Next week is the 18th new comic book day of 2025! This post covers Image Comics April 30 2025 new releases. Missed this week’s releases? Check out last week’s post covering Image Comics April 23 2025 new releases.
This week in Image Comics: Copra dies, Wes Craig draws a silent Duke, DWJ’s Transformers gets deluxed, Feral wraps its first year, a new fantasy from Curt Pires, conflict finds the Rocketfellers, life after a death in We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us, and more!
The Krisis Pick of the Week: This is a hard call between an intriguing #1 and a #2 I am desperate to read, but I have to give it to Matthew Rosenberg’s We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us (2025) #2. Issue #1 was a perfect comic book – something I’ve been waiting to read from Rosenberg ever since being introduced to him in the absolutely perfect 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank nearly a decade ago. However, I am also extremely hype for Lost Fantasy (2025) #1 from Curt Pires!
This post includes every comic out from Image Comics this week on April 30 2025, plus collected editions. This isn’t the typical comic releases post you can find on other sites. Why? I explain each collection and comment on every series with a new issue out this week to help you figure out if they’re for you.
Plus, for some long-running series and Image Comics imprints, I’ll point you to a personally-curated guide within the Crushing Comics Guide to Indie Comics to find out how to collect that title in full!
There’s no other website on the internet that can claim that.
And now, onto Image Comics April 30 2025 new releases!
Image Comics April 30 2025 Collected Editions
Note: Image Comics collections hit the direct market 2-3 weeks prior to when they ship to the book market, so if you order these Image Comics April 30 2025 books today from a traditional bookseller they will still be pre-orders and will arrive in a few weeks.
Precious Metal
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534361669 / digital)
This is a prequel to Little Bird (2019), the first series from creators Darcy Van Poelgeest and Ian Bertram. I was obsessed with the brutality of that wold and the indigenous resistance to an oppressive singular religion – especially as rendered by Bertram’s incomparably detailed and sometimes disgusting artwork.
I struggled a bit more with Precious Metal (2024). The first issue was a straight-up masterpiece that send me sprinting back to re-read Little Bird. However, as the plot of the race to secure a genetically modified messiah unfurled it became too abstract and impressionistic – though still gorgeous. The narrative stopped making sense to me even if I squinted at it.
I still think this is a worthwhile art showcase, but the narrative is only nominally coherent. That was a bummer. Little Bird (2019) was definitely weird and left me with more questions than answers, but I still had a sense of having experienced a coherent and complete plot. This one was more like unravelling a ball of yarn only to be reminded that it’s all just yarn, with nothing different at the center.
Saga Vol. 12
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534355330 / digital)
See Guide to Saga by Vaughan & Staples. Book Two of Saga comes to a close in an adventure that focuses much more on Hazel’s perspective and pushes Alanna’s efforts to keep her family together slightly more into the background.
The entire delightful Saga ensemble is still there and Fiona Staples’ art is more gorgeous than ever, but for me there’s a little bit less alchemy in this world without some of the characters we left behind in Book One.
Sam and Twitch: Case Files Vol. 1
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534393196 / digital)
See Guide to Spawn Universe. This collects the kick-off eight issue arc of Sam and Twitch: Case Files (2024), which focuses entirely on Twitch investigating mysterious murders in a small town.
This started out incredibly strong but didn’t pay off in a satisfying way. I think if you already enjoy these characters it’s a well executed police procedural. Standing along without the existing affection, I’m not sure how compelling it will be.
Transformers Deluxe Edition Book 1
(2025 oversize hardcover, ISBN 978-1534328235)
See Guide to Energon Universe – Transformers & GI Joe. This deluxe oversize edition collects the first year of stories across two arcs of Daniel Warren Johnson’s Transformers (2023). He draws the first arc before art duties are taken over by Jorge Corona.
I’m not an established Transformers fan, but I’ve found myself surprised and delighted by the humanity in DWJ’s approach to these robots in disguise. That not only comes from the human characters on Earth who play a large role in the opening arc (but then increasingly fade into the background), but also the messy interpersonal (intermechanical?) relationships amongst the Autobots and Decepticons.
DWJ’s version of an embattled Optimus Prime does a deft trick of maintaining him as the ideal hero while making him a constant underdog in the present day. And, the backstabbing between the Decepticons only increases as they notch a seemingly permanent foothold on Earth.
I suspect this will hit even harder for longtime franchise fans who can tell these boxy, similarly-colored characters apart – though it might not ring true for longtime fans of the acclaimed. “More Than Meets the Eye” continuity.
True War Stories: An Illustrated Military Anthology of American Service from Vietnam to Today
(2025 OGN paperback, ISBN 978-1534328129 / digital)
This original graphic novel offers fifteen real life stories of life in war by a creative roster of active duty and retired soldiers, as edited by Alex de Campi.
Violent Flowers
(2025 paperback, ISBN 978-1534331709 / digital)
This collects a bloody, lusty vampire tale from Maria Llovet.
