Absolute Batman's Popularity Is Topped By A Surprising Cartoon-Inspired Comic

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Absolute Batman holding his axe chestpiece

Published May 14, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Jason is an award-winning journalist whose writing career dates back to when he developed the ability to use a crayon. He, most notably, worked previously as a "professional fan," as he likes to call it, at CinemaBlend, for which he wrote about anything and everything under the pop culture umbrella... especially Batman. His passion for the art of cinema began even earlier, stemming from repeat viewings of The Wizard of Oz.
This initially led him to pursue a career in filmmaking -- and even work briefly in the industry as an extra in the straight-to-video family film, Alice Upside Down -- before deciding that his talents would be better served discussing and showing appreciation for the various forms of entertainment he is passionate about.

There are few comic book series running today that are as popular as Absolute Batman. However, writer Scott Snyder's wild reinterpretation of Gotham City lore was robbed of the top spot on the charts this week by an unlikely victor.

The hottest comic book on the stands at the moment is Ben 10 #1, closely rivaling Absolute Batman: Ark-M #1, which comes in second place.

Ben 10 #1, which hit the shelves on May 6, 2026, was the top-selling comic book for the week ending in May 10, and acquired a $26 value for a near mint copy. This information comes via Covrprice, a website used to track current comic book sales and for collectors to determine the value of certain titles.

The popularity of the new release from Dynamite Entertainment is actually not so much of a surprise in retrospect. According to a prior Substack post by writer Joe Casey, anticipation for the comic had been through the roof, and pre-orders cleared a staggering total of 82,000 units. It helps that the series already had an established legion of fans who grew up loving the source material.

Ben 10 is a modernized adaptation of the hit 2000s animated series of the same name. It follows 10-year-old Ben Tennyson, who discovers a mysterious gauntlet called the Omnitrix that, when attached to his wrist, imbues him with the power to take the form of a variety of different extraterrestrial species.

The original Ben 10, starring prolific voice actor Tara Strong in the title role, aired on Cartoon Network from 2005 to 2008 and went on to inspire three follow-up series (Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben 10: Ultimate Alien, and Ben 10: Omniverse) and a reboot that ran from 2016 to 2021. Between those installments saw five feature-length specials, including three presented in the traditional animation style (the first of which was co-helmed by Oscar winner Danny Boyle) and two live-action movies directed by Alex Winter (Bill from the Bill & Ted movies).

The new comic book's author, Joe Casey, is part of Man of Action Entertainment, the writing collective that created Ben 10 and is also behind favorites like Generator Rex and many animated Marvel programs, such as Ultimate Spider-Man. Robert Carey of Batman/The Shadow fame is the illustrator.

Ben Tennyson initially made his comic book debut as part of the Cartoon Network Action Pack, a showcase of stories related to the cable station's most popular shows that was published by DC between 2006 and 2012. Between Nov. 2023 and Feb. 2024, IDW Publishing, as part of its partnership with Cartoon Network, put out a four-issue Ben 10 comic written by Jason Henderson and Gordon Purcell.

The Absolute Universe Still Thrives On The Charts

Absolute Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman

As previously mentioned, Absolute Batman may have lost the top spot to Ben 10 #1, but it is not very far behind. The silver medal goes to Absolute Batman: Ark-M #1, which is being reprinted a second time this June.

Right behind the chilling one-shot is another instant classic from this topsy-turvy corner of the DC Multiverse, Absolute Wonder Woman #15. Originally released in Dec. 2025, the popular chapter in writer Kelly Thompson's series marks the first pairing of these versions of Diana and Bruce Wayne before their hellish trip in Absolute Batman #16.

Absolute Batman also made an additional appearance of sorts with the Free Comic Day release of Dungeon Crawler Carl #0, with Nathan Gooden's limited variant cover paying homage to the DC title's premiere issue, coming in at Number Six. A version bearing Yoshi Yohsitani's original cover for the first chapter of the upcoming fantasy graphic novel also charted just two spots below it.

Also clearing the Top 10, according to Covrprice, is Invincible Returns #1 with a C2E2 2026-exclusive foil variant cover at Number Four, followed by Radiant Black #1 (just in time for the Image Comics' series' fifth anniversary) and the first of two appearances by The Punisher, first in Issue #3 of Frank Castle's current self-titled series in seventh place and a crossover story in 1982's Daredevil Vol. 1 #183 at Number Nine. Rounding out the bottom is the fifth issue of another Image title called Lost Fantasy.

Ben 10 #1 is now available in stores.