There are two wildly different ways to buy into Absolute Batman #24. One involves a standard copy at a local comic shop for $4.99 plus tax. The other involves looking directly at a $7,000 listing for Jae Lee’s original cover art and wondering whether a responsible adult can reasonably survive on instant noodles and moonlight.
The original Jae Lee cover art for a Dynamic Forces-exclusive Absolute Batman #24 cover is listed at $7,000. It is accompanied by an extensive selection of printed editions: trade variants, virgin variants, foil variants, signatures from writer Scott Snyder or artist Jae Lee, a Jae Lee remark option, and copies identified as CGC Signature Series or CGC graded 9.8.
That makes this less a simple “new comic on sale” situation and more a Batman collector’s buffet, except the buffet has price labels, archival plastic, and one centerpiece that costs about as much as a small hatchback from an era when hatchbacks had cassette decks.
The $7,000 item is not simply another variant
The key distinction is straightforward: the top-priced item is described as the original cover art, rather than a printed comic. The other products are editions of the comic featuring Lee’s exclusive cover in differing formats and configurations. That difference matters to anyone comparing the listings, because an original art offering and a signed or graded copy are fundamentally different kinds of physical collectibles.
Lee’s image is being used across the exclusive program for issue #24, with the retailer promoting the cover as featuring Batgirl. The accompanying description identifies the character instead as The Bat. Whatever label one prefers, collectors should check the listing imagery and product description carefully rather than rely only on a character name in promotional copy.
The retailer frames the issue as part of an ongoing collaboration with Lee, citing prior Absolute Batman exclusives for issues #21 and #23. It also says those earlier exclusives moved quickly and notes that some have been listed on eBay for multiples of their introductory prices.
That is useful context for understanding the pitch, but it is not a price guarantee. A listing price is not the same as a completed sale, and previous demand for a related exclusive cannot establish what any later edition—or the original artwork—will sell for. Collectors weighing the $7,000 art should treat it as a purchase of a particular piece they value, not as a prophecy printed on a cape-shaped stock certificate.
A practical map of the Absolute Batman #24 options
At the accessible end, the exclusive unsigned editions are listed at $15 for the trade variant and $25 each for the virgin and virgin foil variants. A trade-and-virgin set is listed at $35, while the three-cover trade, virgin and virgin foil set is $55.
In comic-cover terminology, a trade variant is the version carrying the usual cover trade dress: logos, issue details and other printed cover elements. A virgin variant generally emphasizes the illustration by removing that trade dress. The offering also has a virgin foil version, whose product name indicates a foil presentation. Those are format distinctions, not a declaration that one is automatically better than another; buyers may simply prefer the version that lets Lee’s composition breathe most clearly.
- Trade variant: $15
- Virgin variant: $25
- Virgin foil variant: $25
- Trade and virgin set: $35
- Trade, virgin and virgin foil set: $55
Scott Snyder-signed editions occupy the next range: $59.99 for the signed trade variant, $69.99 for the signed virgin variant, and $75 for the signed virgin foil variant. The listed $59.99 product named only Absolute Batman #24 also appears in this portion of the catalog, but prospective buyers should read the item-level description before assuming which edition it represents.
Jae Lee-signed options begin at $49.99 for the signed trade variant. The signed virgin foil is $75, while Elite Gold Signature Series versions are listed at $100 for the trade and $125 for the virgin. A signed-and-remarked virgin variant is $500.
A remark is an added drawing or sketch element associated with a signed collectible. Here, the higher $500 price clearly separates the signed-and-remarked virgin from standard signed copies. It is the kind of option that makes sense for a buyer who wants an artist-associated embellishment, rather than merely a copy with a signature.
- Signed by Jae Lee, trade: $49.99
- Signed by Jae Lee, virgin foil: $75
- Elite Gold Signature Series signed trade: $100
- Elite Gold Signature Series signed virgin: $125
- Signed and remarked Jae Lee virgin: $500
What the CGC 9.8 labels actually tell shoppers
The catalog also includes editions identified as CGC graded 9.8, with separate CGC Signature Series options for copies signed by Lee. CGC is named in the product listings, and the 9.8 designation is part of the offered configuration; it should not be confused with a raw, ungraded copy of the same cover.
The listed CGC options are $74.99 for the trade, $119.99 for the virgin, $129.99 for the signed trade CGC Signature Series copy, and $150 for the signed virgin CGC Signature Series copy. That gives buyers a clear set of comparison points: cover format, whether the copy is signed, and whether it is sold in a CGC 9.8 configuration all affect the listed price.
- CGC 9.8 trade variant: $74.99
- CGC 9.8 virgin variant: $119.99
- CGC Signature Series, Jae Lee-signed trade: $129.99
- CGC Signature Series, Jae Lee-signed virgin: $150
For a collector deciding between raw and graded copies, the sensible first question is not “which one is destined to explode in value?” It is “what am I actually trying to own?” A reader who wants Lee’s cover for a box or shelf can compare the $15 trade and $25 virgin/foil editions. Someone building a signature-focused display has the signed choices. Someone specifically seeking a slabbed 9.8 version has the CGC listings. And someone with a seriously committed art wall—and a dramatically less committed relationship with their savings account—can consider the original cover art.
Hype is a reason to look closer, not to stop reading
The pitch leans heavily on the current attention around Absolute Batman, the past performance of related Jae Lee exclusives, and the possibility that the original art will go quickly. None of that makes the individual listings illegitimate; it does mean buyers should slow down long enough to identify the exact product in their cart.
Particularly with similarly named editions, collectors should verify whether they are purchasing a trade, virgin, or foil cover; whether the book is signed and by whom; whether “remarked” is part of the item; and whether a CGC 9.8 designation is included. The differences are plainly reflected in the published menu and can account for very large jumps in price.
It is also worth separating personal enthusiasm from resale expectations. The retailer mentions eBay listings at three, four and five times introductory prices for prior exclusives. That may indicate interest, but it does not say those listings sold, at what amount, or whether future copies will follow the same pattern. A collector who likes Jae Lee’s work, wants a particular presentation, and is comfortable with the stated cost has a much firmer reason to buy than one attempting to outwit every other person with a browser tab.
For readers whose collector impulse is usually activated by a much lower entry fee, the gaming side of the site has a distinctly less expensive kind of chase in Furyball: Rogue Revenge’s pinball-style roguelite run. No $7,000 original art is required—though the urge to say “one more run” can still do suspicious things to a budget.
In short, Absolute Batman #24 offers a clear ladder: $4.99 for the standard comic-shop copy, $15 for the exclusive trade, escalating choices for distinctive presentation and authentication, and a $7,000 original cover artwork at the summit. Just make sure the version you love is the version you are buying. Gotham has enough mistaken identities already.
