Reading weekly comics can sometimes feel like you’re running in loops, seeing the same story concepts redone in slightly tweaked ways over and over, but this week’s list of Top Comics to Buy for August 6 stands in defiance to that. Books like Ancestral Recall and Orla feel fresh and surprising — in the best ways. Hell, even DC Comics new series, Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League feels like it’s trying to do something we haven’t quite seen before.
So yeah, that makes for a surprising week of new #1s, and I dug it. As always, you can find my top five recommendations below, along with the usual set of release lists. And once again, if you enjoy my weekly comics recs, I wrote a horror comic, and I’d love it if you checked it out and signed-up to follow it here, if you’re so inclined…thanks!
Top Comics to Buy for August 6
Ancestral Recall #1
Writer: Jordan Clark
Artist: Atagun Ilhan
Colorist: Pippa Bowlanc
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: AHOY Comics
Black History: For painter Melvin Waring, it’s an actual super power! When Melvin’s wife mysteriously disappears, he must call on the most important Black figures of all time to help him in his search.
Why It’s Cool: Ancestral Recall is a non-conventional superpower book that is also steeped in Black History, a couple living the art life, and a sort of chronal mystery that gives the narrative an excellent and mysterious engine. As I noted in my intro, when you read so many weekly comics, things can start to feel same-y, but I’ve never seen anything quite like Ancestral Recall. I can’t wait to see what else these creators have in store.
Price: $4.99
Cheetah and Cheshire Rob the Justice League #1
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist: Nicola Scott
Colorist: Annette Kwok
Letterer: Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics
A daring heist aboard the most secure facility in the DCU! Cheetah and Cheshire assemble a team of misfits and oddballs to pull off the impossible — robbing the Justice League Watchtower… and getting away with it. All that stands between them and pulling off the most daring heist in history are a few tiny complications, such as the most sophisticated orbital platform ever constructed, its AI-driven security system, and one other thing… the smartest and most powerful heroes in the DCU.
Why It’s Cool: The creative team here of Rucka and Scott are no stranger to the DC Universe, having worked together on the much-loved DC Rebirth Wonder Woman run, and now they’ve reunited to tell a supervillain heist story. As the title makes clear, it’s also a heist story featuring a couple of villains who are, perhaps, a bit unlikely to be headlining their own book. But for my money, centering unlikely characters is one of the things that has made the DC Comics line so interesting and strong of late. This book also makes great use of the current Justice League Watchtower status quo. It stands on its own just fine as the opening chapter of a heist, but it also has added interest for anyone reading other DC books right now.
Price: $3.99
Daredevil: Cold Day in Hell #3
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Steve McNiven
Colorist: Dean White
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The DAREDEVIL project of the decade reaches its epic conclusion. As NYC goes dark, who will stand up with Daredevil? Will you?
Why It’s Cool: This is the best Daredevil comic in many, many years, and that’s really saying a lot. Set in a war-torn, dystopian future, this book feels like a bit more than just another Old Man Superhero Book. It’s that contemplative and thoughtful. But perhaps most importantly, it features Steve McNiven art, colored by Dean White. From the first page of the first issue, this book has been one of the best-looking superhero comics out this year. And now after a bit of a delay, we get its epic finale, which was very much worth the wait. We’ll have more to say about this one in tomorrow’s Marvel Rundown column.
Price: $6.99
Orla #1
Writer: John Lees
Artist: Sally Cantirino
Colorist: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Publisher: Mad Cave Studios
Orla Bard is an antique restorer, romance novel enjoyer and keen birder. She also believes in true love, continuing to navigate Seattle’s singles scene despite repeated disappointment. But Orla has a secret. She is afflicted with The Ick, a man-eating monstrous entity dwelling inside her, who violently emerges whenever she gets too angry or afraid. Unable to rid herself of this curse, Orla uses The Ick to save other women by removing the scummiest men from the dating pool…permanently. Hearts (and bodies) will be broken in this offbeat romcom/creature-feature mashup!
