2025 was an incredible year in comic books. There were a lot of releases that could be said to be the best of 2025. From one-shots, single issues, chapters, mini-series, ongoings, and trade paperbacks there were a lot of great comic books in this last year. It is honestly tough to limit all the great comic books into one list. With that in mind we got a couple Best of 2025 lists to discuss these comics and manga. First up in our Best of 2025 is the best single issue comic books of the year.
5) MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS/TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Ryan Parrott; Artist: Vincenzo Federici; Colorist: Raul Angulo; Letterer: Ed Dukeshire
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III #1 is everything fans of one or both franchises could want. This is for the fans and what else can you ask for. It has the love that gets you excited for the story that is a strong continuation of the previous two crossovers. That is really all it needs to be as that is the promise from seeing the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles on the cover.
By delivering on what fans want to see Ryan Parrott and Vincenzo Federici are able to deliver a fantastic continuation of one of the most epic crossovers. The sense of desperation from the Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles gets over how bad it is that Lord Zedd and Shredder have teamed up. That led to an unexpected dark moment to conclude this first issue is a reminder of who Lord Zedd is when he is written at his most evil. It’s an ending that gets you hyped to read the rest of the crossover.
4) TITANS ANNUAL 2025
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Phil Jimenez Colorist: Arif Prianto Letterer: Wes Abbott
In an industry with many convoluted characters Donna Troy has a strong argument to being the queen of that. The convoluted history is something that Phil Jimenez does not run away from. Instead, Jimenez full embraces Donna’s history to create a compelling narrative that somehow sums up who she was and is now.
That is all accomplished thanks to the way Jimenez absolutely maximizes the 40 pages he was given for Titans Annual 2025. Every decision from who Donna Troy interacts with and actions she takes is made in a purposeful manner. That is all best seen with how Jimenez utilizes Donna’s brother-sister dynamic with Dick Grayson to show how grounded of a character she is.
By embracing all the complicated things about Donna as a character we get a comic book that has an evergreen nature to it. We see everything that makes Donna such a special character in the DC Universe. And most importantly why she is someone that fans will always gravitate to and want to see more stories about.
3) ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #15
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson; Artist: Hayden Sherman; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: Becca Carey
Superhero team-up stories don’t get much better than the team up between Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Batman. There is a reason why the Absolute Universe launched with these two characters and Absolute Wonder Woman #15 drove that point home.
The effortless chemistry was one of the most fascinating to see in Absolute Wonder Woman #15. As soon as Absolute Wonder Woman and Absolute Batman meet there is an understanding of one another. Their conversation is a great example of how similar and different these two are from their main DC Universe counterpart.
By establishing their dynamic of equals from out of the gate the focus of the story can lean into each character’s specialties. The way they respect the others expertise made the investigation they are on have a natural pacing to it. That pacing made it so when we did get the Absolute Batman vs Absolute Wonder Woman fight happen it was done with a purpose. That purpose led to an ending that drove home these two as the World’s Finest of the Absolute Universe.
2) TRANSFORMERS #24
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson; Artist: Jorge Corona; Colorist: Mike Spicer; Letterer: Rus Wooton
There is no better example of how to conclude a long creative run than Transformers #24. Daniel Warren Johnson, Jorge Corona, and Mike Spicer run on the Energon Universe’s Transformers was legendary. What made it legendary was how they hold nothing back with the finale of their creative run in Transformers #24.
As soon as you open Transformers #24 there is this aura of knowing this comic book is what Johnson, Corona, and Spicer were leading to. The opening brawl between Optimus Prime and Megatron spoke to why these two are eternal rivals. The power of every blow they exchange was packed with the emotions of everything that happened in the previous 23 issues.
The fight helped elevate everything with how Johnson, Corona, and Spicer decided to end the latest Autobots vs Decepticons battle. Just like with how the Optimus vs Megatron fight went, we see the rest of Autobots continue to struggle against the Decepticons. The moment when things finally turned around was so rewarding and the moment that made the payoff worth it. That payoff left a strong foundation for the future creative team to continue to make this Transformers comic book the best ongoing in the industry today.
1) ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS #6
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Deniz Camp; Artist: Eric Zawadzki; Colorist: Jordie Bellaire; Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
There was no comic book that was as emotionally intense of a reading experience in 2025 than Assorted Crisis Events #6. Deniz Camp and Eric Zawadzki create such an incredibly emotional ride that you are left in a state of feeling drained. And it is not drained because of some sort of exhaustion. Instead it was something where once you finish reading this comic book you just want to process what happened.
That is all a credit to the high level of investment that Camp and Zawadzki create with the cast of this comic book. You feel all the ups and downs the cast experiences as things go all over the emotional range. Add in the stellar artwork by Zawadzki and it was tough to read the next comic waiting to be picked up on my pull list. It had that type of impact that drives home why this was the best single issue comic book released in 2025.
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