Stanisland Magazine

Awesome August delivered us some giant trade paperback comics. Here are the 3 best out now

Last updated: 16th December 2025

August is almost done and. dusted. Fall is here and those autumn leaves kick up inspiration to pour hot chocolate and cosy duvets. The comic world doesn’t seem to stop. It’s just like trading card games, especially Pokemon, which seem to launch a new set every week. However, if we’re patient, we can slow everything down and cosy up to some comic trade paperback escapism. Here are the three best August releases you need to cop.

Absolute Batman (DC Comics)

From start to finish, this story is a fun read. Not only is Bruce Wayne’s physical build different, but his backstory is too.

The world’s most famous billionaire orphan doesn’t have Alfred in his life (at least to begin with), Jim Gordon is the mayor of Gotham, and Bullock is the commissioner. You think I’m finished? I’m not even getting started: The Riddler, Penguin, Two-Face, and Catwoman are now the Caped Crusader’s childhood friends. And they’re pretty helpful.

Synopsis

The plot centres around a group of murderous psychopaths called the Party Animals, a deranged crew bent on causing chaos in Gotham City. Batman is determined to disrupt their plans — but so are others.

Absolute Superman

Also from DC Comics, forget the movie, this is the best story Superman has ever had. This is another incredible breath of fresh air. Supreman returns, but not in the way you’d expect. This time around, he’s ditched the cape, has long hippy-like hair, and the suit has been updated for a modern audience.

He’s more human, he’s angry, and he’s sticking up for the underdog everywhere: from Eastern Europe to South Asia, the alien man of steel seeks revenge for a spate of injustices carried out across the world.

Synopsis

Instead of arriving on Earth as a baby, Kal-El arrives as a teenager along with his companion, forged from sunstone crystals, a little like an android assistant. However, the Brainiac algorithm is the only one that stands in his way.

TMNT: Mutant Nation (IDW Publishing)

Get set for a wild ride, the TMNT are back in a different story with grit and determination. Without giving too much away, think of walled-off cities, a wild frontier and a ghetto, all in the same storyline as our cool dude protagonists traverse an unexpected landscape.

Synopsis

Following the events of The Armageddon Game, the crew separates to explore a world that knows about mutants. They embark on a treacherous journey, where Old Hob’s mutagen bombs begin to transform humans into mutants themselves, changing the very fabric of society as we know it.