Read on for summaries of Image Comics April 30 2025 single issue releases!
Image Comics April 30 2025 Physical Comic Releases
Want to see each one of these Image Comics April 30 2025 single issues reviewed in one minute or less? Check out my weekly live stream “The Pull List” on YouTube!
Bitter Root: The Next Movement (2025) #2 (digital) – The first issue of this Bitter Root redux in the 1960s was an instant drop for me. Too many characters, not enough reason to care about any of them or a plot about monsters being behind seemingly racist crimes against civil rights protestors.
That’s par for the course with me on Bitter Root, which very quickly ballooned from a cool Harlem Renaissance vampire book into a family affair I just couldn’t follow. Maybe I’m weak in the brain and I need more recap pages, or maybe I just never found a point-of-view character in the ensemble cast whose perspective on the world could keep me engaged.
Copra (2012) #49 / Death of Copra (2025) #4 (digital) – This is it… the end of Copra! Although there’s one final issue in store with #50/#5, Michel Fiffe has promised that is an epilogue with this as the majorly bloody finale of his extremely indie take on Suicide Squad.
Feral (2024) #12 (digital) – Tony Fleecs’s book about a scary Walking Dead world for cats and dogs hits the year mark as his protagonists find their way to a human-free pet city.
Free Comic Book Day! Image has a trio of FCBD issues this year, and two of them are Transformers!
The first is the Free Comic Book Day 2025: Energon Universe 2025 Special #1. This has included brand new original content for all three Energon Universe ongoings every year that later get reprinted in a special and collected in their paperbacks and deluxe editions.
Skybound is also offering a preview issue of two upcoming YA books with Free Comic Book Day 2025: Transformers – Worst Bot Ever #1, which introduces tiny Transformer Ballpoint as well as an excerpt from upcoming YA superhero OGN Family Force V. Image doesn’t do a lot of all ages material, so I’m intrigued by Kirkman’s Skybound dipping their toes into that world.
And, in a fun and promising development, Free Comic Book Day 2025: I Hate Fairyland – Once Upon a Time Special #1 finds creator Skottie Young illustrated a recap of the action of the past decade of 40+ issues of his violent cartoon world… and, it promises to preview the next 10 years of fairyland depravity! I know I had some questions about how quickly Young would return to this when the most-recent arc of the book came to a close, so I think a FCBD issue is a terrific sign that more is soon to come.
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Duke (2025) #1 (digital) – It’s the fifth and final silent mission one-shot in the long-running Real American Hero universe, this time from the incredible Wes Craig!
Given how obsessed I am with Craig’s storytelling as a writer/artist on Kaya (2022), I’m headed into this one feeling pretty confident about how ability to tell a compelling one-shot story without words.
Lost Fantasy (2025) #1 (digital) – I’m a total sucker for writer Curt Pires, who always draws me in with his setups even if I’m sometimes left wanting by his finales. Pires has an easy way with young characters and grounded dialog that makes his fantastic twists even more engaging.
I love the pitch for this book: “There is a world of magic, myth, and monsters that exists beneath the surface of our own. Since first contact was made over 100 years ago, The Great Hunters have kept us safe from the creatures that lurk in the shadows. But last night something broke through…”
The comparison the solicit makes to Something is Killing the Children feels obvious, but I’m less intrigued by the bit about “The Great Hunters” and more about the fantasy world that exists just beneath our own. That’s a particular plot hook that always sinks into me deeply, especially on books like Joshua Williamson’s Birthright and the recent outstanding Reversal OGN from Alex de Campi, artists Skylar Patridge, and Kelly Fitzpatrick.
I’m definitely excited to see what Pires has in store on this one.
Nights (2023) #15 (digital) – This book continues to prove why I sometimes give series a second chance after they have a few arcs under their belts, because the past two issues have been absolutely delightful for me.
As we continue to delve into the backstory of the supernatural investigators of this world, I’m so caught up in the past of this book I’m not even sure I want to come back to the present! I’m in luck, since this issue will continue that flashback tale – giving more more time to get enamored with the world of Nights before we’re plunged back into the present day.
The Patchwork Girl of Oz (2025) #4 (digital) – Otis Frampton’s one-man Oz adaptation continues, but this time with a second pair of hands from artist Tracy Bailey.
Radiant Black (2021) #33 (digital) – This Massive-Verse flagship continues, but it’s without me – as dipping my toe into the start of this new arc left me even more bored than I was reading the book back in 2021! before I dropped it!
To me, it never feels like Kyle Higgins has much to say about his main character, whose personality feels incredibly beige to me. That works to an extent when you’re crafting an “loveable loser becomes a superhero” story but at some point you’ve got to find the hook that makes your lose lovable.
This issue is an indirect crossover with Rogue Sun (2022), which I am enjoying, but not enough for me to give this one another try so soon after dropping it for the second time.
