How Absolute Batman May Be Boosting Sales for Other Comic Book Companies

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Absolute Batman cover art featuring the new muscle-bound take on the hero.

Published May 1, 2026, 12:00 PM 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.

One of DC Comics' bestselling titles as of late is Absolute Batman, which has even received credit for inspiring newfound interest in the medium among beginners and veteran readers alike. In fact, it is apparently even doing wonders for one of DC's top competitors.

Robert Kirkman shared how Image Comics is profiting from the success of Absolute Batman during an appearance on Robservations with Rob Liefeld.

"Everybody’s talking about how many new people Absolute Batman is bringing into the comic book stores, but those people go into the comic book stores and they buy a copy of Absolute Batman, and they walk out with five Image Comics as well. So, it’s a good time for all of us."

Based on Kirkman's own robservations, comic book fans wanting to see what happens next in author Scott Snyder's amusing reinterpretation of Gotham City lore have also taken interest in what else their local comic book retailer has to offer. It appears that Image Comics' greatest hitshave caught their eye.

Kirkman is best known as the creator of some of Image's most popular series, most notably The Walking Dead and Invincible, which have both inspired hit TV shows. He also currently serves as the publisher's Chief Operating Officer, which must certainly make the boost in popularity for some of the company's titles exciting for him.

During his conversation with Liefeld, who is known for creating Deadpool (to spoof Deathstroke) with Fabian Nicieza, Kirkman mentioned how readers interested in manga may gravitate towards Image. He claims that "manga mostly translates to Image Comics."

Coincidentally, fans and critics alike have also made note of certain visual similarities to manga in Absolute Batman main artist Nick Dragotta's illustrations. Furthermore, several artists have created variant covers for the series that are heavily inspired by popular Japanese comics, such as a cover for Absolute Batman #19 that pays tribute to Death Note.

In other words, the Absolute Universe's ties to the recent successes of Image Comics and the publisher's relation to manga may all be more closely connected than even Robert Kirkman himself realizes.

What Is Going On In Absolute Batman

Nearly two years after it was first launched as part of DC's All In initiative, Absolute Batman has truly taken the world of comic books by storm with a new take on The Dark Knight unlike any before. In this universe, Bruce Wayne is a middle-class construction worker instead of a prolific billionaire playboy, which is actually a more accurate description of his arch nemesis, Jack Grimm IV, otherwise known as Absolute Joker.

In the most recent issue, Absolute Batman #19, the terrifying, man-eating beast posing as a suave socialite is allied with the equally unsettling Dr. Jonathan "Absolute Scarecrow" Crane. The emaciated enemy manages to frame Batman for the murder of his friend, former Gotham mayor James Gordon, by affecting him with his potent fear toxin, causing Gordon to see an imaginary murder of crows that run him off the side of a building.

The tragedy inspires the city's current mayor to take action and enlist the help of a special forces unit formed specifically to hunt Batman called the Robin Program. This crew of trained youths — namely Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Duke Thomas — is led by Slade Wilson, whom readers should also recognize as Deathstroke, and funded by Grimm.

Fans received their first taste of the Absolute Robins when the official cover art for Absolute Batman #20 was unveiled, showing the team piloting larger-than-life mech suits and motorcycles that transform into wearable armor. The highly anticipated next issue has also inspired more than 100 variant covers honoring the long-awaited emergence of this universe's take on the fan-favorite characters.

Absolute Batman #20 hits the shelves on May 13.