The comic book world is wrapping up the year with the same kind of cliffhanger energy you’d expect from a big event crossover, and Marvel and DC are taking very different approaches to the final pages of 2025.

Retailers are buzzing about Marvel’s plan to essentially own New Year’s Eve, shipping a hefty slate of titles on December 31 while several competitors sit the week out. Marvel is rolling out launches like Ultimate Endgame 1 and Sorcerer Supreme 1 alongside event-adjacent titles such as X-Men: Age of Revelation Finale 1, plus blood-soaked entries like Punisher: Red Band and Marvel Zombies: Red Band and the wonderfully pulpy Predator Kills the Marvel Universe. Even the Star Wars corner gets in on the action with Boba Fett – Black, White and Red, giving fans one last hit of galactic grit before the calendar flips.

In sharp contrast, DC is choosing a rare quiet week, shipping no new comics in that final New Year’s window. That decision has instantly turned into a talking point on podcasts and YouTube shows, as commentators speculate whether DC is conserving energy for its next phase or simply avoiding the shipping chaos of the holidays. Other publishers like IDW, Valiant, Vault, and Titan are also stepping back that week, which only amplifies Marvel’s “last word of the year” strategy.

Before that pause hits, DC is still in the spotlight thanks to its Absolute and DC KO initiatives. Absolute Flash 10 has critics noting that the speedster epic has “gotten back on track,” praising its blend of big mythology and character drama while admitting the line’s pacing has been uneven. Over in the DC KO arena, matchups like Zatanna vs Harley Quinn are sparking heated debates. Some readers are feeling event fatigue and questioning whether the magical showdowns and tournament-style fights truly deliver on their wild premises, even as the prospect of future bouts such as Superman versus Homelander keeps speculation high.

At the same time, the upcoming DC Next Level line is turning heads, with a trio of antiheroes and dark icons leading the conversation: Lobo, Batwoman, and Deathstroke. Early buzz around March’s Next Level books has collectors watching closely, and Lobo in particular is having a moment, popping up on “hottest comics of the week” lists right alongside Absolute Batman and Supergirl. The sense is that DC is quietly loading the chambers for a big 2026, even if it’s letting Marvel take the last public victory lap of the year.

Marvel, meanwhile, is not content with just flooding shelves. Its newly announced Comics Giveaway Day lineup is teasing readers with glimpses of what comes next, functioning as both a sampler and a recruitment tool for lapsed or curious fans. Combined with the regular flow of series like Black Panther: Intergalactic and Planet She-Hulk, Marvel is pushing hard to keep its universe feeling expansive, from Wakanda in space to Jen Walters trying to do on Sakaar what her cousin Bruce once did there: smash a war-torn world into some kind of uneasy peace.

Around all this, the weekly ecosystem of reviews, retailer shows, and chart-watchers is giving fans a running commentary track. New comic day livestreams are zeroing in on the same hot buttons readers are talking about in shops: is Cyborg versus Swamp Thing in Titans as wild as it sounds, can Nightwing still surprise us in his 130s, and which variant covers tied to Lobo or Batman are worth grabbing before they spike? CovrPrice’s charts recently showed DC going ten for ten in its top lists, a reminder that while Marvel may dominate the final shipping week, DC’s key issues are still commanding serious attention in the aftermarket.

Taken together, the past few days of comic book news feel like a carefully staged penultimate issue. Marvel is racing toward an explosive year-end finale, firing off new number ones and grisly side-books, while DC steps back, sharpens its knives with Absolute...