Batman has collided with one of the crucial epically chaotic anime and manga sequence, stunning followers with a shock crossover. Whereas a visible masterpiece, it’s additionally the newest instance of DC quietly increasing its lineup with anime-inspired collaborations.
In the event you haven’t been studying Scott Snyder’s Absolute Batman sequence, it’s best to critically contemplate transferring it to the highest of your TBR checklist. This sequence may even flip a Darkish Knight skeptic right into a fan.
With 16 points already launched and Absolute Batman #17 set for February 18, 2026, it’s the variant cowl for #18 by Clay Mann that’s certain to catch anime followers’ consideration, as it’s an unmistakable homage to the quilt of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man Vol. 1 TP.
What Is Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man?
Chainsaw Man Wants To Be Your Subsequent Anime Binge
Chainsaw Man follows the story of Denji, a broke, lonely teenager drowning in debt left behind by his deceased father. To outlive, he works as a satan hunter alongside his pet satan, Pochita, a chainsaw-headed creature. When Denji is brutally killed, Pochita merges with him, resurrecting Denji as a human-devil hybrid generally known as Chainsaw Man, able to reworking his limbs into chainsaws.
Created by Tatsuki Fujimoto, Chainsaw Man debuted in Weekly Shōnen Bounce in 2018, instantly standing out from conventional shōnen sequence because of its darkish humor and emotionally uncooked storytelling. 4 years later, in 2022, it was tailored into anime by MAPPA and is now out there to stream on Crunchyroll.
Absolute Batman Pays Epic Homage to Chainsaw Man
Variant Cowl by Clay Mann for Absolute Batman #17 (2026)
Clay Mann’s Absolute Batman #18 variant cowl depicts the Darkish Knight wielding large chainsaw fingers, reducing by what look like armored police or troopers, with Poison Ivy looming ominously within the background. The lads Batman is slicing by are possible the officers that Poison Ivy remodeled into violent plant-zombies in situation #17.
Whereas the quilt is strikingly unique, the homage to Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man cowl is unmistakable, and never simply due to Batman’s chainsaw arms. Just like the manga cowl, the Absolute Batman variant encompasses a vivid orange background with neon-green “blood splatter,” creating a visible callback followers will instantly acknowledge.
This crossover is an exhilarating conflict of genres and mental properties, giving followers an sudden fusion of DC’s Darkish Knight and one in every of anime’s most recognizable characters. But this quietly executed anime-inspired tribute is much from DC’s first, suggesting a possible new pattern in how the writer approaches its characters.
Batman Goes Anime: All of the Crossovers You’ve Been Lacking
Absolute Batman Desperately Wants an Anime Adaptation
Anime followers who observe DC’s Batman releases can even have acknowledged different manga-inspired tributes during the last yr, together with Dan Mora’s variant cowl for Batman #1 (2025), which nods to Takeru Hokazono’s Kagurabachi (2024), and a third-printing cowl for Absolute Batman #1 by Javier Fernández that pays homage to the long-lasting anime sci-fi movie Akira (1988).
These tributes spotlight not solely the cultural consciousness and flexibility of the artists engaged on these titles but in addition level to an thrilling artistic course for DC. It reveals that the writer is more and more recognizing the potential of the anime medium for its characters.
DC has already experimented with anime-style storytelling by tasks like Batman Ninja (2018) and Batman Ninja vs. Yakuza League (2025), proving the Darkish Knight works within the medium. Now, with these anime-inspired variant covers for Absolute Batman, the variation potential is obvious, making a full anime sequence primarily based on Absolute Batman a transfer the writer ought to strongly contemplate.
Absolute Batman #18 from DC Comics is offered to learn on March 11, 2026!
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