The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two)

The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two)

Author: Brad & Lisa Gullickson January 1, 2026 Duration: 1:58:10
Welcome back, friend. Our end-of-the-year celebration concludes with The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two). If you missed the Part One party, click here, and discover the comics we considered the saddest of 2025, the most stylish, the most genre-bendy, etc, etc. For this week’s second half award show ceremony, we’re tackling the more traditional categories of Best Limited Series, Best Ongoing, Best Original Graphic Novel, and more. We wrap it all up by anointing the Jesse Tapia II Champ Stamp in honor of our dear departed friend, and announce how we’ll be kicking off 2026 next week. As was the case in our first half, The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part Two) features several guest-stars from folks across the industry. Each and every one of these cool cats is worth your attention, and we encourage you to follow their work and their socials listed below. This year produced too many dang great comics, but thankfully, these creatives helped us break beyond our limited perspective, and you benefit with even more titles to add to your ever-expanding to-read pile. The Best Comics of 2025 Part One Guest-Stars: Gregg Katzman (Bluesky), IDW Publishing's Senior Publicity Manager. Owen (Bluesky), Owen Likes Comics. Tyler Crook (Bluesky), The Lonesome Hunters, Out of Alcatraz, etc. Avery Kaplan (Bluesky), The Beat, Star Trek, TCJ, etc. BJ Kicks (Bluesky), Comics Are Dope. David Brooke (Bluesky), Owner, Writer, Host at AIPT. Chris Condon (Bluesky), That Texas Blood, Green Arrow, Ultimate Wolverine, etc. Chris Piers (Bluesky), Host of ComicTropes. Christian Ward (Bluesky), Batman: City of Madness, Event Horizon: Dark Descent, Two-Face, etc. This Week's Sponsors GlobalComix is the all-in-one digital comics platform offering unlimited reading of thousands of titles from top publishers, indie creators, across comics, manga, and toons. With GlobalComix Gold, members unlock access to more than 100,000 books and genres - superheroes, horror, sci-fi, manga, fantasy, romance, and more. Right now, GlobalComix is running a special Holiday Gold promotion: when you sign up for a year of GlobalComix Gold for $69, you'll get a bonus premium comics bundle from Dark Horse, DC, Kodansha, and Marvel - included for free. This bundle is valued at $67, making the annual plan essentially pay for itself with the bonus alone. How to Redeem: Use the link https://globalcomix.com/holiday-bundle-2025 to sign up. The offer is live now and available for a limited time (through January 4, 2026). Once subscribed, the bonus bundle will be added to your GlobalComix library. Are you ready to face the future? Look no further than 2000 AD – it’s the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic! Every week 2000 AD brings the best in sci-fi and horror, featuring characters like Judge Dredd, Rogue Trooper and more! Get a print subscription to 2000 AD, and it’ll arrive at your mailbox every week, and your first issue is free. You’ll also receive the HUNDRED PAGE 2000 AD Christmas Special this December at no extra cost! Or, subscribe digitally, and you can download DRM-free copies of each issue for only $9 a month. That’s 128 pages of incredible comics every month for less than $10! Head to 2000AD.com and click on ‘subscribe’ now – or download the 2000 AD app and start reading today! This Winter, from IDW Publishing, the Heroes in a Half-Shell take on the King of the Monsters! Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles x Godzilla #1 crashes into comic shops on November 12th. Written by Godzilla Kei-Sei Scribe Tim Seeley and illustrated by the brilliant Turtle artist behind the Nightwatcher series, as well as the Stranger Things/TMNT crossover, Fero Pe, this new series finally brings two of our favorite franchises together. How can this reptilian miracle be?  Long before the organization was corrupted by Shredder, the Foot Clan’s original purpose was to save Japan from Kaiju! Now, in the present day, Godzilla and its fellow monsters have reappeared. Not only is the Fo

Ever wonder what keeps Lois Lane and Clark Kent together, or why the Joker and Harley Quinn’s dynamic is so endlessly dissected? That’s the kind of territory you’ll find in Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast. Hosted by real-life married couple Brad and Lisa Gullickson, this isn’t just a rundown of famous pairs. Instead, they use their own relationship as a lens to examine the loves, feuds, and complicated bonds that define our favorite characters. Each episode feels like a lively conversation between two passionate fans who happen to share a life, digging into the psychology, history, and narrative impact of relationships across comic book publishing and wider pop culture. You’ll hear them analyze everything from classic Golden Age partnerships to the messy modern entanglements in contemporary graphic novels, always with a mix of deep knowledge and genuine curiosity. This podcast offers a uniquely personal and thoughtful way to engage with the stories you love, moving beyond powers and plot twists to ask what these fictional connections really say about us. Tune in for a smart, often funny, and always insightful look at the heart of the narratives.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Comic Book Couples Counseling Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Wendy and Richard Pini on Elfquest [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:29:44
Friends, we’ve got a special episode for you today. Comic book icons Wendy Pini and Richard Pini join the podcast for the first time, and they hang out for a lengthy, deep dive conversation into Elfquest’s origins. Their…
Zack Kaplan on Kill All Immortals [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:20
This week, comic shop employees from all over gather in Glendale, California. It’s time for ComicsPRO, the annual event designed to “promote the progress and development of comic book retailers and improve the condition…
Phil Hester on A Quiet Place Storm Warning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:01:31
The movie-to-comic path doesn’t always work out, but IDW Publishing is quickly proving itself to be the place to run to with your adaptation. Their latest cinematic comic book sidequel, A Quiet Place: Storm Warning, feat…
Stephanie Williams on Street Sharks [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:09
As far as mantras go, Street Sharks have one about as good as they come. They fight. They bite. They stand for everything right. You can read it on the opening page of each issue of the IDW Publishing series, and as we d…
Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips on The Peril of the Brutal Dark [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:08:14
Those in the know have been (im)patiently waiting for The Peril of the Brutal Dark: An Ezra Cain Mystery. Of course, no one has been waiting as long as the comic’s creators, Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips. The series or…
Exclusive! Brad Meltzer on Spider-Man/Superman [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 28:23
Immediately after we recorded our last conversation with Brad Meltzer, we recorded a secret second episode. He was aching to discuss his next project, but he couldn’t quite let the cat out of the bag until Marvel Comics…
Dave Chisholm on Is Ted OK [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:52
No one makes comics like Dave Chisholm, and we don’t allow him to make one without first making a stop at the podcast. His latest, Is Ted OK?, reveals an artist pushing himself to his very limit, built on an incredible r…
Brad Meltzer on The Viper [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:22:01
When you read The Viper, the new Zig and Nola novel from Brad Meltzer, it doesn’t take long to see how comics inform the author’s creativity. As he says during our conversation, “It’s Superman and Batman. It’s Spider-Man…
The Stampies: Best Comics of 2025 (Part One) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:41:49
Friends, let’s celebrate. We’ve made it through another year, and no matter how you felt about the world outside your local comic book shop, you certainly read some great comics. Welcome to our annual award show, The Sta…