Hey Kids! Comics! Suggestions as How to Spend Your Tax Refund
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Below are some comic and cartoon books scheduled for April 2026 release (or so).
Images and links from a variety of publishers and outlets,
though ordering through your local comic shop or independent book store is a good idea.
Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant Sketchbooks: An Illustrated Memoir: Volume 2 edited by Brian Kane
The second volume of this six-part collection of annotated, never-before-seen sketches by Prince Valiant creator Hal Foster continues the series’ project of revealing in intimate detail the act of creating this landmark comic strip.
Part sketchbooks, part biography, part tutorial, part memoir — Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant Sketchbooks are an unprecedented revelation of Foster’s personal life and creative process during his final nine years on the strip, as well as a fascinating look behind the curtains as Foster coached and interacted with his chosen successor: John Cullen Murphy.
The Amazing Spider-Man Classic Newspaper Comics – 1977 by Stan Lee and John Romita
Introducing Clover Press and The Library of American Comics’ new deluxe softcover slipcase series, collecting all of Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man classic newspaper comics. Each volume collects a full year of newspaper strips, from January 1 through December 31. Every edition is printed in an 11” x 8.5” landscape format softcover book that slides into a vertically oriented die-cut slipcase!
The wall-crawler swings into his first year of the long-running Spider-Man newspaper strips, brought to life by the legendary team of Stan Lee and John Romita! Every exciting adventure is presented just as readers experienced them nationwide, with the full-color Sunday pages integrated with the dailies!
1977 kicks off as J.Jonah Jameson invites none other than Doctor Doom, the iron-fisted ruler of Latveria, to address the U.N.—and it’s up to Spider-Man to stop him from blackmailing the world’s leaders! From there, the wall-crawler faces off against a rogues’ gallery of iconic foes, including Doctor Octopus, the Kingpin, and Kraven the Hunter. Plus, the debut of an all-new villain: The Rattler!
The Amazing Spider-Man Classic Newspaper Comics – 1978 by Stan Lee and John Romita
1978 picks up right where ‘77 left off as Peter Parker grows closer to new love interest, Tana Mendori—until she reveals her father is a notorious terrorist! From there, Spider-Man must battle a new Mysterio, and face off once again with Doctor Doom!
The four volume series is available as a “bundle.”
Anxietyland by Gemma Correll (Kirkus review)
In 2018, Gemma Correll had a panic attack that lasted for weeks on end. Unable to do much more than walk aimlessly through the streets of Berkeley, Correll admitted herself to the hospital to reckon with The Bad Feeling that had been her companion since she was a child.
With her ingenious and charming illustrations “bursting with personality…peppered with witty asides” (Publishers Weekly), Correll leads readers through the amusement park in her own mind—featuring severe anxiety, depression, agoraphobia, and disassociation—a frightening and darkly funny world that “feels like a place apart from ‘real’ life.”
A hilarious thrill ride exploring the mysteries of the mind-body connection, Gemma Correll’s graphic memoir is shot through with the absurd knowledge that there is no linear way through Anxietyland, nor any cure-alls—but there are ways to feel better if you keep trying to move forward.
Art & Beauty: Drawings by R. Crumb
Art & Beauty is at once a satirical take on aesthetics and a continued exploration of Crumb’s subversion of sexuality and mainstream values. Drawings of women in positions ranging from lascivious to modest or mid-sport are accompanied by quotations from artists like Leonardo da Vinci, George Grosz, William de Kooning, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Harvey Kurtzman. Mining his own obsessions and fantasies, Crumb reimagines the history of art, challenging notions of beauty, along with society’s mores and expectations of propriety around the female form. The images appeal to a mostly erotic sensibility, which in turn is undercut by the inclusion of sometimes ironic and frequently philosophical prose. The images drag philosophy back down to earth, while the writing challenges the pure eroticism of Crumb’s drawings.
Presenting all three issues of the series in one book, Art & Beauty is arranged chronologically, from the earliest images in the 1990s to drawings completed in 2016. Paul Morris, longtime gallerist and supporter of Crumb’s practice, writes an introduction that contextualizes this body of work and the artist’s career.
Mutts: You and Me (A Mutts Treasury) by Patrick McDonnell (signed edition)
Enjoy this beautifully illustrated and packaged collection of Mutts comic strips from 2023 by Patrick McDonnell. This brand new Mutts Treasury collects a year’s worth of special and sweet moments with Earl, Mooch, and the rest of their four-legged friends.
This treasury features an entire year’s worth of Mutts comics, including sketch art and illustrations by author Patrick McDonnell.
Bury Me Already (It’s Nice Down Here) Comics on Pregnancy and Parenthood by Julia Wertz (interview)
Raw, honest, and hilarious, Bury Me Already (It’s Nice Down Here) chronicles the joy and horror of becoming a mother during challenging times.
