Comic Book Herald Updates: August 2026!
"Unveiling new and updated reading orders, while diving back into Berserk & Vagabond!"
This month I’m going Berserk with new and updated reading orders!
You can see what’s up next in My Marvelous Year before reading about updates to CBH, and checking out the most anticipated releases of next month.
What’s Next in My Marvelous Year
My Marvelous Year - 2015 Pt. 3
My Marvelous Year -- 2015 Pt. 4
Dave’s Faves
I took this month off from reading any new comic books, as I prioritized family vacations, back-to-school, starting Dark Souls, and winning my men's league basketball championship (LET'S GOOOOOOO!!!!). Of course, the main reason I paused the "best new comics" quest was so I could focus on finally finishing Berserk's Conviction and Millennium arcs, reading through my six gorgeous deluxe editions of Takehiko Inoue's Vagabond, and reading all the con comics on my to-read pile from C2e2 and CAKE. So, I took a break from comics... so that I could read more comics? You got it!
It was a WONDERFUL "break," that also freed up some time for some much needed updates across Comic Book Herald reading orders. Instead of the usual format of my recommended new reads for the month, I'll instead highlight some favorites and what's been going on at CBH. I'll be back in September with a double dose of new 2026 graphic novels to recommend!
Updated Reading Orders:
Flash: Flash Reading Order
Wonder Woman: Wonder Woman Reading Order
Avengers: Avengers Reading Order
Ghost Rider: Ghost Rider Reading Order
One World Under Doom: One World Under Doom Reading Order
DC Absolute Universe: DC Absolute Universe Reading Order
Venom: Venom Reading Order
X-Men: X-Men Reading Order
I shared this with the My Marvelous Year Slack community, but the combination of Absolute Universe fever and a resurgent MCU means GOOD TIMES for Comic Book Herald. The post Spider-Man: Brand New Day / X-Men casting announcements bump was especially nice, with the most site visitors I've seen in 3 years (even more than last year's Summer of Superman bump!). Oddly enough, the likelihood of someone clicking through to CBH has decreased by about a third since last year (thanks AI summaries!), but the sheer volume of people EXCITED about comics has increased nearly 50% (using YoY impressions to summarize excitement - it's not science!).
This excitement is contagious, and has inspired me to revisit a number of popular reading orders and catch them up to present day. The wildest one of these to update was definitely Venom, where Al Ewing's time on the character has led to some WILD continuity and title jumps. Fun fact: Al Ewing's Venom run is 342% longer than the entire Immortal Hulk saga. Ok, I haven't actually counted, but I'm pretty confident he's now written more Venom than Hulk. That's bonkers!
New Reading Orders:
Blood Hunt: Blood Hunt Reading Order
Absolute Wonder Woman: Absolute Wonder Woman Reading Order
Absolute Superman: Absolute Superman Reading Order
Speaking of contagious, I finally made a proper reading order for 2024's Blood Hunt. This was the point in time where Krakoa-era burnout and Marvel's Malaise made me give up, but now that times are good, let's revisit the vampiric hunt! I'm still pretty neutral on the actual event, but there's a nice, clear roadmap from Blood Hunt to One World Under Doom and now to Avengers: Armageddon. I like a Marvel Universe with a center, and that usually means tethered big summer events.
Elsewhere, one of my best bets this year was making a standalone Absolute Batman reading order. I initially thought the full universe reading order should be enough, but this Absolute Batman character is a behemoth! The data backs up the decision, where the standalone Bats RO has more views over the past months than the likes of Secret Wars and Green Lantern (both of which have huge surges due to MCU/HBO hype). So, I'm taking a chance on the rest of the trinity, with standalones for Wonder Woman and Supes. Worst case, these receive no traffic but gave me very good excuses to catch up on my favorite superhero comics of the year!
Favorite Reads & Best Comics of All Time Updates!
Berserk - #39 on the 500 best comics of all time
Kentaro Miura's astounding manga epic made the biggest leap in my Dave's Faves rankings, as I finally went back to re-read/finish the Conviction arc and read the Millennium Falcon arc for the first time. This means I read Berserk Volumes 15 through 35, usually in a dark bedroom while my kids slowly fell asleep, which is an oddly mood-appropriate setting. Conviction moved the series into my top 50, and Millennium pushed it into the top 40, right behind Hellboy and ahead of Chew.
