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It's unquestionably a great time to be a DC fan. For instance, I could walk into my local comic shop right now and rave with other comic book fans about a current series starring Martian Manhunter. My mom knows who Mister Terrific is now - sorry, Goddamn Mister Terrific, along with Metamorpho. And, more and more people today are discovering the wonders of DC Comics through their Absolute Universe line starring characters like Batman, Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and of course, Martian Manhunter. 

Absolute Batman was 2024's best-selling comic book series, and the entire Absolute line is still going strong a year into the initiative. So what has DC's strategy been in maintaining this momentum as the line heads into its first crossover? 

Speaking to Publishers' Weekly, DC executive editor Chris Conroy explained that the publisher had learned some valuable lessons from the New 52 relaunch in 2011. The "North Star" of the Absolute line, he explained, was making sure that it didn't overwhelm or lose new readers through becoming too large or too complicated: "It’s really heartening how many people we are hearing say, ‘This is my first superhero comic.’ Which we love to hear, but it’s a huge responsibility, because we know we have a chance to lose them if we confuse them."

One of the primary lessons that Conroy and fellow editor Katie Kubert took into building out the line was the experience of DC's New 52 relaunch in 2011 - which rebooted the DC Universe from scratch with 52 new series to initially huge sales, before a perilous drop as the line continued, something Conroy described as "the level of success you can unlock when you do this in a way that is really eye-catching, and delivers something new and modern-feeling—but also the pitfalls you can fall into when you get precious about protecting something or, conversely, you’re heedless about breaking something in search of the new."

To this day, I legitimately have no idea how DC was able to publish 52 different comic book series during the New 52. I get stressed out when my own pull list at my comic shop grows above 7 or 8 titles, so I appreciate how careful DC has been with their Absolute line. 

Get ready for what's next with our guide to upcoming comics, how to buy comics at a comic shop, and our guide to Free Comic Book Day 2025.