You’ve been asking, and we have answered! Once again, we merry Gosh! crew have trawled through the releases of 2025 to reel in our absolute faves from the past year. While we look into our crystal ball (and our advance reader copies) to include releases to the end of December, apologies if the best graphic novel you’ve ever read comes out sometime in the next 6 weeks. Things do slip through.

We’ll start with the usual disclaimer: doing any kind of Best Of list is a subjective affair, and we should emphasize that these are simply the titles we collectively liked best this year. We also try to offer a reasonable spread of subject matter to find something for as many tastes as possible. So I can guarantee you won’t like everything in this list, but I can also guarantee you that you’ll like something.

We loosely adhere to a few rules as we put these lists together:

• We will only do the first book of a series unless a deliberate attempt is made to create a jumping-on point with it. You might have loved volume 4 of Where Has My Hamster Gone for its nuanced depiction of love, loss and indescribable cuteness, but we won’t include it, sorry. We like to make these lists accessible.
• Books collecting stories for the first time that have been serialized prior to this year do qualify. We will also include reprints of translated editions that are being presented in English for the first time, whatever the age.
• We just stick to physical media, and only what we might describe as a book.
• We only include things that we anticipate will actually be available for a period of time. Inevitably, when we announce these lists, some books will be temporarily unavailable or reprinting, but they should generally be available. This also excludes a lot of amazing small and micro press material we’ve seen throughout the year that we’re unlikely to ever see again.
• Sometimes we bend the rules. They are, after all, our rules.

The list below is for our Best of 2025 Adult list. For our Best of 2025 Kids and Young Adult list, click here.

Should you wish to purchase any of these from our webstore (please be our guest!), just click on the title, or check out the Best of 2025 - Adult** **page for the whole range.

So here they are, presented alphabetically (no way are we going to try and rank these), our Best of 2025 - Adult list!

ABSOLUTE MARTIAN MANHUNTER HC & SC VOL 01 By Deniz Camp & Javier Rodriguez Publisher: DC Comics

I’ll be honest: there was a bit of a tussle over which of DC’s superb new Absolute line was going to find a place here. The Batman and Wonder Woman titles could have both easily found a place, but it was the sheer audacity of Camp and Rodriguez’s reimagining of the refugee Martian (or is it?) that won us over. This tale of an FBI agent being granted powers of empathy by an alien passenger is like the greatest 90s Vertigo series we never had. The shadows of Grant Morrison and Peter Milligan loom large over it, but never overshadow what is the most unique superhero comic you’ll read this year.

ARISTOTLE’S CUTTLEFISH HC By Matthew Dooley Publisher: Avery Hill

Aristotle’s Cuttlefish is a simple story about a widowed old man, Mr Daniels, who works at the lost property office at the Dobbiston local council and a young man, Toby, who shadows him for work experience. Toby’s presence throws Mr Daniels’ life into chaos, but also gives him an opportunity to open up and accept kindness from others. Seemingly depressing at first sight (which on its own is appealing to some), Dooley’s new book is as comforting as it gets for those who are lost in life. To top it off, the book has a satisfying ending that will make you smile!

ASSORTED CRISIS EVENTS SC VOL 01 By Deniz Camp & Eric Zawadzki Publisher: Image Comics

In mainstream superhero comics, the ever-recurring “Crisis” event can see realities and timeliness shattered and re-stitched as heroes fight to keep it all together, sometimes vanishing themselves, other times given new origins or even made to co-exist with their alternate reality counterparts. Assorted Crisis Events follows no such heroes and is instead an anthology focusing on the normal people made to contend with such an unstable reality as part of their daily lives. These intimate stories of personal struggles stab at a side of the ‘Crisis’ phenomenon desperate to be told, with great appeal to be found for mainstream superhero and indie comics readers alike

BATMAN & ROBIN YEAR ONE HC & SC **By Mark Waid & Chris Samnee ** Publisher: DC Comics

The Waid / Samnee combo is a good tip for anyone paying attention that this was going to be something special. Follow along with Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson during their first year working together in an almost platonic ideal of what a superhero comic should be. A dynamic, action-packed narrative with great character work as the Dynamic Duo realise just how different they are despite their shared experience of lost parents. Never tried Batman? Get this. Read one thousand Batman stories? Get this.

BONE BROTH SC By Alex Taylor Publisher: SelfMadeHero

As he joins a South London Ramen Bar, Ash meets and is challenged by a diverse and close-knit group of young, bohemian colleagues and owner Bug. Shifting between colour-coded timelines of the early days of his time at “Bug’s Bones” and his first New Year’s Party there, reality begins to unwind for Ash, faced with the high-paced demands of the restaurant, personal challenges of his transition and the grisly aftermath of an unexpected death. Writer/Artist Alex Taylor uses experimental layouts and empathetic cartooning, drawing from his own history as a chef for his first Graphic Novel (and winner of the UK First Graphic Novel Award). The result is a labour of love as intricate, deep and sometimes disorienting as the Bone Broth vat whose fumes infect Ash’s thoughts

BUFF SOUL HC By Moa Romanova Publisher: Fantagraphics

Set against the backdrop of a chaotic punk rock tour of the states, Moa Romanova’s Buff Soul is a powerful (and very, very fun) exploration of friendship, self-discovery and grief. The story is autobiographic, retelling a portion of Romanova’s life touring with confrontational punk outfit Shitkid, and explores the reality of a hedonistic rock’n’roll tour whilst learning who you really are, and how to live with that person. I read it in a sitting, and it’s a book that’s stuck with me since.

