Batman #669

Nov 2007 · DC · 2.99 USD; 3.65 CAD

📊 ~73,448 copies sold its debut month

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“The Dark Knight Must Die!”

★ 1st appearance — El Sombrero

About this Issue

Batman #669 closes the three-part 'Club of Heroes' arc that served as Grant Morrison's formal introduction of the Black Glove organization — the shadowy antagonist at the center of his entire Batman saga leading into 'Batman R.I.P.' By resurrecting the Silver Age Batmen of All Nations (first seen in Detective Comics #215, 1955) and giving each character a credible modern fate, Morrison and J.H. Williams III transformed forgotten footnotes into viable players, several of whom anchored the later Batman Incorporated concept. The issue also delivers the unmasking of El Sombrero as John Mayhew, the arc's central mystery, and contains the first in-story mention of King Kraken — small pieces of a villainous ecosystem that Morrison would deploy across his entire run. Williams's formally inventive pages, which shift between painted illustration and deliberate homages to 1950s four-color printing, made the arc a benchmark for how art direction can carry narrative weight equal to the script.

In the climactic chapter of the "Black Glove" arc, Batman returns to the Club of Heroes, only to find the reunion has turned deadly—Robin and the Squire are taken, and the shadowy presence of the Club of Villains looms as the line between hero and villain blurs. Written by Grant Morrison and brought to life with stunning detail by J. H. Williams III, whose dynamic art and inks define the issue’s haunting atmosphere, this 2.99 USD (3.65 CAD) 2007 standout delivers a pulse-pounding finale where loyalty is tested and the cost of justice is measured in blood. The cover by J. H. Williams III captures the moment’s dread with striking precision.

writer Grant Morrison · artist, inker J. H. Williams III · colorist Dave Stewart · letterer Rob Leigh · cover J. H. Williams III

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $3

CGC 9.8 · 5 in census $41

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 9.4 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 none in existence

CGC 9.0 none in existence

CGC 8.5 none in existence

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CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 none in existence

CGC 7.0 · 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

More listings for this title

FN $1.98 VF $1.99 NM $2.24 Direct $2.95 VERY FINE $2.99 VF/NM $3 NM- · Direct $3.99 MINT $3.99

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History

The 'Club of Heroes' arc was Morrison's second major storyline in a Batman run that began in 2006 with 'Batman and Son,' positioned explicitly as a bridge between that opening chapter and the climactic 'Batman R.I.P.' Morrison drew consciously on the Silver Age Black Casebook material — particularly World's Finest Comics #89 (1957), in which philanthropist John Mayhew sponsored the international team — treating those stories as literal in-continuity history rather than discarded relics. Williams III, who served as sole penciler, inker, and colorist on all three issues, brought an architectural approach to page design that reviewers consistently distinguished from the work of Morrison's other Batman collaborators. Editors Mike Marts and Jeanine Schaefer shepherded the arc under executive editor Dan DiDio.

Trivia · 9 facts

Written by Grant Morrison; art, inks, and colors by J.H. Williams III; letters by Rob Leigh. On sale September 26, 2007; cover date October/November 2007.
Concludes the three-part 'Club of Heroes' story arc spanning Batman #667–669, which forms the opening chapters of the broader 'Black Glove' storyline — Morrison's second major arc, positioned between 'Batman and Son' and 'Batman R.I.P.'
Batman #667–669 as a unit marks the first appearance of El Sombrero and the first mention of the Black Glove organization in the DC Universe; Batman #669 specifically contains the first mention of King Kraken (per the Grand Comics Database).
The arc revives the Batmen of All Nations / International Club of Heroes, a team created by Edmond Hamilton and Sheldon Moldoff that originally debuted in Detective Comics #215 (1955) and had gone largely unused for decades.
Major story developments in this issue: Wingman is revealed as a traitor working for the Black Glove, the Dark Ranger is revealed to have been murdered and replaced by Wingman in disguise, and John Mayhew is unmasked as El Sombrero before being killed by the Black Glove.
Morrison's explicit creative goal was to update the Silver Age international heroes as credible, contemporary characters — an approach that directly seeded Batman Incorporated, where several Club of Heroes members (El Gaucho, Knight, Man-of-Bats) became key figures.
The Club of Villains introduced across the arc — including Pierrot Lunaire, Charlie Caligula, El Sombrero, King Kraken, and Scorpiana — went on to serve as primary antagonists in 'Batman R.I.P.' (Batman #676–681).
The issue has been reprinted in Batman: The Black Glove (2008 HC/TPB), Batman and Son: New Edition (2014 TPB), Tales of the Batman: J.H. Williams III HC (2014), the Batman by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 (2018), and Absolute Batman and Son (2024).
The Batmen of All Nations concept adapted from this arc appeared in Batman: The Brave and the Bold animated series, where the team battled 'Jokers of All Nations'; the Club of Villains also made a non-speaking animated appearance in the episode 'The Knights of Tomorrow!'