Your weekend reading and collecting guide from Superhero Empire for the week ending July 25–26, 2026.
This week's biggest stories
ROM Special #1 is open to order. Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici. The Spaceknight's first Energon Universe appearance — previously a blind bag exclusive in M.A.S.K. #1 — is now available as a standard comic on August 26. FOC is tonight at 10:00 pm ET. Pre-order all six covers at superheroempire.com. Source: Skybound / Image Comics official (July 21 2026), Comics Beat.
Batman animated update: Four concurrent Batman animated projects — Caped Crusader S2 (premieres July 31), Absolute Batman (adult animated, Snyder as showrunner), Joker: Laugh Riot (DC's first anime, produced in Japan), and Batman: Knightfall (world premiered Annecy June 25) — represent the most ambitious Batman animation slate since the 1990s DCAU. Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline (June 25 2026).
NCBD Wednesday July 29 preview
Eleven KCC-flagged key issues this Wednesday — one of the strongest NCBD weeks of the summer. Queen in Black #1 (Al Ewing, KCC key, 23 variants) leads. Also: Superman Annual: Year One Thousand #1, Predator vs Planet of the Apes #1, DC's Hawk-Girl Summer #1, Bishop #2, Mortal Thor #13, and five more KCC keys. Source: Key Collector Comics (July 29 2026).
Opening Thursday July 31
Spider-Man: Brand New Day opens July 31. Tom Holland, Zendaya, Destin Daniel Cretton. The Avengers: Doomsday trailer will be attached to every screening. Source: Sony Pictures official.
Batman: Caped Crusader Season 2 premieres July 31 on Amazon Prime Video. Source: Amazon Prime Video official.
FOC closes tonight
Final Order Cutoff closes tonight Monday July 27 at 10:00 pm ET — ROM Special #1, M.A.S.K. Origins #1, and G.I. Joe / Tomb Raider #1 (October 7) all on FOC. Source: Skybound official.
Card pre-orders open
Pokémon TCG Stellar Crown, One Piece OP-10: Royal Blood, and MTG Final Fantasy available for pre-order at superheroempire.com. Source: Pokémon TCG official, Bandai One Piece Card Game official, Wizards of the Coast official.
Sources: Skybound / Image Comics official (July 21 2026) · Comics Beat (July 21 2026) · The Hollywood Reporter (June 25 2026) · Deadline (June 25 2026) · Key Collector Comics (July 29 2026) · Sony Pictures official · Amazon Prime Video official · Pokémon TCG official · Bandai One Piece Card Game official · Wizards of the Coast official