New Big Book Preos for July '26

Hello, survivors!

I hope that wherever you are, this heatwave isn’t hitting you too badly. As I am writing this, we are reaching the usual peak of a few degrees over 30°C in Denmark, and I am beginning to struggle! I cannot even imagine what it was like for the mailman who brought me another box of omnis this morning...

And while Denmark offers me at least somewhat cooler weather, I am missing out on some awesome events. How about that upcoming signing at Walt’s? Belén Ortega and Javier Fernández are both fabulous artists, and I envy you all so much for being able to get their signatures on some of your books!

Speaking of which, have you taken a gander at the July Preos? There are a lot of books that caught my eye and made my wallet cringe. But you know I’m your friendly neighborhood Big Book Guy, so just try and stop me from talking about what I’m picking up from the July Omnibus Pros! Which is exactly what I’m going to do! Right here in this newsletter!

Runaways By Rainbow Rowell Omnibus

I love this book to bits! Whenever Marvel rolled out those pesky polls, I would pick this book for my top five. So yes, I am very happy that Marvel is printing this, and I will just assume they are printing it specifically for me!

I haven’t seen too many people gush about it, even though it was so very good. If you enjoyed the original Runaways series by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, then this will feel very familiar. I will be the first to admit that I did not enjoy all of the material after BKV left, at least not until Rainbow Rowell took over!

It can be a bit tough to discuss the story without spoiling the ending of the original run, as well as this one, really. But even if you’ve seen the cover of this book or read BKV’s book, you know that a tragic event shook up the Runaways and changed them to their core.

Rowell revisits this sore point in their history and bases her run around it, using it as a springboard for exploring who these characters are today. In real life, it has been some ten years since the Runaways were together. In the Marvel Universe, of course, it has been “a few years.” The kids are grown up. Can they still be Runaways?

If you’ve read Rowell’s She-Hulk, you know the delicious mix of character exploration and slice-of-life storytelling that she can cook up. Along with it, we are served a delectable dose of art, primarily by Kris Anka and Andrés Genolet. They bring us expressive faces that fit the story to a tee, and this combination earned the series an Eisner nod back in 2019. I cannot wait to revisit it once again!

Runaways By Rainbow Rowell Omnibus Kris Anka Cover HC *PRE-ORDER*

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Runaways By Rainbow Rowell Omnibus Adrian Alphona Cover HC [DM Only] *PRE-ORDER*

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Secret Wars: Battleworld Omnibus Vol. 4

We are finishing our tour of the Battleworld minis with this fourth chunky tome of 1,280 pages. Just thinking about this book makes my arms feel weak! The stories in here aren’t half bad either, so of course I will be putting this in my shopping basket!

For starters, you will get Ultimate End by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, not to be confused with the aptly named Ultimate Endgame. In this mini, the boys who started Earth-1610 with Ultimate Spider-Man some 15 years earlier get the chance to take their final bow. I’m a Bagley fanboy, so I will always go mushy over his art, and here he gets the chance to FLEX by drawing just about EVERYONE.

Another story I enjoyed was Thors by then-Thor scribe Jason Aaron and artist Chris Sprouse. If you didn’t get a chance to read it in Aaron’s Thor omnibus, Thors follows Battleworld’s police force, which is made up of Thors from different universes. It is a noirish police procedural set in a world with magic hammers.

Weirdworld is another fun and wacky Jason Aaron story, which leans more into magic and humor this time. It is for fans of high fantasy and sword-and-sorcery, and Mike del Mundo’s art is to die for! Basically, when you tilt a world on its side, things will fall off, and they land in Weirdworld. Chaos ensues!

There are other stories in these pages as well, but I’ll leave the rest for you to discover!

Secret Wars: Battleworld Omnibus Vol. 4 Mark Bagley Cover HC *PRE-ORDER*

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Secret Wars: Battleworld Omnibus Vol. 4 Mike Mckone Cover HC [DM Only] *PRE-ORDER*

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Marvel Team-Up Omnibus Vol. 2

Did you think you would be able to get a newsletter where I don’t talk about Spider-Man? While the title might not suggest it, this is a Spider-Man book! It collects some hidden gems by two great writers: Gerry Conway and Bill Mantlo, with art by the greats like Sal Buscema or John Byrne.

For those not in the know, Marvel Team-Up was a series that showcased (predominantly) Spider-Man teaming up with various characters in the Marvel Universe. There is a wild variety of guest stars: Iron Fist, Doctor Strange, Frankenstein Monster, Doctor Doom?! The possibilities are endless!

There is also a cool tidbit of meta trivia about this book. This was the first time Byrne would draw the X-Men (in Marvel Team-Up #51), as well as work with Chris Claremont (Marvel Team-Up #59 onwards!) before moving on to redefine the X-Men.

Marvel Team-Up Omnibus Vol. 2 Gil Kane Cover HC *PRE-ORDER*

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Marvel Team-Up Omnibus Vol. 2 Dave Cockrum Cover HC [DM Only] *PRE-ORDER*

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Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mirage Years Omnibus

Finally, we have Tales of the TMNT: The Mirage Years. This will cover the second of my great comic book loves: the heroes in a half shell. Have I talked about TMNT in my last newsletter too? Feels like I have!

Now, do not confuse this book with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mirage Years. Tales was a separate title that ran alongside the main TMNT book, kind of like what they have been doing at IDW during the current run! It is an anthology series that showcased supporting characters like Casey Jones, the Rat King, Nobody, etc., and gave them depth.

It is also an interesting showcase for different creatives because it gave them the ability to experiment with the tone of the stories. In this book, you will find gritty crime dramas and noir, but you will also see wild sci-fi and even horror stories. Come to think of it, tonally, it is similar to the early TMNT book!

A special shoutout must be given to Tales of Leonardo: Blind Sight, which is probably one of the best Leonardo stories of the era! The visual storytelling is highly experimental and will leave you breathless.

Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Mirage Years Omnibus, Vol. 1 HC *PRE-ORDER*

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And there you have it!

These are the books that will make a dent in my budget this July!

Which books are you going for? I know that DC isn’t really giving us anything to work with in the omnibus department this month, but this gives us a chance to think about the books we want to see! If I missed any cool books, you’ll be able to find them here:

I hope you have a great July! Remember to stay hydrated and in the shade!

Bye!