Cover: Tony S. Daniel

Batman #78

Nov 2019 · DC · 3.99 USD

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“City of Bane, Part 4”

About this Issue

Batman #78 (vol. 3, September 11, 2019) marks the first time Bruce Wayne and Selina Kyle share panel space since the ill-fated non-wedding of Batman #50, making it the emotional linchpin of Tom King's entire Rebirth-era run on the title. The issue functions as a two-character chamber piece set at a Hawaiian resort — a deliberate pause inside the 'City of Bane' storyline — where King resolves the emotional damage left by that earlier issue and establishes that Bruce no longer believes he must suffer alone to be Batman. By opening on a recreation of the original Batman/Catwoman boat encounter from Batman #1 (1940), King and artist Clay Mann explicitly frame the story as a meditation on 80-plus years of the Bruce-Selina dynamic, giving the issue a depth that extends well beyond its immediate plot function. The issue sold out on its first day of release and was rushed to a second printing, reflecting how urgently readers responded to its emotional payoff.

writer Tom King · artist, inker Clay Mann · colorist Tomeu Morey · letterer Clayton Cowles · cover Tony S. Daniel

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

CGC 9.8 · 53 in census $9,701*

CGC 9.6 · 4 in census $5,065*

CGC 9.4 none in existence

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 · 1 in census $1,975

* 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 $2.75 VF/NM $3.99 Variant $3.99 MINT $4.41 VF $5.98 NM $24 CGC 7.5 $33 CGC 9.8 $59.99

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History

Writer Tom King himself described Batman #78 and its companion issue #79 as potentially 'the most important issues I've written,' framing them publicly as the culmination of themes he had been building since Batman Rebirth #1 in 2016. King had taken the reins of the Rebirth-era Batman series in 2016, and his run was originally planned for 100 issues before being shortened; this two-issue interlude was carved out of the 'City of Bane' arc to give the Bruce-Selina relationship the resolution space it required before the final act. The main story art was handled entirely by Clay Mann — who had previously collaborated with King on Heroes in Crisis — with Tomeu Morey on colors and Clayton Cowles on letters; Tony S. Daniel provided the regular cover while Mann provided a variant, with editors Rob Levin and Jamie S. Rich overseeing the issue.

Trivia · 8 facts

Published September 11, 2019, by DC Comics (Batman vol. 3, #78); cover-dated November 2019; written by Tom King with art, inks, and variant cover by Clay Mann, colors by Tomeu Morey, letters by Clayton Cowles, and a regular cover by Tony S. Daniel.
First reunion of Batman and Catwoman since Batman #50 (2018), the 'wedding that wasn't' — the issue is subtitled 'City of Bane, Part 4' and operates as a two-part interlude within that arc, paired with Batman #79.
Bruce Wayne travels under the alias Matches Malone, checking into a Hawaiian resort where he and Selina confront the emotional fallout of their broken engagement; the story contains no other villains or action set-pieces.
The issue opens with a direct visual recreation of the Bruce/Selina first meeting from Batman #1 (1940), explicitly linking King's modern romance arc to the 80-year history of the characters and the longstanding in-continuity debate over whether they first met 'on the boat' or 'on the street' (referencing Batman: Year One).
Tom King publicly stated before publication that Batman #78 and #79 'may be the most important issues I've written,' calling them 'the culmination of so much.'
Sold out on its day of release (September 11, 2019) and was announced for a second printing by DC the following day, September 12, 2019 — the fourth consecutive issue in the 'City of Bane' run to require a second printing after #75, #76, and #77.
The issue was subsequently collected in Batman: City of Bane — The Complete Collection (DC, 2020/February 2021) and Batman vol. 3 #12 — City of Bane Part 1 (June 2020 trade), as well as translated editions from ECC Ediciones (Spain) and Panini Deutschland (Germany).
Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy appear in the issue only as characters in a house advertisement for the concurrent Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy miniseries (Sept. 2019); they are not participants in the main story.