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Sorry, Amazon & digital comics platforms… DC is making the most in-demand Absolute Batman comic of 2026 exclusively available at your local comic shop
Absolute Batman is becoming DC’s biggest weapon for comic shops.
NewsbyChris Arrant, Editor-in-Chief
Published on Sat Jul 25 2026
Every year, DC honors its most popular character, Batman, with one concentrated, specialized, and nearly Hallmark-ified day called, fittingly enough, Batman Day. Launched initially back in 2014 to celebrate the hero’s 7th anniversary, it has become a tentpole event with DC (and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery) extending it to the Warner Bros. Pictures backlot, theme parks, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and more. But for Batman Day 2026, DC is recentering it on the proverbial Batcave of Batman: your local comic shop.
“… we want to create something to celebrate Batman Day that really makes the fans celebrate in comic shops,” says an unnamed representative from DC during a closed-door event for comic shops during Comic-Con International: San Diego 2026. “So we want them to give you an exclusive product that can only be gotten at the comic stores featuring our hottest properties.”
For Batman Day 2026, DC is publishing a rare crossover comic teaming up Batman with the hit variant that’s the best-selling comic book in modern history, Absolute Batman. Batman of Two Worlds features two separate but complementary stories by the lead writers of both the Absolute Batman series and the flagship Batman series. These days, Absolute Batman routinely sells roughly half a million copies for each issue, and his crossover would certainly make it an even bigger hit for comic shops, digital comics platforms, bookstores, and elsewhere.
But no, this Batman of Two Worlds comic will be exclusively available to comic shops, and at a distinctly low price of $2.99. So that means it won’t be available on Amazon, any big box retailers, and also any digital comics platforms including (but not limited to) DC’s own DC Universe Infinite.
“This is a really exciting way to get people into both worlds of Batman,” says the DC representative. “Scott Snyder is writing the Absolute Batman story with art by Nick Derrington, and then the other story is who just recently drew DC K.O. This should be the hottest thing. I think this is gonna be a really big help for you guys.”
In addition to this comic, DC is also printing new editions of several comic book collections that will also be exclusive to comic shops for Batman Day. Those are:
- A hardcover reprint of Batman Vol. 1: Daylight by Fraction and Jorge Jiménez, with a new cover homaging Absolute Batman #1’s cover by Nick Dragotta
- A hardcover reprint of Batman ’89 by Sam Hamm and Joe Quinones, with an exclusive dust jacket with new artwork from the 1989 Batman movieand a code for a digital copy of the movie
- A hardcover reprint of Frank Miller’s Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, with a new variant cover re-using artwork from the animated adaptationsand a code for a digital copy of those movies
Also, what would Batman be without his mask? DC is printing four different Batman cowl paper masks drawn by Ryan Sook, done in the styles of Nick Dragotta’s Absolute Batman, Jorge Jiménez’s Batman, Jim Lee’s Batman, and Frank Miller’s Batman. These will be free to retailers if they order a qualifying number of related Batman comics.
Again, all of this will be exclusive to comic shops. Sorry (not sorry), Amazon.
“All we’ve been hearing about is the Absolute titles, how big the Absolute Batman is, so we think this is a way to help drive people into your stores,” says Greg Gustin, DC Comics’ sales manager. “Once they’re there, you guys do an amazing job of hand-selling them on. We’re psyched with all the support you guys have given us and, and we wanna keep giving you things to get your customers in and helping everyone grow here.”
Batman is the most well-known superhero in the world — surprisingly, given how much he loves hanging out in the dark. But between his comics, TV shows, movies, games, and more, DC’s Dark Knight is the hero this city/country/world/universe needs, and we have all you need to enjoy him even more:
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Chris Arrant: Chris Arrant is the Popverse’s Editor-in-Chief. He has written about pop culture for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher’s Weekly, Marvel, Newsarama, CBR, and more. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. (He/him)
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