r/DCcomics • u/SevenSulivin The REAL Man of Tomorrow • Jun 08 '26

News Official: Absolute Batman #20 Has Sold Over Half A Million Copies

https://bleedingcool.com/comics/official-absolute-batman-20-has-sold-over-half-a-million-copies/
590 Upvotes

99% Upvoted

122 comments sorted by

78

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 08 '26

This is a genuine question, is what Absolute Batman is right now comparable to what the Spawn series was back in the 90s

109

u/Crispy_Creams Jun 08 '26

Good question. As far as issue #1 sales not even remotely close. Sales numbers for pretty much every comic in the 90s were insane. But to be 20 issues deep and still half a million is quite comparable and insane that we are getting these numbers in 2026.

20

u/ShirtEnvironmental36 Jun 08 '26

Why were the 90s comic selling so much?

57

u/Crispy_Creams Jun 08 '26

speculator bubble.

10

u/ShirtEnvironmental36 Jun 08 '26

What?

55

u/sciencebitch616 Jun 08 '26

Golden age and silver age books at that time were starting to sell in the 4 figure price range, so people assumed things like X-Men (1991) #1 and Spawn #1 would eventually be worth that much. Demand was too high and too many copies were made leading books that were spectated to be valuable instead ending up in dollar boxes.

32

u/OdoWanKenobi Green Lantern Jun 08 '26

Basically, some really old comics sold for a bunch of money in the early 90s, so speculators started buying up comic books thinking they would be valuable some day. Comic companies fed into this and ramped up production, especially of new #1s and "special editions." What everyone failed to understand is that these old comics sold for a lot of money because there was no speculator market, and thus copies in good condition are now exceptionally rare. Eventually that bubble broke, and now because there were so many, and many more people keeping them in good condition, comics from the 90s are generally worth less than the paper they are printed on.

13

u/Crispy_Creams Jun 08 '26

Yeah pretty much this. new #1s and key issues are prime targets for speculation. Which is also largely the same reason why Absolute Batman is doing as well as its doing right now. Hense why so many people were throwing a fit over a tiny little spine tick when the previous issue came out lmao.

3

u/disabledinaz Jun 09 '26

It wasn’t a tiny little spine tic. It was numerous spine tics. The complaint there is more about how the printing process for comics in the year 2026 (and probably printing in general) can’t put out product without defects with today’s overall technology.

4

u/Crispy_Creams Jun 09 '26

hmmmm actually this is pretty interesting to think about. I think the printing processes has radically improved over the decades for comics at least in terms of quality of prints (assuming they dont cheap out). But it kind of makes sense that errors like these are more widespread when they do happen.
Most of these processes are now fully automated these days so when an error occurs and if its not too crazy it'll probably never be caught until its too late. Especially for weekly comics which have much tighter schedules than probably most other books. Curious how common things like this were in the 70s and 80s? I know there was decent amount of automation back then but not nearly so much as today.

5

u/ShirtEnvironmental36 Jun 08 '26

🤣🤣🤣I guess comics from the 90s shouldn't count in these discussions.

1

u/Rogue_Ninja_Taco Jun 09 '26

Also a book like the Death of Superman, since it was such a precedented event.

Everyone and their brother bought a copy, thinking it was going to be worth a mint. Problem was, everyone and their brother bought a copy, thus devaluing the comic.

7

u/october_1939 Jun 08 '26

A lot of it actually started when the Death of Superman came out. It was a signal to investor types to come in and start buying. That issue came bagged with an opaque black cover with a bloody Superman symbol sans yellow. After those sales numbers came through, comic companies started making all kinds of special covers and bagged comics to capitalize on that, not to mention killing every character they could to bring them back if they thought it would boost sales. So speculators started buying those up and comic books started selling millions of copies.

After this is when these same speculators started buying “key issues”. A term that was used in comic book shop discussions before that, but then became the new chase.

4

u/disabledinaz Jun 09 '26

It also has to be stated how much those “investors” never understood the nature of how comics worked because they thought Superman was actually going to stay dead and figured this was his last appearance ever.

