Absolute Batman #25's Clay Mann Manga Variant Rockets From $8 to $60 Overnight

Absolute Batman #25 was already the most-talked-about book on shelves this week, and now its secondary market is proving it. Cover L, Clay Mann's foil variant done up in a Japanese manga homage style, carried an $8 cover price at presale — and within a day of the issue's release, copies were changing hands for around $60 on the aftermarket.

The jump tracks with how the issue itself landed. Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta closed out this chapter of the series with a loaded final page — Selina Kyle's pregnancy reveal landing right behind the Joker-stand-in Jack Grimm's parting words to Bruce — and collectors chasing a flashy alternate to the standard cover piled onto Mann's take once word got around. Foil manga-style covers have been reliable speculation magnets all year, and a notable issue number only sharpens the appetite.

Whether $60 holds once the initial rush cools is anyone's guess; variant spikes tied to a single hot issue have a habit of settling back down once the next big release steals the spotlight. For now, Cover L is the clearest sign yet of just how much demand built around Absolute Batman #25 before the series heads into its scheduled break.

H/T Bleeding Cool.