The Rocketfellers (2024) #5 (digital) – See Guide to Ghost Machine – an Image Comics imprint. After a wobble on issue three, last issue really gave me the confidence that this book knows what it is and is driving us somewhere interesting.
A stellar first two issues allowed us to know and love our family of protagonists, but we can already feel them all rankling against being in the present day. While the past two issues were lighter on plot, they also introduced many conflicts that are going to pull at this family – from internal ones between their scheme kids to external ones with a future time cop as a sister-in-law and a time-traveling cyborg on a ruthless hunt.
This issue promises the first real conflict and action in the modern day, and I am definitely hyped for that! I also hope it gets back to telling another mostly self-contained story. Lately I found that I fundamentally enjoy (and trust) comics more when they advance the plot with complete one-and-done issues of story rather than always stringing us along for more – which is why I had to drop Peter Tomasi’s other book, Halo & Hornsby (2024).
The Seasons (2025) #4 (digital) – See Guide to Giant Generator – an Image Comics imprint. Unless I have a change of heart on new comic book day, this Rick Remender book with Paul Azaceta, Mat Lopes, and Rus Wooton might be a drop for me – or, at least, a wait for trade.
I mean, it’s lovely? I think it is trying for this Terry Moore thing where it’s more about relationships between women than the plot that surrounds them while the fantastical and somewhat creepy plot keeps playing out in the background.
However, it feels like all this has been about is an annoying big sister being annoyed with her little sister. There’s only so far you can go in a character piece when the only scrap of emotion you’re playing is announcing. Winter just doubting Spring again and again takes the potential fun out of it. There needs to be some hint of affection and trust between them to make things compelling.
This issue promises to pay off something about the ominous Magical Carnival, but after three issues I’m not sure if I’m interested. I think if you have a lot more patience for plot than me that Paul Azaceta’s art could be keeping you engaged as things develop.
Snotgirl (2016) #20 (digital) – Bryan Lee O’Malley & Leslie Hung book about a fashion influencer with a surplus of mucous ends an arc on this issue, but promises it won’t be a long wait before it continues (unlike the four year gap between prior arcs).
Void Rivals (2023) #18 (digital) – See Guide to Energon Universe – Transformers & GI Joe. This is the end of an arc, so I expect some explosive action and reveals!
Last issue somewhat bucked my prediction that it would deliver plot in tiny, deconstructed slices to build up to the arc-ender. Robert Kickman’s long-awaited reveal of the origins of the Ring was thrilling, full stop. Finally we understand the whole concept of this book!
But… then we’re back to the little slices of plot, progressing at a snail’s pace. It felt ephemeral, like none of the minor scenes had any weight.
I think if this book was delivering something as tangible and thrilling as the origin material in every issue I could forgive the decompression and lack of focus, but I felt like I’ve been wandering in the desert of plot for a whole arc and this was my first sip of water. It only briefly quenched my thirst and I’m really starting to hate sand.
Did that make any sense? Anyway, I expect we’ll get a big twist this issue, but there’s a reason I’ve dropped this book three separate times now. I simply don’t enjoy the way it feels like Kirkman not only seems to write slowly with trade paperbacks in mind, but writes for deluxe editions or compendiums. When you write single issue comics to be binged en masse, the single issue experience can suck.
We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us (2025) #2 (digital) – I was absolutely mesmerized by the first issue of this new Matthew Rosenberg comic with artist Stefano Landini, colorist Jason Wordie, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.
The story is about a little girl losing her father… who happens to be the world’s foremost evil genius supervillain.
Is it a book about a sympathetic kid? A violent villain who we’re still meant to root for? An erstwhile James Bond stuffed with Quaaludes?
All of the above, but for me it very much felt like the photo negative of Mr. Gadget for some reason. I love that this little girl is living a life in a bell jar she is about to explode out of, at which point she’s just as likely to side with her father as grow to hate him. I love the mystery of a fishing boat with one embedded spy and the creepy way the father rooted them out.
Rosenberg constructed the first script methodically and was abetted but outstanding art, colors, and letters. The paneling and lighting choices especially blew me away. It was utterly confident and as close to a perfect comic as I’ve read in 2025. I’m so excited for a second issue.
You’ll Do Bad Things (2025) #2 (digital) – I was incredibly hype for the first issue of this Tyler Boss comic with artist Adriano Turtulici about a fiction writer who is unintentionally writing real world murders.
I dug the concept (and, especially, the colors), but the execution left me wanting. A slow, saggy sequence on a subway train in the middle of the issue killed the momentum for me. By the time we reached the climactic murder scene, I was fully checked out.
Pacing is a challenge in a comic book, especially in a first issue and especially in an indie book with familiar characters to keep you pleased. I’ll be back for this #2, but I also had pacing problem’s with Boss’s prior series Dead Dog’s Bite (2021) #1. If this issue doesn’t hit for me, I think this may be an early drop.
That’s it for Image Comics April 30 2025 new releases! What were you already pulling? And, did I convince you to check out anything new? Sound off in the comments below.
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