Comic Store In Your Future, When Your Rival Gets No Absolute Batman

Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics | Tagged: absolute, Absolute Batman, comic store in your future

Comic Store In Your Future, When Your Rival Gets No Absolute Batman

Comic Store In Your Future - When your rival comic book shop gets no Absolute Batman and no one tells you for ages

Published Sun, 21 Jun 2026 08:32:09 -0500
by Rod Lamberti
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Article Summary

• Absolute Batman demand exploded when a nearby comic store got no copies, sending new and returning customers my way.
• June 17 became my biggest New Comic Book Day ever, with Absolute Batman leading a surprise sales surge across DC and Marvel.
• Store chaos has defined 2026 so far, from a vehicle accident to roadwork knocking out phones, internet, and card payments.
• Lunar Distribution’s erratic Absolute Batman delivery schedule leaves comic shops guessing and unable to plan for release day.

I have owned Rodman Comics for fifteen years. One could almost assume it would have become a routine by now, almost boring. Well, at times, I wish that were true. We have run 4 sales so far this year at my store, and despite doing so many, there were still surprises. During our first sale in March, I heard an explosion outside. I should check and found that someone had backed into the Rodmobile (that's what we call it) 30 minutes after opening. The person who hit it came in and said, "I think I hit someone's vehicle here". I initially thought we would be playing "Guess which customer's vehicle was hit", but it was pretty obvious. The massive Rodman Comics logo may have given it away. A police officer showed up, and I got the accident report squared away… instead of focusing on the customers.

Also, they are currently widening the road in front of the store. It seemed pretty wide already. And so during our next sale, we lost our landline and internet, and with it, the ability to take debit or credit cards. Fortunately, a customer came in during our sale, hooked up a hotspot, and got us back online. I still don't have the wrap replaced on my car, and new characters have been put up where the wrap was removed. Weeks later, we still don't have a phone line or internet, though we are still paying for it.

Still, this week made up for it, for us at least. Absolute Batman is the bestselling comic here in the store. People love it, and so do I. Absolute Batman is the magnet that now brings in the most customers. But this week, it brought even more,  and I saw lots of new faces, and sales are even higher than I expected. By 1 pm, I do what I tell myself never to do: I check the store sales, even though I should be focusing on the customers. My curiosity got the better of me, and two hours into opening, the sales total is already around the average for a total Absolute Batman Wednesday.

More people I have never seen before are coming in, even those who had abandoned their pull box through us. This is a perfect time for an awkward conversation. Finally, some customers tell me that another store not too far away was unlucky enough not to receive their full shipment for Wednesday, and that they did not have any copies of Absolute Batman at all. If I'd have known, or known who it was, I might have been able to help them out, but by then it was too late.

One customer came in and told me that a friend of his just phoned him, whispering to ask if he would pick up a copy for him. People were so worried about missing out on Absolute Batman and whatever other titles did not arrive at the other store that they were coming here. Even Marvel sales got a good bump. All the new Absolute Batman sold out that day, though we still had a few copies of the previous issue on the shelf. In total, June 17th set a new record at the store for New Comic Book Day. For us, at least, probably not the other store. Sorry…

But all things are entirely out of my control. If only my truck had been parked there during the first sale in March instead of the Rodmobile. It could have easily been my store without a shipment of the latest Absolute Batman. I really wish Lunar Distribution, the company that distributes DC Comics titles like Absolute Batman, would try to work with the comic stores they ship to on a schedule, so we and others would have a clue when to expect Lunar shipments and could plan around them. This week, Lunar's delivery arrived yesterday. Last week, Lunar did not send our shipment out until Thursday, and it arrived the following Monday. I would love to receive the shipments as early as possible, though I would bet other stores would love to have theirs the day before New Comics Day. Penguin Random House delivers Marvel, Dark Horse, IDW, Boom, 90% of the time when they say they will. As G.I. Joe used to say, "Knowing is half the battle." How will Lady Luck treat us for the rest of the year? Will she be Absolute Lady Kuck?

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