CANNON HC By Lee Lai Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Lee Lai follows her excellent debut, Stone Fruit, with a touching look at what life and connection mean as we leave our adolescence well and truly behind. Cannon is a queer, Chinese-Candian woman in her late 20’s, trying to hold herself together as the stresses of family, work, relationships, and friendship weigh upon her. Not entirely successfully, it would seem, as we begin with her in the wreckage of the restaurant she’s working at. Lai goes from strength to strength, really getting to the heart of the complicated relationships that both define and challenge us. A sometimes upsetting, sometimes uplifting, and wonderfully human story.

DO ADMIT! HC By Mimi Pond Publisher: Jonathan Cape

Mimi Pond is no stranger to our best of lists, and this biography of the Mitford sisters certainly demonstrates why. Pond has adapted her style into an almost Charles Addams-esque vision for this tale of the eclectic fates of the sisters, and Pond’s own obsession with them. Set mainly through the 1920’s and 1930’s, we’re drawn into the lives of these six children of a minor aristocratic British family, and why a kid growing up in 1970’s California would care about them. No wonder, I say, given the Mitfords were described by a contemporary commentator as “Diana the Fascist; Jessica the Communist; Unity the Hitler-lover; Nancy the Novelist; Deborah the Duchess and Pamela the unobtrusive poultry connoisseur”. Quite the bunch!

FAREWELL, DAISY SC By Jun Mayuzuki Publisher: Yen

From the creator of Kowloon Generic Romance, Farewell, Daisy is a collection of short stories by the talented yet quirky Jun Mayuzuki. She depicts love, sex and (sometimes queer) relationships that make readers giggle and blush at the same time. It is as weird as it is refreshing. And it’s definitely one of the most thought-provoking shoujo manga of the year, perfect for fans of Ai Yazawa or Murasaki Yamada.

FEEDING GHOSTS HC & SC By Tessa Hulls Publisher: Picador

Well, given that it won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Memoir, it would seem a bit daft not to include Hulls’ powerful biography. Well deserved, we say. Hulls tells the story of three generations of women: her grandmother’s experiences in revolutionary China; her mother’s youth in Hong Kong and eventual emigration to the USA; and Hulls’ response to this generational trauma, fleeing her family in a misguided bid for what she feels is freedom. The book is the best kind of memoir, one where we observe fundamental changes in the author taking place as the narrative unfolds. Her attempt at confronting the past unfolding in ways she never anticipated. An incredible book

GARDEN OF SPHERES SC By Linnea Sterte Publisher: Peow2

The reborn Peow brings us another beautiful work by Sterte, author of the stunning duo of Stages of Rot and Frog in the Fall. Originally serialised on Patreon back in 2022, this overhauled, 336-page version is a stunning vision of a dream-like fantasy world and its denizens, as an immortal being moves through it over the course of generations. Linnea Sterte is the real deal. A bona fide successor to the greats of European comics, drawing on their work and bringing her unique, contemporary voice to bear, creating something entirely new. All packaged in the typically beautiful manner of Peow books.

GINSENG ROOTS HC By Craig Thompson Publisher: Faber & Faber

Never one for a short book, Thompson has produced another doorstop, this one a fascinating mix of autobiography, history and botanical education. Having laboured on American ginseng farms with his brother as a youth, Thompson rediscovers the root when looking and medicines to treat a leg injury. Growing increasingly fascinated, he and his brother travel to China to learn about the (often traumatic) history, production and cultural impact of ginseng. Along the way we learn more about Thompson and his siblings, in what can sometimes feel like a bit of a sprawling beast of a book. But each part is affecting in its own way, all illustrated in black, white and red, and incredibly, even more lush and innovative in its layouts than ever before.

HOLY LACRIMONY HC By Michael DeForge Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

2025 is the year of Disclosure. Or it should have been, the internet said so. Perhaps Holy Lacrimony was Disclosure. Maybe non-human entities really are obsessed with our performative emotions and view them as fine art. I mean whatever U.A.P are it’s either going to be super boring, like, they’re B.A.E systems secret drones (snore) or much weirder, like it’s time-travelling machine elves from the 5th dimension who are 3D printing flying saucers from a base deep in the ocean. Holy Lacrimony is a comic about connections. A post-alien abduction trauma memoir, it details Pitchfork-famous musician Jackie’s abduction experiences and their subsequent joining of a support group as Jackie tries to process being designated the “saddest living person in the entire world” by otherworldly beings. Real-world, parasocial and paranormal relationships are rendered in silly, grotesque, and haunting cartooning by DeForge, who hasn’t missed a step with this new book. Oscillating between shockingly dirty, casually funny and earnestly engaged in the socio-politics of his fictive worlds, Holy Lacrimony earns its place on our best of 2025 list. Keep watching the skies!

