Something Batfans have wanted for ages…
Ask and ye shall receive. No sooner did we comment that DC needs to finally publish a Bronze Age Batman omnibus than the word came that the company was doing exactly that in 2026.
Dig the official description for Batman: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1:
BATMAN: THE BRONZE AGE OMNIBUS VOL. 1
The Dark Knight enters a new era of grit, mystery, and psychological depth in this sweeping Bronze Age collection.
Step into the shadows of Gotham City as Batman evolves from colorful crime-fighter to brooding detective in Batman: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 1. This definitive hardcover collection gathers the Caped Crusader’s earliest Bronze Age adventures, a transformative period that redefined the character for a new generation. Featuring iconic storytelling from some of the most influential creators in comics history, this volume showcases Batman as a solitary guardian navigating a darker, more complex world—setting the stage for the legend he would become. A must-have for fans and collectors, this omnibus marks the beginning of a bold new chapter in the Dark Knight’s legacy.
On Sale Date: July 28, 2026
1,064 pages
$150
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Several thoughts:
— Let the Bat-parlor games begin: There’s no issue list, so it’s a matter of pegging what DC considers to be the beginning of Batman’s Bronze Age. As far as I’m concerned, it’s October 1969’s Batman #217, when Robin left for Hudson University. There’s always a chance they’d start with the following month’s Detective Comics #395, the first Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams pairing, but that’d be a mistake.
— I’m not a regular omnibuyer, but I’m still excited about this. There are a ton of Batman stories from the early ’70s — which in many ways was his greatest period — that have never been collected.
— Obviously the classic Batman #244 is in there, given the cover art shown (could change, though). Let’s hypothesize that the book begins with Batman #217, then Detective #395. I’d wager that it ends with Batman #245, which is a kind of epilogue to the original O’Neil/Adams Ra’s al Ghul saga. If the edition is split fairly evenly between Batman and ‘Tec, that would take you to around Detective Comics #428, which came out that same month. But that’s just a hunch.
— Standard caveat: The description comes from Penguin Random House’s online catalogue. PRH handles DC in the book market. This hasn’t been formally solicited by DC yet, so nothing is official until it’s official.
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MORE
— Two Favorite Bronze Age BATMAN-Related Omnibus Editions Getting Re-Released. Click here.
— DC COMICS to Publish Raft of Golden and Silver Age Omnibus Editions in Early 2026. Click here.
August 2, 2025
Now we just need the Legion of Superheroes Bronze Age Omnibus (Volumes 1 and 2, please) and I’ll be happy as a clam…
https://www.crushingkrisis.com/2025/05/legion-of-super-heroes-omnibus-mapping-2025-tigereyes-most-wanted-dc-omnibus/
August 2, 2025
Hope they use the regular versions of the stories that Neal Adams illustrated & not the re-colored 1’s…..
August 2, 2025
Yikes! I hadn’t thought of that. Might be the only thing that would keep me from buying this volume!
August 2, 2025
Yeah, I just despise that recolored stuff, where DC reproduces, or tries to, light and shade modeling–which never quite works. I have several of these earlier issues and it’s hardly required here as the artwork of this time uses such wonderful inking (thinking esp. of Dick Giordano’s work on Neal Adams, and Jim Aparo–inking himself of course) whose light and shade effects are superb.
The coloring with those inks on that higher quality off-white newsprint (before the more yellowish manilla type of the later 1970s) could acquire an excellent (photo-) realism. Batman # 255’s “Moon of the Wolf” and Brave and the Bold # 114’s “Last Jet to Gotham” are Exhibit A in such artistic mastery.
August 2, 2025
They’ve stopped reprinting the recolored versions.
September 1, 2025
I’m going to imagine that it would feature the original color version. Since that’s how the stories were published in the 2020 hardcover edition of Batman Tales of The Demon.
August 2, 2025
So many of these I’d rather see as facsimile editions. At $150, it’s gonna have to come down in price a whole lot before I pull that trigger. I’m also guessing they don’t plan to finish the Silver Age they already started? On my personal list, I’m still hoping for an All-Star Squadron omnibus.
August 2, 2025
You can check out a place like cheap graphic novels. they should hopefully have it for around 75 or 80 dollars.
August 2, 2025
I’m patiently waiting for the All Star Squad Omni.
August 2, 2025
Personally, I start my Bronze Age clock with the first O’Neil / Adams story in Detective #395. But I’m fine if they start this one with Batman #217 for completists’ sake. (But if they do, they also will need to include Detective #394, published a week after #217).
Hopefully this one will also include the letter columns, so we can follow then-readers’ reactions to the changes underway during this period.
August 2, 2025
Not an omnibus, but since DC seems to be on a reprint bench, I’d like them to reprint some of the more obscure backup features from their various series, “Private Life of Clark Kent.” “Superman 2020,” etc. Not saying these will be sales giant but printed in a “100 Page Spectacular” floppy format, would be fun.
August 2, 2025
Finally!!!
August 3, 2025
This is absolutely glorious. I’ve been waiting for this book for so long.
August 3, 2025
I hope DC finishes the Batman & Superman Silver Age omnibuses as well as the Superman golden age omnibus line
August 3, 2025
This is absolutely glorious. I’ve been waiting for this for a very long time.
August 6, 2025
Ten year-old me is positively giddy at the thought!
September 1, 2025
How long I have waited for DC to release this!!! Finally at LONG LAST!!!
Hopefully this will sell well enough to get regular follow up releases. The next volume I’d imagine would have BATMAN #251 by O’Neil and Adams.
September 21, 2025
They’ve finally published the content of 107 stories from this run, where Robbins stands out as the scriptwriter. This covers almost the entire O’Neil/Adams run, effectively beginning with B# 217 and ending with DC #426. It includes some 30 stories illustrated by the prolific Irv Novick.