FOC Drop: May 18 — Image Dominates With 95 Titles, 30% Variants

Image Comics leads the week's volume with 95 titles, ahead of Marvel's 84 and DC's 61, marking a rare week where indie volume outpaces both Big 3 publishers. The 556-title slate carries 118 new #1s, with Image contributing 14 launches and Marvel adding 16. Dynamite Entertainment also exceeds DC's count at 75 titles, driven by the Altered States line launch anchored around Red Sonja's crossover into the Barsoom universe.

171 variants this week, with Dynamite's Altered States Warlords #1 carrying 11 covers, the highest single-title variant count of any release this week. 95 ratios across the slate concentrate heavily in Marvel's 17 incentive variants and Image's 15, while DC contributes only 2 ratios to the week's total.

84 titles | 16 new #1s | 22 variants | 0 reprints | 17 ratios | FOC: May 18 | On Sale: June 17 - July 1

Marvel's swimsuit special returns as the Marvel Swimsuit Special Brand New Beach Day #1 launches with 5 variants and a 1:50 ratio variant. The slate concentrates X-line activity with X-Men United #4 and Uncanny X-Men #30 both landing, while Amazing Spider-Man #31 continues the ongoing with 5 variants. 16 new #1s mark Marvel's strongest launch week in the current quarter, spanning multiple line initiatives from the returning swimsuit annual to ongoing series progression.

Marvel Swimsuit Special Brand New Beach Day #1 (Marvel Comics)
5 variants. Solicitation details not yet available.

Amazing Spider Man #31 (Marvel Comics)
5 variants. Solicitation details not yet available.

Marvel's three highest ratios this week: 1:50 Marvel Swimsuit Special Brand New Beach Day #1, 1:50 Uncanny X Men #30, 1:50 Punisher #5.

61 titles | 9 new #1s | 10 variants | 8 reprints | 2 ratios | FOC: May 18 | On Sale: June 10

DC's Absolute Universe expansion continues with Absolute Catwoman #1, the third title in the Absolute line after Absolute Batman and Absolute Superman. Selina Kyle enters the alternate reality with high-tech gear and weaponry, written by Che Grayson and Scott Snyder with art by Bengal. The issue positions Catwoman as an apex predator before a mystery takes her global. Supergirl #14 advances the Black Flame arc in Kandor with Lena Luthor's search intensifying before the bottled city falls.

Absolute Catwoman #1 (DC Comics, $5.99, Che Grayson, Scott Snyder/Bengal)
DC's Absolute Universe adds its third title as Selina Kyle becomes the apex predator of this reality. Through ingenuity and skills, she's carved out life as the world's greatest thief with high-tech gear making no place too secure for Catwoman.

Supergirl #14 (DC Comics, $3.99, Sophie Campbell/Sophie Campbell)
Black Flame continues amassing power in Kandor as the bottled city arc reaches crisis point. Lena Luthor's search for Supergirl intensifies before the city falls, with Kara racing to learn the S-Matrix secrets ahead of Black Flame's discovery.

Both of DC's ratios this week: 1:25 Absolute Catwoman #1 and 1:25 Absolute Batman #21.

95 titles | 14 new #1s | 24 variants | 0 reprints | 15 ratios | FOC: May 18 | On Sale: June 10-24

Image's volume leadership stems from creator-owned launch diversity rather than a unified line initiative, with 14 new #1s spanning multiple genres and creative teams. M1 Monster Racing League #1 launches as an ongoing from legendary Jae Lee, set in near-future Tokyo where underground street racing meets mutation-based competition. The high-octane sci-fi positions 17-year-old Dev in an illegal racing world where speed equals power. Licensed properties anchor the slate's middle with G.I. Joe A Real American Hero #329 and Transformers #33 carrying the Hasbro franchises.

M1 Monster Racing League #1 (Image Comics, $3.99, Robert Windom, Lily Windom/Jae Lee, June Chung)
Image's new ongoing launch from legendary Jae Lee delivers high-octane sci-fi set in near-future Tokyo. When 17-year-old Dev moves to Japan, she discovers an underground street racing world where speed is power and mutation wins championships.

Witchblade #22 (Image Comics, $3.99, Marguerite Bennett/Guiseppe Cafaro, Arif Prianto)
Detective Jake McCarthy's corporate conspiracy investigation leads to partnership with the conspiracy's latest target. Cyborg assassin Aphrodite targets Sara while technological nightmares converge on the Witchblade alongside magical threats.

Image's three highest ratios this week: 1:50 Transformers #33, 1:50 Ghost Pepper #12, 1:50 M1 Monster Racing League #1.

Top 3 by volume:

Dynamite Entertainment — 75 titles. Anchored by Altered States Warlords #1 (Dynamite Entertainment, $4.99, David Avallone/Mariano Benitez-Chapo), Dynamite's parallel reality debuts with Red Sonja transported to Barsoom in Mars' ancient past. The crossover sets up events rippling across the planet, drawing in Vampirella, John Carter, Dejah Thoris, and the Lord of the Jungle.

IDW Publishing — 30 titles. Anchored by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #38 (IDW Publishing, $4.99, Erik Burnham). 3 variants. Solicitation details not yet available.

Bad Idea — 23 titles. The Olympus Saga Megalith #2 (Bad Idea, $5.99, Matt Kindt/Lewis LaRosa) continues the cosmic odyssey as CODENAME OLYMPUS marches toward Washington, DC. The deep space mecha-robot leaves destruction from Baltimore while nuclear-armed jets await orders, with beat cop Jack Casey and survivors trapped inside the megalith facing otherworldly predators.

Wildcard:

Udon Entertainment — 4 releases, but Street Fighter Masters Ken #1 ($4.99, Aaron Sparrow/Royce Southerland) delivers the week's strongest licensed-property launch. Ken Masters tracks down the Shadaloo agent JP who destroyed his life, while JP pursues ancient dark power in the Central American jungles.

The complete FOC list for May 18, 2026 is live now at FOC Intelligence, free to access with registration, no subscription required. Spec summaries, first appearance tracking, creator intel, and early access are available through our Pro and Insider tiers, details and tier comparison at the link.