The whole Absolute Batman reprint wave is the story this week. DC is running back printings across the entire run, and the ones carrying confirmed Absolute Universe potential firsts are stacked into a single FOC. Absolute Joker in #15, Absolute Poison Ivy in #17, Absolute Catwoman in #13, Mr. Freeze in #7, and #19 bringing in Absolute Scarecrow. That is a lot of firsts moving through one FOC close on Monday.
The numbers this week: 33 priority books, 65 confirmed calls, 81 books with intel. Marvel adds its own weight with the Punisher origin landing in Spider-Man: Long Way Home #3 and a Spidey animated character hitting print for the first time. Below is what carries the clearest signal. FOC closes Monday, so review the ladders and decide for yourself where you land.
Spidey & His Amazing Friends #1 (Marvel Comics). Confirmed to carry the first comic book appearance of a character from the Spidey and His Amazing Friends animated series. Animated-to-page firsts have a defined audience when the show has the reach this one does. The confirmed status is what puts it here rather than on the radar.
Absolute Batman #19 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Nick Dragotta). DC's solicit confirms the potential first appearance of Absolute Scarecrow, Dr. Jonathan Crane, as a new arc begins out of Ark M. This is the second printing. Joker enlists Crane while Bruce moves to align with Barbara Gordon. New villain, new arc, confirmed in the solicit.
Absolute Batman #15 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Jock). The confirmed potential first appearance of the Joker in the Absolute Universe. Snyder and Jock reunite for it, with Alfred laying out the story of the man Bruce has been chasing. Fifth printing on this one. Of the Absolute firsts landing this week, the Joker debut is the marquee.
Absolute Batman #17 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Eric Canete). Confirmed potential first appearance of the Absolute Universe Poison Ivy. Isley comes out of Ark M with a burning grudge on Gotham, and Batman has to survive a labyrinth of horrors to run her down. Second printing. The same issue introduces the Absolute Universe's Court of Owls, confirmed across multiple outlets. This ties directly into the Bad Seeds crossover Ivy is driving elsewhere on the docket.
Absolute Batman #13 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Nick Dragotta). The confirmed potential first of Absolute Catwoman, set against Batman's showdown with Bane. Fourth printing. Catwoman debuts and the Bane fight caps in the same issue.
Absolute Batman #9 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Nick Dragotta). This is the Ark M origin issue and the confirmed return of Bane, solicited as a new villain tied to Alfred's past. Fifth printing. Bruce infiltrates Ark M and an old adversary of Alfred's steps in.
Absolute Batman #7 (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Marcos Martin). The confirmed potential first Absolute Universe appearance of Mr. Freeze, Victor Fries. Seventh printing, which is the deepest reprint number in the wave. Marcos Martin guests on art for the two-parter tying Fries to the Ark M experiment and the Joker.
Tarzan Beyond #3 (IDW Publishing). Confirmed return of Kala, Tarzan's Mangani mother, called out as her first appearance in comics in over a century. Steve Orlando and Renato Guedes take Tarzan into a supernatural underworld beneath the city of Kaji. A century-gap return is a specific enough beat to flag.
Batman #6 (rumor-based) (DC Comics, $4.99, Matt Fraction/Jorge Jimenez). This is the second printing. Cover art and online chatter have Tim Drake quitting or losing the Robin mantle, but that is unverified. The issue itself is the Monster Men arc with Hugo Strange. If the Robin rumor holds, the second print is the version tied to it, but treat it as speculation until it is on the page.
Batman #1 (rumor-based) (DC Comics, $4.99, Matt Fraction/Jorge Jimenez). Fourth printing. Active but unverified talk that the Fraction relaunch introduces a new Batman costume. The book is the confirmed launch of the new era; the costume-first angle is chatter, not solicit. Reader's call on how much weight the rumor carries.
Absolute Batman #18 (rumor-based) (DC Comics, $4.99, Scott Snyder/Eric Canete). Second printing. Unverified online rumors of a major but unnamed character death are behind the speculation here, coming off the Poison Ivy arc and the Joker's new partnership. No confirmed name attached, so it stays in rumor territory until DC or the issue says otherwise.
More signal.
Less noise.
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