DC Comics April 2021 Collection Solicitations
DC’s April 2021 solicitations are out and we’re here to look at the collected editions. This month, there aren’t many surprises that weren’t covered in our lists of DC Omnibus Editions, Deluxe Editions, Trade Paperbacks, and Hardcovers. However, there is still a lot to enjoy here.
Some highlights from this list include a few interesting collections of old and new material. The Justice League: New 52 Omnibus gathers together the first part of Geoff Johns’ acclaimed run on the Justice League (Reading Order), collecting their revised origin all the way up to the Trinity War (Reading Order) event. Batman By John Ridley presents a full story arc from Future State, DC’s latest major event. Plus, The Authority Book Two, Fables Compendium Two, and Young Justice Book 2 all collect a relatively large number of highly enjoyable comics in a relatively affordable trade paperback.
- Batman By John Ridley The Deluxe Edition Hardcover
- Collects Future State: The Next Batman #1-4, stories from Batman Black & White #1 and Batman: The Joker War Zone #1, and a brand-new story by John Ridley with art by Dustin Nguyen.
- Release Date: June 29, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Light the Bat-Signal! Legendary screenwriter John Ridley takes over Gotham City in a new way! Writing the world’s most popular superhero, Batman, Ridley brings his storytelling expertise to DC!
- Whether his story is told in black and white or captured in brilliant colors, Batman’s adventures keep everyone guessing…even the World’s Greatest Detective. Follow the iconic tales of the Dark Knight in Batman by John Ridley The Deluxe Edition.
- Dark Nights: Death Metal: War Of The Multiverses Trade Paperback
- Collects Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last 52: War of the Multiverses #1 and Dark Nights: Death Metal The Last Stories of the DC Universe #1.
- Release Date: May 18, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- As Earth has been taken over by the Dark Multiverse, the Justice League battles to survive! Stand with our heroes as they prepare for what may well be…the final fight of their lives.
- What do the world’s mightiest heroes feel right before combat? As the Dark Multiverse envelops the Earth unveil how the heroes prepare for war in what could be their last stand…if the Justice League knows anything, it’s that heroes never go down without a fight!
- The Authority Book Two Trade Paperback
- Collects The Authority #13-29, The Authority Annual 2000 #1, and stories from WildStorm Summer Special #1, along with an introduction by Tim Miller, director of Deadpool.
- Release Date: May 25, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- As the 21st century dawns, a battle-hardened Authority turns its attention to a previously unchallenged class of villains—the invisible power brokers who manipulate the world’s political figureheads to advance their own selfish interests. The powers that be, however, didn’t get where they are by playing nice. They’ve made plans for every contingency—including teams of insanely powerful superhumans with sentient, city-size, interdimensional spaceships. So when the Authority begins to seriously upset their hard-won networks of control, the backlash that results is as swift as it is devastating. But as bad as things get, these attacks are still comprehensible on a human scale. The same can’t be said for what is following in their wake.
- Batman: The Adventures Continue Trade Paperback
- Collects Batman: The Adventures Continue #1-8.
- Release Date: June 1, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- From Alan Burnett and Paul Dini, the visionary producers of Batman: The Animated Series, comes a collection of all-new stories and adventures that turn Batman’s world upside down!
- Starting off with an attack on S.T.A.R. Labs in Gotham City by a giant robot that steals an entire room of the laboratory! Batman is going to have to stop it before it can cause more harm…and with Lex Luthor freshly back in Gotham, he knows where to start his search. Will Batman be able to topple the billionaire before he leaves Gotham?
- Batman: The Dark Knight Detective Vol. 5 Trade Paperback
- Collects Detective Comics #612-614 and #616-621, plus Detective Comics Annual #3.
- Release Date: May 25, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- In these 1990s stories, the Dark Knight Detective travels to Japan to honor a long-standing debt…one that will leave him facing off against the very master who trained him!
- The Dark Knight will also have to deal with haunting memories from his past as he encounters the Street Demonz again, but now he’s older—now he’s ready to protect others.
- And then there’s The Joker…
See our DC Comics Reading Orders here
- Batman: Universe Trade Paperback
- Collects Batman: Universe #1-6.
- Release Date: May 11, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- In this story written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Nick Derington, Batman is pushed to his limit as he sets off in search of an item with incredible destructive powers—and embarks on a journey across the DC Universe! It’s a race to the finish line as Batman chases the Riddler from Gotham to Gorilla City and beyond, with the fate of humanity in the balance. Guest stars include Vandal Savage, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Deathstroke, Jonah Hex, and more!