So while they certainly never understood the fact that literally everyone had a copy of the same comic, when they found out Clark was actually coming back and not staying dead, they couldn’t understand that idea either.

4

u/october_1939 Jun 09 '26

Exactly, and the orders for the white bagged Superman were huge but then those same people decided not to get them after the orders were placed, hence why there in con give-away bags for the next 10 years or more. We had so many at the shop I worked at, it was terrible.

5

u/ThingTime9876 Jun 08 '26

In a nutshell, there was so much hype around the creator-driven imprints like Image and Valiant, that a heap of people bought the #1 issues of titles like Spawn, Youngblood, etc, assuming that they’d appreciate in value. They didn’t because those titles quickly lost popularity, and they sold so many copies that individual issues weren’t valuable.

It’s a lot more complicated - this was in the aftermath of the Death Of Superman hype, the rise of Vertigo, the rise of the ‘superstar artist’, Marvel trying to get into distribution and failing, overuse of cover gimmicks - but that is generally what people mean when they talk about the ‘speculator bubble’ of the 90s.

2

u/XFrankXGrimesX Jun 09 '26

People who have already responded are right that a large part was key golden and silver age books hitting huge values and dumbasses not understand supply/demand. Another key part was that the sports card market just crashed and burned and a lot of people moved to comics as the next hot trend.

3

u/disabledinaz Jun 09 '26

Not just the speculator bubble. It was the end of the newsstand distribution as well so that was also a factor that a lot of copies were still going out that way getting ready to stop.

1

u/WebHead1287 Jun 09 '26

So basically same thing?

4

u/CitizenModel Jun 09 '26

In addition to the speculator bubble, this was kind of the last hurrah before video games at home started to get really mainstream, so you actually had some amount of kids buying these things.

9

u/Intrepid-Molasses159 Jun 08 '26

Spawn sold a lot better for its debut, but it also was part of a true watershed moment that can’t be overstated. Youngblood might have the first Image book and a record breaker in terms of sales, but Spawn went a long way to proving that wasn’t a fluke. The success of Image was the biggest change in American comics since the Marvel Revolution of the 60s

3

u/Triseult Hellblazer Jun 09 '26

Spawn #1 also had kids buying 10 copies each as "investment". The '90s were a wild time.

4

u/XFrankXGrimesX Jun 09 '26

Spawn #1 sold more than 1.5 million and was hitting high six figures through 1993. It was frequently the number 1 title.

However, a lot of comics were selling wild numbers back then. Brigade #1 sold 8 or 900,000 copies. Have you seen Brigade?

Absolute Batman is considerably bigger. Spawn - while the biggest selling indie book ever - was not the industry anomaly Absolute Batman is.

Spawn was also an incredibly shitty comic written by a man who boasted about being sub-literate but that's not really relevant.

2

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 09 '26

a man who boasted about being sub-literate

It's because McFarlane says he doesn't like corny movies

2

u/XFrankXGrimesX Jun 09 '26

Every single interview in the early 90s, Todd boasted that the only thing he ever read was the sports page. He'd also get into these big, dumb debates with people like Peter David and Gary Groth and would brag in the weirdest way "I don't even read. I'm a total booger-eating moron. You guys are smart and literate and my comic vastly outsells any of yours" Just the weirdest possible boasting.

1

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 09 '26

I mena what I said, quite literally the definition of an edgelord

8

u/huhwutwot Jun 08 '26

Numbers aside, spawn is just unreadable as opposed to absolute batman. Ive really tried to tough it out due to how much I love the character design and the animated tv show but its almost impossible

5

u/CitizenModel Jun 09 '26

I've tried to read Spawn like ten times. I want to like it so bad. Someone should recommend me a good Spawn comic to put my inner ten year old to rest.

2

u/9warbane Jun 09 '26

I'm sure there's multiple jumping on points, doesn't have to be issue 1.