It was interesting talking to the MMY Slack community and seeing how many readers stopped after The Golden Age (Volume 14). It's such an emotionally taxing conclusion, that I remember feeling like I "got" Berserk and stopped there too. It's a natural jumping off point. It's also a mistake to stop there, as Griffith's return in the Falcon of the Millennium Empire arc may well be my favorite stretch of the entire work. Holy Guacamole Miura was ON ONE. RIP to a legend.
I've been told I can probably cool my jets on the semi-tedious, now posthumous Fantasia arc. I'll return when Berserk formally concludes - and it'll probably jump up some more in the rankings!
Vagabond - #254 on the 500 best comics of all time
Now, before you FREAK OUT - yeah, you! - I've read volume one through fifteen of Takehiko Inoue's Samurai epic, and am collecting the new Viz Deluxe Editions as they come out (these are GORGEOUS books). Vagabond will unquestionably rise in my ranks as I move closer to caught up.
I hate to be pigeonholed, but combined with Berserk, it's pretty clear my type is, as MMY's Dustin put it, "violent boys with soft sides." Honestly, the only downside to reading Miura and Inoue in conjunction is the bar for the rest of my comics reading is IMPOSSIBLY HIGH.
One! Hundred! Demons! - #108 on the 500 best comics of all time
Although I planned to reserve this month for epic manga catch-ups, I couldn't stop myself from checking out Lynda Barry's One! Hundred! Demons! from the library (sometimes you see a graphic novel, and you're just like, "Why haven't I read this?"). I knew Barry primarily from the excellent Making Comics, and am glad I made time for her autobiographical excavation of demons. There aren't many - any? - storytellers who so fully capture childhood with nostalgia, clear-eyed understanding, humor and honesty. Plus, Barry is one of the most relentless advocates for cartooning creativity in the medium and impossible to not root for!
Most Anticipated Comics (Next Month!)
Here are all the comics I can’t wait to read coming out this month!
Upcoming Releases: Aug 26, 2026
Mother, Please Don't Give Birth to a Monster TP (Living the Line)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 1, 2026
Batman: City of Madness TP (DC Comics)
Billy Bat Vol. 2 TP (Abrams Books)
Marvel Dimensions HC (Abrams Books)
Ultimate Wolverine Vol. 3: The Maker's Mark TP (Marvel Comics)
No Place TP (Ignition Press)
A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts HC (Oni Press)
Cheeky Devil Cop Vol. 1 TP (Seven Seas Entertainment)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 2, 2026
The Cutting Garden HC (Image Comics)
Ex Libris TP (Uncivilized Books)
Invincible Universe: Battle Beast Vol. 2: The Emissary TP (Image Comics)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 7, 2026
Momo TP (Mad Cave Studios)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 8, 2026
Absolute Batman Vol. 3: Devil's Workshop TP (DC Comics)
Doctor Strange: Endless Nightmare HC (Abrams Books)
Forevr TP (IDW Publishing)
Monkey King: Uproar in Heaven HC (First Second Books)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 9, 2026
W0rldtr33 Vol. 4 TP (Image Comics)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 15, 2026
Say Hello to Mr. Wallaby! Vol. 1 TP (Kodansha)
Batman: H2SH Vol. 1 HC (DC Comics)
The Dissidents: Autocrats! Vigilantes! Communists! And Cartoonists! HC (Abrams ComicArts)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 16, 2026
Identical HC (Fantagraphics)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 22, 2026
Batman / Green Arrow / The Question: Arcadia HC (DC Comics)
Roots of Madness TP (Ignition Press)
Small Magics HC (First Second Books)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 23, 2026
Alva in the Dark TP (Titan Comics)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 29, 2026
A Confederacy of Dunces HC (BOOM! Studios)
Borderline TP (Conundrum Press)
Upcoming Releases: Sep 2026
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Splinter's Dojo TP (IDW Publishing)
Upcoming Releases: Oct 7, 2026
The Muppets Noir TP (Dynamite Entertainment)