- Bizarro Comics The Deluxe Edition Hardcover
- Collects the two anthology titles Bizarro Comics and Bizarro World, with a cover by the legendary creator of The Simpsons, Matt Groening! Includes stories and art by acclaimed creators including Kyle Baker, Jeff Smith, Ivan Brunetti, Paul Pope, Hunt Emerson, Carol Lay, Roger Langridge, Mark Crilley, Dave Cooper, Eddie Campbell, Tony Millionaire, James Kochalka, Harvey Pekar, Peter Bagge, and many more.
- Release Date: June 22, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Where else could the world’s greatest alternative cartoonists run rampant through the DC Universe in utterly unhinged stories? Bizarro, an imperfect duplicate of Superman who does everything backward, tries drawing comics, concocting stories in which Wonder Woman participates in a poetry slam, baby Superman torments his baby-sitter…and that’s just the start!
- Fables Compendium Two Trade Paperback
- Collects Fables #42-82.
- Release Date: May 11, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Fables Compendium Two starts with the story “Arabian Nights (and Days),” when foreigners start showing up in Fabletown—much to the dismay of longtime residents–plunging Fabletown into a culture clash of dire proportions! Prince Charming is in over his head and must call on the help of a Fable character not seen in these pages for far too long…and this is one wish he can’t take back.
- This collection takes on a life of its own, ending with the postwar story “The Dark Ages”—but if the Fables knew the consequences, they might not have gone to war at all.
- The Flash Vol. 14: The Flash Age Trade Paperback
- Collects The Flash #88, The Flash #751-755, The Flash Annual #3, and the lead story from issue #750!
- Release Date: May 11, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Meet Paradox: a new time-traveling villain with a tragic backstory who poses a big threat—and carries a big grudge against the Flash. With the Flash about to be erased from time and space, the only person who can help him defeat this foe…is Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash? Can Barry Allen really trust his greatest enemy? And does he even have a choice?
- As Paradox accomplishes his mission to make the world see the Flash as a monster, both the Flash and the Reverse-Flash are trapped in a 25th-century Central City that hates everything about the Flash legacy. Can Barry return to his own time and defeat Paradox? Or is too late to undo the damage that’s been done?
- The Flash: The Death Of Iris West Hardcover
- Collects stories from The Flash #270-284.
- Release Date: June 1, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Can the Fastest Man Alive outrun his worst nightmare?
- The Flash can’t outrun the loss of his wife, but nothing will stop him from hunting down her killer. Follow along as Barry Allen races to find out who is responsible for the death of his wife, Iris…and hold them responsible.
- Flash/Impulse: Runs In The Family Trade Paperback
- Collects Impulse #1-12 and The Flash #108-111.
- Release Date: May 25, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Impulse, the Flash’s hyperactive descendant from the 30th century, has landed in the present and is ready to make a superhero name for himself!
- Due to his hyper-accelerated metabolism, Bart Allen was aging fast—like, really fast—and was raised in a 30th-century virtual reality simulation. So when he winds up in our era, he sees the world as one big video game—and he’s got a lot to learn. Luckily, Bart has a mentor named Max Mercury, and if anyone’s up to the task, it’s the zen master of the Speed Force. In this collection, Bart adjusts to life in the 20th century, keeping the town of Manchester, Alabama, safe from threats like White Lightning and Gridlock. Also in this title, Savitar’s machinations in the Speed Force cause Impulse, the Flash, and other super-speedsters to lose their speed!
- Harley Quinn And Poison Ivy Trade Paperback
- Collects Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy #1-6.
- Release Date: May 18, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- During the catastrophic events of Heroes in Crisis, Poison Ivy was killed, and Harley Quinn holds herself responsible. But when Ivy is resurrected, Harley decides to take care of her best friend, who has evolved into a creature as much flora as fauna. What, then, is Harley to do when Ivy reveals she’s had enough of the humans who not only killed her, but are destroying the environment day by day? Can Poison Ivy entice Harley to join her in the plant world, or will Harley have to prove herself by stopping whatever plot Ivy is cooking up?
- Justice League: Galaxy Of Terrors Trade Paperback
- Collects Justice League #48-52.
- Release Date: May 18, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- After answering a distress signal from distant space, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, the Flash, and Green Lantern discover an abandoned cargo ship full of young aliens! When the League attempts to return the children to their home planet, they are met with awe, terror, and war! Thus begins a new story line that will take the League to an unknown and war-torn planet, overrun with new species, a perilous mystery, and an otherworldly adversary. As the team faces off with different uncertainties and battles rogue factions, can the League save a population that hates and fears them? Or will it threaten any hope the Justice League has of returning home?
