April is here, Spring has sprung and there are a lot of new comics worth checking out over the next several weeks. April is an especially big month for TMNT fans. Not only is the current TMNT volume reaching its conclusion in the epic issue #150 finale, but TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman is kicking off a new, semi-autobiographical series called Drawing Blood. Comic readers can also look forward to a new volume of Deadpool, a major Superman crossover called House of Brainiac and the debut of the first three monthly titles from Geoff Johns' Ghost Machine.
Read on to learn about these and the other big comics worth reading in April 2024, and be sure to let us know in the comments below what you'll be reading this month.
Deadpool #1
Creative Team: Cody Ziglar & Rogê Antônio
Publisher: Marvel
Release Date: April 3
Deadpool is finally blasting his way back to the big screen this summer, so it goes without saying that Marvel has a new Deadpool comic lined up to capitalize on the hype. This series should be an easy way to dive into the franchise. It introduces a new villain named Death Grip, one who seems absolutely determined to kill the unkillable Wade Wilson.
But easily the biggest selling point here is that the new Deadpool is written by Miles Morales: Spider-Man's Cody Ziglar. Ziglar has become an increasingly important voice at Marvel in recent years, and we have faith he can nail that trademark blend of hyper-violent action and self-aware humor that makes for a good Deadpool comic.
Ghost Machine's Geiger, Redcoat & Rook: Exodus
Creative Team: Geoff Johns, Jason Fabok, Gary Frank & Bryan Hitch
Publisher: Image
Release Date: April 3
Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch and Jason Fabok are some of the biggest names in the comic book industry. It's a big deal that all four have decided to leave DC behind and spearhead a new publishing company together. The result is Ghost Machine, a new publishing line that will comprise no fewer than four shared universes by the end of 2024.
Readers got a taste of what this new line has to offer in the recent Ghost Machine #1 one-shot. Now the creators are launching their first three monthly titles on the same day. Geiger is a known quantity, as it continues Johns and Frank's post-apocalyptic saga from the first volume. Redcoat introduces an immortal rogue who exists in that same universe, while Rook: Exodus is set in a brand-new world where masked wardens can control animals. All three books are looking stunning, and we can't wait to see these new storylines unfold.
Superman: House of Brainiac
Creative Team: Joshua Williamson & Rafa Sandoval
Publisher: DC
Release Date: April 9 & April 16
If you've been reading Joshua Williamson's Superman run (and you really should be), you'll want to make sure you also pick up Action Comics over the next few months. Williamson is pulling double duty as Action Comics undergoes its second evolution of 2024 in issue #1064. That issue kicks off a new crossover called House of Brainiac. As the Superman family clashes with Brainiac yet again, they'll find their enemy has an entire army of Czarnians at their beck and call. Good thing Lobo is ready to throw his lot in with the Man of Steel.
House of Brainiac is shaping up to be one of the most important DC storylines of 2024. It directly sets the stage for Mark Waid and Dan Mora's Absolute Power, introducing Brainiac's latest evolution as the Brainiac Queen.
Rat City #1
Creative Team: Erica Schultz & Zé Carlos
Publisher: Image
Release Date: April 10
It may not actually have the word "Spawn" in the title, but Rat City is the latest important addition to the rapidly growing Spawn franchise. Fortunately, it also happens to be an accessible series that stands on its own from the rest of the line. It's essentially Spawn's answer to Batman Beyond or Spider-Man 2099. Rat City is set in the futuristic landscape of 2111, as a new Hellspawn takes up the mantle. But the twist this time is that Peter Cairn isn't undead, but a living soldier powered by nano technology.
For more on what to expect from the new series, check out our video interview with writer Erica Schultz:
Nightwing #300
Creative Team: Tom Taylor, Marv Wolfman, Michael Conrad & Various Artists
Publisher: DC
Release Date: April 16
Nightwing #113 also happens to be the 300th Nightwing comic, and you'd better believe that DC is celebrating that milestone. This oversized issue features a new story from the regular creative team of Tom Taylor and Bruno Redondo as well as bonus tales from New Teen Titans writer Marv Wolfman and others. Details are scant on this issue, but it looks to be delivering a major new wrinkle to the status quo, even as Taylor and Redondo gear up for the climax of their critically acclaimed run. Enjoy the ride, because it's only going to get more bumpy from here for Dick Grayson.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #150
Creative Team: Sophie Campbell, Dan Duncan, Vincenzo Federici & Fero Peniche
Publisher: IDW
Release Date: April 17
2024 is a big one of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic book line. Not only did IDW recently kick off the long-awaited TMNT: The Last Ronin II, they're ending the current TMNT monthly series at the auspicious issue #150 mark. This issue serves as the capstone to writer Sophie Campbell's long run on the series. Donatello is literally racing against time as he tracks down his future self to learn how to defeat Armaggon. Expect an epic finale and a fitting conclusion to what has easily been one of the best incarnations of the TMNT franchise in any medium. New TMNT writer Jason Aaron will have some tall shoes to fill this summer.
Drawing Blood #1
Creative Team: David Avallone, Kevin Eastman, Ben Bishop & Troy Little
Publisher: Image
Release Date: April 24
TMNT fans should be on the lookout for a very different type of comic the week after TMNT #150 hits shelves. With Drawing Blood, TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman is drawing inspiration from his own life and career as he helps tell the story of a fictional creator trying to escape the shadow of his world-famous creation.
Shane Bookman and his brother Paul created the Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls as teenagers. But decades later, with fame and fortune having long since evaporated, Shane is struggling to build something new and escape the hired killers gunning for him. The series takes its cues from Eastman's own experiences and the many interesting stories he's encountered in his years in Hollywood, and the result promises to be a comic that's both larger-than-life and deeply personal.
In other comic book news, Marvel's X-Men '97 prequel has its own Sad Wolverine meme, and we've got an exclusive preview of this year's Stranger Things FCBD 2024 story.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
