AIPT’s Best Comics of 2025: Part 2

Welcome to part two of AIPT’s “Best Comics of 2025” coverage. (Find part one here!) Obviously this exists because — surprise surprise! — the year didn’t magically get easier/better after we published our first piece.

If part one was about the books that cut through the noise and demanded our attention, this chapter is about the depth of the medium: the series that burned bright and vanished too soon, the artists and cartoonists who made every page feel alive, and the genres that kept mutating and thriving despite everything else feeling quite stuck.

Horror, in particular, refused to play it safe in 2025, with books like Exquisite Corpses and Cemetery Kids Run Rabid leaning fully into discomfort and dread. Meanwhile, anthologies like Shiver SuspenStories reminded us how much power still lives in short-form comics. And even ongoing series like World’s Finest and Ultimate Spider-Man proved that long-term vision and consistency can still feel exciting in a medium obsessed with the next big thing. And behind all of it were artists and colorists doing career-defining work — from Hayden Sherman’s unmistakable visual language to color and page design by others that didn’t just enhance stories, but became them entirely.

Ultimately, this second part is a pure celebration of the comics craft — the risk-taking and the sheer dedication of creators who kept showing up and making great work anyway. The world may still be a mess, but these comics are proof that there’s always something worth reading, sharing, and holding onto.

– David Brooke, Media and Content Manager

Gone Too Soon (Best Discontinued Series): Avengers Academy

Writer Anthony Oliveira, artist Carola Borelli, and artist Bailie Rosenlund

This year was a tough one, and comic wise, a lot of my ol’ reliable picks just weren’t doing it for me. But the one comic I found myself looking forward to and reading every time a new issue came out was the Avengers Academy Infinity Comic. This was a book that was created with love in every page — for the characters, the story, and for comics itself. Avengers Academy was a reminder that superhero comics can still have strong character development wrapped in that heartwarming, light package that you would find in those 100-plus, issue long-running series as a kid. When the book wants to pull at your heartstrings, it does, and when the book wants to take a more humorous tone, it does, balancing both in a short, infinity comic format masterfully.

Clearly this year brought a lot of challenges to the queer community, and being able to read these characters in this setting (celebrating queer joy and togetherness) felt like the warm hug I needed, and it’s one I’ll miss getting since the series ended. I hope Oliveira and the artists who helped bring this comic to life can get these characters again someday, because they’ve all become so near and dear to my heart. I won’t miss a lot about 2025, but I will miss the friends I met at Avengers Academy.

– Lia Williamson

OMG Panel of The Year: Batman Channels Kenny Omega (Absolute Batman 2025 Annual #1)

Writer/artist Daniel Warren Johnson, colorist Mike Spicer, and letterer Clayton Cowles

Admittedly, it felt a little like cheating to choose this panel (or even its sibling, in which Batman disarms a fascist, literally). But really nothing else this year contained as much pure multimedia power, and its placement in the Absolute Batman Annual created a kind of firestorm. (Even the move’s innovator, Kenny Omega, got in on the action.) Is this one moment absolutely ridiculous? God yes, and this is even for version of Batman who rides around on a giant dump truck.

But it’s also hugely powerful: In in age where fascism and police violence (and the intermingling of these pillars) is on everyone’s mind, creator Daniel Warren Johnson said something powerful when so many others (even those in leadership roles) would’ve rather avoided such responsibilities. Not only that, but it also felt like a kind of meta commentary on the increasingly nebulous state of popular culture, and the ongoing meme-ification of our media. And the fact that it happened in the pages of Absolute Batman is just more proof of that book’s ongoing cultural relevance.

So, yeah, it’s basically the giant nachos and 75-ounce Coke of our times, but it’s also the thing that felt like the most brave and impactful thing you could say all year long, and that feels like the best place for society to occupy in 2025. My only complaint? I think Batman would be more of a Sharpshooter guy, but that’s just nitpicking.

– Chris Coplan

Best Maxi-Series: Batman: Dark Patterns

Writer Dan Watters, artist Hayden Sherman, colorist Triona Farrell, and letterer Frank Cvetkovic

You know when a Batman comic is really good, it can completely alter your brain chemistry? This is one such book. Batman: Dark Patterns was the staple book this year that helped me satisfy my hyper-fixation towards the Caped Crusader.

Dark Patterns is a collection of self-contained Batman cases happening in his early years, and which puts both his physical and mental state to the test. Watters, Sherman, Farrell, and Cvetkovic together have not only crafted a brutal side of Gotham, but one that feels especially large as its crime-ridden landscape easily rivals Batman’s significance as a symbol of justice and fear. It is a Gotham that makes one question whether the role of “Batman” is too small given the ever-present violence within its streets.

