Multiverse Comics Podcast: Did Absolute Batman #20 Hose Comic Shops?

Jason, Scott and Stephen discuss the heavy hype leading into Absolute Batman #20 and how many assumed it would feature the first appearance of Robin, only to realize that key “new Robins” first appear in issue #19, which arrived with less warning and left shops unable to prepare orders. They debate whether publishers owe advance clarity, noting Scott Snyder’s approach to holding back covers to avoid spoilers, and compare this surprise rollout to past unannounced first-appearance situations that caused shelf raids. The conversation shifts to comic-shop ordering strategy, balancing subscribers, regular buyers, and new readers while deprioritizing speculators who buy to flip and can destabilize the market. They note the Absolute line’s unusually strong demand, multiple printings, and that their shop now has back stock and may be nearing saturation after sustained interest.

00:00 Issue 20 Hype
01:06 Robin Tease Cover
01:36 Surprise In Issue 19
02:45 Retailer Prep Problem
03:30 Counterpoint Robin Program
04:43 Trust The Brand
06:02 Star Power Examples
09:20 Back To Absolute Batman
09:44 Speculators Versus Readers
10:51 Ordering Issue 20
10:58 The Ordering Tightrope
11:23 Second Prints And Backstock
12:38 New Readers Drive Demand
14:31 Speculator Spillover Worries
16:13 Subs First Then Growth
17:14 A Rare Sales Phenomenon
18:08 Snyder And The Cover Secrets
19:15 Wrap Up And Goodbye

Mentioned in this episode:

Outro

Intro