In this follow-up to the acclaimed memoir Impossible People—a book about getting sober and becoming a professional artist in New York City—cartoonist Julia Wertz returns home to Northern California where she reunites with her family and rekindles a relationship with an ex-boyfriend. After a surprise pregnancy and a marriage proposal, Julia settles (somewhat reluctantly) into a quiet life in a small town. But as 2020 approaches, her world, and the world at large, takes a sharp turn toward unexpected chaos. Through comic vignettes, essays, and diary doodles, Julia recounts the events of her pregnancy and its attendant body horror, a miscarriage, family trauma, marriage, a life-altering accident, and the joy and surprises of parenthood as it all unfolds against the backdrop of local wildfires and a global pandemic. The result of this unconventional collection is a heart-wrenching and hilarious story of adversity, resilience, and, ultimately, love.
The Superman Wars: A Battle for Truth, Justice, and an American Icon by William Bernhardt
Almost everyone knows about the man from Krypton who, disguised as mild-mannered reporter Clark Kent working with the fearless Lois Lane, fights for the vulnerable and the oppressed. But few know the truth about this indelible character’s creation. From mobster tactics to decades-long courtroom drama, a beloved American myth was born, betrayed, and eventually reclaimed—seventy years later.
New witnesses, unpublished manuscripts, personal letters, and more reveal the complex and dramatic history of Superman and his creator, Jerry Siegel. This is a David and Goliath clash with twists, turns, and devastating upheavals. An underdog tale of a creator who fought for his rights and finally found redemption in his battle for truth, justice, and the American Way. A story that has never been fully told…
Until now.
David Wright’s Judy (Limited Edition) (background)
In the early 1950s David Wright made an unusual career move for a successful commercial and pinup artist – he turned to comics.
An early product of his new direction was the strip Judy, which he began in 1953 with John Hunter (writing as Peter Meriton) providing scripts.
Judy is a standard adventure strip for the time – a young, beautiful girl is thrust into danger with her partner, Ricky, and their treasure-hunting adventures take them to exotic locales all over the world in a series of loosely plotted melodramas.
Here are the first FOUR Stories, comprising episodes 1-119.
The Fanton Package
The Zexitcico Treasure
The SS Morna Gold
The Kalda Diamond
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga by author: Dav Pilkey; illustrator: Motojiro
Following the story arc of the first original chapter book, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga is reenvisioned as an engaging graphic novel reading in Western style (left to right). With dynamic manga artwork by Japanese artist Motojiro, all-new Flip-O-Ramas, and much more, it will captivate existing fans, capture new readers, and appeal to comics, manga, and anime aficionados alike!
Combining humor and action with empowerment and empathy, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga features the amazing adventures of best friends George Beard and Harold Hutchins and their waistband warrior superhero creation, Captain Underpants! He’s faster than a speeding waistband, more powerful than boxer shorts, and able to leap tall buildings without getting a wedgie. Night and day, Captain Underpants fights for truth, justice, and all that is pre-shrunk and cottony!
Lynda Barry: A Critical Guide by Maaheen Ahmed
A complete introduction to the comics and graphic narratives of Lynda Barry, this book maps the historical and biographical contexts, key texts, the critical themes and debates surrounding her publications and the lasting impact of her work on the comics medium.
Comprehensive and conveying specialist knowledge while remaining highly readable, Lynda Barry: A Critical Guide covers:
– comics history from an alternative perspective, focusing on issues of intersectionality and representation
– Barry’s major works including One Hundred Demons, What It Is, Making Comics, Syllabus, Cruddy and her comic strip Ernie Pook’s Comeek
– broad and salient themes in Barry’s work including memory, girlhood/womanhood, childhood, art pedagogy, creativity, overcoming creative anxieties, visual paper culture and the possibilities of drawing and collaging
– Barry’s materialities and her use of collage and art brut practices
– Barry’s prompts to creativity and connection and how they highlight the collaborative and accessible dimension of comics
Connie Dailies Volume Two by Frank Godwin
Classic Comics Press is pleased to present the second volume of our complete reprinting of Frank Godwin’s Connie dailies. Volume Two reprints dailies from December 29, 1930 to March 21, 1933 , including an introduction by Steven Smith.
Roy Thomas: A Life In Four Colors 1940-1966 by Roy Thomas
The man Stan Lee dubbed “Rascally Roy” and “Roy the Boy” tells the full, uncensored story of his emergence as one of the brightest stars in the Marvel Comics firmament! It’s all here, starting with his Midwestern beginnings devouring the late, great Golden Age of Comics, to the glorious flowering of comics fandom during the first half of the 1960s (including the 1961 founding of Alter Ego and all that that first super-hero fanzine spawned). Roy details his brief and turbulent time as editorial assistant of DC’s “Superman” titles under Mort Weisinger, and the pivotal first year-plus of his career at Marvel, working with Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, John Romita, Bill Everett, and some of the brightest stars of the Marvel Age of Comics! Plus: you’ll have a ringside seat at some of the earliest comics conventions, and at the fateful 1965 New York Herald Tribune interview that caused a seismic rift between Lee and Kirby. This full-color hardcover is illustrated with rare and unseen art and behind-the-scenes photos from the dawn of the Silver Age of comics, so don’t delay! Buy it today—read it tomorrow—’cause Roy’s already hard at work on the follow-up volume that covers the rest of his Marvel tenure, from 1967 to 1980!
