Some of My Favorite Comics This Year--2025 in Review

There were many great comics throughout 2025. When I thought really hard about what stood out in my mind, however, five series released during this year/books published this year stuck out in my mind. Well, it was actually six series, but one was featured last year (more on that in a second), so I disqualified it. Anyway, here are some of my favorite comics/graphic novels/etc. this year.

Ultimates

Full disclosure, this and, "Ultimate Spider-Man," were the two Ultimate titles I adored this year and couldn't wait to read every month from the first issues on back in 2024 to now. That said, I already put USM in this sort of list last year so I cut it this time and thought I would focus on, "Ultimates." For real, however, if you want the main/big book that is key to this latest Ultimate Universe, "Ultimates," is a fantastic read from start to (rapidly approaching) finish. Deniz Camp has consistently written a superb comic about heroes in a broken World who dream of a better tomorrow (with Juan Frigeri generally on art), and I'm here for it.

Orla!

A comic about a woman named Orla with a literal monster inside her that devours bad dates. Yeah, its a horror comedy, but it has some sweet romance elements too when Orla falls for a guy she doesn't want to ingest. An incredibly funny and clever mix of genres, "Orla!" has just concluded as of this month (I need to grab the last issue), and I would encourage everyone to purchase the upcoming trade paperback collection!

Santos Sisters Volume 1

This one is a bit technical, as the first volume of, "Santos Sisters," collects the initial five issues printed before 2025. That said, this book was released in this year, so I say it counts! In my review of the first TPB, I state how it is, "Joyful, undiluted fun." I continue to feel that way about Greg & Fake's superb mix of vintage Archie-esque style with modern and clever jokes. Definitely a book worth picking up.

Absolute Batman

The earlier issues of, "Absolute Batman," were solid, but as we entered 2025, the book started rolling full steam ahead. The mix of crime drama, body horror, and amazing artwork by Nick Dragotta, among others (with superb writing by Scott Snyder) has resulted in what is undoubtedly my favorite Absolute book of the line--although all of them are solid and have charms. It is wild to think that when the Absolute line was first announced how skeptical many of us were. Now, here we are with Absolute books, and, "Absolute Batman," in particular, getting rave reviews and selling lots of copies. The old adage remains true to not judge a book (or comic) by its cover.

Holy Lacrimony

Michael DeForge is a modern master when it comes to making comics. His original graphic novel, "Holy Lacrimony," is a superb read about alien abductions, support groups, and sadness. Quite trippy and a little raunchy at points while also being laugh-out-loud hilarious, I was super-into this book and consider it another masterful entry in DeForge's oeuvre. 2025 clearly had some quality comics, and I'm pleased to have enjoyed these among other stellar reads!

"Orla!" #1 is a Romantic Comedy and Monster Thriller All in One

"Orla!" is a new comic published by Mad Cave. Written by John Lees and featuring art by Sally Cantirino, it follows a woman named Orla. She restores antiques for a living, enjoys reading romance novels, and has been on the dating scene in Seattle--and it's been rough. Oh, and she has a man-eating monstrous creature inside her she nicknamed the, "Ick," because it is a manifestation of all her sadness and rage that, as stated, literally eats people. Yes, this comic is a weird mix of genres for sure, and I loved it!

Combining the plot of a romantic comedy with a creature-feature sounds odd when you write it down, but with, "Orla!" it works very well. Much of the comic has us really feeling for Orla, a perfectly kind, thoughtful, and pleasant woman who gets along with her friends and other folks, but she just can't find love. Is Orla going on dates with, "Bad," men so she has an excuse to have her Ick devour them, or is she truly struggling to meet anyone deserving of anything besides her rage and hunger? It's a good question, and when a potential guy who actually is just a nice person Orla knows asks her on a date at the end of the issue, it definitely raises the stakes--along with how some governmental agency seems to be surveilling Orla with suspicions about her powers/curse.

Having a cute romantic comic thrown in a blender with gory monsters is not an idea I ever would have come up with, but I'm so glad John Lees and Sally Cantirino have brought us this stellar first issue of, "Orla!" I eagerly await the second, which is due September 17th, last I checked. Ask your comic shop to order you a copy of, "Orla!" if you'd like to join in on the equally cute and horrific fun, or you can even preorder the whole collected TPB if you don't mind waiting for the whole yarn to be completed.