MILK-WHITE STEED HC By Michael Kennedy Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Having been a mainstay on the small press walls with his one-man anthology Mint, Milk-White Steed is the exciting and beautiful debut collection of one of England’s finest cartoonists. Within the book are ten short stories centering around people who have come from the Caribbean to start a new life in England, and importantly, the West Midlands, with a through-line of the oppression and alienation these people deal with, from the 20th through to the 21st century. His artwork shifts and transforms, the inventiveness buoyed by his artistic skill. It’s a dense book, a collection of sometimes challenging comics which reward patience with complete immersion, a quietly powerful piece of work.

POWER FANTASY SC VOL 01 By Kieron Gillen & Caspar Wijngaard Publisher: Image Comics

The Power Fantasy follows the interpersonal and global repercussions of a tenuously managed, self-regulated truce between the world’s few literal superpowers, each a respectably reimagined homage to mainly Marvel’s mutant powerhouses (or "omega level" mutants). Though where Marvel or DC may have hundreds to thousands of super-powered individuals waging their own private battles at once, The Power Fantasy’s premise begins with an acknowledgement that any two of these characters fighting in the real world would devastate the planet in seconds. The real hook here, however, and where Gillen’s world excels, is that these are essentially real people with passions, egos, genuine values, a penchant for articulation, and varying investments in humanity’s longevity. And when you skip over the nihilistic "Wouldn’t it be crazy if these guys fought for real" shock-rock show to actually acknowledge that, the interpersonal and sociopolitical examination of such a clash becomes a lot more fascinating.

PRECIOUS METAL SC By Darcy Van Poelgeest & Ian Bertram Publisher: Image Comics

Published as a prequel to 2019’s (and previous Gosh! Best of title) Little Bird, Precious Metal is a book for anyone looking to lose themselves in a truly breathtaking and alien universe. It’s a comic that demands your attention, from the incredibly detailed, beautiful & grotesque artwork to the impeccably realised world and story, it’s a journey that you won’t want to end. The story takes place across a bumper-sized 300 pages, and what starts as a Blade Runner-esque bounty hunt evolves into something much more. It’s a book worth re-reading multiple times and poring over every page. You’ll be rewarded!

RED NIGHT SC By Hanawa Kazuichi Publisher: Breakdown Press

A collection of sixteen short stories by legendary manga-ka Hanawa Kazuichi, only the second time his work has been translated into English. While that previous work was autobiographical, this collection sees the author’s often whimsical, regularly perverse imagination let loose on the page. It’s true, this ero guro style of cartooning was common in the 70s - 80s heyday of Garo magazine and its imitators, but Hanawa is a cut above many manga-ka of the time. His vision of the world leads to a uniquely idiosyncratic style of storytelling that can leave the unprepared scratching their heads in these tales of history, horror and folklore. But if they’re willing to give it the time and effort, the reader can undertake a journey that is unlike any other.

THIS SLAVERY SC By Scarlett & Sophie Rickard (adapted from the book by Ethel Carnie Holdsworth) Publisher: SelfMadeHero

The Rickard sisters are an enviably talented pair, once again turning their eyes to the adaptation of a political literary classic. Like their editions of The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist and No Surrender, the Rickards have created an accessible, beautifully illustrated edition of an important political work. In this case, it’s one which has spent much of the last 100 years out of print, so they will hopefully reach a whole new audience with its message of fighting for freedom in the face of overwhelming forces. The book follows two sisters in 1920s Lancashire. With no safety net, destitution is always a hairs-breadth away, but each finds her own path towards a similar goal: autonomy and dignity. The message of social justice is as powerful today as it was 100 years ago.

THE WEIGHT SC By Melissa Mendes Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly

Edie is a child of the Depression, born into a world of deprivation and violence thanks to her alcoholic, abusive father. We follow her against the backdrop of rural America in a time of change, each chapter shifting forward to a new stage in her life, from tragedy, to new beginnings, to whatever might lie ahead. But what could be a relentless catalogue of miseries is lifted by the cadences of childhood and the beauties of growing up in nature. This book marks an evolution in Mendes’ skills as both writer and artist, with its delicate lines and muted colours belying its complexity and, yep, weight.

WORLD WITHIN THE WORLD HC By Julia Gfrörer Publisher: Fantagraphics

Are you looking to be truly affected by a book this year? I can’t really think of a better recommendation than World Within the World, then. Julia Gfrörer is drawing some of the most exhilarating and disturbing comics currently being made and has been for the last 20 years or so. Within this collection are 39 of her previously self-published mini comics, exploring violence, eroticism, the esoteric and the horrible things humans do to one another. 38 are intimately distressing, and the 39th explores how Frasier Krane would fare in an Akira-type WMD attack. I cannot recommend this book enough.