Batman: Dark Patterns is a book where the writing and art complement each other like two-peas in a pod. And I can’t deny that Sherman’s art and Farrell’s colors made me want to stare at certain pages for a few minutes longer. Across 12 issues, Watters, Sherman, Farrell, and Cvetkovic have created a Batman book that can be effortlessly enjoyed and accessed by new and old readers alike without any prior knowledge. Grounded Batman stories will always have a soft spot in my heart because, first and foremost, I see him as a hero of the people. Dark Patterns captures this remarkably well, making it a definitive Batman read alongside iconic stories like Year One and The Long Halloween.

I still wish that DC would continue Batman: Dark Patterns as a series with the same team because one can never have too many Batman stories!

– Vish

Best Colorist: Mike Spicer

Between books like Transformers, the Absolute Batman Annual, and so much else, Daniel Warren Johnson has had quite the 2025. But there is no DWJ without Mike Spicer, and the colorist’s bold, inventive efforts place a million exclamation points on his frequent collaborator’s already solid work.

But Spicer’s career extends far beyond DWJ, and in 2205 there were variant covers galore, including Big Rig, Iron Man, and Judge Dredd, with Spicer showcasing his singular skills to a large global audience. Be it indie titles or mainstream offerings, Spicer’s work feels similarly universal, a perfect balance of action movie intensity, cartoonish absurdity, psychedelic madness, and that constant dose of the magic maintained by all truly great comics.

But what you always get or see is Spicer himself — that singular artistic presence that lets you know someone poured a well of deep love and obsession into every drop of color to make something that grabs at your eyes and demands your earnest investment. Few other artists can exude as much of an identity, and Spicer has created a body of work that says heaps without overpowering anyone else’s parts. Spicer’s work is all that is wild and wonderful about comics, and we’re lucky to see him innovative and uplift with each new piece/page.

– Chris Coplan

Best Artist: Hayden Sherman

Across Batman: Dark Patterns, Into the Unbeing: Part Two, and Absolute Wonder Woman, Hayden Sherman delivered some of the most striking, inventive, and emotionally charged comics art of 2025.

In Dark Patterns #8, Sherman brings a sharp, electric energy to Gotham; the visuals inject energy and intelligence into every page, turning each investigation into something alive and unsettling. Issue #9 pushes that even further, with interesting layouts that draw your eye and look brand new (including a double-page sequence that captures Batman’s psychological stress with bold, unexpected clarity). By issue #10, Sherman transforms Gotham into a pressure-filled, noir labyrinth, where even the panel borders feel tense, making the city itself an active force pressing in on Batman’s choices.

That same ambition shows up in a completely different register in Into the Unbeing: Part Two, where Sherman shifts into surreal horror without losing any precision. The creature designs are angelic but also horrific, a blend that embodies the series’ dreamlike dread and its strange, otherworldly beauty. The pages push the boundaries of horror storytelling, combining body horror, symbolic imagery, and emotionally-loaded composition in ways that feel genuinely new. Even the first issue of Part Two set that tone from the very start, with art that is wildly imaginative and which moves seamlessly between cosmic terror and intimate psychological unease.

Then, in Absolute Wonder Woman, Sherman pivots again — this time toward heroic myth. Each issue balances emotional depth with mythic action, and Sherman’s artwork is essential to that very efforts, giving Wonder Woman’s story grandeur, grace, and a grounded emotional core. It’s a completely different tone from the horror of Unbeing or the noir grit of Dark Patterns, and yet it’s all rendered with the same confidence and innovation.

Taken together, these books make one thing clear: No artist showed more range, audacity, or creative force in 2025 than Hayden Sherman.

– David Brooke

Best Horror Comic: Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale

Writer/artist Luana Vecchio

Forget vampires and zombies; Doll Parts: A Lovesick Tale is true horror. It’s existential horror on the highest level, putting you in the shoes of 12-year-iold Madeleine as a serial killer is running loose in her town. The miniseries practically overflows with dread and atmosphere as Madeleine’s stalked by the killer, vicious schoolyard bullies, and lecherous old man. You feel as besieged and paranoid as Madeleine, who’s wrestling with her own insecurities even as she’s psychologically abused by her mother and feckless father. It’s a bold, fearless, and terrifying work of art that will live in your mind long after you read the last page.

– Kevin Clark

Best Anthology: Hello Darkness

Writers R.L. Stine, James Tynion IV, and Dan Abnett; writer-artists Ming Doyle and Anwita Citriya; artists Jenna Cha, Chris Shehan, and Riley Rossmo; et al. 

While it technically debuted in summer 2024, it was 2025 where Hello Darkness really hit its stride. In a landscape basically packed with anthologies (that include a handful from Oni Press’ EC Comics line), it’s Hello Darkness that checks all the right boxes. Of course, it’s the contributors, and this year alone has seen work from a veritable who’s who of talent (see above), with each creator lending a sense of presence and authority.

