Photo Credit: DC Comics
The upcoming Absolute Batman #19 is paying tribute to one of the greatest anime of all time, Death Note, in its new variant cover. The new Absolute Batman issue is all set to drop on April 15, 2026, after being delayed by a week. It is written by Scott Snyder, and the artwork is done by Nick Dragotta.

New variant cover for Absolute Batman #19 honors Death Note

A new variant cover of Absolute Batman #19 paying tribute to the popular anime recently dropped online. The cover was designed by artist Clay Mann.

Shared on X (formerly Twitter), Absolute Batman #19’s cover resembles the cover of the Death Note manga’s first volume, titled Boredom. On the upcoming comic’s cover, fans can notice Absolute Joker taking the position of Shinigami Ryuk. It is just like Absolute Scarecrow takes the position of Light Yagami on the manga cover.

Just like Ryuk, the Absolute Joker, who is described as being much more monstrous than the main DCU Joker, can be seen standing on a pile of human skulls. Moreover, he outlives most regular humans.

New Absolute Batman #19 cover pays homage to Death Note pic.twitter.com/rBZpp8gS7A— ScreenTime (@screentime) March 13, 2026

Meanwhile, many fans chimed in the comments section to laud the brilliance of the homage. One user noted, “That Death Note homage on the Absolute Batman #19 cover is spot on, the vibe translates perfectly.”

Another fan demanded a crossover to happen and stated, “I love when artists pay comic artists pay homage to manga and when manga artists pay homage to comics, it’s always great stuff!!! I wish one day we’ll have another manga comic crossover like TMNT & Naruto!!!”

Moreover, one comic book fan asserted that this cover takes the top spot on their list of favorites. They commented, “Oh my god this is so f—— cool. Maybe my favorite manga homage cover.”

On the other hand, a user noted down the similarities between Light Yagami from Death Note and Batman. They wrote, “Light holding the notebook. Batman holding the city. Same energy.”