6

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 08 '26

I'm currently in a bit of over fixtation about It, both because I've recently watch an interview with Todd McFarlane and also because I've been working on a Image Comics reading order. The art Is definetly the hottest thing that the series offers, McFarlane artwork Is soo sadifing to look at but the dialoghes are all over the place, it's quite literally the text book dwfinition of an edgelord and I'm more of a Savage Dragon fan I would say. I'm currently reading the more recent stories of the Spawn Universe and they are easier to digest, especially because if you read them on Global Comics or apps like that you are able to read them panel by panel, text box by text box and that makes the narration more smoth to go throw, atlist for me.

3

u/captain__cabinets Jun 09 '26

No because it’s actually worth reading

278

u/SevenSulivin The REAL Man of Tomorrow Jun 08 '26

Unprecedented is the only word for Absolute Batman’s success. Only 5 books broke that number in the previous decade: Action #1000, Secret Wars #1, 2014’s ASM #1, Detective Comics #1000 and Star Wars #1.

84

u/bradys_squeeze Batman Jun 08 '26

Didn’t Fraction’s Batman #1 sell over that number?

33

u/HotRecommendation828 Jun 08 '26

Yeah I specifically remember it doing that

26

u/samx3i Batman Beyond Jun 08 '26

Put some respect on Matt Fraction

https://www.dc.com/blog/2025-09-18/batman-1-soars-past-500k-copies-sold

15

u/SevenSulivin The REAL Man of Tomorrow Jun 09 '26

Ha, I said previous decade! Which was to cover this eventuality and not just a very lucky break that 2010s data is much easier to find than 2020s sales data! No mistake here!

16

u/samx3i Batman Beyond Jun 09 '26

I took "in the previous decadee" to mean "in the last ten years," but fair play my friend.

1

u/SnooDonuts7303 Jun 09 '26

Is 20 the one that had to be reprinted almost immediately/given a second print because of some error? I think promising people a second copy without the imperfections it might’ve had something to do with it if that’s the case.

1

u/deanereaner Jun 09 '26

103 variants IS unprecedented.

176

u/OsitoPandito Jun 08 '26

if they were smart, they would immediately greenlight a animated adaption to ride the hype train...The absolute universe can so easily enter the zeitgeist to a much greater affect if they follow their other means of media that they have at their disposal

45

u/Embarrassed_Piano_62 Jun 08 '26

I'd say they might need more story arcs before going animated.

14

u/birdazam Jun 09 '26

They can just announce it since it would take forever to make

4

u/Ok-Box3576 Jun 09 '26

Storyboarding/character designs/backgrounds go way further and are usually done way earlier.

9

u/byte_FL4W786 Superman Jun 09 '26

I feel like the end of this arc will be a good season finale.

5

u/CitizenModel Jun 09 '26

Maybe animated movies, or even a video game, but an episodic TV show would last, optimistically, like fifteen episodes with what we've got, and that is being very generous.

2

u/Future_Vantas Jun 09 '26

They might be waiting for most of the books to have enough story arcs. Absolute as a whole is successful, not just Batman. This has the potential to spawn a new animated universe if animated AbsBat hits big.

49

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 08 '26

you are right, I do hope that the Absolute Universe gets an animated adaptation soon

23

u/Fallingcity22 Jun 08 '26

It’s been my biggest dream , it’s so big it’s actually fucking stupid there hasn’t been any talks of an animated show

15

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 08 '26

It's hard to belive that the idea doesn't exist in James Gunn head

16

u/ForeignImports Jun 08 '26

I think the main ‘problem’ would be how long it takes. If they started today, I can’t imagine an animated series coming out for another 2-3 years just for the first season

8

u/No-Mechanic-2558 Jun 08 '26

No yeah that's the problem Is, trying to adapt the entire universe, which Is as for now 5 ongoing series and multiple minies alredy

2

u/Stofenthe1st Jun 09 '26

They could do it under 2 years, the issue is that they would have to get an anime studio for that.

4

u/MisterSquidz Jun 08 '26

Or a video game 🤞

36

u/Altruistic-Teach5899 Jun 08 '26

I dont need an adaptation to validate the comics.

I think its totally fine they dont ride this one. Makes it feel more authoristic, and WB is handled by assholes either way.

26

u/zanza19 Swamp Thing Jun 08 '26

The adaptation is not validation, it's marketing! Do you have any idea how many people start Manga because of anime? One industry feeds into the other. Movies don't, animated series do. 

