DC's Best Selling Comic Just Saved Staff From Layoffs, Reports Claim

Published Nov 10, 2026, 8:30 PM EST

Adam has been writing in the entertainment news space for over a decade. Beginning his career of covering film and TV at CinemaBlend, he has also appeared on The Flash Podcast and done several radio spots. 

There’s been some major upheaval in the DC Comics space. After Paramount/Skydance’s acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery closed last month, it was announced that James Gunn and Peter Safran will step down as the heads of DC Studios next month. Former Marvel Studios executive Jeremy Latcham is succeeding them as both DC Studios’ president and chief creative officer, but it’s unclear what this leadership change means for the DC Universe slate of movies and television shows.

Meanwhile, there’s some good news when it comes to DC’s publishing line. Unlike other divisions at Warner Bros./Skydance, DC Comics employees reportedly haven’t been offered voluntary buyout packages. This is supposedly because DC’s best-selling comic book has been performing so exceptionally well.

Absolute Batman Has Reportedly Prevented DC Comics Layoffs

According to Bleeding Cool, DC Comics “is simply outperforming other Warner Bros. departments,” resulting in profitability. Specifically, Absolute Batman’s critical and commercial success played a key role in ensuring that no one in the DC publishing department leaves. As the publication explains it, “no one wants to kill that golden batgoose,” and because “no one can be entirely sure exactly what everyone does at DC,” that means “the risk of losing someone and the exponential ripples it might cause was considered not worth triggering.”

Written by Scott Snyder and chiefly illustrated by Nick Dragotta, Absolute Batman began in October 2024 and launched DC’s Absolute Universe imprint. This take on the Caped Crusader depicts Bruce Wayne as a mid-20s civil engineer who lacks the wealth and resources that the character traditionally has. Rather, all his equipment is self-built, and his combat skills and expertise in various subjects came from learning within Gotham City rather than traveling around the world.

Along with this version of Batman being more physically imposing, he utilizes weaponry like his chest emblem being a battleaxe and his cowl ears functioning as throwing knives. Absolute Batman also stands out for its radical reinventions of Batman’s rogues gallery, from The Joker being an immortal, humorless billionaire who can take on a monstrous form, to Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin), Catwoman (Selina Kyle), Harvey Dent (Two-Face), Edward Nigma (Riddler), and Waylon Jones (Killer Croc) all being Bruce’s childhood friends.

Absolute Batman #1 became the best-selling comic book of 2024, and this past June, Snyder revealed that Absolute Batman #20 sold over 500,000 copies. Along with this commercial success, the series has been nominated for multiple Eisner Awards, and also won 2026’s Harvey Award Book of the Year. Absolute Batman and Absolute Catwoman were included as alternative skins in the video game Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark Knight, and an Absolute Batman animated TV series is in development.

This is just one example of the Absolute Universe’s overall success since kicking off over two years ago. The imprint’s other regular titles focus on Wonder Woman, Superman, Flash, and Green Lantern, while the Absolute versions of Martian Manhunter, Green Arrow, and Catwoman have been explored in their own limited series. Absolute Batman, Absolute Superman, and Absolute Wonder Woman also appeared in the DC K.O. crossover event.

Absolute Batman: Beyond Ark M #1 will be released Wednesday, November 11, and Absolute Batman #26 will follow on January 13, 2027.