Why It’s Cool: As with Ancestral Recall, this is a singular book that I’ve never really seen anything close to in the direct market. It’s a horror-romance comic, where our lead character has a monster inside her that she unleashes on terrible men who take her on dates. And I mean like really bad guys. In this way, Orla reads like a horror pulp dissection of some of the most toxic behavior that men are engaging in 2025. It’s gory and funny and surprising, and I had a blast with it. It also looks great.
Price: $4.99
Ultimate Wolverine #8
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Alessandro Cappuccio
Colorist: Bryan Valenza
Letterer: Cory Petit
Publisher: Marvel Comics
WOLVERINE VS. ULTIMATE ANGEL! The Opposition infiltrates a facility holding a group of high-powered mutants! And Winter Soldier’s handler has a sinister plot to destroy the Opposition once and for all…
Why It’s Cool: As I’ve written in this space as well as in my personal ranking of Best Comics of 2025 (so far), Ultimate Wolverine has been a near-perfect superhero action comic that is also doing a great job of serving up this alternate realities version of familiar X-Men characters. That’s certainly what we get in this week’s Ultimate Wolverine #8, a tense infiltration story that quickly turns to horror, with a deeper contemplation of redemption layered in. Great stuff, and an easy choice for the Top Comics to Buy for August 6.
Price: $4.99
Other Comics I Enjoyed
Absolute Green Lantern #5- Absolute Superman #10
- Arcana Royale #4
- Batgirl #10
- Captain America #2
- Hello Darkness #13
- Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat – The Summer Batch #5
- Poison Ivy #35
- Resurrection Man Quantum Karma #5
- Tramps of the Apocalypse #2
New #1s and One-Shots
- Archie vs. Minor Threats #1
- Blink and You’ll Miss It #1
- Cruel Universe Vol. 2 #1
- Cul-De-Sac #1
- Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone #1
- Hellboy in Love: The Art of Fire #1
- Marvel Rivals – Hellfire Gala #1 (one-shot)
- Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Rita’s Rewind #1 (one-shot)
- Rick and Morty vs. The Universe Summer of Love #1 (one-shot)
- T.A.M.A. #1
- Wolverine by Chris Claremont #1 (one-shot)
Graphic Novels and Trade Collections
Absolute Batman Vol. 1 The Zoo HC- Batman/Superman World’s Finest Vol. 7 Total Eclipso HC
- Blood Hunt Red Band HC
- Bruce Dickinson’s The Mandrake Project: Year One HC
- DC Finest – Justice League of America – The Return TP
- DC New Frontier TP (Compact Comics Edition)
- Fall of the House of X / Rise of the Powers of X Omnibus HC
- Fantastic Four Epic Collection Vol. 12 The Possession of Franklin Richards TP
- Feral Vol. 3 Nine Lives TP
- Flight Vol. 1 GN Inklore Edition
- Green Lantern Vol. 4 Civil Corps TP
- Gwar: The Return of Gor-Gor TP
- Hollow The Woman in White HC
- House of Slaughter Deluxe Edition Book 1 The Butchers Trilogy HC
- Justice League Unlimited Vol. 1 The Inferno HC
Kill Train TP- Land of Unfinished Dreams HC
- Marvel Zombies – Dawn of Decay GN
- Red Hood Outlaws Vol. 4 TP
- Rick and Morty Compendium Vol. 4 TP
- Rom Epic Collection The Original Marvel Years Vol. 2 TP
- Rowlf and Other Fantasy Stories HC
- Star Wars Visions Treasury Edition TP
- Stoneshore Register GN
- Superman Action Comics by Dan Jurgens Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
- Swamp Thing by Rick Veitch Book 2 Synchronicity TP
- Uncanny X-Men by Gail Simone Vol. 2 The Dark Artery TP
Read past editions of the Top Comics to Buy!
And check out the Beat’s most recent comics reviews!
