There is a veritable flood of new comics every week: new issues, variant covers, new #1s, and fresh-faced miniseries. Fewer – but still bountiful – are the dozens of bookshelf editions landing in your local comic shops (and attainable by your local indie bookshops, as well!). From fresh original graphic novels, long-awaited archive editions, and collections of recent comics for all you trade-waiters, there are plenty of trade paperbacks and hardcovers to fill your shelves.
After reviewing hundreds of these sorts of books for AIPT over the years, I’ve come to appreciate what makes a collection truly special. Here at Tradewatch, I pick five books releasing in the coming week that seem the most exciting to me. Here are my picks for the week of January 28th, 2026.
The Avengers Epic Collection: Under Siege
Marvel Comics, TPB – $49.99 (Buy Now)
The Masters of Evil take Avengers Mansion! In one of the greatest comic book epics of all time, Baron Zemo strikes at the very heart of the Avengers, as he leads a revamped and larger-than-ever Masters of Evil in an attack on the team’s home — and wins! And as if that wasn’t enough, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must survive the climax of Secret Wars II and a battle for the ages between Kang and Immortus! The Sub-Mariner’s membership leads to public protests, but that won’t stop the Avengers and Alpha Flight from lending a hand during Attuma’s assault on Atlantis. Meanwhile an old friend turns enemy: What’s gotten into Quicksilver? Two teams of Avengers will assemble to find out!
A second printing of the sixteenth volume (the first was published a full ten years ago; time sure flies when you’re reprinting entire runs of Avengers). New collectors of the Epic Collection can comfortably add these Roger Stern-era, post Secret Wars issues to their bookshelves. This period of Avengers loved playing with big casts of characters, even though the team line-ups are rarely what you picture when you’re thinking of the classic team. You’re likely to see a character like Sting Ray or Dr Druid slipping into the soap-opera stylings.
Battle Royale Deluxe Edition Vol. 1
Yen Press, HC – $55 (Buy Now)
The hyper-violent classic is back in a new edition! Forty-two middle school students are forced to fight to the death until only one survivor!
A couple weeks back we got ourselves a new edition of Oldboy, the manga basis for Park Chan-Wook’s 2003 movie of the same name; this week we’ve got the manga adaptation of Battle Royale, which adapted the same Japanese novel as the influential 2000 film by Kinji Fukasaku. Even more influential than Oldboy, you can see traces of Battle Royale across media; it was even the distinctive inspiration for a teenage Avengers book.
Fantastic Four by Waid & Wieringo: Rising Storm
Marvel Comics, TPB – $34.99 (Buy Now)
The Wizard is determined to destroy the Fantastic Four once and for all – and if his deadlier-than-ever Frightful Four doesn’t have what it takes, maybe his secret weapon will! Then Manhattan is cut off from the rest of the world by a fleet of miles-high alien spacecraft – and New York reluctantly turns to the disenfranchised FF, the only heroes in town, to save them! But which member will make a decision that will radically change the team? Plus: Is the cosmos ready for Johnny Storm, herald of Galactus? Will the Human Torch ever be the same now that he’s tasted the Power Cosmic?
Closing out their run on the series, Rising Storm shows creative team Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo at top form. You’ve got power-swapping and Galactus sightings; Johnny even becomes a herald in one arc. This is a period of the book I distinctly remember being excited about. Wieringo’s pencils are phenomenal, and Waid distinctly understands the sort of super-science wackiness that the characters are made for.
Miles Morales: Spider-Man Modern Era Epic Collection – Revivals and Revelations
Marvel Comics, TPB – $42.99 (Buy Now)
Spider-Man is back in action! Unfortunately, Galactus has arrived in the Ultimate Universe, and he hungers. Miles must undertake a dangerous trip to Galactus’ home universe if Earth has a chance of surviving this cataclysm! Then Miles faces the worst villain from his predecessor’s past: the Green Goblin, the man who killed Peter Parker! But is Peter truly dead?
A Marvel-heavy week! This run on Ultimate Spider-Man is justly canonized as a true, blue classic. Miles is such a delightful, endearing character, and watching him stumble to figure out his role in the world is a heartwarming and electric adventure. Even as the original Ultimate Universe teeters on the brink of conclusion, Miles’s stories feel sharp, new, and lively.
The Seasons Vol. 2
Image Comics, TPB – $16.99 (Buy Now)
In the tradition of Miyazaki and David Lynch, The Seasons is a new series that explores themes of fame, obsession, and sisterhood through a dark fairytale lens.
One of the most quirkily bizarre and stylistically unique books on the shelves, The Seasons is a creepy coming of age by way of evil carnival tale. You know, that old chestnut. Even if the story wasn’t so engrossing, this would be a recommendation based on Azaceta’s brilliant artwork, alone, and that’s not even factoring in how mind-blowing Lopes’ colors are. A visual treat with true narrative heart, peopled by a zany, mysterious family. It’s hard to resist.
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