Welcome back to another edition of Fantastic Five, where we give props to the best comics of the week! This week sees a love letter to DC’s Golden Age, lots of X-Men, Godzilla’s rampage continues, and more. Let’s get to the books!
Best comics of the week: September 17, 2025
#5: Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #2
Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #2 slowly starts unpacking its central mystery, while continuing to show how Godzilla’s presence has changed the world. I’m not sure what the next issue will bring, but I do know that this is quickly becoming a title that Godzilla fans, and fans of great comics, should add to their pull lists.
Read Collier Jennings’ full review!
#4: Phoenix #15
‘Phoenix’ #15 is a subtle, soulful conclusion to its cosmic story
Phoenix #15 ends not with a bang, but a statement on who Jean Grey is and why she fights, writ large across the cosmos. While the next time we’ll see Jean is during the Binary miniseries set in the upcoming Age of Revelation storyline, overall I love what Stephanie Phillips has done with this comic. She took a character who’s long been defined by her relationship to a cosmic force and made her an actual character again, neither demonizing the Phoenix nor letting it consume who Jean was. In her own way, Phillips gave Jean her most important rebirth since the original Phoenix Saga and it’s something I hope future writers keep in mind.
Read Collier Jennings’ full review!
#3: Magik #10
In ‘Magik’ #10, Illyana Rasputina fights Liminal to the bitter end
While fans of Illyana Rasputina are sure to be disappointed that this is the last issue of the book before we spin into Age of Revelation next month, we know that Illyana will have some role to play in the event based on the solicits we have seen. The letters column at the end of the issue also drops a hint of something coming after the event wraps up, something which involves Allen, Peralta, and Hesli. Could Magik be returning in a big way in 2026? Only time will tell, but I am certain that future plans with Marvel’s merry band of mutants next year are sure to include Magik in some capacity.
#2: Catwoman #79
‘Catwoman’ #79 revisits Selina Kyle’s connection to the mafia
The only drawback to Catwoman #79 is that returning to the post-Crisis status quo may confuse some fans who have only read The New 52 Catwoman run and are more familiar with her mafia origin from that era. Beyond that, however, Catwoman #79 is a pretty straightforward read, and it’s not too continuity-heavy to the point where readers won’t be able to follow along. Grønbekk throws in just enough information to orient readers who have been reading DC Comics for years (or decades), but keeps it self-contained enough to draw in new readers. Aside from setting up the second story arc, Catwoman #79 also serves as a good jumping on point for lapsed readers.
Read Diane Darcy’s full review!
#1: The Bat-Man: Second Knight #1
‘The Bat-Man: Second Knight’ #1 continues to be a Golden Age masterpiece
The Bat-Man: Second Knight #1 continues to be the gold standard for Batman stories set outside the main DC continuity. With Jurgens, Perkins and Spicer returning The Dark Knight to his 1930s roots, he not only feels new again, but it allows all three creators to tell bolder stories with the character that wouldn’t work within the confines of the main DC canon. Instead of existing in a much larger world that’s populated with hundreds of superheroes from all over the DC Multiverse, and where he has a massive Batfamily, this more isolated approach helps restore Batman as a mysterious hero in the vein of pulp fiction. Though Batman himself isn’t given much to do in this first issue, the story threads that play out are sure to challenge The Dark Knight in both terrifying and interesting ways in the issues to come.
