Cover: Kelley Jones

Batman #497

Jul 1993 · DC · 1.25 USD; 1.60 CAD; 0.70 GBP

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“The Broken Bat [Knightfall 11]”

★ Key event — Bane breaks Batman's back — Knightfall

About this Issue

Batman #497 contains one of the most consequential single moments in the Dark Knight's 80-plus-year history: Bane shatters Bruce Wayne's spine over his knee in the Batcave, ending the 'Knightfall' first act and forcing Batman's first-ever extended replacement by another character. The image of Bane holding a broken Batman overhead — rendered by Kelley Jones on the cover — became one of the most referenced and parodied visuals in DC Comics history, reproduced in countless homage covers and media appearances. The issue's editorial intent, as later articulated by group editor Denny O'Neil, was a deliberate response to the then-fashionable 'ruthless hero' trend: by defeating Bruce Wayne completely, the creative team set out to demonstrate why the traditional, morally grounded Batman was ultimately the superior model. The Knightfall arc it anchors was also the first time multiple Batman titles had shared a single sustained narrative since the Crisis on Infinite Earths era, reshaping how DC coordinated its Batman line for years afterward.

writer Doug Moench · artist Jim Aparo · inker Dick Giordano · colorist Adrienne Roy · letterer Richard Starkings · cover Kelley Jones

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $10

CGC 9.8 · 4033 in census $70*

CGC 9.6 · 1329 in census $48

CGC 9.4 · 585 in census $37

CGC 9.2 · 270 in census $37

CGC 9.0 · 178 in census $28

CGC 8.5 · 98 in census $25*

Show all 14 grades ▾

CGC 8.0 · 70 in census $25*

CGC 7.5 · 35 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 17 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 13 in census $20*

CGC 6.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 5.5 · 9 in census $20*

CGC 5.0 · 2 in census $20*

CGC 4.5 · 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

More listings for this title

Newsstand $4.99 NM $4.99 FINE $5 2nd print $5.99 VF $7 VF $7.5 NM $7.95 NM · Direct $7.95

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 75 total · seen 28 days ago

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History

Batman #497 was written by Doug Moench, penciled by veteran Batman artist Jim Aparo, inked by Dick Giordano, and covered by Kelley Jones, under the editorial direction of Denny O'Neil, who served as group editor of the entire Batman family of titles. The Knightfall storyline itself had been in development for roughly three years before publication — O'Neil later stated in the novelization's introduction that it was conceived independently of 'The Death of Superman,' which was being planned simultaneously by a different creative team with neither group aware of the other's work. The issue's story, titled 'The Broken Bat,' was chapter eleven of a nineteen-part crossover, and DC underscored the moment's significance by shipping the direct-market edition with a card-stock half-cover overlay proclaiming 'The Breaking of the Batman,' while the newsstand edition carried only the standard Jones cover without the overlay.

Trivia · 8 facts

Story title: 'The Broken Bat'; this is Chapter 11 of the 19-part 'Knightfall' crossover, running across Batman #492–500 and Detective Comics #659–666.
Key event: Bane — having already deduced that Bruce Wayne is Batman — confronts an exhausted Batman in the Batcave, lifts him overhead, and drives him down across his knee, shattering his spine.
Creative team: Written by Doug Moench; pencils by Jim Aparo; inks by Dick Giordano; cover art by Kelley Jones; colors by Adrienne Roy; letters by Richard Starkings; edited by Denny O'Neil and Jordan Gorfinkel.
Cover date July 1993; published on May 27, 1993 per DC Database records; 36 pages, full color.
Two first-print editions exist: the direct-market 'Collector's Edition' shipped with a black card-stock partial-cover overlay, while the newsstand edition did not; subsequent printings varied the bat-symbol color between white, yellow, and red in the title block.
A limited Catch A Star Collectibles signed edition was produced, numbered to 9,000 copies and signed by all four key contributors: Kelley Jones, Dick Giordano, Doug Moench, and Jim Aparo.
The issue has been reprinted multiple times, including in Batman: Knightfall Part One — Broken Bat (1993 TPB), Batman: Knightfall Vol. 1 (2012 reprint timed to The Dark Knight Rises), Batman: A Celebration of 75 Years, and as a standalone DC Dollar Comics reprint in December 2019.
The Knightfall storyline — with this issue at its dramatic center — served as a primary source for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and was separately adapted as a BBC Radio 1 full-cast audio drama in 1994.