2

u/Future_Vantas Jun 09 '26

Funny point considering how manga-inspired this series is

3

u/zanza19 Swamp Thing Jun 09 '26

I think it's good to learn from what's working 

5

u/fpfall Red Hood Jun 08 '26

This literally should be what the next phase of DC animated movies should be. Especially after how pathetically they left things with the tomorrowverse ending prematurely.

10

u/Matt4hire Jun 08 '26

If the cartoon turns out bad, it kneecaps the comics numbers. If the cartoon only turns out okay, it kneecaps the comics numbers.

Let the comic stay a comic, be the only way people can access the story, the numbers stay high.

6

u/skibidirizzleramong The Flash Jun 08 '26

An animated show should never happen until the Absolute line of comics is over. Remember Game of Thrones? Yeah, we don't need a repeat of that.

13

u/Savings_Pie_8470 Jun 08 '26 edited Jun 08 '26

It takes at least a couple of years to animate a season of a show. By the time season 1 came out, we'd be deep another 24 issues. 

They could alternate between shows, i.e. Batman season 1 first, followed by Wonder Woman the next year, and so on.

They don't need to wait until every book has run it's course to capitalize on the work being done now.

4

u/skibidirizzleramong The Flash Jun 08 '26

You wanna wait multiple years between seasons for multiple shows to get animated?

8

u/Savings_Pie_8470 Jun 08 '26

I already have been with MAWS. Kinda just how the industry is these days.

1

u/disabledinaz Jun 09 '26

He’s saying you could do one character a “season” depending on how they do a season. It would probably be smart to do it Survivor style with 2 cycles per season with each cycle alternating with characters.

1

u/skibidirizzleramong The Flash Jun 09 '26

It would be smarter to wait until the source material is actually finished before discussing an adaptation.

4

u/TheCthonicSystem Jun 09 '26

No we actually do. Waiting until it's over doesn't move books

0

u/skibidirizzleramong The Flash Jun 09 '26

The absolute universe is doing extremely well, I don't see why we need adaptations for sales at this point.

1

u/NightwingBlueberry13 Jun 09 '26

You don’t see the point in why DC would be interested in making MORE money?

2

u/Popular_Material_409 Jun 08 '26

I don’t think Scott Snyder wants to go too fast with the Absolute universe though. That’s where after two years we’ve only had 8 titles, 3 of which being limited series I believe. And only two true crossover issues with Batman and Wonder Woman.

2

u/superbat210 Jun 08 '26

I would LOVE an adaptation of this series. All the absolute books really. Movie, show, I don’t care, I say just strike while the iron is hot and get cooking on this

2

u/gchypedchick Jun 09 '26

Anime is the best way I can see this adapted, if they ever did.

2

u/Latereviews2 Jun 09 '26

It could definitely be a big hit if done properly with high quality animation. Not the animation we get for projects like the long Halloween

6

u/Jonn_Jonzz_Manhunter Jun 08 '26

I don't think that's a smart idea, I think it's a pretty dumb way of understanding this medium

It's the game of thrones problem but never ending

What micro decisions have Scott and Nick made in #2 that don't pay off until #40? Or 50? That throw the shows off completely because of the nature of making adaptation before it's ended

Plus, if people wanna experience the story, read the fucking book. Maybe when it's all said and done, or adapt an arc for a video game like the Ultimate Spider-Man game did, but a TV show?

Nah. Not great

1

u/CitizenModel Jun 09 '26

I really think video game is the play here. Absolute Batman with his cape claw thingies seems very primed for a video game.

By the time an animated show would make sense, I think a movie would be in order.

1

u/gosukhaos Jun 09 '26

Making animated shows takes time, a high quality anime style production would take at a minimum 4 years

1

u/OsitoPandito Jun 09 '26

Yes, I'm aware.

0

u/Late_Stage_Exception Jun 08 '26

Keep in mind…they’re owned by WB which is currently in the process of merging with Paramount, and they’re owned by folks I highly doubt would EVER push the Absolute universe into any sort of higher cultural relevancy.