Peanuts: Happiness Is a Postcard: 50 Unique Postcards from Charlie Brown and Snoopy’s World by Charles Schulz
Find Snoopy and Charlie Brown goodness in this sweet set of 50 unique Peanuts postcards, perfect for fans of the iconic comic.
- 50 illustrated postcards: Includes 50 unique full-color postcards with no repeats (3-3/4″ x 5-1/2″) of favorite Peanuts characters, including Snoopy, Woodstock, Charlie Brown, Lucy, and more, and other fun elements from theworld of Peanuts.
- Keepsake box: Comes in a sturdy flip-top box for safekeeping (4″ x 5.7″)
- Perfect gift: An ideal gift for Peanuts fans of all ages or a great self-purchase for those looking to display their love for the classic comic, or keep in touch with friends and family
- Officially licensed: An authentic Peanuts product
The Rube Goldberg Puzzle Book by Robert Leighton; illustrated by Rube Goldberg
Comical! Challenging! Collectible! This one-of-a-kind combination of puzzles and the crazy contraptions of the legendary Rube Goldberg will tickle your funny bone and your brain.
Cartoonist Rube Goldberg’s outlandish, hilarious inventions have entertained generations—and now they’ve provided the inspiration for a wild array of all-new brainteasers by puzzlemaster Robert Leighton. This celebration of creativity and ingenuity features puzzles based on classic strips as well as new cartoons specially created for this book. But it’s not just inventions! Other surprises abound, including games based on Rube’s many, many other comic strips and running gags, such as Old Man Alf of the Alphabet, Mike and Ike, Foolish Questions, and Bertha the Siberian Cheesehound. This unpredictable mash-up of old and new is truly not to be missed!
The Complete Charles Dana Gibson — A Widow and Her Friends (1899-1901) Essay and edited by Sean Michael Robinson
The Complete Charles Dana Gibson: A Widow and Her Friends (1899-1901) is the first of a three-volume series dedicated to the complete bibliography of perhaps America’s greatest-ever cartoonist, the incomparable Charles Dana Gibson. This first book in The Complete Charles Dana Gibson will present the most beloved and long-form of Gibson’s influential graphic-novel works, The Education of Mr. Pip and A Widow and Her Friends.
The book features stunning reproduction, laboriously sourced and restored from the best possible sources, gorgeous printing that gives unparalleled insight into why Gibson was one of America’s greatest artistic and cultural exports during the decades in which he worked.
The book also includes a long biographical essay by series editor and production artist Sean Michael Robinson that contextualizes Gibson’s work for a modern audience, illuminating his progressive politics, his wry humor, and the explosive mark-making that influenced generations of fine artists and illustrators.
Read the 1906 volume via the Internet Archive
Ace O’Hara 1959-1960 Newspaper Dailies by Conrad Frost and Tony Speer
The adventures of Ace O’Hara continue in this volume! The strip embraces the Space Age with sci fistories that seem more probable than fanciful – the founding of a colony on the moon for commercialpurposes. Yet there is still an embrace of the fantastic – the discovery of a race of long necked beings that reside in South America, or the discovery of a race of intelligent apes on another planet. Human interest stories also remain a constant – love for a woman who turns to be an alien who lost her memory, or the rise of a fascist movement that threatens Cloud City. Writer Conrad Frost and artist Tony Speer continue their stories of this long forgotten newspaper strip!
Leslie Turner: Captain Easy 1943 – 1945 Newspaper Dailies by Russ Winterbotham and Leslie Turner
In 1943 the legendary Roy Crane left Wash Tubbs to create his own strip, his assistant, Leslie Turner took over. He took the strip to new heights, with stunning artwork and gripping action. Set in the middle of World War II, we follow Captain Easy as he fights first against the Nazis in Europe, and then in Asia against the Japanese. Wash Tubbs is not forgotten, as he is doing his part in the war effort, helping defend his family and country at home. Tubbs’ misadventures serve as a perfect counterpoint to Easy’s two-fisted war stories. Unjustly overlooked, Turner’s twenty-seven year run on Captain Easy begins here!
Steve Smith at Panels and Prose looks at the new explosion of Print On Demand comic strip reprints!
feature image from Barney Google and Snuffy Smith by John Rose (February 28, 2026)
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