Cover: Todd McFarlane

Batman #423

Sep 1988 · DC · 0.75 USD; 1.00 CAD; 0.40 GBP

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“You Shoulda Seen Him...”

About this Issue

Batman #423 occupies a distinctive place in the Copper Age Batman canon not because of a villain showdown or a continuity-shaking event, but for the opposite reason: its quiet confidence in character. Writer Jim Starlin's vignette-driven story — told entirely through the eyes of three Gotham City police officers swapping diner stories — presents Batman as a multifaceted figure seen from street level, equally capable of terrifying violence and hidden tenderness, including a concealed tear while consoling orphaned children. The issue sits just three numbers ahead of 'A Death in the Family' (Batman #426–429), making it the calm before one of DC's most convulsive story arcs, and it implicitly deepens the emotional stakes of Bruce Wayne's connection to orphaned children that would soon be severed so brutally. The cover, produced by Todd McFarlane, became one of the most enduring single-image representations of the Dark Knight in the Copper Age, celebrated enough that DC has returned to it for multiple special-edition reprints decades later.

writer Jim Starlin · artist Dave Cockrum · inker Mike DeCarlo · colorist Adrienne Roy · letterer John Costanza · cover Todd McFarlane

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (VF) $156

CGC 9.8 · 500 in census $2,015

CGC 9.6 · 1203 in census $580

CGC 9.4 · 1224 in census $297

CGC 9.2 · 894 in census $297

CGC 9.0 · 752 in census $250

CGC 8.5 · 708 in census $240

Show all 19 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 478 in census $164

CGC 7.5 · 307 in census $164*

CGC 7.0 · 227 in census $164

CGC 6.5 · 123 in census $164*

CGC 6.0 · 92 in census $161

CGC 5.5 · 59 in census $147*

CGC 5.0 · 37 in census $118

CGC 4.5 · 18 in census $111*

CGC 4.0 · 14 in census $93*

CGC 3.5 · 8 in census $78*

CGC 3.0 · 6 in census $56*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $45*

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $36*

* 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

Foil $45 Foil $45 Foil $53.5 NM+ · Foil $59.24 NM · Variant $64.99 NM · 3rd print $79.99 3rd print $80 3rd print $90

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 78 total · seen 28 days ago

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History

Batman #423 arrived in September 1988 during a creatively turbulent period for the Batman line, with editor Denny O'Neil overseeing a run that was quietly building toward the landmark 'A Death in the Family' storyline. Jim Starlin had recently joined DC after a celebrated Marvel career and was simultaneously writing Batman: The Cult (August–November 1988); his work on the main Batman title during this period was characterized by darker psychological undercurrents and a growing ambivalence toward the Jason Todd Robin, which O'Neil's editorial office was actively working to resolve. For this particular issue, Starlin was paired with penciler Dave Cockrum — a pairing that attracted mixed contemporary reviews, with some critics praising the warmth of the storytelling and others finding Cockrum's style a mismatch for Batman — while the cover was handed to a then-rising Todd McFarlane, whose dynamic Batman image became far better remembered than the interior art it wrapped.

Trivia · 7 facts

Story title: 'You Shoulda Seen Him...' — a 22-page standalone tale written by Jim Starlin, penciled by Dave Cockrum, inked by Mike DeCarlo, colored by Adrienne Roy, lettered by John Costanza, and edited by Denny O'Neil.
Cover art by Todd McFarlane (interior story art is entirely by Cockrum/DeCarlo — McFarlane contributed only the cover).
The story is a triptych of vignettes narrated by three GCPD officers: one recounting Batman saving a suicidal heroin addict from a bridge jump, another recounting him dismantling a deli hostage situation with ferocious intimidation, and a third — the most emotionally resonant — recounting him comforting two homeless orphan siblings (Hank and Jenny Watkins) and quietly arranging for Bruce Wayne to house them at Wayne Manor.
No first appearances of major characters; the issue's significance is structural and thematic — a character-study interlude positioned immediately before the 'Diplomat's Son' arc (Batman #424–425) and three issues before 'A Death in the Family' (Batman #426–429).
The first printing exists in both direct-edition and newsstand formats; a second printing is identifiable by 'DC Comics Aren't Just For Kids' printed in the UPC box, and a third printing also exists, distinguishable by its interior copyright information — both printings were produced in 1989 and distributed in multipacks.
The interior story has been reprinted in Batman: The Caped Crusader Vol. 1 and DC Finest: Batman: A Death in the Family; the cover image was reprinted in Batman Gallery #1.
Decades after original publication, DC and Spectral Comics produced multiple special-edition reprints of this issue using McFarlane's cover art, including Fan Expo 2022 exclusive virgin, foil, gold foil, and silver foil variants, and Spectral Comics exclusive virgin and black-and-white sketch editions.