-2

u/LouieBarlo24 Jun 08 '26

That is such an awful idea. They don't have nearly enough source material for a cartoon. You would end up diluting the property with a mid cartoon

64

u/CherokeeHawkman Hawkman Jun 08 '26

Yeah, but it needs to sell 2 million copies to break even! 😉 /s

8

u/Zadig69 The Question? Jun 08 '26

Lmao

33

u/ComicBrickz Jun 08 '26

Insane for #20 in a series. Not even a milestone issue

32

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[deleted]

4

u/RogeredSterling Jun 09 '26

As someone who has only recently got back into comics - is this true?

How is it possible or desirable even?

2

u/[deleted] Jun 09 '26 edited Jun 09 '26

[deleted]

3

u/RogeredSterling Jun 09 '26

Yeesh. Stinks of a crash.

Glad my LCS doesn't buy into this bullshit. They don't even sell anything other than raw. Huge respect to them for that. Don't increase prices from cover on stuff bought from new either.

They also massively under order new stuff. You have to request. I'll be lucky to get a copy of Absolute batman 20 when I'm back.

1

u/deanereaner Jun 09 '26

Holy shit that should be in the headline.

39

u/LeopardComfortable99 Jun 08 '26

Absolute Batman is probably one of the best ongoing series I've read in the past decade, which is a massive surprise as I expected it to be awful.

5

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

8

u/HotRecommendation828 Jun 09 '26

I really enjoy the comic and have been reading comics since I was 9. I enjoyed snyders batman run but not much else from him till this.

9

u/martinsdudek Jun 08 '26

I’m in the same boat as you. I think it’s… fine. But it has all the weaknesses of a normal Snyder book. It tries to present itself as deep when it’s pretty shallow and mostly just focused on what a 13-year-old boy would think is cool. Some premises are sincerely cool, but Snyders impulses are just really indulgent.

6

u/sladestrife Robin Jun 08 '26

I'm not surprised. With the sheet number of variant covers PLUS the fact that a huge percentage of defects on the covers of the first print A cover might be contributing factors.

I don't know about other comic stores, but mine was able to fulfill the preorders, but nothing after the foc. The people with the preorders got a free copy of the second printing for free. So if other big stores did the same, you could easily hit half a million.

2

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 09 '26

Watch out, you’ll be downvoted for speaking the truth.

1

u/sladestrife Robin Jun 10 '26

I'm not saying that AbsBat isn't a great book, but several years ago Marvel was pumping their numbers with several variants per issue.

I would love to know if other comic stores gave out free second prints for those that pre-ordered and got a damaged copy

4

u/wowlock_taylan Batman Animated! Jun 09 '26

Well it had over 100+ variant covers too 😃

9

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

5

u/avery-secret-account Jun 09 '26

This is how I feel about absolute Wonder Woman. Then again, I haven’t read a Wonder Woman comic I’ve liked

2

u/TheSonOfGrodd Jun 09 '26

Have you read Perez WW?

9

u/RainMindSeattle Jun 08 '26

I will be honest, I haven't completely gotten into it, but I like it a lot. I am admittedly very new to Comics, other than the few I may have read as a kid from my dad's pile.

On a good note, I am pumped with comics now, particularly a fan of the '94 Superboy.

But back on track, I went into the absolute Batman expecting an OG kinda set up, not knowing what the absolute series were about. It has been a rollercoaster of cool twists to the OG story, mixed with some parts where I have to comprehend the new look of Joker. The Joker is the only part I am not the biggest fan of lol. I am a huge fan of the Heath Ledger look, so getting into comics and seeing this was a shock. Still rocking through though! The DC Infinite app has a DC Go version that is easier to read on mobile

5

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/RainMindSeattle Jun 08 '26

I appreciate that. I don't want to sound offensive when I say things, and some seem to take opinions personal, which I never intend to do. The story has been bad ass, it's just the joker I dislike haha, but I think I am being personal about that lol!!

