As a comics librarian, I get asked to reveal my most-loved reads at the end of each year. While I love helping others discover their next favorite read, I find it too difficult to choose just one for myself. I love so many comics and creators that it feels like a minor betrayal to formally call out a few above the others.
As 2025 comes to a close, it annoyed me that I honestly didn’t have an answer this year. I started surfacing some top-of-mind hits, which turned into a deep dive as I remembered even more comics I enjoyed this year.
I grouped them by age levels and narrowed things down to two titles for each, then debated their merits until there was one winner for each age level. Think March Madness brackets but for a comics librarian suffering from analysis paralysis. With this method, I was hopeful I could pick my favorite from the final four.
What follows is that journey. To keep it interesting, I also included read-alikes for each title, along with runners-up for each age level. All of these are comics that are available on Comics Plus, which I read during this calendar year, not necessarily titles that were published in 2025.
At the time of writing this introduction, I genuinely didn’t know what my top pick was going to be, so hopefully we both enjoy this journey down the rabbit hole!
Round 1: Middle Grade
‣ Crush by Svetlana Chmakova (Yen Press)
A new year of middle school has brought an obsession with who is dating — or wishes they were dating — whom. Jorge Ruiz has no time for that nonsense; he is blissfully uninterested in romance. Despite his intentional focus on his sports, friends, and academics, plus patrolling the halls to deter bullies and cool down conflicts, he’s unable to resist the allure of Jaz. The attraction causes his once crush-free world to become much more complicated.
But this is middle school, where nothing can be simple!
I really liked Jorge and found the realistic tween drama believable and engaging. I have the rest of the series in my digital TBR pile!
Read-alikes
- Kyle’s Little Sister by BonHyung Jeong (Yen Press)
- Quince: English Ed by Kit Steinkellner, Sebastian Kadlecik, and Emma Steinkellner (Fanbase Press)
‣ The Tea Dragon Society by K. O’Neill (Oni Press)
Greta is a young, goblin-blooded blacksmith learning to help her mother make swords in a time when such weapons are more symbolic than useful. One day, she rescues a baby Tea Dragon from hungry wolves and the grateful dragon caretaker and tea shop owner, Hesekiel, offers to teach her how to care for Tea Dragons.
It’s during this training that Greta meets the mysterious Minette, a young woman who has lost all her memories during her training to become a prophetress. Together with Hesekiel’s partner, Erik, the group bonds as they uphold the historic tradition of care of and tea extraction from these special dragons.
This was a very cozy read, the kind that makes you get that fuzzy feeling at the same time as being wowed by the artwork. It was fun delving into the dragon world created by O’Neill and watching Greta come of age on her own terms.
Read-alikes
- The Secret Garden – Part 1 by Frances Hodgson and Burnett Maud Begon (Europe Comics)
- Haru Book 1: Spring by Joe Latham (Andrews McMeel)
Runners-up
- Ghostbusters Volume 1: Back in Town by David M. Booher and Blue Delliquanti (Dark Horse)
- Magical Pet Vet: The Sad and Laggin’ Dragon by Jason M. Burns, Renata García, and Dustin Evans (Cherry Lake)
- Scales & Scoundrels Book 1: Where Dragons Wander by Sebastian Girner and Galaad (TKO Presents)
- The Nightmare Brigade #1 The Case of The Girl from Deja Vu by Franck Thillez and Yomgui Dumont (Papercutz)
✓ Middle Grade Winner: Crush
While The Tea Dragon Society was like being draped in a warm blanket, the likeability of Jose and his friends gives Crush the win in this round.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Elementary, Middle School, Children’s Public Library, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Round 2: Teen
‣ Student Ambassador: The Missing Dragon by Ryan Estrada and Axur Eneas (Iron Circus)
Joseph is a student ambassador who wins a trip to meet the President. Nang is a boy king in a fictional land who is struggling to stabilize his kingdom after the death of his parents. Joseph is a whip-smart rule-follower while Nang is selfish and spoiled and values possessions, including stolen ones, above people.
