Dc Comics Keeps Three May 13 Releases On Sale After Defects

dc comics told retailers to keep three May 13 books on sale after flagging manufacturing defects in Absolute Batman #20, Absolute Martian Manhunter #11, and Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1. The notice pushed a rare same-day response across three titles instead of a delay for corrected copies.

Absolute Batman #20

DC sent the retailer-wide notice after it became aware of the defects, then urged stores to sell the books on Wednesday, May 13 to avoid delays for fans. For retailers, that means the release stays in motion even as DC reviews what went wrong with the print run.

The three affected titles sit in the same Wednesday window, which makes the issue more than a single-book hiccup. Absolute Batman #20, Absolute Martian Manhunter #11, and Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 all carried the same instruction: move them to shelves instead of holding them back.

Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1

DC said it is investigating the defects and putting together plans for amelioration. That leaves retailers selling copies before the full fix is in hand, a practical tradeoff that favors on-sale dates over a temporary pullback.

In some cases, DC has asked retailers not to sell comics and to wait for corrected reprints, but this situation ran the other way. The company chose continuity for these three releases, which signals how strongly it wanted to avoid fan-facing delays on a Wednesday launch.

Early Next Week

DC said it would provide a follow-up update early next week. Until then, the three titles remain the clearest test of how the company handles print defects when the books are already scheduled for release and retailers have product in hand.