See all our “Upcoming Collection” lists right here
- Justice League: The New 52 Omnibus Vol. 1 Hardcover
- Collects Justice League #0-23; Aquaman #14-16; Justice League Dark #22-23; DC Comics — The New 52 FCBD Special Edition #1; Justice League of America #1-7; Trinity of Sin: The Phantom Stranger #11; Constantine #5; and Trinity of Sin: Pandora #1-3.
- Release Date: June 22, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- In a world where superheroes operate under a cloud of suspicion from the public, loner vigilante Batman has stumbled upon a dark evil that threatens to destroy the Earth as we know it. Now, faced with a threat far beyond anything he can handle on his own, the Dark Knight must trust an alien, a Scarlet Speedster, an accidental teenage hero, a space cop, an Amazon warrior, and an undersea monarch. Will Superman, the Flash, Cyborg, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman be able to put aside their differences and come together to save the world? Or will they destroy each other first?
- Krypto The Superdog Trade Paperback
- Collects Krypto the Superdog #1-6.
- Release Date: June 1, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Ruff, ruff, and away! Come along on the exciting, all-ages adventures of Krypto the Superdog!
- He might have just been a pup when he left Krypton, but Krypto the Superdog is all grown up and ready to protect his new family and his new home, Earth! Whether traveling through space, working with other superdogs, or making jokes about Streaky napping the day away, Krypto is ready for any adventure!
- Shazam!: The World’s Mightiest Mortal Vol. 3 Hardcover
- Collects stories from World’s Finest Comics #253-270 and #272-282 and Adventure Comics #491 and #492.
- Release Date: May 18, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- In 1973 DC brought back one of the most beloved superheroes of all time: Shazam! With the wisdom of Solomon, the strength of Hercules, the stamina of Atlas, the power of Zeus, the courage of Achilles, and the speed of Mercury, Shazam is one of humankind’s most powerful champions!
- In these tales, the World’s Mightiest Mortal fights against villains including Satan! Plus, don’t miss the return of Captain Nazi, Kull, and everyone’s favorite talking tiger, Mr. Tawny!
- Superman Vol. 4: Mythological Trade Paperback
- Collects Superman #20-28.
- Release Date: May 25, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Superman continues to aim for peace in the galaxy, and the United Planets could be the perfect solution. But an old enemy is about to return to force Superman to fight with everything he has in order to protect it! It’s the Man of Steel versus Mongul in this epic fight to save the United Planets and the peace it will ensure—and Superman is determined to win.
- If Superman fails, it means the fall of the United Planets.
- And old foes give way to new ones as Superman is confronted with deadly warriors from the real of magic and the furthest reaches of the cosmos. Introducing Xanadoth and Synmar!
- Superman: Action Comics Vol. 4: Metropolis Burning Trade Paperback
- Collects Action Comics #1017-1021.
- Release Date: May 11, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- Leviathan is making its move on Metropolis, and they’re looking to recruit Lex Luthor and his Legion of Doom to increase their power base! But will that be enough to take on Superman’s city? Because the Man of Steel has friends of his own…and it’s time to call on the Justice League and their teen counterparts, Young Justice, to take a stand against the forces of evil and stop Leviathan from reducing Metropolis to rubble!
- Superman: The Man Of Steel Vol. 3 Hardcover
- Collects Superman #12-15, Adventures of Superman #436-438, Action Comics #594-597, Superman: The Earth Stealers #1, Action Comics Annual #1, Superman Annual #1, Adventures of Superman Annual #1, and Booster Gold #23.
- Release Date: June 1, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- John Byrne’s bold reinvention of the Superman mythos continues, in stories featuring Green Lantern, Brainiac, Booster Gold, Lex Luthor, and more!
- In this hardcover collection, Byrne is joined by fellow acclaimed comic book veterans such as Arthur Adams and Jerry Ordway, in stories including the Man of Steel against Toyman, Superman teaming with Green Lantern, and a day at the circus that turns into an encounter with Brainiac! Plus, Byrne teams with legendary Superman artist Curt Swan for the galaxy-faring Superman: The Earth Stealers!
- Young Justice Book 2: Growing Up Trade Paperback
- Collects Young Justice #14-25.
- Release Date: May 18, 2021
- Solicitation Details:
- In these stories inspired by the hit animated TV series Young Justice, Superboy, Robin, Kid Flash, Aqualad, Miss Martian, and Artemis make their way to Atlantis to foil Ocean-Master’s plan to purify the underwater city. Then, the team must fight off the menace known as Kobra, as well as defeat an army of warrior gorillas in the dangerous Gorilla City!
- Plus, the Young Justice team adds to its ranks in an effort to battle the impending invasion by the Collector of Worlds, and one of the DC Universe’s favorite villains, Brainiac!
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