By Zack Quaintance — Welcome to our Top Comics to Buy for August 26, 2020, which features a wonderful and eclectic bunch of indie comics, many of which are rooted in crime stories and reality, which make them among my personal favorites. Speaking of my personal favorites, the PICK OF THE WEEK here is a new issue of Stray Bullets, and I’m absolutely thrilled that the latest chapter of the Lapham’s masterpiece has arrived. But there are plenty of other great books coming out this week too, and you can find our picks below…enjoy!

Top Comics to Buy for August 26, 2020

*PICK OF THE WEEK*
Stray Bullets: Sunshine and Roses #42
Writer/Artist: David Lapham
Produced/Edited By: Maria Lapham
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
It's a beautiful day on the open road. Plenty of sunshine, plenty of roses... and a little murder.
Why It’s Cool: David and Maria Lapham’s long-running Stray Bullets series — both the main book and the Sunshine and Roses offshoot — is my favorite crime comic of all-time, and it sits close to the top of my list of favorite comics of all time. It’s an absolutely masterpiece of relationship storytelling bore out through over-the-top crime comics. Moreover, Stray Bullets is the type of story that never settles for the easy or obvious. The creative choices made in this book are thoughtful, complex, and unexpected in the best possible way. I won’t say too much about the issue itself — every issue of this series is incredible with little variance — but I will note that the Lapham’s have thankfully announced there will be at least one more story arc for this epic, and it will be titled Virginia, which is exciting news for those familiar with this amazing book.
Buy It Digitally: Stray Bullets - Sunshine and Roses #42

Billionaire Island #5
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Steve Pugh
Colorist: Chris Chuckry
Letterer: Rob Steen
Publisher: Ahoy Comics
Price: $3.99
Billionaire Island barrels toward a devastating climax! Whether you're building a playground for billionaires or creating a chemical that might destroy half the population, you never know what might be your undoing... Every AHOY comic also features extra prose stories and illustrations.
Why It’s Cool: This is the penultimate chapter of one of our favorite series in recent memory — Billionaire Island by Mark Russell and Steve Pugh. This series has just been such an entertaining and smart examination of the widening wealth gaps in the world, played out through some riotously funny satire and expert comic book storytelling. We’ve had every issue of the series to date on our Top Comics to Buy lists, and there’s an easy reason — it really is that good.
Buy It Digitally: Billionaire Island #5

Bliss #2
Writer: Sean Lewis
Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Who is behind the drug called BLISS? Who leads the Street Gods that turned our sweet hero into a killer? What choices did Benton make to fall so far, and how have these choices driven his family apart? The monstrous goddess Lethe emerges to defend Benton's honor as his son Perry fights for his father's life in court. Breaking Bad meets Neil Gaiman's Sandman in an urban fantasy unlike any you've ever seen.
Why It’s Cool: We absolutely loved Sean Lewis and Caitlin Yarsky’s first collaboration together, Coyotes, and you know what? We’re enjoying their new book together quite a bit too. It’s been a strong comic series, now two issues into an eight-issue total run, with great characters, intriguing mysteries, and Yarsky’s absolutely stellar artwork. This is another indie comics gem that you shouldn’t miss.
Buy It Digitally: Bliss #2

The Plot #6
Writers: Tim Daneil and Michael Moreci
Artist: Joshua Hixson
Colorist: Kurt Michael Russell
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Price: $3.99
In the attic, Chase has drowned. Outside, the floodwaters rise. Trapped and separated within the manor, The Blaines confront the source of their anguish.
Why It’s Cool: The best horror book in comics is back with this sixth issue. The Plot so far has just been a masterclass in disturbing, be it through the relatable child characters thrown into danger by their family lineage, or through the incredible and eerie artwork being created by artist Joshua Hixson and colorist Kurt Michael Russell. Since the first issue dropped, The Plot has been a must-read comic, not just for horror fans but for those who appreciate well-done stories within the context of the comics medium.
Buy It Digitally: The Plot #6

That Texas Blood #3
Writer: Chris Condon
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
“A BROTHER’S CONSCIENCE,” Part Two Randy confronts the past—and the man he believes to be responsible for his brother’s death.
Why It’s Cool: I’ve spent my fair share time of Texas. My first job out of college was in the Rio Grande Valley, down on the border in the southeastern most part of the state, right along the Gulf of Mexico. After a few years there, I moved up to Austin, Texas, and spent some time there working in tech and going to concerts. Finally, a lot of my wife’s family lives in El Paso, Texas…so we’ve spent quite a bit of time in West Texas, too. My familiarity with the state alone had me excited for That Texas Blood, and then when it arrived, I was even more impressed than I thought I would be. This comic has struck such a perfect mix of minimalistic, terse Texas dialogue and hints of the fantastic and mysterious. It’s a beautiful book spinning a compelling story, and it’s quickly rocketed to the top of the books I look forward to each month.
Buy It Digitally: That Texas Blood #3

Others Receiving Votes

• Action Comics #1024

• Batman Superman #11

• Black Magick #13

• Engineward #2

• Family Tree #8

• Flash #760

• Hellions #3

• Killadelphia #7

• Legion of Super-Heroes #8

• Spider-Man Noir #3

• Tartarus #5

• Wonder Woman #761

• Wynd #3

• X-Factor #2

• X-Men #11

New #1s and One-Shots

• Batman: Three Jokers #1

• Bomb Queen: Trump Card #1

• Canto II: Hollow Men #1

• Fantastic Four: Antithesis #1

• Locke & Key: In Pale Battalions Go #1

• Mars Attacks / Red Sonja #1

• Mega Man: Fully Charged #1

Trade Paperbacks and Graphic Novels of Note

PICK OF THE WEEK
Daughters of Ys HC
Writer: M.T. Anderson
Artist: Jo Rioux
Publisher: First Second
Price: $24.99
Ys, an Atlantis-like city from Celtic legend, is the setting of this mythical graphic novel fantasy from National Book Award winner M. T. Anderson. Ys, city of wealth and wonder, has a history of dark secrets. Queen Malgven used magic to raise the great walls that keep Ys safe from the tumultuous sea. But after the queen's inexplicable death, her daughters drift apart. Rozenn, the heir to the throne, spends her time on the moors communing with wild animals, while Dahut, the youngest, enjoys the splendors of royal life and is eager to take part in palace intrigue. When Rozenn and Dahut's bond is irrevocably changed, the fate of Ys is sealed, exposing the monsters that lurk in plain view.

• Ant-Man: World Hive TP

• Avengers by Jonathan Hickman Complete Collection Vol. 1 TP

• Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 3 HC

• Check Please Hockey Vol. 2 Sticks and Scones TP

• Dawn of X Vol. 7 TP

• DCeased Unkillables HC

• Devil Within TP

• Goldie Vance Vol. 5 Larceny In La La Land TP

• Grateful Dead Origins GN

• I Know Your Rider HC

• Kairos HC

• Kodi GN

• Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist HC

• Wolvenheart TP

See our past top comics to buy here, and check out our reviews archive here.

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.