Absolute Batman #25 Delivers a Gut-Punch Ending Before the Book's Winter Break

Absolute Batman #25 hit shelves October 28, closing out the current chapter of Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta's run before the series takes its scheduled winter break — and reviewers are calling it one of the best issues yet.

The oversized issue centers on a confrontation between Bruce Wayne and Jack Grimm, this universe's Joker, who demands that Batman make him laugh with an old, bitter joke about a man trying to stop the strong from ruling the weak. Grimm calls Bruce possibly "the funniest of all the great clowns" before letting him walk away — for reasons Bruce can't quite work out. The issue closes on a gut-punch: Selina Kyle, revealed to be pregnant, giving the Joker's parting words a far more personal edge heading into 2027.

The creative team's break is brief. Absolute Batman: Beyond Ark M, written by Snyder with art by Frank Tieri, covers November, a Barbara Gordon-focused #26 (with Cliff Chiang on art) arrives in January, and Snyder and Dragotta return to the main title with #27 in February.

Original reporting: Dread Central.