Absolute Batman #25 Reportedly Passes 775,000 Comic-Shop Orders Ahead of Its Joker Showdown

Absolute Batman #25, the milestone issue from writer Scott Snyder and artist Nick Dragotta, has reportedly drawn more than 775,000 advance orders from comic book stores. If that figure holds, it is a remarkable new ordering benchmark for the title—and a notable signal of retailer confidence in an issue built around a direct collision between Absolute Batman and Absolute Joker, Jack Grimm.

The issue is scheduled for October 28, 2026, with a listed cover price of $5.99. It is positioned as a major pivot rather than a routine anniversary installment: the story is expected to include the first major head-on confrontation between its Batman and Joker, while Barbara Gordon takes up the identity of The Bat.

That combination matters. Big issue numbers can attract extra attention on their own, but #25 is also being framed as an entry point into a new phase of the series. The creative team has indicated that its events will redirect the book for roughly the following 25 issues, giving shops a reason to treat it as a potentially important issue for established readers and curious newcomers alike.

What the reported 775,000 figure actually means

The number refers to orders placed by comic shops, not a confirmed count of copies already sold through to individual readers. That distinction is essential in the direct market, where retailers order issues in advance and take on the risk of having unsold copies left afterward.

In practical terms, a high preorder figure says that comic retailers collectively expect substantial demand. Those expectations can be shaped by regular subscribers, anticipated walk-in interest, the importance of the story, and the likelihood that a particular issue will be sought after later. It does not, by itself, establish how many copies readers will buy, how many will remain in shop inventory, or what any copy may be worth after release.

Even with that caveat, the reported level is striking beside the series’ previous high-water mark, which was just under 500,000 orders. Clearing 775,000 would put #25 more than a quarter-million copies ahead of that earlier peak. For one issue, it is an enormous jump in retailer orders and reinforces the scale of attention around this particular chapter.

It is also worth keeping comparisons precise. A recently cited million-order launch elsewhere covered three separate comics, while this reported total concerns one comic book: Absolute Batman #25. The two figures may both sound gigantic, but they are measuring different packages of material.

Why issue #25 is being treated as a turning point

The issue’s narrative hooks are unusually direct. Absolute Batman faces Absolute Joker in what is being described as their first large-scale, direct showdown. Joker is identified here as Jack Grimm, underlining that this is the Absolute line’s version of the character rather than an interchangeable reference to every prior Batman/Joker encounter.

Snyder has characterized #25 as the largest issue of the series so far and teased two especially major moments, including one expected to prompt widespread reader discussion. Specific plot details have not been laid out, so the sensible expectation is not a checklist of known twists but a story deliberately constructed to change the board.

The clearest announced status-quo development is Barbara Gordon becoming The Bat. A “status quo” is the story’s established arrangement: who holds a role, which relationships define the cast, and what circumstances guide the series from issue to issue. A status-quo shift therefore means more than a single dramatic scene. It indicates that subsequent issues are intended to operate under newly changed conditions.

That is the practical promise attached to #25. Readers are not simply being invited to witness a clash with Joker; they are being told that the fallout will matter going forward. For a serialized comic, consequences are often what make a milestone issue feel essential rather than decorative.

Barbara Gordon’s next chapter will not arrive all at once

The schedule after #25 adds an important wrinkle. Absolute Batman #26 is expected to be a flashback-focused issue centered on Barbara Gordon. The principal present-day storyline then resumes with Absolute Batman #27 in February.

A flashback issue is a chapter set before the series’ current narrative moment. Used well, it can provide context for a character’s choices, motives, or transformation without immediately advancing the present-day cliffhanger. Here, the placement suggests that Barbara’s rise as The Bat will receive dedicated attention after her new mantle is introduced.

For readers, that means the path after #25 is likely to be intentional rather than an accidental interruption: milestone event first, a look back at Barbara’s perspective second, then the main story’s return. Anyone planning to follow the arc should know that the answer to “what happens next?” may initially be character history and context, not an immediate continuation of the current conflict.

It also gives #26 a distinct role. Rather than treating it merely as a gap between high-numbered issues, readers can view it as companion material for the shift launched in #25. That structure may be particularly useful for a character assuming a new identity, where the emotional and narrative groundwork can be as important as the costume or title itself.

What comic buyers should—and should not—read into the order surge

A giant advance order can make a comic feel scarce, but high orders and scarcity are not the same thing. If more than 775,000 copies have been ordered, the standard issue is being printed in a very large quantity relative to the reported demand from retailers. Nothing in the available information establishes a limited print run, special rarity, or future aftermarket value.

That does not lessen the appeal for readers who want the chapter because of its story. It simply separates two questions that are often blurred together:

• Is this a significant story issue? The announced Joker confrontation, Barbara Gordon development, and planned direction for the next stretch of the series all point to yes.
• Is this automatically a scarce physical collectible? No such conclusion follows from a huge retailer-order number alone.

For readers who buy from local shops, the most useful step is straightforward: confirm a copy in advance if this is an issue they do not want to miss. Retailer orders are placed before release, and a store may allocate copies differently depending on subscriptions and expected foot traffic. For readers arriving later, the large reported order volume may also mean the regular edition is more obtainable than the surrounding hype implies, though store-level availability will naturally vary.

For collectors, condition still begins with the basics: choose the copy you like, inspect it when possible, and avoid treating a milestone number or a viral plot point as a guaranteed investment thesis. The supplied information supports anticipation around the comic’s narrative importance, not a promise about resale outcomes.

A milestone with momentum behind it

The reported order total is meaningful because it is tied to a specific moment of escalation. Absolute Batman #25 is not only reaching a numbered milestone; it is aligning that number with a marquee Batman/Joker confrontation and a major role change for Barbara Gordon. The issue’s setup is designed to invite conversation, while the planned subsequent Barbara-focused flashback signals that the shift is meant to have room to breathe.

That makes the sales story and the storytelling pitch mutually reinforcing. Retailers appear to be ordering into a chapter presented as consequential, and the creative direction gives readers a concrete reason to see it as more than a commemorative cover number. For another comics-related project taking a very different route outside the mainstream superhero space, see Peter J. Tomasi’s Death Whisperer #1 Kickstarter entry.

Until the issue reaches shelves, the biggest number remains a report of advance store orders, not final reader sales. But if the figure is accurate, Absolute Batman #25 has already become the series’ largest known retailer-order event—and it is arriving with a story engineered to make the result feel like a genuine turning point.