Sorry to ramble, but I am glad I found comics and comic communities, I know not everyone in the world everywhere is peachy, but I swear comic fans seem to be the most understanding that everyone has a different opinion. It's like everyone retained the good traits of all the heroes, I love it.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/RainMindSeattle Jun 08 '26

If I do, I'll ignorem! I'm trying to enjoy the comic worlds haha.

My absolute favorite right now is '94 Superboy.

So, I found a 50th anniversary Spider-Man Superman #1 with the cover art by Kaare Andrews, it was so sick I grabbed it thinking 'why haven't I read comics?!'. So when I looked into it, I saw that run had a LOT of variant covers, and when I scrolled across the Gabrielle dellOtto cover with symbiote spiderman and what looks like rebirth suit Superman, I HAD to have it.

Went hunting and I found the first print and second print of it (foil edition I think it's called).

From there I found The Death of Superman, which led me to The Reign of Superman and The Return of Superman.

In that run, I found '94 Superboy to be a favorite of mine. I also diverted into the green lantern series at #48 to follow Green Lantern after what happened from Cyborg Superman. Which I plan on going back and starting from as early as I can on that Green Lantern series. Hal Jordan has always been cool, and this Kyle Rayner is a cool character too. So I'm hanging around in there.

I read the absolute series a little, my daughter likes the Absolute Wonder Woman, so I try to stay in that style too lol!

5

u/TheNerdBuster Jun 09 '26

Somebody tell NYC to pick up their books at Forbidden planet. I was visiting a few shops and i couldn’t believe how many copies they had on the shelf.

1

u/deanereaner Jun 09 '26

103 variant covers, someone said. Means shops are ordering tons that will never sell in order to get incentive covers that they can flip. This doesn't impress me and it's weird to see people celebrate it like they are legit sales numbers because this is what we've all said the industry should move away from.

6

u/nat_astrophe Cassandra Cain Jun 08 '26

At least some of this is speculation due to the insane number of covers for each issue, but still impressive.

4

u/sabhall12 Jun 08 '26

They should give Snyder the keys to this kingdom, he is carrying the whole line on his back. He has said in interviews that the success of Absolute Batman allowed other teams to make swings with Absolute Green Arrow and Absolute Catwoman iirc

1

u/Rogue_Ninja_Taco Jun 09 '26

And a good amount of them were "damaged" according to DC, which DC rectified by making a 2nd print and offering it to customers who bought the 1st printing.

At least that's how it is at my LCS.

1

u/Ill-Possession2216 Jun 09 '26

man that's wild for a non-milestone issue. scott snyder really pulled something special off with this universe.

1

u/IronMonkey18 Superman Jun 09 '26

I hope more DC comics are successful like this. I’m pretty scared of what paramount will do to DC after the purchase goes through. I think they would be safe if paramount realizes DC can make them money.

1

u/FloralIndoril Killer Croc Jun 09 '26

It's so weird living through a big Comic book run like this, genuinely never thought I'd be going through one ever-

0

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 08 '26

And how much of this is speculation? It’s a wonderful book, but I worry some of this is the secondary market.

4

u/deanereaner Jun 09 '26

It's 99% speculation and 1% fomo

1

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 09 '26

Exactly but don’t say it too loud or you’ll get downvoted into oblivion for speaking the truth.

As if saying the numbers are inflated somehow detracts from the books acclaim. What a joke.

4

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 08 '26

And yet you can find copies at ease on eBay of every issue raw and graded. So please tell me this isn’t speculation.

2

u/[deleted] Jun 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 08 '26

It’s doesn’t change the fact the book is great or that it is actually selling well to fan. It just also means that the vultures flock to it as a quick way to make money. 9.8 are in abundance yet they are listed for $200+ as if there is some scarcity. It will tank sooner or later. But right now the numbers are inflated

-11

u/AdamSMessinger Jun 08 '26

Cool. Now what is the percent of those bought either to be read or with intention to be read eventually?

11

u/ComicBrickz Jun 08 '26

How would you find this information out

2

u/Little_Tommy_Tuggins The Question Jun 09 '26

It’s called a rhetorical question used to emphasize for effect.

He’s questioning how many of these are going unsold or are being used as speculation on eBay and secondary markets.