“What does that mean? Whatever you want it to mean. Are these movies “the best”? Are they our favorites? Are they “movies we got to see before the deadline”? In my case, it’s some combination of all three — but I’m really quite happy with the aggregate results.” — Jim Emerson

When I used to do annual lists at Spinetinger years ago I usually included the above quote and jokingly called it the annual invocation. As a reminder that while we may use the term "best of..." it's really just favorites of what I’ve read so far.

As usual let me say that I haven't read every crime comics that came out in 2025 so this list may not represent the best crime comics but I sure dig them

Covering comics like this can be a little tricky. Some titles are still in progress. Some series are ongoing. Some titles may collect issues that were published the previous year. For me, and how I choose to cover titles, there's always this kind of rolling release window that's longer than 12 months and not confined to a simple calendar year. 

My hope is simply to point readers towards some good books.

In my opinion the crime comic of the year is Out of Alcatraz by Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook (Oni Press). Out of Alcatraz does so many things right. It has a compelling story, beautiful art. It takes a well-trod true crime story, the prisoners who escaped from Alcatraz, and uses it as an on-ramp to tell a great mid-20th century style pulp crime thriller with some modern touches that aren't out of place and expand the palette of that type of crime story. It's bold, it's tough, it's violent, and it's also tender.   

Adabana vol. 1 is a psychological crime thriller manga by NON, I believe their first work translated into English. There are two more upcoming volumes to complete the story. A student is brutally murdered in a highly publicized crime and her friend confesses. But there's more to the story she tells. Each chapter in this volume escalates the tension nicely as the story grows more and more complex. Really looking forward to seeing how this one plays out (cw for sexual assault)

Trouble is My Business by Raymond Chandler and Arvind Ethan David, Illustrated by Ilias Kyriazis. Chandler's Marlowe has had a couplefew appearances in comics over the decades. Every few years or so someone wants to take a crack at adapting a story or trying to bring the character into the present (even moreso in film). I've even read a wild k-pop flavored, manga inspired retelling of Chandler's The Big Sleep. I think that this adaptation largely works. It should appeal to Chandler purists and those who like classic crime fiction. One big element here is that the story veers away from Marlowe's perspective at times which allows for a richer experience with respect to the supporting cast of characters. George, a Black, college educated, war veteran really stands out. I'd love to see him in his own story. There are some outstanding visual elements, paneling, and coloring that takes the established visual palette of film noir and expands it to work in the medium of comics. 

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips had a new Criminal book called The Knives that came out in 2025 (with a couple more planned in 2026). Three intertwined stories that form a whole and work to bring the Criminal universe up to the current times. Putting aside that we know there are upcoming Criminal books, that much is obvious by the end of the story, that the table is being set. There is a Sad Dad energy that hangs over the whole thing but it all comes together nicely in the end. If you are new to the world of Criminal, I might suggest starting with the earlier volumes. While it isn't really a linear series, it helps to be grounded in the world to appreciate all of the connections and appearances in The Knives. Plus, you'll want to be caught up when the Prime series drops.

Paul Auster died in 2024 at the age of 77. His New York Trilogy of post-modern detective novels, consisting of City of Glass, Ghosts, and The Locked Room,  was published in the 80s. A graphic novel adaptation of City of Glass was published in 1994 and reissued in 2004. This new edition completes the trilogy by reissuing the 1994 adaptation and bundling it with new adaptations of the other two books. While the City of Glass trilogy is regarded as a classic work of literature it is less clear how the general mystery fiction audience regards them. This may matter only in terms of audience. If you're just looking for some down & dirty crime shit then this may not be the book for you (look to some of the other titles listed here) but I think fans of the mystery/crime genre should definitely give either Auster's novels or this collected graphic collection a chance. This book is worthy of a place on your shelf.

The Voice Said Kill by Si Spurrier and Illustrated by Vanesa Del Rey (Image). 

Soon after I launched this newsletter a friend messaged me about an article on crime comics that popped up on Crime Reads. In support of The Voice Said Kill, Si Spurrier was saying some things similar to what I've been writing about here. You should go check out his piece.

