Absolute Batman beats Ultimate Endgame in the December 2025 comic book single issue sales. Marvel will collect the classic Star Wars newspaper strips in an omnibus. DC will collect Paul Dini’s Zatanna stories.
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Episode Transcript:
Absolute Batman beats Ultimate Endgame.
Marvel collects Star Wars newspaper strips.
DC to collect Paul Dini Zatanna stories.
This is Comic Book Club News for January 6, 2026.
Absolute Batman Beats Ultimate Endgame In December 2025 Single Issue Sales:
It’s no surprise that Absolute Batman is once again topping the sales charts. But what is surprising? Absolute Batman #15, the origin of the Absolute Universe Joker, beat out the heavily hyped Ultimate Endgame #1 from Marvel, which came in at number two.
Per ICv2, which, it should be noted, tracks 125 stores using the ComicHub system, so this is more of a general sampling of what people are buying in stores versus a definitive sales chart, ranks Absolute Batman #15 first both in overall sales and in dollars earned. This is particularly surprising given Marvel pulled out all the stops with dozens of blind bagged covers for Ultimate Endgame, including unique sketch covers and copies signed by Kevin Feige and Robert Downey Jr.
As is, DC Comics took 20 of the spots on the Top 50, including Batman #4, Absolute Wonder Woman #15 and Batman/Deadpool #1 rounding out the Top 5.
Marvel, meanwhile, hit only 22 titles in the Top 50, the lowest number they’ve captured since we’ve been following these charts. And only Ultimate Spider-Man #23 hit the Top 10, coming in at number eight.
So what made up the difference? The big winner was Mark Spears Monsters #8, which was way up at number six. IDW rounded out the top 10 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #13, featuring a new creative team. Image captured three slots, for the latest issues of Transformers, Exquisite Corpses and G.I. Joe. And BOOM! Studios nabbed one slot, for Something is Killing the Children #45.
Will Marvel bounce back in January? Or is 2026 a brand new world for comic book sales? Stay tuned.
Marvel To Collect Classic Star Wars Newspaper Strips In Omnibus:
Here’s a neat new collection: Marvel will collect the classic Star Wars newspaper strips that ran from 1979 to 1984 in an omnibus.
Per ICv2, the stories are by Russ Manning, and Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, and take place between A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back. Not only that, but the strips will included the colorized versions which were collected and released by Dark Horse when they had the Star Wars license. So, got that? Marvel published them in newspapers, then Dark Horse collected them, and now they’re back at Marvel.
Licenses aside, it’s neat to have these otherwise mostly forgotten pieces of comic book history collected again — they previously were released in Epic Collections. The 1,096 page hardcover, titled Star Wars Legends: The Newspaper Strips Omnibus, will hit stores on July 22.
DC Will Collect Paul Dini’s Zatanna Stories:
Here’s some magical news: DC will collect Paul Dini’s Zatanna stories in one, 720-page hardcover.
Featuring art by Stephane Roux, Joe Quinones, Cliff Chiang, and more, the collection — titled Zatanna by Paul Dini Omnibus — will include issues of Detective Comics, sixteen issues of the Zatanna series, and several one-shots.
The collection will cost $100, feature a cover by Adam Hughes, and hit stores on May 5.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And I can’t wait to reread that strip where Luke Skywalker tries to eats a big sandwich, but his nag of a wife keeps interrupting him. That’s a good one.
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
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