[SPEAKER_00]: Absolute Batman leads May sales charts from the Space Night Joint's Energia Universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: DC announces absolute Cassandra Kane one shot.
[SPEAKER_00]: This is Comic Book Club News for June 11th, 26.
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolutely, Batman has once again taken the lead in the monthly single issue sales charts for May of 2026.
[SPEAKER_00]: Per ICV2, while DC still held a grip on the top 10, Marvel regained some ground in the overall top 50 with 24 titles ranking vs. DC's 19.
[SPEAKER_00]: However, the biggest surprise is that for the first time in a long time, another publisher popped into the top 10.
[SPEAKER_00]: Dynamite's Ben 10, number 1 ranked all the way at number 7.
[SPEAKER_00]: While that was the only dynamite title in the top 50, Image Comics Nags 6 slots total, with invincible universe battle beast 9, just missing the top 10 in the number 11 slot, and she spawned Odin if
[SPEAKER_00]: Destruction be our lot among others placing throughout the chart.
[SPEAKER_00]: Okay, back to DC and Marvel.
[SPEAKER_00]: Absolute Batman number 20 was number one as mentioned, followed by absolute green arrow number one, Batman number nine and absolute superman number 19.
[SPEAKER_00]: Daredevil number two from Marvel, slotted in at number five while amazing Spider-Man 28, snag number eight.
[SPEAKER_00]: Rounding out the top 10 is absolute Martian Man under number 11 at number 6, Batman 163, the final part of Hittuce Part 1 at number 9, and absolute Wonder Woman number 20 at number 10.
[SPEAKER_00]: Backwind skybound released invincible universe battle beast number one, they hit a few surprises that their blind bags beyond your requisite variant covers.
[SPEAKER_00]: Those included battle beast number two and Marvel team up number 14, a reprint of the issue where invisible met Spider-Man.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, they may have been beaten with the debut of mass number one, which is hiding an even bigger surprise in the blind bags.
[SPEAKER_00]: ROM number one, by Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo D. Felicci.
[SPEAKER_00]: news of the surprise first issue of the new energon universe series began leaking out thanks to copies popping up on eBay, as well as on Reddit.
[SPEAKER_00]: And given we've already got void rivals who wear helmets and deal with robots and stuff and transformers GI Joe and now mask, well around the space night should fit right in.
[SPEAKER_00]: If in fact this is a new ongoing series and not just a surprise one shot.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, of note, Pack of Comics Pro Skybound didn't tease.
[SPEAKER_00]: The blind bags would feature a debut of a heavily demanded character, smart money was on Snake Eyes, turns out it's ROM, unless there's a Snake Eyes number one hidden in there as well.
[SPEAKER_00]: So who is ROM?
[SPEAKER_00]: Created by Toy Designer, Bing Bikai, and brought to comics by Bill Matlow and Salib Yusena.
[SPEAKER_00]: ROM was originally created by Parker Brothers, licensed by Marvel, moved to IDW in 2015.
[SPEAKER_00]: As part of their hasbro comic book universe.
[SPEAKER_00]: And curiously found the rights reclaimed by Marvel in 2023 so they could publish previously published material in Omnibuses.
[SPEAKER_00]: House guy bound image comics got the rights as unknown at this time, but probably it has to do with the whole Hasbro of it all.
[SPEAKER_00]: And Perlain Amy is a cyborg space knight for the planet Gallador.
[SPEAKER_00]: He's usually seen fighting disgusting villains called the Diarraths, who can shapeshift among other terrifying abilities.
[SPEAKER_00]: In various storylines, Rama is fought in space or on Earth, and he's encountered everyone from the X-Men to the Fantastic Four.
[SPEAKER_00]: How Rama will fit into the Energian universe and whether he'll be space-bound or Earth-bound, we'll just have to pick up a ton of mask-number-one blind bags until we find out.
[SPEAKER_00]: It's been a while since we've gotten a good surprise spoiled the day before the issue hit stands, but this is indeed a good one.
[SPEAKER_00]: Spitting out of this week's absolute catwoman DC Comics' announced absolute Cassandra Kane, the shadow's hand number one, a one shot, written by Jay Grayson, with art by Mattias Vergara.
[SPEAKER_00]: taking place between absolute capital number 3 and 4.
[SPEAKER_00]: The comic will show Cassandra Kane's origin in the absolute universe, which is sort of fascinating because absolute capital is already zipping back in time to show what happened to Selena Kyle between leaving Gotham City in absolute Batman and returning years later.
[SPEAKER_00]: So this is like a flashback in a flashback.
[SPEAKER_00]: Anyway, also featuring a main cover by Bengal, here's the official synopsis for the one shot quote.
[SPEAKER_00]: Years ago, the Joker trained the league of assassins and when he learned all he could he slaughtered everyone.
[SPEAKER_00]: Out of the wreckage, Rose, Lady Shiva, and her daughter, Cassandra Cain, absolute Cassandra Cain, the shadow's hand, everyone reveals the origin of the absolute universe's most formidable assassin, and how her story is one that is intertwined with the world's greatest thief, Selena Kyle.
[SPEAKER_00]: The issue will take the place of absolute catwoman number four on the schedule, and will be released on September 9th, 2026 with absolute catwoman number four now hitting stores in October and continuing until the conclusion of the six issue series.
[SPEAKER_00]: For comic book club news, I'm Alex Albin, and as my good friend Captain Jack Sparrow once said, why is the ROM always God?
[SPEAKER_00]: Got tips or stories you'd like us to cover?
[SPEAKER_00]: Email us at comic bookclublive at gmail.com.
[SPEAKER_00]: For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comic bookclublive.com.
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