When the two first meet in a diplomatic capacity, they couldn’t seem more different, but when Nang’s palace is broken into while Joseph is sleeping over, the boys unwillingly embark on an adventure to solve mysteries and restore balance in their respective lands.
This is a charming buddy comedy, and I’m not sure we have enough of those in comics for young teens! The story is funny and well-constructed, like a well-produced classic Disney tale.
Read-alikes
- Empty Halls: Class in Session by Jason M. Burns and Dustin Evans (Cherry Lake)
- Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook, Ryan Estrada, and Hyung-Ju Ko (Iron Circus)
‣ Delicious in Dungeon, Vol. 1 by Ryoko Kui (Yen Press)
When Laios and his party are wiped out by a fierce dragon, he awakens to find that his friend Falin is missing, presumably trapped inside the dragon’s stomach. They’ve also lost most of their food and supplies to the dungeon where the fight took place. In need of food, money, more fighters, and supplies in order to rescue Falin and win the day, Laois decides they’ll conquer the dungeon by eating every monster that tries to stop them.
This unique approach creates an action-packed, foodie free-for-all, complete with monster meat recipes and nutrition counts.
As someone who has been playing Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) for years, I love fantasy quests that feel like game campaigns. Massive bonus for the recipes and foodie elements — what’s not to like?!
Read-alikes
- Blitz, Vol. 1 by Cédric Biscay, Harumo Sanazaki, and Daitaro Nishihara (Ablaze)
- Cat + Gamer Volume 1 by Wataru Nadatani (Dark Horse)
Runners-up
- Heart Transplant by Andrew Vachess and Frank Caruso (Dark Horse)
- Basil and Oregano by Melissa Capriglione (Dark Horse)
- Becoming Who We Are: Real Stories About Growing Up Trans edited by Sammy Lisel and Hazel Newlevant (A Wave Blue World)
- Stranger Things Library Edition Volume 1 by Jody Houser, Stefano Martino, Edgar Salazar, Lauren Affe, and Marissa Louise (Dark Horse)
✓ Teen Winner: Delicious in Dungeon
For me, D&D with friends plus good food is a pretty hard combo to beat, so I’m giving this round to Delicious in Dungeon.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): Middle School, High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Round 3: Young Adult
‣ Feral Vol. 1 by Tony Fleecs, Trish Forstner, Tone Rodriguez, and Brad Simpson (Image Comics)
We meet Elsie, Lord Fluffy Britches, and Patch as they are flung out of a van that just crashed next to a forest. Disoriented and struggling to regroup, they are immediately attacked from all sides by various species of rabid animals. As their terrifying escape through the trees unfolds, we learn through posted signage that these animals were surrendered to Animal Control while all humans were forced into quarantine.
The action and suspense are unrelenting as every animal fights to survive — and no creature is safe!
In the modern era of distractions, I love the way Feral grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go until the last page. Between that, the artwork, and the originality of the premise, this became a top contender for standouts of my reading year.
Read-alikes
- Stray Dogs by Tony Fleecs and Trish Forstner (Image Comics)
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza, and Isaac Escorza (IDW)
‣ Godzilla’s 70th Anniversary Deluxe Edition by James Stokoe, Matt Frank, Adam Gorham, Danny Lore, Joelle Jones, E.J. Su, and Liana Kangas (IDW)
While the concept of Godzilla was born from the social and political climate of 1950s Japan, the fictional monster has had many iterations since his debut. This anthology celebrates Godzilla’s “career” by showcasing the range of stories that can take place about and around the radioactive kaiju. With all anthologies, some stories resonate more than others, but the collected creative talent and fresh story ideas make the whole collection a blast from start to finish.
I love monster books and movies, and have always found Godzilla in all his iterations to be just so cool.
Runners-up
- Bad Dreams in the Night by Adam Ellis (Andrews McMeel)
- Cheer Up: Love & Pompoms by Crystal Frasier, Val Wise, and Oscar O. Jupiter (Oni Press)
✓ Young Adult Winner: Feral
Not only are both of these books loosely about animals-gone-wrong, they both caused me to feel a range of emotions. I have to give the win to Feral, though, because a couple stories from the Godzilla anthology weren’t as strong to me, whereas Feral had that chokehold throughout.
