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Things are looking good for DC’s upcoming publishing initiative, according to one of its architects. Scott Snyder, who’s co-writing the upcoming DC All-In Special #1 — out in October — and its subsequent spin-off Absolute Batman, has revealed that demand for All-In hasn’t just met expectations, but gone way beyond what was anticipated at the company.

“Thank you for ordering so big on DC All-In Special #1,” Snyder wrote in the most recent edition of his Substack newsletter, Best Jackett Press. “DC had a number in mind and the orders well exceeded them. So the fact that you guys are enthusiastic about this whole initiative, that you're ordering high, that you're going to go to stores, that it's exciting to you is just so thrilling to all of us. We really hope you love it, we've put everything we have into the initiative as a whole and I hope you'll order high on all of the great DC books coming out from the continuing series, the new series, the Absolute line, the main line, all of it.”

In a previous installment of the newsletter, Snyder had explained that the issue “launches everything in the fall. It spins out of Absolute Power [and] explains how the Absolute universe is formed, it explains how Darkseid is going to be a threat over the next few years, it explains the [heroes’] mission,” and added, “with a book in high demand like this, DC considers a sell-out very likely.”

DC All-In Special #1 is, as Snyder suggests, a key issue for DC — in addition to introducing the Absolute Universe, it also sets up storylines and the larger status quo for the mainline DCU over the next two years, including all-new series such as Justice League Unlimited by Mark Waid and Dan Mora. (Explicitly, Snyder has revealed, the part of the issue written by Joshua Williamson will show “Superman’s point of view as he’s setting up the Justice League for the first time in this huge, robust way as Justice League Unlimited, where every hero in the entire DCU will have access with a personalized Justice League card.”)

That retailer orders for the issue have outperformed DC’s expectations is a sign of the excitement surrounding the All-In initiative as a whole — and perhaps a sign that DC has gotten people more excited than they’ve been in years about the DCU in all its forms.

DC All-In Special #1 will be released October 1, with art from Wes Craig and Daniel Sampere.

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