Summer 2025 has been a feeding frenzy for my two biggest obsessions: comics and horror. Those are the twin engines that usually drive my choices in pop culture. But the beauty of this summer has been how those passions bled into everything else I consumed. Even the stuff that didn’t come wrapped in capes or crawling with monsters still carried the DNA of what I love most: stories about identity, transformation and facing the shadows, literal or otherwise.

When I started piecing together this Best of Summer list, it wasn’t only about box-office numbers. It was about the stories that sunk their claws into my soul and wouldn’t let go. A Superman film that actually remembered why he matters. A TV revival I resisted until it drew me in with its dark thrills. A Batman saga so good it dragged me back into collecting. A play that proves the supernatural can haunt the stage as much as the screen. And yes, even a video game that gives me the ability to be my own killer.

These are the things that defined the season for me, each one echoing back to the obsessions that have shaped how I watch, read and play.

Best Movie: Superman (2025)

I don’t hand out the Best Movie of the Summer title lightly, but Superman (2025) earns it in spades. After years of debate, doubt and shaky starts, we finally got a Superman movie that feels like the Man of Steel is soaring again.

What makes this film stand out is its tone. It doesn’t wallow in darkness like the Snyder version, but it doesn’t shy away from modern conflict, either. The movie manages to balance hope with humanity, and that’s not easy. Too many superhero films in recent years have leaned on either irony or overstuffed CGI spectacles, but Superman leans into sincerity… and that’s exactly what audiences were hungry for.

After watching the movie, I walked out of the theater feeling like a kid again, the way I did when superheroes first grabbed me. The film captures the essence of what Superman is supposed to be: a symbol of hope, justice and resilience, even in the face of overwhelming odds. In a summer stacked with spectacle, this was the one that made me believe a man could fly. It is the Superman we didn’t know we needed, but I’m so glad we got it.

Best TV Show: Dexter: Resurrection

Confession time: I wasn’t planning to watch Dexter: Resurrection. I watched the first season as it aired back in 2006, and loved it. But after the show was originally canceled, I moved on. My girlfriend twisted my arm, and I expected to roll my eyes at yet another TV revival. Instead, I found myself glued to the screen.

The show doesn’t just retread old territory. It sharpens what made Dexter addictive in the first place: the mix of crime-procedural tension with morally complex character work and updates it with a fresh edge. It’s a show that understands nostalgia but also isn’t afraid to twist the knife in new directions.

What really sells it, though, is that sense of danger and unpredictability that the best seasons of Dexter always had. I was constantly trying to guess where the story was going, only to be wrong in the best possible ways. As of the writing of this article, I have one single episode left to watch, and I am really intrigued about what will happen to my favorite serial killer.

Best Comic Book: Absolute Batman

I’ve dipped in and out of comic book collecting for years — even owned a couple of comic shops back in the day — but nothing has pulled me back in with the same force as Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman. This isn’t just another Dark Knight tale; it’s a reinvention that reminds you why the character has endured for more than eight decades.

Snyder takes the building blocks of Gotham and shakes them loose in ways that feel both epic and personal. In this world, Bruce isn’t the untouchable billionaire playboy. Only his father was killed in that fateful alley; his mother survived, raising him into his twenties with a fierce devotion that still shadows his choices. And instead of being defined by isolation, this Batman is surrounded by unlikely allies — Oswald Cobblepot, Edward Nigma, Waylon Jones — figures we know as villains reframed here as complicated friends who walk the line between aid and temptation. It’s a familiar mythology re-forged into something bold, unpredictable and impossible to put down.

For me, Absolute Batman isn’t just the best comic of the summer. It’s the kind of story that reignites the spark for longtime fans and drags lapsed readers (including me) right back into the fold, reminding us why we keep coming back to the Bat after all these years.

Best Video Game: Dead by Daylight

I’ve played Dead by Daylight religiously since 2018, but 2025 is the year it truly cemented itself as my go-to game. Behavior Interactive has sharpened the experience with smarter mechanics, cinematic maps and killer/survivor additions that feel like fresh comic arcs in an ongoing horror anthology.

No two matches ever play the same, and that mix of adrenaline, strategy, and sheer terror keeps me coming back night after night. In a summer stacked with big releases, Dead by Daylight reminded me why horror gaming still reigns supreme — unpredictable, addictive and endlessly replayable. Plus, I get to enact my fantasy of being Chucky and Leatherface, so it’s a winner regardless in my book.

Best Theatrical Production: Stranger Things: The First Shadow

Live theater might not get the same headlines as blockbusters, but this summer proved it can pack just as much punch. Stranger Things: The First Shadow is a prequel to the Netflix series, and I’ll admit it: prequels are really hit or miss. They have a bad habit of draining mystery from the stories we love.

But this production absolutely nails it, at least from everything I’ve seen and read so far. Set in 1959 Hawkins, the story follows Henry Creel (better known as Vecna later) and his family as they try to build a new life in town — only to be pulled into the same supernatural horrors that will eventually define the series. What makes it stand out are the stagecraft and storytelling: practical effects that wow, character work that digs deeper than expected, and an energy that only the Stranger Things Universe can deliver. For me, it’s a must-see the moment I can get a ticket.

Add in the news that Beetlejuice: The Musical will be making a return to New York City this October for a limited run, and theater fans have plenty to get excited about. Between Hawkins, Indiana, and the Netherworld, it feels like live productions are reminding everyone they can still be cultural events, not just sideshows to TV and film.

Looking back, Summer 2025 gave us plenty to complain about — movies that didn’t land, shows that overstayed their welcome, games that promised the world but delivered a buggy mess. But the highlights more than made up for it. Superman gave us hope again. Dexter: Resurrection proved revivals can still bite. Absolute Batman reignited my love for comics. Stranger Things: The First Shadow and the promise of more Beetlejuice brought live theater back into my personal spotlight. And that Dead by Daylight? It showed us that even a game almost a decade old can still feel new again, with some love from the developers.

If this is what summer looked like, I can’t wait to see what the fall brings.