Batman #676

Jun 2008 · DC · 2.99 USD; 2.99 CAD

📊 ~105,008 copies sold its debut month

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“Batman R.I.P.: Midnight in the House of Hurt”

★ 1st appearance — Scorpiana

About this Issue

Batman #676 is the opening chapter of 'Batman R.I.P.,' the story Grant Morrison had conceived as the destination of his entire run on the title since first coming aboard — making it the payoff to roughly two years of carefully seeded clues, Silver Age callbacks, and layered mythology. The issue marks the first full, in-the-flesh appearance of the Club of Villains as an assembled group, a team of international super-criminals designed as dark-mirror counterparts to the Club of Heroes Morrison had introduced in earlier issues, and formally launches Dr. Simon Hurt's all-out assault on Bruce Wayne's body and mind. Narratively, it set the stage for Bruce Wayne losing the Batman identity entirely — a development that would ripple outward into Final Crisis, the 'Battle for the Cowl' event, and the launch of Batman & Robin, reshaping the Bat-titles for years. The arc's central conceit — that Batman had secretly engineered a psychological 'backup personality' as a failsafe against mental collapse — became one of Morrison's most discussed contributions to the character's mythos.

In "Batman R.I.P.: Midnight in the House of Hurt," Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel deliver a gripping chapter where the Black Glove’s presence looms large, and Batman and Robin test the new Batmobile amid rising tension. With Alex Ross’s striking cover capturing the weight of the moment, this issue deepens the mystery of the ongoing crisis, setting the stage for a story that redefines the Dark Knight’s legacy.

writer Grant Morrison · artist Tony Daniel · inker Sandu Florea · colorist Guy Major · letterer Randy Gentile · cover Alex Ross

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (NM) $6

CGC 9.8 · 135 in census $38

CGC 9.6 · 46 in census $21*

CGC 9.4 · 11 in census $20*

CGC 9.2 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 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

NM $2.99 VF $3.54 VF/NM · Variant · 2nd print $3.99 VERY FINE $3.99 VF+ $4 MINT $4.99 VF/NM $5 NM- $5.99

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History

Morrison has stated in interviews that 'Batman R.I.P.' was literally the first story title he wrote down when editor Peter Tomasi approached him to take over the Batman ongoing series, meaning every preceding arc — 'Batman and Son,' 'The Black Glove,' and the 'Three Ghosts of Batman' — was constructed to feed directly into this issue as a grand culmination. Artist Tony S. Daniel, who had been Morrison's primary penciler for much of the run, drew the interiors, with Sandu Florea on inks and Guy Major on colors; covers across the arc were painted by Alex Ross. Group editor Mike Marts has confirmed in retrospective interviews that the 'death' of Bruce Wayne had been baked into Morrison's plan from the very beginning of the run, and that it was deliberately coordinated to dovetail with Morrison's concurrent work on Final Crisis.

Trivia · 10 facts

Batman #676 (cover date June 2008) is the first installment of the 'Batman R.I.P.' story arc, published across Batman #676–681.
Written by Grant Morrison, with interior pencils by Tony S. Daniel, inks by Sandu Florea, colors by Guy Major, and cover painting by Alex Ross.
The issue's chapter title is 'Midnight in the House of Hurt.'
First full team appearance of the Club of Villains — including El Sombrero, King Kraken, Charlie Caligula, Scorpiana, Pierrot Lunaire (Murder Mime), Swagman, and Le Bossu — who debut here as assembled antagonists.
Le Bossu and Honor Jackson also make their first individual appearances in this issue.
The issue marks the first action appearance of Morrison's redesigned Batmobile.
The cryptic phrase 'Zur-En-Arrh' — a Silver Age reference that becomes the hypnotic trigger Dr. Hurt implanted in Batman's mind — appears in the 'Next issue' section, previewing the arc's central psychological horror.
The issue was reprinted in the Batman R.I.P. trade paperback collection, the Batman R.I.P. Unwrapped edition (in uncolored pencil art), and is collected in the 2026 Absolute Batman: R.I.P. slipcased hardcover (along with Batman #676–683 and #701–702 and DC Universe #0).
DC Universe #0 (2008), a prologue co-written by Morrison and Geoff Johns, was published before this issue and serves as a direct narrative setup for the arc.
Bruce Timm expressed interest in an animated adaptation of 'Batman R.I.P.' at San Diego Comic-Con; elements of the Black Glove organization later appeared in a 'What If' episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.