Batman #158 sells 400,000 copies. Archie meets Jay and Silent Bob in new one-shot written by Kevin Smith. Emma Frost gets flashback comic from Marvel.
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Episode Transcript:
H2SH sells 400,000 copies.
Archie meets Jay and Silent Bob.
Emma Frost gets her own miniseries.
This is Comic Book Club News for March 10, 2025.
Batman #158 Sells 400,000 Copies:
Looks like we have an early contender for best-selling comic book of the year. As announced by DC Comics, Batman #158, the kick-off of the sequel series “H2SH,” has hit 400,000 copies ordered.
Written by Jeph Loeb, with art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams, and Alex Sinclair, and letters by Richard Starkings, the six-issue storyline is a sequel to the best-selling “Batman: Hush,” which has gone on to also be a perennial graphic novel bestseller. Particularly with Lee back on interior pencils for the first time in a long time, it’s no surprise there’s a lot of anticipation for this book. And DC has been pulling out all the stops, including setting up launch parties with stores including ashcan previews of the second issue, glow-in-the-dark covers, and even a video promo touting the return of Loeb and Lee like they’re about to go ten rounds in the boxing ring.
So how does this stack up in terms of sales, though? For those who don’t know, this is 400,000 copies ordered by comic book stores — not 400,000 copies sold to customers. With multiple covers on the issues, many with requirements of ordering basic copies of the books to get the variants, it was a no-brainer that comic book shops would be ordering a lot of these. How it will actually sell is TBD, though likely “very well.”
More to the point, the best-selling comic book of last year was Absolute Batman #1… With 400,000 copies. And that was after multiple printings of the issue. So it’s likely that, given this is before the Final Order Cutoff for Batman #158, that the final sales for this issue could go even higher.
And while this is pure speculation, even with all the doom and gloom over the comic book industry with the Diamond bankruptcy and looming tariffs — or not, in the latter case — this could lead to a promising one-upmanship throughout the year. We saw the same thing happen in 2024, as Dynamite announced 180,000 copies ordered for ThunderCats #1, then IDW announced 300,000 copies ordered for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, and finally the Absolute Batman numbers above. Say, it’s almost like comic book sales charts are an effective sales tool and comic book companies could benefit from regularly releasing data like this? But I digress.
What titles could sell as well — or better — than Batman #158? It’s certainly possible, though not likely, that subsequent issues of “H2SH” could go even higher. But far more likely, the previously announced DC/Marvel and Marvel/DC crossover comics will go through the roof in terms of sales numbers. And with the best-selling Ultimate Universe and Absolute Universe teasing game-changing crossover events, those could be, and likely will be, blockbuster as well.
Archie Meets Jay And Silent Bob In New Kevin Smith One-Shot:
In a crossover that wasn’t even supposed to be here today, Kevin Smith is bringing Jay and Silent Bob to the Town With Pep in a comic book that could only be titled Archie Meets Jay And Silent Bob.
Said Smith via a press release, “I believe it was Stoic philosopher Epictetus who first said, ‘Everything’s Archie.’ And he was right. Whether it be Veronica in CLERKS or the Mister Weatherbee conversation in CHASING AMY, the influence of Archie Andrews is mixed into the brick and mortar of my pop cultural foundation. So, there was no way I was passing up this incredible opportunity to collide the worlds of Riverdale and the Askewniverse, and introduce icons on the order of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, Moose, Reggie, and Josie to reprobates like Jay and Silent Bob.”
In the one-shot issue, Archie Andrews gets a job at the Quick Stop alongside Randal Graves. And of course, who stops by to bother them? Jay and Silent Bob. Will they tempt Archie in the ways of the wacky weed? Probably not, but I guess we’ll see.
This is far from the first time Archie Comics has had an, on the surface, incongruous crossover. Previously, the Riverdale teens have met The Ramones, Kiss, The Punisher, and even The Predator. Here’s hoping nobody’s spine gets stuffed in a vending machine this one. But again, I guess we’ll see.
Archie Meets Jay and Silent Bob #1 hits comic book shops on July 9.
Emma Frost: White Queen Miniseries Coming From Marvel:
Emma Frost is spinning out on her own in the new Marvel miniseries, Emma Frost: White Queen.
In the five issue mini written by Amy Chu with art by Andrea Di Vito, the former villain turned hero takes the spotlight… Except this goes back her days as a supervillain, when she was part of the Inner Circle of the Hellfire Club. The book will show just how dangerous the telepath can be as she works her way to the top of the most devious mutant collective in comics.
Said Chu via press release: “This is going to be a whole new Emma-focused story set in the classic days before she joins the X-Men. We’re going around the world to expose the inner workings of the Hellfire Club in a way you’ve never seen before and introducing some new baddies. I can’t believe Marvel is letting me do this, it’s so exciting!”
Emma Frost: White Queen #1 hits stores on June 18.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. Snoochie boochies. Just wanted to get that in there.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
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