EXCLUSIVE: With the ORIGINAL ART and COLORS…
This has been an exceptional week for DC retro-material reveals, but we’re gonna round out the string of EXCLUSIVES with one more — and it’s a shocker: Batman by Neal Adams: The Absolute Edition is coming in summer 2026.
Not only that, much to most fans’ delight, the volume — the first of two — will feature the comics’ original coloring and art.
Dig the solicitation info, to be officially released by DC later Friday:
BATMAN BY NEAL ADAMS: ABSOLUTE EDITION VOL. 1
Written by DENNIS O’NEIL, BOB HANEY, and LEO DORFMAN
Art and cover by NEAL ADAMS
Experience the complete works of Neal Adams on Batman from 1968 to 1970 in the oversize, beautiful, Absolute format, featuring his stories from World’s Finest Comics #175-176; The Brave and the Bold #79-86; Detective Comics #395, #397, #400, and #402; and Batman #219, along with an extensive cover gallery and more! Return to the original art and colors in this celebratory volume (one of two).
$100.00 US | 368 pages | 8 1/8″ x 12 1/4″ | Hardcover | ISBN: 978-1-79950-870-0
ON SALE 8/4/26
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A few thoughts:
— This instantly vaults to the top of the list of most anticipated comic-book books for 2026.
— For those not in the know, for years DC reprinted Adams’ stories with new colors, at the artist’s behest. He also tweaked some of the art for republication. Fans, generally speaking, didn’t receive the updated art well. So this oversize collection is a Batman/Adams fan’s dream.
— Like I said, it’s been a great week of retro reveals. Wanna know what’s in the February DC Facsimile Edition hopper — featuring more Adams? Dig the links below!
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MORE
— DC to Republish THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS As Four Monthly FACSIMILE EDITIONS. Click here.
— BATMAN: YEAR TWO to Be Re-Released As Four Monthly FACSIMILE EDITIONS. Click here.
— THE BATMAN ADVENTURES: MAD LOVE Gets Facsimile Edition. Click here.
— WHOA! SUPERMAN VS. SPIDER-MAN Treasury Facsimile to Get ALEX ROSS Variant. Click here.
— ACTION COMICS #419 — Featuring NEAL ADAMS’ Classic Cover — to Get FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.
— SECRET ORIGINS of SUPER VILLAINS Set for TREASURY FACSIMILE EDITION. Click here.
November 21, 2025
Oh, I’m in for this!
November 21, 2025
Between this and the upcoming Batman Bronze Age omnibus, I’d better get the jump on selling my blood now.
November 21, 2025
I wish this had come out when I was younger, I had more shelf space and Neal was alive to sign them (I had him sign the earlier versions). I guess I’ll have to stick with the Lucasesque “special editions.”
November 21, 2025
Am I reaching Adams’ saturation finally? Do I need this? I have almost all of his famous covers in original and facsimile releases. I’ve a number of hard covers that reprint some of the famous runs (yes, color changes aside). And we just had the huge Artist’s Edition. I would definitely continue to buy multiple copies of any other facsimiles that DC decided to print. But I am just not sure I need this. We do have Artist’s Editions from Perez and Ditko next year already. My wallet and shelf space is stretched. Just not sure…. I do think this release has too much blue. Maybe if the left margin had been a ‘70s red. Perhaps.
November 21, 2025
Ah, life’s great questions.
November 21, 2025
LOVE THIS!!!!!
About a year ago the rumor was the Batman by Neal Adams Omnibus was going to be reissued with the original coloring. I wonder if they are still doing that or if they will just issue Absolute Neal Adams Batman instead—not that I am complaining, lol!
November 21, 2025
I bought one volume of the Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams volumes, and the randomly redrawn art and colors personally turned me off. So I will definitely be in for this!
November 21, 2025
Must-have = will get!
Now, DC, get those Adams Batman facsimiles completed. I can’t wait forever.
November 21, 2025
Wow. DC, you beautiful bastard. I was not expecting this. I’m definitely gonna be double-dipping with the Bronze Age Omnibus but who cares? This is glorious.
November 21, 2025
I absolutely love the fact that these will now be a collection of two books instead of a series of three.
I’m curious as to which cover will be used for the second volume?
November 22, 2025
Beautiful top picture. But 1. Why use it to advertise the forthcoming book when it won’t be in it? Batman #251 came out in, what, 1973? 2. How can DC reprint the artwork with the comics’ original coloring unless they’re using xeroxes of the comic book? (That won’t look good, especially blowing it up to tabloid size). I thought when reprinting stories, DC had to use their prints of the original black & white oversized artwork then add coloring on top of it?
November 23, 2025
This essentially was the image used for the first volume of Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams, even though the story it was from didn’t appear until volume three. But I honestly don’t expect this to be the final cover art. Merely a placeholder to help generate excitement for the upcoming book.
As far as coloring, they can’t actually use the original colors. But that being said, when Absolute Swamp Thing was released the colorist referenced the original as close as possible. If DC went to such lengths for Bernie Wrightson’s beautiful artwork, I’d be willing to bet that they would do the same for Neal’s. After all, they already did this for all the stories that appeared in the Batman Tales of the Demon hardcover that was published a few years ago.
December 14, 2025
I’ll probably pass on this book also. I’ve got the Omnibus already, the separate Adams Batman 3 volume set. the multiple editions of GL/GA and other DC Adams works. I don’t mind the digital re-coloration of his Batman works. In fact, it shows how his artwork was perfect for today’s interior 4-color process printed quality paper. Adams was way ahead of his time. I wish Marvel would digitalize color on his runs with Avengers, X-Men, Inhumans, and Thor. On a side-note look up Neal’s comments on 4-color process printing.