Yet it’s more than just star power: Hello Darkness has cultivated a unique identity across each issue, as it manages to tell a mighty mix of horror, mystery, and fantasy tales with an overarching aesthetic that’s a combination of Tales from the Crypt, American Horror Story, and just a smidgen of Black Mirror. The end result is an anthology where each story shines on its own while adding to some larger experience, and each subsequent issue manages to extend the emotional and narrative potential of this series.

Whether a story’s trying to scare, seduce, or unnerve (likely a little bit of each), Hello Darkness exemplifies the power and appeal of a great anthology done earnestly and deliberately. Read on, no matter how much it might affect you to your very core.

– Chris Coplan

Best Ongoing Series: Poison Ivy

Writer G. Willow Wilson, artist Davide Gianfelice, artist Marcio Takara, colorist Arif Prianto, letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, artist Haining, penciller Brian Level, inker Stefano Gaudiano, et al.

What was supposed to only be a six-issue mini, Poison Ivy will soon hit its 40th issue. This book’s success story is not only inspirational but also a marvelous achievement in an industry where comics get cancelled in a blink of an eye. I am so proud to be one of the readers who has stuck by this book since issue #1 and what a lovely journey it’s been thus far!

It is so rare for villains (much less a complex female one) to get their own spotlight in comics’ Big Two. Ivy has always been one of the most popular and intriguing rogues in the Batman mythology, and yet her characterization was only limited to classic villain tropes in most media, including comics. Until, of course, DC graciously gave this character a chance to shine through her own solo book.

I’ve been a fan of Wilson’s work since the Ms. Marvel days, but after reading Poison Ivy, she exceeded my expectations. The book perfectly paints Ivy’s character as flawed, messy, and immoral. But then there are also moments where you begin to question if she is, indeed, the eco-terrorist everyone labels her as, or is she a woman who is just trying her best to make the world a better place in her own selfish way? The team doesn’t shy away from tackling difficult topics and themes that delve deep into Ivy’s psyche to deliver soul-punching monologues. Combining this with Takara’s art and Prianto’s colors, every page makes Poison Ivy truly worth reading.

– Vish

Best Manga: Call of the Night (The “Paradise Arc”)

Writer/artist Kotoyama

Kotoyama’s 2019-2024 romantic vampire dramedy Call of the Night is a terrific comic. Its leads are complex and lovable, its ability to hop between genres and tones is second to none, and its core romance is downright swoon-worthy. When it wrapped up early last year, it ended well enough.

When the second season of Call of the Night’s excellent anime adaptation aired earlier this year, Kotoyama brought the comic back with the “Paradise” arc a new short-form tale that follows dhampir Ko Yamori and master detective Anko Uguisu as they investigate a cult that might be run by a vampire.

“Paradise” continues the main series’ skillful genre hopping, blending a compelling mystery (what’s going on with the new religious movement that Ko and Anko are investigating?) with solid, character-based comedy and quick hard-hitting action. The antagonists are an intriguing left-turn from Call of the Night’s previous foes, and putting their narratives in conversation with each other adds new layers to the additional comic. It’s a treat to read Ko and Anko again, to see the ways their bond has developed as friends and as student and master.

“Paradise” reminds me of the two short sequel comics that Meredith Gran has made for her masterful webcomic Octopus Pie, The Other Side and Eternal. They’re companion pieces whose stories stand on their own compared to the main comic’s overarching tale, and each gives their readers a little more time with some deeply lovable characters. The “Paradise” arc is a genuine treat, a very welcome one in what’s been a slobberknocker of a year.

– Justin Harrison

Best Publisher: Image Comics

If there’s a word that could describe Image’s collection of comics over the past few years, it’s “variety.” Bug Wars by Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar mixed the gritty, sweeping storytelling of Game of Thrones with the literal small scale of Micronauts. Meanwhile, Everything Dead and Dying by Tate Brombal and Jacob Phillips put a deeply emotional twist on the standard zombie story. And News from the Fallout by Chris Condon and Jeffrey Alan Love is a nuclear-fueled, shadow-soaked nightmare that had me glued from beginning to end. All of them (and so many more books still) feel distinct from each other, both in terms of genre, their overall story, and the creators working on them.

Image’s variety isn’t just limited to its singular titles, but the different imprints under its umbrella. Want a new twist on superheroes? Pick up the Massive-Verse books. Maybe you’re a fan of horror or science fiction? Ghost Machine has you covered. Grew up in the ‘80s? The Energon Universe is putting new spins on Transformers and G.I. Joe. The next time someone complains that there’s nothing new in comics, or someone asks where to start, direct them to Image’s library — chances are, the perfect comic for them is out there among the volumes of greatness

– Collier “CJ” Jennings