Posted in: Batman, Comics, DC Comics, Dynamite, Marvel Comics | Tagged: absolute, Absolute Batman, barbaric, Ben 10, darth maul, hottest comics, siktc

Absolute Batman, Barbaric, Ben 10: Top Ten Hottest Comics Of The Week

Absolute Batman, Barbaric, Ben 10, Darth Maul and Something Is Killing The Children are The Top Ten Hottest Comics Of The Week

Absolute Batman continues to dominate the market with killer variants featuring limited runs, glow-in-the-dark, new characters, and up-and-coming artists. Barbaric gets the Netflix treatment, Darth Maul continues to crush it on two fronts, while Something Is Killing The Children drew "renewed" interest. And Ben 10 hype officially begins as he rounds out this week's Top Ten… all courtesy of Covrprice, with a Bleeding Cool tag to keep up with previous editions.

1. ABSOLUTE BATMAN #20 – NICK DRAGOTTA – REGULAR | DC | MAY 2026 The Absolute Batman hype-train is going full steam ahead! With a myriad of variants to choose from for this issue, the big dog on the block was Cover A. The debut of the Robin Mech Suits, which were heavily featured on the cover, was bound to bring in some attention. Collectors have shown up release in, and release out for this title for months now, and despite there being no major first appearance in this issue, they still are. The fandom is in for the long haul now, and we're seeing their commitment and interest play out on the aftermarket. We tracked it at a high sale of $70 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $7.
2. BARBARIC #1 – NATHAN GOODEN – REGULAR | VAULT | JUNE 2021 Everyone's looking for the next big thing, but rarely does anyone have a crystal ball! The newest curveball is this series. A well-liked title that has flown under the radar for the most part, spawned a spin-off or two, then fell back into "obscurity," only to be resurrected when it's announced the book will get a TV series. Recently, Netflix has opted to bring this title to the screen, and collectors immediately pivoted to the aftermarket to secure any copy they could. We tracked it at a high sale of $160 for a CGC 9.8 copy and a current raw NM FMV of $25.
3. STAR WARS: SHADOW OF MAUL #3 – PHOTO (1:10) | MARVEL | MAY 2026 Darth Maul is undeniably popular, so when it was announced he was getting a new TV series, AND a comic book, fans were stoked. They've been delivering some killer covers (more on that later) and new characters, and fans got an eyefull with this variant! Featuring Devon Izara front and center, a Twi'lek who appeared in the Shadow Lord TV series before making her debut on this cover. Being an offshoot Star Wars title, many LCS aren't ordering enough to hit the ratio to secure this variant, leaving the pool for collectors to draw from slightly limited. We tracked it at a high sale of $79 for a NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $67.
4. BARBARIC #1 – JOHN GALLAGHER – COMIC KINGDOM – VIRGIN (LIMITED 500) | VAULT | JUNE 2021 Barbaric is a killer title that flew under the radar for years until Netflix recently came knocking. Now, collectors are securing every iteration of this book since Netflix announced they were adapting it into a series. Collectors search far and wide for the tougher to get variants, with many settling on this "real life" variant featuring the main characters. It's a stellar limited cover, and one that fans are paying a premium to acquire in the heat of the moment! As of this writing, there were still 2 copies in stock on the retailer's website. We tracked it at a high sale of $60 for a NM+ copy and a current raw NM FMV of $32.
5. SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #47 – ITO – BOOM DIRECT RESERVE – VIRGIN | BOOM! STUDIOS | MAY 2026 As Boom! Studios says, the Boom Direct Reserve is the worst-kept secret in comics! Occasionally, Boom! Drops super limited variants at a specific time on their website. Some sell out immediately, while others hang out for a while. This book sold out nearly instantly, with collectors lining up, figuratively, to secure a copy. Partially, because it's a limited and difficult-to-acquire variant. Partially, because SiKTC is still incredibly popular, and fans love the series. And partially, because it's an ITO cover, one of the hottest names in the game right now! We tracked it at a high sale of $95 for an NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $85.
6. SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN #46 – FLOPS – RETAILER THANK YOU | BOOM! STUDIOS | APRIL 2026 SiKTC is still an incredibly popular series with a massive fandom. That fandom gets supercharged when you add a hot artist to the mix, like Flops. Make it a retailer thank you variant on top of that, and you've got some aftermarket fire! Collectors love these thank you variants, often because they're limited and tough to get. They also typically feature a desirable cover, such as this book. But, the Flops community may be small and growing, but it is dedicated, propelling this book heavily on the aftermarket! We tracked it at a high sale of $50 for an NM+ copy and a current raw NM FMV of $31.
7. ABSOLUTE BATMAN #20 – DEXTER SOY – 2026 FAN EXPO PHILADELPHIA – ARRISQ – GLOW-IN-THE-DARK VIRGIN (LIMITED 850) | DC | MAY 2026 Absolute Batman is a cultural phenomenon at this point, with a built-in fanbase that will show up for any release. Others chase the variants, especially the limited and tough to get ones like this. Once fans got an eyeful of Dexter Soy's other variant for Absolute Batman #20, they made a beeline for this one as well. Two exclusives at one show, from two different retailers. We see you, Dexter Soy! We tracked it at a high sale of $140 for a NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $76.
8. ABSOLUTE BATMAN #21 – MARK BROOKS – WEBSTORE – VIRGIN GLOW-THE-DARK (LIMITED 550) | DC | JUNE 2026 Mark Brooks had one of the more popular variants for issue #20, and collectors showed up to secure this limited variant as well. Available on his Webstore, with early access for members, this book sold out in a hurry before hitting the aftermarket for those who missed out! It's a cover that has sparked a lot of discussion, and it will be interesting to see if Mark returns for issue #22! We tracked it at a high sale of $150 for an NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $96.
9. STAR WARS: SHADOW OF MAUL #3 – YASMINE PUTRI (1:25) | MARVEL | MAY 2026 The concurrent releases of a Maul TV show and comic series have been doing wonders for the character! Fans are turning up, and Maul is a major topic of discussion, right next to these killer covers! Issue #3 saw two variants land on this list, and this 1:25 variant from Yasmine Putri is rocking the market. Putri has been gaining some serious momentum in the industry, and locking their talents behind a 1:25 ratio was a tough one. But, collectors still showed out on the online aftermarket, as a 1:25 at the LCS will be difficult to come by, as most don't order heavy enough to hit ratio on these offshoot Star Wars titles. We tracked it at a high sale of $68 for an NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $51.
10. BEN 10 #1 – ROBERT CAREY – REGULAR | DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT | MAY 2026 Nostalgia bomb, activate! Ben 10 was a massive series back in the day, and that fandom was just waiting for another opportunity to dive into the IP! Somehow, Ben 10 hadn't received a mainline comic series yet, and Dynamite opted to change that for the fandom. Collectors showed out for the title, across numerous variants and limited printings. You just can't beat growing up with a series, only to have it return (in a way) once you finish growing up. Despite it being a beloved IP, LCS may have been a bit underprepared for this one. We tracked it at a high sale of $35 for an NM copy and a current raw NM FMV of $19.

Disclaimer: CovrPrice's Top 10 list is automatically generated from real aftermarket sales data and is not manually curated. It reflects the week's top trending comic books based on a weighted mix of sales volume and price movement. This list is not a recommendation on what to buy. It simply shows what collectors are actively purchasing online and how those choices shape the market for the week ending Sunday, May 17th, 2026.

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