Cover: David Finch

Batman #1

Aug 2016 · DC · 2.99 USD

📊 ~280,360 copies sold its debut month

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“I Am Gotham Part One”

About this Issue

Batman (Vol. 3) #1 is the formal opening chapter of Tom King's celebrated multi-year Batman run under DC's 2016 Rebirth initiative, and it delivers the first full appearance of Gotham and Gotham Girl — Hank and Claire Clover — a pair of Superman-powered siblings who would become central to King's entire tenure on the title. The issue reframes one of superhero comics' oldest questions by introducing heroes who idolize Batman but operate with godlike abilities he lacks, immediately generating a tension about what Batman means in a world that might not need him. As the anchor of the 'I Am Gotham' arc, this issue also established King's signature structure — dense, emotionally weighted action compressed into tight panel grids — that critics and readers would associate with his run for years. Together with its companion prologue, Batman: Rebirth #1, it launched a serialized saga that ran over eighty issues and remains among the most discussed Batman runs of the modern era.

writer Tom King · artist David Finch · inker Matt Banning · colorist Jordie Bellaire · letterer John Workman · cover David Finch

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $4

CGC 9.8 · 1850 in census $69

CGC 9.6 · 696 in census $53

CGC 9.4 · 163 in census $43*

CGC 9.2 · 60 in census $39*

CGC 9.0 · 32 in census $37*

CGC 8.5 · 10 in census $30*

Show all 11 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 1 in census $20*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

Tom King took over the Batman monthly from Scott Snyder following DC's line-wide Rebirth relaunch, with the transition managed through a companion one-shot, Batman: Rebirth #1 (published June 1, 2016), co-written by Snyder and King with art by Mikel Janín, which set the stage for Duke Thomas's new non-Robin role under Batman's mentorship. Batman (Vol. 3) #1 itself, published June 15, 2016, was written solely by King with pencils by David Finch, inks by Matt Banning, and colors by Jordie Bellaire; Finch had previously drawn Batman for DC and his return to the character gave the launch visual continuity and commercial weight. King, a former CIA counterterrorism officer whose unconventional career informed his character-driven writing style, used the 'I Am Gotham' arc to introduce Gotham and Gotham Girl as wholly original creations designed from the ground up to interrogate Batman's mythology — siblings who purchased their superpowers at a literal cost to their lifespans.

Trivia · 8 facts

First full appearance of Gotham (Hank Clover) and Gotham Girl (Claire Clover): Batman (Vol. 3) #1, published June 15, 2016, written by Tom King with art by David Finch and colors by Jordie Bellaire.
The issue is Part One of the five-part 'I Am Gotham' arc, the opening story of Tom King's run on the title launched as part of DC Universe Rebirth.
Gotham and Gotham Girl are introduced as siblings who purchased Superman-level metahuman powers through experimental means, with each use of their abilities consuming years of their lifespans.
The companion one-shot Batman: Rebirth #1 (published June 1, 2016, co-written by Scott Snyder and Tom King, art by Mikel Janín) debuted Duke Thomas's Lark training costume and formally established his new role as Batman's apprentice in a capacity distinct from Robin.
Street-level location names in Batman: Rebirth #1 are references to Batman's real-world co-creators: Bill Finger, Bob Kane, and Jerry Robinson.
Both issues were collected in the trade paperback Batman Vol. 1: I Am Gotham and in Batman: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition Book 1 (hardcover); Batman: Rebirth #1 is also reprinted in Batman: Epilogue and Detective Comics: Gordon at War.
Tom King's Batman run subsequently ran over eighty issues (Batman #1–85 under the Rebirth banner) and was later collected in an omnibus edition with a new introduction by King and a wraparound cover by Clay Mann.
A Batman Day Special Edition reprint of Batman (Vol. 3) #1 was produced and distributed through Walmart in multi-pack bundles, broadening the issue's reach to non-direct-market readers.