"It’s a matter of some frustration, to those of us who love both, that prose novels and graphic novels are held to be so radically unalike.

I’ve written extensively in both media, and can’t deny the differences are many and deep. Fandoms rarely cross the rails. Those who’ve read and enjoyed my crime novels (Contract, A Serpent Uncoiled) only occasionally find their way to my comics (Coda, The Spire, Damn Them All) and vice versa. Those who do so inevitably find that the elements of my work they enjoyed in one sphere are entirely present in the other, yet the embracing of a whole new world of stories remains oddly non-instinctive. 

I’m fascinated by why that should be. And since I’m on the cusp of releasing The Voice Said Kill, a pure crime comic delightfully categorized by the publisher as “Louisiana swamp noir”, I thought it a good opportunity to take a look at the whole problem, and suggest some gateway titles to make the barriers more porous."

The protagonist is reminiscent of Marge from Fargo, she is determined and very pregnant. She comes across a backwoods swamp family, folks who aren't as they seem, and a lone wild man. The Voice Said Kill goes in some unexpected directions and is a wild ride.

Titan put out a single volume manga called Stray by Ryu Kamio & Yu Nakahara. When a yakuza gets out of jail the only person to greet him is a child who is connected to someone from his past. They will work together to uncover the secrets of the past and how it all connects to the present. My biggest complaint about Stray is that I wanted it to be longer so that the story could have a little more room to breathe and the characters and their relationships could have had a little more time to develop. As it stands, it's a very concentrated dose of story. Still, I really enjoyed Stray and read it twice.

Calavera, P.I. by Marco Finnegan injects new life into the classic noir story. It has supernatural elements but they are tied into the cultural fabric of the characters so they feel like a natural extension of the story. Calavera, P.I. has great characters and a strong sense of place and time. Worth checking out.

The Loose End by Dave Dwonch and Travis Hymel is a slick, hardboiled thriller that carries the Hard Case Crime logo. A scriptwriter owes a debt to the mob and has to carry out a hit to get out of debt while south of the border in Mexico. Do I need to tell you that nothing goes as planned?

This Place Kills Me by Mariko Tamaki and Nicole Goux

"A long time ago we used to be friends

But I haven't thought of you lately at all"

A beautiful and popular student is killed at an all girls private school in the 1980s. Abby, new to the school and not fitting in anywhere, was the last to speak to her and thinks something is amiss. The dead girl, Abby, and everyone else has secrets. Abby is a great character. Doesn't fit in, exists on the fringes, is a liminal figure passing through the hellscape of high school.  This Place Kills Me is a great piece of YA noir that fits right in with Veronica Mars (theme song quoted above) and Brick.

Gilt Frame by Matt Kindt & Margie Kraft Kindt. You can tell that Matt Kindt is a fan of the mystery/crime genre. A lot of his work is infused with some mystery/crime elements, though maybe not fully embracing the genre, but often intersecting with elements from other genres (Pistolwhip, Super Spy, Mind MGMT, Revolver). Gilt Frame, co-written with his mother, is a globe trotting tale that is as much about the relationship of the central duo as it is about the mysteries they find themselves embroiled in, though those are pretty great too. 

I also enjoyed Consensual Violence, The Hive, and I Was a Fashion School Serial Killer. Each have a link to the reviews I already wrote for them.

I have some shout-outs I wants to give. 

The manga series The Fable published it's final volume in 2025. I love the series and have been making sure to pick up the volumes as they've been coming out, however I'm still reading the series. 

The Gunsmith Cats trilogy manga series was published in 2025. Similarly, I've only read volume 1 so far. A spinoff series is due to start in 2026.

Finally, I've been reading the following ongoing manga series and enjoy each of them: Manchuria Opium Squad, The Mafia Nanny, My Dear Detective, Shimazaki in the Land of Peace, and Ichi the Killer. While it can be tough to fully review an ongoing series, I'd like to write something on them when I have a chance. 

What crime comics did you love in 2025?