I Said I’d Keep This Week's FOC Short... but then Marvel and DC went all out...

Walt's Comic Shop Team Big Books | Graphic Novels
04/17/2026 3:53pm 7 minute read

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Wow, this week’s FOC list is absolutely insane!

It’s funny, really – the last newsletter I wrote you (yes, you specifically) was very bereft of too many exciting new bricks… pardon, books. This one? Oh, boy!

Since there’s so many heavy hitters this week, I will keep this introduction short and sweet. Let’s just dive right in!

Way of X Omnibus

During the festival, I had the absolute pleasure of having a chat with Si Spurrier, and sharing how much I enjoyed his Krakoan stories and work with Nightcrawler and Legion. And what do you know, soon after I found out that a book is coming out collecting all of it!

Don’t confuse Way of X with other Krakoan books (Dawn of X and Reign of X). This is firmly a creator book à la X-Men by Ewing, Duggan or Gillen (the latter of which is also not to be confused by Uncanny X-Men by Gillen and…. Should I just write another X-Men article for Beyond the Panels…?)

These stories are deeply philosophical – Spurrier explores what death means in a society where members cannot die. There are also questions of life and love – are there any darker undertones in the “Make More Mutants” rule? I enjoyed every issue this man wrote during the era, even though sometimes things just flew over my head (which makes rereading the stories even better!)

Way Of X Omnibus Tony Daniel Cover HC [DM Only] *PRE-ORDER*

€78,99 ~~€100,00~~

Nightcrawler takes the spotlight as Si Spurrier explores mutantkind's Krakoan age! On Krakoa, mutantkind has built a new Eden - but there are serpents in the garden. Snared by questions of death, law and love, only Nightcrawler can fight for… read more

Way Of X Omnibus Giuseppe Camuncoli Cover HC *PRE-ORDER*

€78,99 ~~€100,00~~

Nightcrawler takes the spotlight as Si Spurrier explores mutantkind’s Krakoan age!On Krakoa, mutantkind has built a new Eden — but there are serpents in the garden. Snared by questions of death, law and love, only Nightcrawler can fight for the… read more

X-Men Legacy: Legion Omnibus

Is this newsletter turning into a Spurrier love letter? Maybe. But during Thought Bubble, I brought this book for him to sign. The man took it and said that this story is basically the foundation of everything he’s done during Krakoa, and that he hasn’t seen it in years (it was printed once in 2017 and that was it).

When Way of X was announced, I really hoped that Marvel would reprint this so everyone can get a chance to dip into the wild world of Legion completely – and boy am I glad we are getting the reprint!

Taking place during the Bendis era of X-Men, the third flagship book explores Legion – the wayward, often villainous son of Professor X, grappling with the repercussions of Avengers vs. X-Men ending. Legion’s name says it all – he suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and each personality has a power of its own. The book will see him grapple with his powers, his family and who defines what he is.

X-Men Legacy: Legion Omnibus Mike Del Mundo Cover HC [New Printing] *PRE-ORDER*

€78,99 ~~€100,00~~

Acclaimed writer Si Spurrier’s complete saga of the son of Charles Xavier!Legion is the world’s most powerful and unstable mutant and prodigal son to Professor X. But in the aftermath of his father’s tragic death, David Haller finally will attempt… read more

X-Men Legacy: Legion Omnibus Kaare Andrews Cover HC [New Printing, DM Only] *PRE-ORDER*

€78,99 ~~€100,00~~

Acclaimed writer Si Spurrier's complete saga of the son of Charles Xavier! Legion is the world's most powerful and unstable mutant and prodigal son to Professor X. But in the aftermath of his father's tragic death, David Haller finally will… read more

John Constantine, Hellblazer by Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips Omnibus

At this festival I went last year – maybe you’ve heard of it: Thought Bubble? – I listened to a panel on neo-noir in comics with Sean Phillips, Si Spurrier, Rachel Merrill and Henry Barajas and hosted by comics journalist Jared Bird. There, they took a tangent to quickly gush about Hellblazer and it was a joy to hear.

