May has come to an end and you know what that means, it’s time to select the Best Comic Books of the month. This was a month packed with plenty of comic books to talk about. It is what makes trying to select the ten best comic books of the month so tough. With that in mind, find out what made my list of the ten best comic books released in May 2025.
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #8
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Marcos Martin
Colorist: Muntsa Vicente
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Absolute Batman #8 delivers a vibe where you are terrified for the experience Bruce Wayne goes through and excited to see where it all goes. It is a testament to the creative chemistry Scott Snyder and Marcos Martin had. They created a comic book that as the reader you felt on the edge of your seat while reading it. It all hinged on getting over Absolute Mr. Freeze as a horror movie villain and they absolutely succeeded. This is by far the most terrifying version of Mr. Freeze we have gotten in a very long time. The situation the villain puts Bruce is further challenges our hero to show their greatest strength as Absolute Batman is his ingenuity. Which is something he will definitely need all of it given how this issue ends and what it could mean for Bruce’s inner circle. Great stuff.
ABSOLUTE FLASH #3
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Nick Robles
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
Wrapping up the first story arc of Absolute Flash in the third issue added to how this series is standing out to its other fellow Absolute Universe title. We didn’t need to spend more time on the origin story or getting us to the moment Absolute Wally West assumed the Flash role. This created a greater emphasis on how Wally gets to the moment he claims his superhero identity. Adding Absolute Grodd as an important part of Wally’s accepting his new role as Flash was a great twist. The dynamic is already there to make for some fun Dynamic Duo-esque development between the pair. And there is already enough groundwork in place with where the Rogues are that there is plenty of story potential to mine how Absolute Flash will explore the Absolute Universe in its own way moving forward.
ABSOLUTE WONDER WOMAN #8
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Hayden Sherman
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Becca Carey
When looking for comics that exemplify how to world build Absolute Wonder Woman #8 is one of those to check out. Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman nail capturing the feeling of reading an epic story even when it is set in one location. There is a great sense of scale with every scene in this issue. That allows Gateway City to develop its own personality, so it becomes a character in itself, similar to Gotham City. Putting that time into world building makes Wonder Woman and her cast even more interesting characters. Specifically, the addition of Absolute Doctor Poison is so intriguing. The villain is presented as a big-time threat right away. And between the design and way they act, you believe that Wonder Woman will have a tough time battling whatever plans Doctor Poison have. All in all, this is a strong start that even if you didn’t read the previous seven issues of this series this is another good jumping on point for Absolute Wonder Woman.
BLOOD & THUNDER #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Co-Creators: Robert Kirkman, Benito Cereno, and E.J. Su
Writer: Benito Cereno
Artist: E.J. Su
Colorist: Msassyk
Letterer: Rus Wooton
From the moment that you open Blood & Thunder #1 you get the feeling that we are in store for something special. That immediate promise is lived up to as Benito Cereno and E.J. Su bring to life the world they crafted along their co-creator Robert Kirkman. Cereno’s writing defined a strong voice for not just main characters in Blood and Thunder but also the world around them. Every bit of dialogue is adding character to the world around our lead and their chatty weapon. That world is wonderfully brough to life by Su who makes every corner of the new planet the story is set different. There is a feeling that the tone can shift quickly with every corner turned or door busted into as you don’t know what is waiting there. That made the bounty hunter work Blood and Thunder do even more fun and engaging.
G.I. JOE #7
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Andrea Milana
Colorist: Lee Loughridge
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Some of the best comic books in a series are when a creative team dedicate an entire issue to telling one complete story. The one-shot direction G.I. JOE #7 takes to introduce us to the Energon Universe version of Beach Head is a perfect example of this. Whether you were familiar with previous versions of the character or not this comic book fully gets over why Beach Head is a great character. You see every one of his skills and quirks during missions in action. It was all show rather than tell in getting Beach Head over. G.I. JOE #7 also is a great example of how the mission base structure will be what will help separate this series from the rest of the Energon Universe. There is a structure even in the chaos that may happen within the missions the JOEs take on.
INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE: BATTLE BEAST #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley
Colorist: Annalisa Leoni
Letterer: Rus Wooton
Reading Invincible Universe: Battle Beast #1 felt like returning to a home you didn’t know how much you missed until you returned to visit it. Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley knew exactly that as they open this comic book with shots of Battle Beast first appearance in Invincible. It was an reminder of why we loved coming back to this universe on a monthly basis. Most importantly, it immediately positioned Battle Beast as the ultimate badass warrior we all remember him being. His never-ending hunger to find an opponent that could challenge him is on full display here and it is glorious. He doesn’t care if you like him or not. He just wants to find someone to give him the challenge that will finally satisfy him. How that translates to his brutal fighting style is perfectly brought to life by Ottley’s excellent artwork.
STAR WARS #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Alex Segura
Artist: Phil Noto
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
While Marvel has made some good Star Wars comics I haven’t fully gotten into them because there was always a vibe I’ve seen these stories in the movies or TV shows. Which is why the latest Star Wars #1 was such a joy. For the first time I finally felt Marvel and Disney were giving me what I’ve been wanting, which is the post-Return of the Jedi story. Credit to Alex Segura and Phil Noto who show they are fans of the franchise and used that to tell a story that really hits on this is the post-Return of the Jedi world we are entering in. Even though they defeated Emperor Palpatine there are still plenty of challenges that Luke, Leia, and Han are a part of. There is a lot of work to get done and this is a great start to explore the New Republic era with the characters we love.
STORM #8
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Murewa Ayodele
Artists: Lucas Werneck and Mario Santoro
Colorist: Alex Guimarães
Letterer: Travis Lanham
The deeper Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck are getting into their Storm run the better it is. Particularly, they have gotten even better at juggling multiple sub-plots that all feed into the greater narrative the series is building. In Storm #8 case that narrative is the upcoming Thunder War. How everything that is developed here creates an aura that the Thunder War will be an epic cosmic event. Creating such momentum for an ongoing series is so refreshing. It rewards the reader with a major scale story that will be happening in Storm. It is all further elevating Storm’s position as one of the strongest and most influential Marvel characters. The way she interacts with other people works that even when she isn’t on screen you feel Ororo’s presence. It all leads to Storm continuing to be one of the best comic books Marvel is publishing right now.
THE VISION & THE SCARLET WITCH #1
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Lorenzo Tammetta
Colorist: Ruth Redmond
Letterer: Travis Lanham
The Vision & The Scarlet Witch #1 continues the magical run that Steve Orlando has been having writing Wanda Maximoff’s character. While this new mini-series is a continuation of Orlando’s Scarlet Witch run, adding Vision to the main narrative helps provide a new wild card to everything. The time they’ve had away from each other also means that their chemistry isn’t where it was when they were a couple. The story plays into that as Vision is treated more as a visitor since Scarlet Witch has gotten more involved in the magical world of the Marvel Universe. And Grim Reaper is a great antagonist to play into what Vision and Scarlet Witch’s current dynamic is. Which makes the ending of the debut issue even more intriguing as that dynamic is already getting challenged in major ways from the start.
ZATANNA #4
CREATIVE TEAM
Writer & Artist: Jamal Campbell
Letterer: Ariana Maher
As has been the case of the first three issues Zatanna #4 is yet another amazing journey through DC Universe magical realm. Jamal Campbell’s storytelling ability is on another level. The artwork is filled with so much incredible detail. Everything is so visually captivating that you are paying attention as much attention to the background as what is going on in the foreground. It creates a unique reading experience as Campbell knows when to let the artwork tell the story and when dialogue needs to be emphasized. It further highlights Campbell’s greatest strength as an artist is how he has Zatanna and other characters emote. This all leads to maximizing the ending of Zatanna #4 being as badass as it needed to be.
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