Side Kicks Streetwear • Global Release Guide
Updated: 5 July 2026
About the release
Air Jordan Brand is going back to the archives for one of its more playful concepts of the year. The Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' takes direct inspiration from Michael Jordan's 1985 comic-themed 'Dunk' T-shirt — a piece of early Nike apparel showing MJ soaring for a dunk in comic book artwork style. The shirt's vibrant graphic language gets translated into a full AJ4 release, with sharp angles, illustrated branding and cartoon panel colours running across the shoe. Style code JA1135-100.
The upper leads with an off-white leather base, letting the louder elements pop. A gradient mix of pink, purple, orange and yellow runs behind the transparent side panel and vamp netting — a direct echo of the vintage Dunk tee's colour palette. Pink spiked speech-bubble shapes replace the standard top lace wings, the Nike Air heel branding gets a dotted comic-print overlay with a hand-sketched feel, and a pink gradient Jumpman sits on the tongue with 'Flight' lettering below. Reports also suggest the matching 1985 Dunk tee will be reissued alongside the shoe.
UK release is Saturday 25 July 2026 for £190 via Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers. Full family sizing available.
TL;DR – Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' JA1135-100 Release Date, Price & Where to Buy
- UK release date: Saturday 25 July 2026
- Model: Air Jordan 4 Retro
- Colourway: Off White / Anthracite / Neutral Grey / Fire Pink / Light Arctic Pink / Muslin
- Style code: JA1135-100
- UK retail price (adult): £190
- US retail price: $230 (adult), $165 (GS), $105 (PS), $90 (TD)
- Sizing: Full family — Men's, GS, PS and TD
- Where to buy: Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers
- Key details: Off-white leather upper, grey suede mudguard, anthracite structural components, pink / purple / orange / yellow gradient netting under vamp and side panels, TPU speech-bubble wing eyelets in pink, red accent on lower wing eyelet, dotted comic-print Nike Air heel branding with gradient fill, pink gradient Jumpman tongue logo with 'Flight' lettering, black support wings and heel tabs, black / cream / pink midsole, pink outsole, white laces, off-white interior
- Matching apparel: Reissue of MJ's 1985 comic-themed Dunk T-shirt expected alongside
Release date and price
The Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' releases in the UK on Saturday 25 July 2026 via Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers. UK retail is £190 for adult sizes, with US retail at $230. GS, PS and TD sizes come in below at $165 / $105 / $90 respectively at US retail, with UK pricing scaled proportionally.
Full family sizing means Men's, GS, PS and TD are all part of the rollout. Given the design concept and the direct MJ archive reference, expect solid SNKRS demand across all size tiers.
Design and details
Most graphic AJ4 releases lean on named collabs or cultural crossovers to justify the loud design language. The 'Comic' is a different play — it's Jordan Brand referencing its own archive, digging up a piece of 1985 apparel and translating it into a shoe forty years later. It sits somewhere between playful and archival, and the execution actually earns both.
Off-white leather base with grey suede mudguard
The upper leads with off-white leather across the main panels, with a grey suede mudguard and anthracite structural components throughout. The neutral base does two things — it echoes the cream tone of the vintage 1985 tee, and gives the loud colour elements room to breathe. Without the restraint of the base palette, the graphic elements would tip into costume territory.
Gradient mesh netting
The colour story runs behind the AJ4's signature transparent netting on the vamp and side panels. A gradient mix of pink, purple, orange and yellow shifts across the mesh underneath, giving the shoe its most vibrant colour moments through material layering rather than solid dyes. The gradient echoes the exact colour scheme of MJ's 1985 Dunk tee — the connection is deliberate and immediate.
Speech bubble wing eyelets
The most graphic touches sit on the eyelets. The TPU top wing eyelet is shaped as a pink spiked speech-bubble outline — the classic 'POW!' motif from comic panels made into a functional design element. The lower wing eyelet picks up a small red accent near the laces. It's the design detail that most obviously commits to the comic book brief without straying into cartoon.
Sketched Nike Air branding
The Nike Air heel branding ditches the standard retro block lettering. Instead, it runs a dotted comic-print overlay with a vibrant gradient fill, executed with a hand-sketched appearance that reads like a first-edition comic book panel. Combined with the pink gradient Jumpman on the tongue (with 'Flight' lettering below), the branding language across the shoe is fully rewired to fit the theme.
Sole unit
Underfoot, the midsole runs a black, cream and pink mix with prominent Air cushioning. The aged cream section adds a vintage tint that ties back to the 1985 archive angle, while the pink outsole keeps the theme running from top to bottom. Black detailing on the support wings and heel tabs anchors the louder colours to the AJ4 silhouette.
Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' images
Credit: Jordan Brand
The 1985 Dunk tee and the AJ4's 2026 archive run
The source material for this release is genuinely deep-cut archive. In 1985, one of Nike's earliest promotional pieces around Michael Jordan was a comic-themed 'Dunk' T-shirt that depicted MJ soaring for a dunk illustrated in classic comic book style. It's not a piece of Jordan history most people would immediately recognise, which is what makes it a smart pick for a shoe — the design has real archival weight without being over-referenced.
The 'Comic' also fits into a strong 2026 for the AJ4. The silhouette has taken the crown as Jordan Brand's most popular signature model over the past couple of years, with recent hits including the Nigel Sylvester 'Brick by Brick' collab, the 'Somos Eternos' Día de Muertos release, and this year's 'Tour Yellow' first-ever OG retro. The 'Comic' sits alongside the 'Birds of Paradise' and 'Imperial Purple' as some of the year's more design-led AJ4 executions.
Reports also point to the original 1985 Dunk tee being reissued alongside the shoe — recreating the initial 1985 clothing set as a proper pack rather than a shoe-only release.
Where to buy
The Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' releases on Saturday 25 July 2026 for £190 via Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers. Full family sizing. Browse the full Air Jordan 4 collection and the wider Air Jordan Brand archive on Side Kicks.
FAQ
When is the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' UK release date?
The Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' releases on Saturday 25 July 2026 via Nike SNKRS and select Jordan Brand retailers.
How much does the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic' cost in the UK?
UK retail price is £190 for adult sizes. US retail is $230 (adult), $165 (GS), $105 (PS) and $90 (TD), with UK kids sizes priced accordingly.
What is the style code for the Air Jordan 4 Retro 'Comic'?
The adult style code is JA1135-100. The full colourway is Off White / Anthracite / Neutral Grey / Fire Pink / Light Arctic Pink / Muslin.
Where does the design come from?
The design references MJ's 1985 comic-themed 'Dunk' T-shirt — one of Nike's earliest promotional pieces around Michael Jordan, depicting him soaring for a dunk in comic book artwork style. The AJ4 'Comic' translates that shirt's visual language directly onto the shoe through the gradient netting, speech-bubble eyelets, sketched Nike Air heel branding and gradient Jumpman.
Is the Air Jordan 4 'Comic' available in kids sizes?
Yes. The release comes in full family sizing — Men's, GS (Grade School), PS (Preschool) and TD (Toddler). Each size run has its own pricing tier.
Will the matching Dunk tee also release?
Reports suggest that MJ's original 1985 comic-themed Dunk T-shirt will be reissued alongside the shoe, recreating the initial 1985 clothing set. Final apparel release details should land closer to the 25 July drop.
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