UPDATE: The new owners have noticed too. Per THR, DC tops Marvel and could publish Star Trek and TMNT comics under Skydance.
Back in June, insiders explained to Cosmic Book News exactly why DC greenlit the Absolute Batman animated series.
“Their Absolute line pointed the way to go by being in sync with the influence of Anime/ Manga in global storytelling,” the insider said. “It’s why Absolute Batman animated was greenlit.”
Now DC has put that strategy right on the cover of the book.
The new variant cover for next month’s milestone Absolute Batman #25 turns DC’s best-selling comic into a Japanese manga magazine, courtesy of Clay Mann and Seth Mann, aka The Mannboyz, teaming with series artist Nick Dragotta.
A Fake Manga Magazine Called Monthly Batman
The whole cover is designed as an issue of a made-up Japanese anthology magazine called Monthly Batman, in the style of Shonen Jump.
Every blurb is in Japanese, and it all plays completely straight. “DC Comics Presents” runs across the top. Giant text down the side shouts, “Popular characters assemble!!” A banner celebrates the series hitting 25 issues.
Catwoman gets co-star billing next to Batman, with text reading, “The strongest and the strongest finally appear together.” Inset panels along the edge tease, “Enemy or ally… or are they lovers!?!?”
Even the credits are done manga-style, listing The Mannboyz and Dragotta over “the exciting original” by Scott Snyder, complete with a goat badge next to Dragotta’s name calling him “the GOAT.”
Clay Mann announced the cover on X as a Mannboyz jam with “Nick ‘the Goat’ Dragotta,” and confirmed it is open order for everyone.
Shops have until Monday, September 28, the final order cutoff, to get their orders in, and listings have it as Cover L, a foil variant. Absolute Batman #25 hits stores October 28.
Their Chainsaw Man Cover Sold Out In A Day
This is the second time The Mannboyz have gone manga on this book.
Their variant for March’s Absolute Batman #18 recreated the cover of Chainsaw Man Volume 1 and gave Batman chainsaw hands.
That one was an exclusive sold through the Manns’ own store, and it sold out within 24 hours.
The chainsaw hands are canon, too. The book itself debuted them in Absolute Batman #17.
That same Chainsaw Man Batman is back in the top corner of the new cover, next to a blurb promising, “The shocking developments accelerate even further!”
The difference now is the rollout. The Chainsaw Man homage was a store exclusive.
The Monthly Batman cover is an official DC variant any shop can order, and it lands on the biggest issue of the run: an oversized milestone featuring the first major one-on-one showdown between Batman and Absolute Joker, which Snyder calls “the moment we’ve been building to for 25 issues.”
Insiders Explained The Strategy In June
Cosmic Book News readers already knew this was where DC was headed.
The June report laid it out: DC passed Marvel as the top comics publisher for the first time this century on the strength of the Absolute line, and Snyder said Absolute Batman sells around 500,000 copies.
And just this week, the same sources added that Paramount and upper WBD execs are well aware of DC Comics and how popular Absolute Batman is worldwide, which is part of why the animated series exists, with Snyder running the show.
Three months ago, insiders told us DC’s plan was to be in sync with manga. Now the plan is on the cover.
