‘Do Admit’ and ‘Spent’ Top PW’s 2025 Graphic Novel Critics Poll
Publishers Weekly | PW Staff | December 9, 2025
Five D+Q Books Voted Best Graphic Novels of 2025 by Publishers Weekly Critics Poll!
The acrobatic graphic history and, intermittently, memoir Do Admit: The Mitford Sisters and Me by Mimi Pond (Drawn & Quarterly) received a total of six votes from our panel of 14 critics.
Pond’s dazzling group biography, Do Admit, portrays the soapy lives of the six Mitford sisters, scandalous WWII-era British socialites who spanned the political spectrum—two got caught up in the fascist movements, hanging out with Hitler; another’s a muckraking journalist and communist; and then there’s the catty novelist, the duchess…and the poultry breeding enthusiast. Pond contrasts the Mitford’s exploits with memories of her own South California upbringing in the 1960s.
“Both charming and cutting, Pond captures the glamour of the age, couching it in cartooning reminiscent of the New Yorker illustrations of the era. It’s as lovingly researched and witty as the Mitfords themselves,” writes critic John DiBello. Her playful, painterly blue inkwork winds the tales around visual jokes, like a machine assembly line for a debutante ball, or caricatured portraits of political figures as animals. The result is “history as tragedy, as farce, and as juicy gossip, drawn with gleeful imagination,” per critic Shaenon Garrity.
“This energetic and peppy rendering by the deeply besotted Pond offers a rare case of an author who is unabashedly entranced by her subject and yet delivers a book that is all the better for it,” adds critic Chris Barsanti.
Black Cohosh by Eagle Valiant Brosi (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Brosi's big loose lines and innovative depiction of dialogue—including his own speech impediment, represented by hieroglyphic tangles—make for a compelling memoir of a childhood spent in a problematic commune. I also loved his homage to imperfect motherhood.” – CK
Cannon by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Rarely does a narrative so perfectly capture the total collapse of a single person's life. Cannon’s panels veer from hauntingly spacious to overwhelmingly full with dialogue that's as much miscommunication as it is deliberate malfeasance from the characters. The constant tension and brilliant pacing are unparalleled.” – SP
Checked Out by Katie Fricas (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Fricas's funky style is instantly recognizable, wholly unique, and full of life.” – RK
The Weight by Melissa Mendes (Drawn & Quarterly)
Pond’s dazzling group biography, Do Admit, portrays the soapy lives of the six Mitford sisters, scandalous WWII-era British socialites who spanned the political spectrum—two got caught up in the fascist movements, hanging out with Hitler; another’s a muckraking journalist and communist; and then there’s the catty novelist, the duchess…and the poultry breeding enthusiast. Pond contrasts the Mitford’s exploits with memories of her own South California upbringing in the 1960s.
“Both charming and cutting, Pond captures the glamour of the age, couching it in cartooning reminiscent of the New Yorker illustrations of the era. It’s as lovingly researched and witty as the Mitfords themselves,” writes critic John DiBello. Her playful, painterly blue inkwork winds the tales around visual jokes, like a machine assembly line for a debutante ball, or caricatured portraits of political figures as animals. The result is “history as tragedy, as farce, and as juicy gossip, drawn with gleeful imagination,” per critic Shaenon Garrity.
“This energetic and peppy rendering by the deeply besotted Pond offers a rare case of an author who is unabashedly entranced by her subject and yet delivers a book that is all the better for it,” adds critic Chris Barsanti.
Black Cohosh by Eagle Valiant Brosi (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Brosi's big loose lines and innovative depiction of dialogue—including his own speech impediment, represented by hieroglyphic tangles—make for a compelling memoir of a childhood spent in a problematic commune. I also loved his homage to imperfect motherhood.” – CK
Cannon by Lee Lai (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Rarely does a narrative so perfectly capture the total collapse of a single person's life. Cannon’s panels veer from hauntingly spacious to overwhelmingly full with dialogue that's as much miscommunication as it is deliberate malfeasance from the characters. The constant tension and brilliant pacing are unparalleled.” – SP
Checked Out by Katie Fricas (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Fricas's funky style is instantly recognizable, wholly unique, and full of life.” – RK
The Weight by Melissa Mendes (Drawn & Quarterly)