Last month, we launched our new column, helping you navigate the overwhelming number of collected editions released each month. Between Marvel or DC Omnibus, the Epic Collection, DC Finest, Compact editions, and everything else publishers put out, there’s always way there’s always more to discover!
That’s why we’re back with a selection of notable releases for April, highlighting some great stories from members of the Batfamily, sci-fi stories, and an ecological tale.
Without further ado, here are our picks for April!
April’s Comic Picks
All title summaries are taken and/or summarized from copy provided by the publisher.
Rook: Exodus Vol. 1: Fight or Flight
By Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok
As the sole representative of the sci-fi universe of Ghost Machine, Rook has a lot going on for him, starting with his cool design. Set hundreds of years from now, the first volume of Rook is, mostly an introduction to this particular universe, exposing the rules and the dynamics of this particular ward through the eyes of a broken but fierce protagonist.
Once a simple farmer who fled the crumbling Earth for a new life, Rook is now a lone avian Warden on an alien wasteland with one burning question to face: Fight or flight? When Exodus’s world engine failed, the Wardens’ power fell into the wrong hands, creating chaos and mass evacuation…for those who could afford it. The rest, like Rook, must scavenge for an escape vessel as the war for control of what’s left of Exodus begins.
DC Finest: Batgirl – Nobody Dies Tonight
By Kelley Puckett, Joe Kelly, Damion Scott
While Barbara Gordon is maybe the most famous Batgirl outside the comic book world, Cassandra Cain was the first to star in her own ongoing Batgirl comic book series, which has never been completely reprinted to this day. Let’s hope for a bright future for Cass in the pages of the DC Finest line which offer a new way to read about her first solo adventures (beware that the first seven issues are missing, as we can imagine that they’ll be collected in another trade).
Cassandra Cain was raised by her father to be the ultimate assassin. But after impressing Batman during the events of No Man’s Land with her heroic deeds, Cassandra was given a new purpose: to be Gotham City’s newest protector bearing the mantle of Batgirl. As Gotham’s silent knight, Cass constantly struggles to reconcile her violent upbringing with her new role as a member of the Bat-Family. Will she live up to her predecessor’s honored legacy?
Nightwing: Rebirth Omnibus
By Tim Seeley
Classic trades, Compendium, Omnibus. It’s a good time to be a Nightwing fan as DC Comics delivered on several formats to discover different eras of the character. The Rebirth Omnibus collects the best of Nightwing from the era, a good entry point for new readers and some good, old-fashioned Superhero fun for everyone. A good reminder of what makes Nightwing one of the most popular characters and one of the best DC superheroes out there.
After his Spyral years, Dick Grayson gets back to his roots. A new evil has returned to Gotham to threaten everything that Nightwing holds dear to him. While rekindling a former romance with Barbara Gordon, now a superstar crime-fighter in Gotham, Dick will have to embrace his destiny or watch his life be destroyed forever.
The EC Artists’ Library: The Spawn Of Venus and Other Stories
Art by Wallace Wood
The EC Artists’ Library is at the same time a beautiful collection to have on the bookshelf and a great way to discover some of the most iconic and shocking stories of the fifties, blending creativity with gore.
The new volume in this Fantagraphics collection that reprints EC Comics stories by artists or themes is focused on Wallace Wood’s finest science fiction stories, including his trilogy of Ray Bradbury adaptations and a “lost” story rejected by the Comics Code, restored and published here for the first time. In total, the book consists of 26 stories, most scripted by EC legend Al Feldstein, plus in-depth commentary by EC experts Thommy Burns, Grant Geissman, and Jon Gothold.
John Muir: To the Heart of Solitude
By Lomig
Known for his love of nature and his depictions of vast open spaces, French artist Lomig naturally found inspiration in environmental philosopher John Muir. This biography, loosely based on Muir’s first exploration trip, is illustrated in Lomig’s signature high-contrast black and white, bringing the American landscape and its flora to life.
1867: A sawmill is running at full speed with a terrible noise when suddenly, workers run to rescue a man on the ground. He has seriously injured his eyes. John Muir is twenty-nine years old, and it is likely that he may remain blind. But miraculously, after months of an almost mystical convalescence, he regains his sight. This episode convinces him he’s going to leave everything behind and embrace his lifelong dream: head south…
The New Printing of The Month
Every month is also filled with new printing, offering the possibility to complete our collection, buy this book we missed because we were broke (and still are, to be honest) or simply because we weren’t familiar with the story or the edition at the time. Each month, we highlight one book that finds its way back to the shelves!
Wolverine by Jason Aaron Omnibus Vol. 1
By Jason Aaron, Howard Chaykin, Ron Garney & others
Jason Aaron’s run on Wolverine had become quite expensive to collect in Omnibus over the past few years. Marvel Comics is changing that right now with the reprint of the first volume, which will be followed by the second (Wolverine Goes to Hell) in a few months. For the occasion, our Wolverine by Jason Aaron reading guide has been updated!
Writer Jason Aaron’s run leading to “Wolverine Goes to Hell” is collected in one massive, bone-shattering volume. Joined by some of comics’ top artists, Aaron pits Wolverine against a platoon of Adamantium-enhanced mercenaries, super-powered kung-fu gangsters, time-traveling reanimated killers and — in a brutal, no-holds-barred battle that may destroy them both — Mystique! Plus, when the files from the old Weapon X program fall into the hands of the evil corporation, Roxxon, it seems that once again, someone is looking to build the perfect killing machine. That means it’s time for Wolverine to step in — and remind them that someone already did!
Also Released in April
Wait… There’s more! From the new Transformers comics in Deluxe edition to the start of J. Michael Straczynski and John Romita Jr’s run on Spider-Man in Epic Collection and the Vagabond manga in Definitive Edition, here’s a non-exhaustive list of other April releases that caught our attention:
- Booster Gold: The Complete 2007 Series Book Two
- Vagabond Definitive Edition Vol. 2
- Sam and Twitch: Case Files Vol. 1
- Criminal Vol. 5: The Sinners (2025 edition)
- Thinking About Thinking: Impossible Thoughts and Complicated Feelings
- Amazing Spider-Man Modern Era Epic Collection: Coming Home
- Transformers Deluxe Edition Book 1
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Next: See our May’s Comic Picks