Anime & Comics Highlights

Welcome to Anime & Comics Highlights! Absolute Batman #19 delivers the Scarecrow debut everyone was waiting for, One Piece drops its new opening theme and episode 1157 sends the Straw Hats into full Elbaph chaos, and Dark Knights of Steel II gets officially announced with a dream team.

Let's get into it…

🔥 THE BIG THREE

1. Absolute Batman #19 Is the Best Issue of the Run

The reviews are in and this week's biggest DC drop delivered. Absolute Batman #19 keeps the pedal down with relentless pacing and big swings, featuring Scarecrow's disturbing debut, shifting alliances, and escalating stakes across Gotham. Nick Dragotta matches Scott Snyder's energy with inventive layouts and striking imagery that carry both tension and spectacle throughout. AIPT Reviewers called it a bold and crowded issue that rarely loses its grip. The Scarecrow in this arc is not using fear toxin as a gimmick. He is a perception manipulation operator working on behalf of the Joker to systematically fracture Gotham's opinion of Batman, and the opening issue of that mission makes clear this arc is going to be the most politically complex storytelling the Absolute Universe has attempted.

Why This Matters: Snyder announced that this arc runs through issue #25, which means we are looking at a 7-issue run with a clearly defined mission and the series' best villain deployment yet. Absolute Batman has been one of the highest-selling books since launch, and entering the defining arc of the run at issue #19 means the creative team is not showing any signs of formula settling in. If you dropped off after the first few issues, now is actually a great jumping-on point because the stakes are explicitly reset.

What's Next: Watch for issue #20 next month as the Scarecrow propaganda campaign against Batman starts gaining traction in Gotham. The public opinion storyline has room to get genuinely uncomfortable in interesting ways.

2. One Piece Drops New Opening and the Elbaph Arc Gets Fully Underway

One Piece officially kicked off the Elbaph Arc proper this week with a new opening theme titled "Luminous" performed by Aina The End and a new ending theme titled "Sono Mirai" performed by 36km/h. ComicBook.com Episode 1157 picks up with the Straw Hats getting completely separated after landing on Elbaph, and the preview promises, "giant monsters come attacking one after another." The premiere turned outward and did what One Piece has always done best: worldbuilding, with major implications for Shanks and the Red Hair Pirates alongside Blackbeard strategically gathering bargaining chips including Garp and Pudding. Anime News Network

Why This Matters: One Piece is transitioning to a leaner seasonal format capped at roughly 26 episodes per year, moving away from its family-friendly Sunday morning slot for the first time in 18 years to air late at night, which bypasses daytime censorship laws and lets Toei faithfully adapt Eiichiro Oda's increasingly dark and mature themes. Outlook Respawn This is not just a scheduling change. It is a creative statement. The show is treating its endgame with the same production philosophy as Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen, and the early episodes prove they have the animation quality to back it up. The new opening alone is a significant upgrade in tone from the Egghead era.

What's Next: The first phase of the Elbaph Arc runs April through June 2026 with the second premiere date to be confirmed AnimeQuiz. Robin's storyline is reportedly getting major focus given her Ohara connections to Elbaph, and the God Valley Incident revelations are expected to land before this cour wraps. If you have been meaning to get back into One Piece, the new seasonal format makes it genuinely accessible again.

3. Dark Knights of Steel II Is Officially Happening With Tom Taylor and Otto Schmidt

DC confirmed Dark Knights of Steel II this week as a twelve-issue run launching July 15, 2026, from writer Tom Taylor with artwork by Otto Schmidt and a main cover by Yasmine Putri. The Fandom Post The premise picks up with a new war rising, a new king emerging, and a traitor hidden in the League's ranks. Taylor described being raised on comic books and fantasy novels and treating this as the project that combines both passions in a way he never expected to get the chance to do.

Why This Matters: Dark Knights of Steel was one of those Elseworlds books that punched way above its weight. Tom Taylor writing a twelve-issue sequel with Otto Schmidt doing the full art means this gets the runway to actually build on what the first series established rather than wrapping up too quickly. Twelve issues is a real commitment from DC to this as an ongoing prestige property rather than a one-and-done event. If you read the first series and loved it, this announcement is exactly what you wanted. If you missed it, the original is worth catching up on before July.

What's Next: DC's summer slate is shaping up to be genuinely stacked. Dark Knights of Steel II in July alongside the continuing Absolute Batman Scarecrow arc and whatever the Q4 Absolute crossover shapes up to be means the second half of 2026 has serious momentum behind it.

📊 AROUND THE WEB

Batwoman #2 Is Holding: Greg Rucka and DaNi's Batwoman delivered its second issue this week alongside Absolute Batman #19. Early word is that the Greg Rucka reunion with the character is delivering the tone fans were hoping for. Two issues in and the retention is there.

DC K.O. All Fight Gets Solicited: DC solicited DC K.O.: All Fight for August 2026, a 248-page softcover at $19.99 collecting work from Joshua Williamson, Scott Snyder, Mark Waid, Joelle Jones, and others with art from Hayden Sherman, Pete Woods, Mirka Andolfo, and more. The Fandom Post This is the most comprehensive K.O. collection yet and a legitimate on-ramp for anyone who wants the full picture of DC's recent event work.

Re:Zero Season 4 Is Living Up to the Hype: Two episodes in and the spring 2026 season's most anticipated returning series is delivering. Subaru's situation is escalating fast and the production quality from WIT is exactly what the fanbase needed after the long wait between seasons.

Dandelion Watch: Netflix dropped the first episodes of the new series from the Gintama creator this week. Early impressions from the anime community are positive, calling it heartfelt and funnier than the premise suggests. Worth checking out episode one before you commit to the full watchlist.

🎯 PICK OF THE WEEK

Absolute Batman #19: This is the issue. If you have been reading Absolute Batman since launch, you know this arc is what Snyder has been building toward. If you dropped it at some point, issue #19 with the Scarecrow mission statement is a legitimate reentry point. Get to your shop or digital platform and read it this weekend! Worth it.

💭 FINAL THOUGHT

DC had a big week, or more accurately, continuing a big year. The Scarecrow arc in Absolute Batman is what the series needed to hit its next gear, or next arc more accurately since the #20 variants have already leaked.

Dark Knights of Steel II giving Tom Taylor twelve issues with Otto Schmidt is one of the best creative team announcements of the year. And Batwoman holding into issue #2 means the Next Level initiative is building on a foundation rather than just launch hype.

On the anime side, One Piece with a new theme and the Straw Hats finally scattered across Elbaph itself is the image of a franchise that found its second wind. The late-night timeslot, the seasonal format, the animation quality upgrade. Toei is treating the endgame of the greatest manga ever made with the respect it deserves.

Question: Are you reading Absolute Batman month to month or waiting for a collected trade? The Scarecrow arc might be the one that changes your answer. Hit reply and let us know how you are following along!

That's all for this week! 💪

Clayton

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