- Comics Plus Collection(s): High School, Teen Public Library, All-Access for Schools, Full Collection
Round 4: Adult
‣ Why I Adopted My Husband: The True Story of a Gay Couple Seeking Legal Recognition in Japan by Yuta Yagi (Tokyopop)
Yuta and Kyota are an adorable gay couple living in Japan. Despite the fact that same-sex marriage is not yet legal in their country, the pair want to celebrate their love and also proactively protect their future from legal issues like family challenges to end-of-life decisions and claims to shared assets. They decide to exercise a unique loophole in order to force the government to recognize their union: Kyota, only five months older, legally adopted Yuta as his “son.” Their love story is laid out in chapters that include resources to help same-sex couples make informed decisions within Japan’s restrictive laws.
Not only was I taken in by the sweet and spicy dynamic between Yuta and Kyota, I learned a lot from their story. Another bonus is that the art is absolutely adorable!
Read-alikes
- At 30, I Realized I Had No Gender: Life Lessons From a 50-Year-Old After Two Decades of Self-Discovery by Shou Arai (Tokyopop)
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Oni Press)
‣ Infidel by Pornsak Pichetshote, Aaron Campbell, José Villarrubia, and Nate Powell (Image Comics)
Aisha moves in with her fiance, along with his daughter and mom, in a building haunted by a violent hate crime from the not-too-distant past. Her life unravels as the disturbing visions from her nightmares make their debut in her waking hours. One day, Aisha and her housemates are discovered badly injured inside the building after a fall down the staircase.
Did the still unconscious Aisha attack her family, or is the only witness allowing her own racial bias to keep the truth from being uncovered?
This one might be downright scary for less-seasoned horror fans, because it was still genuinely creepy for me. I also loved the diversity of characters, subtle political undertones, and the unfolding mystery.
Read-alikes
Runners-up
- The Confessional by Paige Hender (Silver Sprocket)
- Pretty Deadly Vol. 1: The Shrike by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Emma Ríos, and Jordie Bellaire (Image Comics)
- Glarien: Origins 1 by Charlie Stickney, Romina Moranelli, Romina Moranelli, and Fin Cramb (White Ash Comics)
- Traveling to Mars by Mark Russell and Roberto Meli (Ablaze)
✓ Adult Winner: Infidel
I learned so much from Why I Adopted My Husband, but since my reading tastes lean toward the creepy — and the story is so brilliantly layered — Infidel wins this round.
- Comics Plus Collection: Full Collection
My Favorite Comics Plus Read of 2025
As a reminder, we are down to Crush, Delicious in Dungeon, Feral, and Infidel as the winners of their respective age levels. With all of the comics I’ve read on Comics Plus over the last twelve months, it’s a real credit to each of these titles that they made it this far!
So, what was my top overall read from 2025?
Rather than debate and compare the merits of any of these very different comics to one another, which would be an insult to the many incredible attributes of each, I’m going to go with what my gut…
My winner is Feral Vol. 1!
It’s in my wheelhouse of creepy and suspenseful; the story is original; no character is safe; and the artwork is strikingly cinematic in the best way possible. I can’t wait to read the other volumes in the series and see how the story concludes!
What a journey it’s been reading many, if not actually all the comics available on Comics Plus — and finding my own next favorite read!
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Moni Barrette, MLIS is the Director, Collection Development for LibraryPass, as well as former President of American Library Association’s Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table, and co-founder of the nonprofit Creators, Assemble! Inc. As a former public library manager, Moni won the California Library Association PRExcellence Award (2018 & 2019) for library events aimed at underserved adult library users and has proven success using comics to increase library circulation. In 2025, she was named a Library Journal Mover & Shaker. Moni is a frequent panelist at San Diego and New York Comic Con, San Diego Comic Fest and Wonder-Con, hosting industry networking events and providing instruction to educators and librarians..
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