Sean Phillips is a master of noir, something he has proven time and time again through his work with Brubaker. His characters are moody, gritty but most of all, they are deeply human. And that’s why he paired so well with Paul Jenkins, whose writing strips Constantine from power and magic almost completely.

Their John is a human, guilt-ridden occultist, with magic more as a curse than a tool, facing against gods and demons alike. While some were not the fan of this back-to-basics approach after Ennis’s more dramatic and tragical run, Jenkin’s Constantine is more akin to Delano’s – back to its English roots, though now dealing with ancient myths and urban legends rather than political and ecological demons.

John Constantine, Hellblazer By Paul Jenkins And Sean Phillips Omnibus HC *PRE-ORDER*

€112,99 ~~€150,00~~

No one carries guilt like Constantine—and no one escapes it quite like him. Paul Jenkins and Sean Phillips’ run on Hellblazer forged a uniquely human John Constantine—flawed, self-loathing, and fiercely clever—who navigates trauma, time, demons, dreams, and England's haunted soul. From Aboriginal… read more

The Flash by Joshua Williamson Vol. 3 Omnibus

I’ll be honest with you (yes, you again) – I was a huge Marvel fanboy until DC Rebirth hit in 2016. Then, I jumped on as many titles as I could handle, and Flash was one of those that stood out to me.

This book is the conclusion of Joshua Williamson’s run with the Flash family. It is bittersweet to reach the finish line, but also fills me with joy to see this whole run collected in omni format. I am so excited to revisit it all once I have this book in my hands.

The art was a huge draw for me: it was always kinetic from staging of the panels to the colors, characters seemed to move right off every page. (A shoutout for Howard Porter on art and Hi-Fi Design studio on colors which are especially bombastic to me!) Grab this book – it’s good!

The Flash by Joshua Williamson Omnibus Vol. 3 HC *PRE-ORDER*

€94,99 ~~€125,00~~

Author: Joshua Williamson Illustrated by: Eddy Barrows, Scott Koblish, Paul Pelletier, Howard Porter 9781799508540|Hardcover On Sale 07/21/2026 888 pages|12 per carton 20 Oz|Rated T DC Comics | DC Comics Sales Rights: World Pop Culture > Geek/Nerd > Superheroes & Supervillains… read more

Some Can’t-Miss Hardcovers

Batman The Black Casebook Deluxe Edition
I know we usually cover the biggest and BADDEST of the books here (not quality-wise, of course!), but I cannot WAIT to get my hands on this gem. If you have ever read Batman by Grant Morrison (or anything by Morrison, really), you were probably left scratching your head in confusing.

It’s because they are known for pulling DEEP from continuity, and their Batman work is full of it. The Black Casebook was a softcover collection of stories from the Golden and Silver age of Batman which Morrison generously sprinkled all over their run. It was very difficult to find and I cannot wait to pour through all these and do a re-read of the legendary run once I have this book on my shelf.

Void Rivals Deluxe Edition Book 2
Back in the early days of Energon Universe (are we allowed to say that yet?), Robert Kirkman was writing only one book, and it was Void Rivals. It was such a pleasant surprise when it first came out, and it still remains so.

This is all the space politics you need, mixed with the wildest combinations of elements from both Transformers and G.I. Joe you would ever want. And now that we are getting M.A.S.K. involved too, who knows where the story will go…

House of Slaughter Book 2
The next universe over, James Tynion IV is expanding his ever-growing Something Is Killing The Children empire with House of Slaughter stories. Delving deeper into the eponymous house, this collection gives us three stories about three differently colored masks.

Edwin, Bait and Nolan all have different functions within the House of Slaughter, with different day-to-day and tasks. However, they are all part of a nefarious scheme that is unfolding behind the scenes…

Sonic The Hedgehog: The IDW Collection, Vol. 6
Finally, a very special shoutout goes to the next volume of Sonic the Hedgehog IDW series. The run continues to be an absolute blast, and these hardcovers are beautifully put together. The stories are surprisingly fun for all ages, and they’re a great treat after a long day. Plus, they look great next to my TMNT collection.