats, that’s all in service of the transition between creative teams, and it’s carrying on into the new arc very well.
And finally, Ghost Machine. Oh boy. If I could only buy books from one publisher, it’d be them. I’m 100% invested in the Unnamed War (Redcoat, Geiger), and there is no single series right now that is better than Rook Exodus. Go buy the trade paperback and catch up. I can’t praise it enough.
The B-Team
Marvel’s 1776 had a very strong first issue, wherein the Avengers go back in time to the Revolution to stop Morgan le Fay, who is trying to prevent America from existing (so that the Avengers never assemble). Definitely timed for a 2026 trade paperback. I like it but whether I love it will be a function of how it continues.
From Image, No Man’s Land is a miniseries that concludes this week, wherein an FBI agent and a KGB operative have to solve a murder in the Bering Strait…right on a stretch of ice that is the knife’s edge of the border between America and the USSR. Strong first issue, while the second and third were kind of echoes of each other. I’m curious to see how it ends. Concept is great, art is wonderful, I’m just hoping for a strong ending.
Skybound’s G.I. Joe series is fine, though it stalls out here and there. The current arc “The Dreadnok War” is a punch up from the last arc with Cover Girl and Baroness. Transformers is still the strongest part of Energon Universe while G.I. Joe is generally fine.
The Questionables
DC’s Absolute Batman had a great first volume, with only one hiccup. Volume two was utterly nuts, with the Absolute version of Bane, which I loved. Once again, it had its weird parts. Volume three just started and I gotta say, I don’t like this take on the Joker. Snyder is trying too hard with it and he reached too far, it’s just not working for me. I clipped this one from my pull file but I’ll keep an eye on the trades.
There’s an upcoming Lobo book that has my attention, I’m listing it here because I don’t know the story but the art looks awesome. I’ll grab issue 1 and made a decision.
Punt
I got through the first eleven issues of Absolute Wonder Woman with mixed results. Volume one? Really surprisingly good. Volume two? I’m just bored, and there’s something about the art style where it’s trying to be a mix of 21st century comic book art and an ancient Greek vase. It doesn’t work for me. Diana’s nose is half of her face. Furthermore, volume two has been slow and repetitive. So I dropped this one.
I also cut two different Spider-Man books, one of which had unbelievably good art, but the second volume went into a multiverse story, and I don’t care for those. The other book Spider-Man Noir is a classic case of “The writer wants to call his political opponents Nazis by way of the page.” I like the aesthetic, the story keeps pausing to scream at the reader about Nazis.
From Skybound, I don’t read Void Rivals unless I get it from the library. Too slow, the characters suck or are just carried along, and it’s riding the coattails of Transformers without going anywhere. I don’t like to admit that because I enjoyed the series at first, it just stalled out.
And finally, this one pains me, but Astro Bots from Simon Furman is just not good. The story is slow and a little boring, while the art is inconsistent and unfocused. I picked up the series because Furman has written Transformers comics for thirty years, and this is an independent story about robots that he came up with. The writing is choppy, the artwork and action choreography is a huge mess, and I wish the story was a little more clear. Book looks great, but the way it’s being told just isn’t working. Since I’m already two issues into the second volume, I’ll keep going, just in the hopes that it improves, but if it doesn’t then oh well.
There are a few others that I might cover later, but for now I think you get the gist of it. There are far more good books than bad ones, so much so that I have to be strategic about which ones I buy-and-try.
Go pick up some comics. See you out there.