Cover: Greg Capullo & Danny Miki

Batman #38

Mar 2015 · DC · 3.99 USD

📊 ~110,232 copies sold its debut month

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About this Issue

Batman #38 is the narrative pivot of 'Batman: Endgame,' the arc Scott Snyder described as his definitive, concluding Joker story — the chapter in which the Clown Prince of Crime stops being a colorful antagonist and becomes something genuinely mythic. This issue delivers the first in-story naming and explanation of Dionesium, the regenerative compound at the heart of the Joker's implied immortality, fundamentally reframing the character's relationship with Gotham's entire history. By weaving together threads from Snyder and Capullo's entire New 52 run — 'Court of Owls,' 'Zero Year,' and 'Death of the Family' — the issue functions as a culminating statement on what Batman and the Joker mean to each other at the level of myth rather than mere villainy. The closing image of Batman seeking answers inside the Court of Owls' lair is one of the run's most resonant visual callbacks, cementing Endgame's place as the arc that most self-consciously interrogated the nature of the Batman-Joker relationship.

Contains 2 stories

Endgame Part Four

22 pp · Superhero

Untitled Superhero story

8 pp · Superhero

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

CGC 9.8 · 117 in census $16,792*

CGC 9.6 · 20 in census $9,657*

CGC 9.4 · 4 in census $8,168

CGC 9.2 · 3 in census $6,926*

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $6,197

CGC 8.5 $4,969

Show all 12 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 $3,288

CGC 7.0 $3,212

CGC 6.5 none in existence

CGC 6.0 none in existence

CGC 5.5 $1,607

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

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

More listings for this title

MINT $2.99 NM $3.99 NM+ $3.99 VF $4.2 NM · Variant $4.25 VF $4.98 VF/NM · Variant $4.98 NM $5.99

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 22 total · seen 49 days ago

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History

Batman #38 was published on January 28, 2015, with a cover date of March 2015, as part four of the six-issue 'Endgame' arc running through Batman #35–40 — the fourth major story arc of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's celebrated New 52 run on the title, which launched in September 2011. The issue was edited by Mark Doyle, inked by Danny Miki, colored by FCO Plascencia, and lettered by Steve Wands, with a backup story written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Sam Kieth. A Flash 75th Anniversary retailer variant cover was drawn by Tony S. Daniel, though the DC Database notes a production error: the credit box on that variant mistakenly attributed it to Bob Kane rather than Daniel; the cover itself is a homage to Batman #9, the original of which was drawn by Jack Burnley.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published January 28, 2015 (cover date: March 2015); fourth installment of the six-part 'Batman: Endgame' arc (Batman #35–40), written by Scott Snyder with pencils by Greg Capullo and inks by Danny Miki.
First naming of Dionesium: the issue introduces the term and concept of Dionesium — a naturally occurring regenerative compound linked to the Joker's apparent immortality — delivered through the villain Dr. Paul Dekker (Crazy Quilt), who explains he named it after the Greek god of rebirth, Dionysus.
The immortal-Joker mythology is crystallized here: Dekker reveals that a 'pale man who laughs' discovered Dionesium before Gotham's founding, with corroborating allusions to Vandal Savage and Ra's al Ghul, positioning the Joker as a figure woven through centuries of Gotham's history.
Julia Pennyworth plays a significant operational role, tranquilizing the Joker-toxin-infected Commissioner Gordon and informing Batman that the virus causes fatal cellular rot — establishing a hard plot deadline of under 24 hours for a cure.
Dick Grayson appears in a supporting/remote capacity, with Bruce reaching out to him for investigative assistance — groundwork that pays off dramatically in the arc's concluding issue, Batman #40.
Duke Thomas, already established as a recurring character since Batman #21 (2013), is carried through the infected streets of Gotham by Batman in the issue's opening sequence, and is placed in Julia Pennyworth's care — a moment that feeds directly into his post-Endgame arc as leader of the 'We Are Robin' movement.
The issue closes with Batman entering the Court of Owls' lair seeking information about the Joker's supposed immortality — a callback to Snyder and Capullo's very first New 52 arc, tying the entire run together thematically.
The backup story, written by James Tynion IV with art by Sam Kieth, follows an Arkham escapee named Cassidy recounting a past encounter with the Joker; this story was later reprinted in the Sam Kieth Gallery Edition hardcover. Both the main story and the backup were collected in Batman Vol. 7: Endgame and The Joker: Endgame. Variant editions include a 1:25 Andy Kubert variant, a Flash 75th Anniversary variant by Tony S. Daniel, a Calaveritas Mexican variant, and a combo pack edition.