Best of Lists

Obviously, I occupy a highly coveted position, with hundreds – nay – thousands of up-and-come-Johnnys seeking to usurp my role as the world’s foremost comics ranker. Every month, these hungry wolves rank their favorite comics of the month, and come for my throne, and every month, I beat them off (I could edit that! I won’t!).

So, it is with a benevolence worthy of Doom, that I bestow upon all of you a tip – a secret to success if you will. If you are to rank all the best comics and graphic novels every month, and do so with studied wit, taste and grace, do not, under any circumstances, begin playing Elden Ring. I put off Elden Ring for fear of its difficulty, but now that I’ve begun, this game has taken over my life. Will I be able to maintain my comics ranking throne for the duration of 2025 while in the midst of such gaming? Stick with me dear reader, and let’s find out together!

As I proceed with a great list of great comics, I’ll also point out that Comic Book Herald’s official Mid-Year top 30 comics came out this month, as did a My Marvelous Year/Comic Book Herald live crossover conversation with comics writer and editor Zack Quaintance.

You can find the (near) full 2025 list of all my favorite comics this year. I’m up over 50 for the year! Don’t hesitate to let me know any of your favorites I may have missed via dave@comicbookherald.com!

To get these picks sent directly to your mailbox every month, sign up here for free. [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of June 2025

The world’s on fire yet somehow comics persist. It’s really quite beautiful. I’ve kept up with as many new graphic novels and trades as possible, and have ranked my 2025 favorites in descending order below!

The list rules: I’m keeping the mid-year picks to my favorite 30 completed graphic novels and trades released in 2025. This means all of DC’s Absolute Universe is not yet eligible as those books have only been released in single issues (Look to my picks for the best graphic novels of August 2025 to see what changes!). As always, the list is also limited to works that have been written or translated into English, and somehow found their way into my hands.

My actual 2025 favorites are shared (at least) 10 at a time monthly, which of course means there are quite a few more than 50 books on the ol’ 2025 Power Rankings. You can find them all in my custom bookshop list!

To get my monthly favorite picks sent directly to your mailbox every month, sign up here for free.

Without further ado… the best comics of 2025! [Read more…] about The Best Comics of 2025 (So Far!)

Folks are always asking me “how’d you get so strong?” and “with a game like that, why didn’t you go pro?” and mostly, “how/why do you read so many comics?” While part of the answer to all of these is “baby, I woke up like this,” I’ll also admit that putting three wild young boys to bed every night affords me some reading time on the nights they need me to sit with them for longer. Lately, though, reading comics in the dark has been replaced by watching the NBA playoffs in the dark (I’m a Bulls fan, but at this point in the playoffs, I think I’m just here for Ant-Man – a sentence no one has ever said before!). This reduction of comics time has given me a strong appreciation of all the great trades and graphic novels on this list, and probably a quicker trigger finger when I need to bail on a new work that just isn’t clicking for me.

I always worry that keeping up with the best of comics month by month can feel a bit like speed dating, and that my rule of giving everything a 50-page minimum may not be enough, especially for more patient works. At the same time, if a work can’t grab my attention via plot, style, or craft within 50 pages… that ain’t all on me! This is all a long-winded way of saying I’m endlessly amazed by how many quite good comics I can’t fit onto my picks, and that if you ask nicely, I’ve got a pretty robust honorable mentions list for comics in 2025!

You can find the full 2025 list of all my favorite comics this year. I’m up to 40 for the year! Don’t hesitate to let me know any of your favorites I may have missed via dave@comicbookherald.com!

To get these picks sent directly to your mailbox every month, sign up here for free. [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of May 2025

As I’m now in year two of “All I do is read and recommend great comics,” I’ve begun to notice some trends. The first of which is that April, aka the start of Q2, tends to be absolutely LOADED with phenomenal new graphic novels. We’ve had our chance to catch up on the best of last year, and now it’s time to fully move into a 2025 full of new comics. In general, I seek to hit right around 10 new favorite comics to recommend each month, but for April, I’m easily pushing 15. I’m holding back recs I have so many! It’s such a challenging environment to make any kind of art right now, yet all these beautiful people keep making great comics. It’s wonderful!

You can find the full 2025 list of all my favorite comics this year. I’m over 30 for the year! Don’t hesitate to let me know any of your favorites I may have missed via dave@comicbookherald.com!

To get these picks sent directly to your mailbox every month, sign up here for free. [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of April 2025

This month, a new Pantheon graphic novel is swinging for the All-Time Greats, and old favorites like Kaya, Ultimate Spider-Man and Chainsaw Man are back among the best!

Don’t hesitate to let me know any of your favorites I may have missed via dave@comicbookherald.com!

To get these picks sent directly to your mailbox every month, sign up here for free. [Read more…] about My Favorite Graphic Novels of March 2025