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 March 25th, 2026.
Black Widow & Captain America by Waid and Samnee Omnibus
Marvel Comics, HC – $100 (Buy Now)
Marvel
Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow, stars in a knock-down, drag-out tale of action and espionage! The world’s greatest superspy has a lifetime of secrets — and when some of the darkest ones are made public, nobody is safe. As S.H.I.E.L.D. turns on its once greatest asset, the Widow seeks out her own answers. But will Natasha’s hunt for the Weeping Lion send her back to the one place she never wanted to go? Then Steve Rogers is back in shield-slinging action as Captain America, on a journey across the nation he loves to restore his tarnished reputation. But the dangers he encounters require more courage than ever! When he faces the all-new Swordsman, strap yourselves in for a sword-vs.-shield duel unlike anything you’ve ever seen! And in the far future, Cap faces his worst nightmare as a man out of time once again!
Mark Waid and Chris Samnee are a helluva creative team — just take a look at last year’s Batman & Robin: Year One for a recent example. Their relationship spans back a ways and includes a mind-boggling run on Daredevil in 2012 and the Black Widow and Captain America runs collected in this omnibus. Waid is one of the all-time greats of superhero writing, and Samnee has a style that feels at once modern and classic. Together they have the habit of crafting books that feel somehow timeless and archetypal, as if these stories were foundational works on their characters and just recently rediscovered.
Council of Frogs
Stranger Comics, TPB – $32.00 (Buy Now)
Sent out by his “father” — a kindly old swamp lich — one tiny frog must leave the safety of his home in order to deliver a message of grave importance to a warlock in order to save the entire Council of Frogs. Aided by many unconventional friends along the way, this little frog discovers the dangers of the world beyond his beloved swamp grove.
Originally the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, Council of Frogs appears to be a magical animal adventure with truly great artwork. Who doesn’t love a wildlife-goes-adventuring story? A little bit Redwall, a little bit Dungeons & Dragons.
Hellboy Universe: The Secret Histories Vol. 1
Dark Horse Comics, TPB – $29.99 (Buy Now)
When did Rasputin find his calling to bring about Ragna Rok? How did the Visitor stay hidden on Earth for so long? And where did the legendary Sledgehammer armor really come from? These questions and more are answered in this new collection from the world of Hellboy!
The Hellboy Universe is truly huge, filled with branching narratives that wander in all directions away from the big red boy himself. This volume collects a handful of those stories, following just three of the oddball side characters; a second volume will arrive in September with yet another handful of tales. I’ve written before that any Hellboy story can be a reader’s first Hellboy story — the tapestry is so big and rich and largely uninterested in chronology that every book has the potential to draw you in and trap you. It’s a long and winding — and impossible not to love — path.
The Power Fantasy Vol. 3: The End of History
Image Comics, TPB – $16.99 (Buy Now)
They all want to save the world. Their power is such that they save the world every day they don’t come into conflict. It’s getting harder to save the world, every day.
The Power Fantasy has one of the most compelling concepts in today’s large lineup of alternative superhero stories. Here, the super-powered beings are viewed as Super Powers in the way that nuclear-equipped nations are; a small handful of folks are locked in a mutually-assured stalemate. This volume concludes the first major arc of the book. In only three volumes, you can be caught up and ready for the promised continuation.
Thunderbolts Epic Collection: Redemption
Marvel Comics, TPB – $49.99 (Buy Now)
As Wonder Man and Black Widow drop by, could this be a warmup for a full-on Avengers/Thunderbolts crossover? You betcha! But even the combined forces of the T-Bolts and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will have their hands full with the powerhouse that is Count Nefaria, master of ionic energy! And even before they can confront the Count, they’ll have to deal with their own ion-empowered teammates, Atlas and Wonder Man — both of whom have fallen under Nefaria’s thrall and now act as his henchmen!
This collection marks the switchover of writers from series creator Kurt Busiek to workhorse Fabian Nicieza, which likely veers the story that had been going for 40+ issues into new directions. This doesn’t necessarily step the book down in terms of quality — Nicieza does strong work — but it might feel like a hard pivot for the Thunderbolts. This collection puts us about halfway through the original run of the series; all that’s left is to mop up and wait for the collection that brings us the very bizarre transformation into a super-powered Fight Club book, which spells the true ending of the the team.
You must be logged in to post a comment.