Back in February, right around the time of the big ComicsPro meeting, DC shared a teaser image for Absolute Batman #20 with a big, giant “R” in the center — hinting that Robin might be arriving in the Absolute universe.
Today DC revealed the full cover for the May issue of their most popular title, and it looks like we need to make “Robin” plural:
Given all the former and current Robins we see in the regular DC universe, it isn’t too surprising that Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta would introduce several of them in one swoop. I mean, how do you pick just one — granted, if these characters are even them? Here’s the almost un-redacted solicitation:
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #20
Written by SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by NICK DRAGOTTA
On sale 5/13/26
As the dust settles in the city of Gotham after the loss of [redacted], Robins enter the scene ready to hunt and more than one secret will be revealed in this seminal issue.
The reveal comes at an opportune time for DC, as just a few days ago The Hollywood Reporter released an article that spotlighted the reemergence of the “Comic Superstar Artist,” and Nick Dragotta specifically. I’m not sure what the source is, but the article reports that the Absolute line “has been so seismic for DC that the company has overtaken market share over longtime rival Marvel for the first time this century. It has sold almost 12 million units since its launch. In the case of Absolute Batman, sales continue to rise, bucking normal publishing trends that see a drop or leveling off of sales.”
It’s not surprising at all to hear that. And I’m sure the introduction of the “Robins” will help keep that momentum going.