Blind bags, footage from Meta glasses and shouts of “new comic book day” took social media by storm in 2025 as comic book fans from around the world came together to nerd out. 

Boosted by a successful summer, which saw the return of  Superman and the Fantastic Four to the big screen, the comic book community grew and continues to do so. 

Storylines from the biggest publishers in DC Comics and Marvel led the way as fans consumed any and everything they put out. The success of DC’s “Absolute Universe” along with Marvel’s “Ultimate Universe,” which has been running since 2023, continues to do well in local comic shops everywhere. 

The big two weren’t alone in releasing heat week after week, as other publishers like Image Comics gave stories outside of superheroes. 

As we head further into the new year, let’s take a look back at what drew people into comic shops and what kept them coming back every Wednesday on New Comic Book Day.

DC is Absolute-ly carrying

DC Comics continued to push the “Absolute Universe,” adding multiple new stories to fanfavorite characters. While Absolute titles like Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman carried over their titles from 2024, 2025 brought The Flash, Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter in new forms. 

From The Flash working alongside The Rogues to Hal Jordan being a mirror of his normal self, the Absolute titles offered a refreshing take on these characters. 

To end the year, DC Comics showcased the first meeting between two Absolute heroes in “Absolute Wonder Woman #15.” 

In the middle of the year, comic book fans enjoyed a “Summer of Superman,” which coincided with the release of, DC Studios’ co-CEO, James Gunn’s “Superman.” 

Releases of issues from “Action Comics,” “Superman,” “Superman Unlimited,” by Finnley Pendergast Sports Editor “Supergirl” and the five-issue mini-series “Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton” all helped bring interest to Gunn’s interpretation of the Man of Steel. Certain issues from DC Comics even had “Superman Movie” inspired variant covers for books published between May and July.

One of the most anticipated releases of the year came in September with Matt Fraction’s interpretation of Batman. With the release came the craze of blind bags as fans searched for the variant covers they wanted. 

Outside of the “Absolute Universe,” DC gained traction with their latest event, “DC K.O.” Released in October 2025, “DC K.O.” Released in October 2025, “DC K.O.” Released in October 2025, “DC K.O.” is a five-issue bracket-style comic book event that pits both heroes and villains together. Aside from the main title, there are “DC K.O.” tie-ins among running titles like “Titans,” “Superman,” “The Flash” and others.

Marvel had an Ultimate year

Marvel continued the success of the “Ultimate Universe” from the year prior, also adding more stories to the new universe from the year prior, also adding more stories to the new universe.

“Ultimate Spider-Man” has been one of Marvel’s biggest sellers as Peter Parker navigates being a superhero, father and husband. 

“Ultimate X-Men,” “Ultimate Black Panther” and “The Ultimates” continued their storylines that started in 2024. 

“Ultimate Wolverine” was released in January 2025, offering a twist to Logan’s story, as writer Chris Condon shows him as the Winter Soldier in the Ultimate Universe. Marvel’s big event for the year, “Ultimate Endgame,” was released in December 2025 and will run until April of this year. 

Similar to “DC K.O.,” “Ultimate Endgame” will span over multiple Ultimate titles, ending with “Ultimate Endgame #5” in April. 

In 2025, Marvel and DC Comics came together for their first crossover since 2004, with a Deadpool and Batman collaboration. 

In September, Marvel released its crossover anthology one-shot issue titled “Deadpool/ Batman.” In November, DC Comics released its crossover titled “Batman/Deadpool.” Both publishers gave fans well over 20 variant covers to choose from.

Smaller publishers remain in the mix

While it’s hard to compete with the big two, publishers like Image Comics released multiple popular titles. Writer Robert Kirkman took over the writing for Image Comics’ “Transformers” in October, following the end of Daniel Warren Johnson’s 24-issue run. Earlier in the year, Kirkman released “Invincible Universe: Battle Beast” in May. Image Comics also released other popular titles like “Bug Wars,” “Skinbreaker” and “Geiger.” 

IDW Publishing’s release of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” also gained traction.

Social media’s impact

There is something new that happens every week, which can make it hard for people to keep up. 

This is where social media played a pivotal role in keeping people up to date, but also in keeping people connected. 

Comic book fans around the world are now becoming content creators, simply vlogging their experiences on Wednesdays or showing off pieces of their collection on Mondays, which is now considered My Comic Collection Day. 

The importance that TikTok and Instagram have on the comic book community cannot be understated. 

Whether a fan is looking at what their local comic shop is posting or what their favorite creator got in their pull list that week, fans are able to stay connected. 

The videos are as simple as someone sitting in their bedroom holding up their pulls to edited footage taken on Meta glasses from their trip to a comic shop. 

The variant cover and blind bag takeover

In 2025, there were multiple events that drew fans. With these different events came a craze for the different artwork on variant covers and the gamble people would take on blind bags.

Blind bags are sealed bags with a comic book inside. The bag isn’t see-through, so fans do not know what they are buying. The content within the book is the same for all, while the covers are different depending on which variant they get. 

For the release of Matt Fraction’s “Batman” or the recent “Ultimate Endgame” title, there were blind bags available for fans to buy. 

Fans went all in on these opportunities to pull the rare edition or simply collect all of the variants. 

For other events, and simply a majority of ongoing single issues, there aren’t blind bags but rather many variant editions, either paying homage to previous issues or simply depicting something new. The “Batman/Deadpool” release gave fans many different options, for example. 

Fans have gone all in on collecting the many different variants to add to their collection. 

2025 brought in many new fans to the comic book community, and it looks like 2026 may very well do the same. 

DC Comics looks to continue the “Absolute Universe” while not forgetting titles of characters from their “normal” universe, like “Detective Comics” or “Green Lantern.” 

Marvel will follow suit, although one of their most popular storylines is nearing an end. The “Ultimate Universe” is set to conclude in April, launching Marvel into a new event. 

Other publishers like Image Comics or IDW will continue their successful runs like “The Walking Dead” or “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” 

With so many titles, now may be the best time ever for newcomers to jump in.