Batman Giant #4
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBatman Giant #4 (2018) holds a firm place in DC continuity as the first appearance of Jinny Hex — a Jonah Hex descendant who quickly became a central character in Brian Michael Bendis's relaunched Young Justice series. Because the issue was sold exclusively through Walmart as part of DC's mass-market outreach initiative, the debut reached an audience far outside the direct-market comic shop ecosystem, giving the character an unusual origin point on mainstream retail shelves rather than in a specialty store. The 'Batman Universe' serial running through this Walmart Giant line also represented Bendis's first significant work writing Batman after joining DC Comics, making the issue a creative landmark for one of the medium's most prominent writers of that era. When the story was later re-packaged for the direct market as Batman Universe (2019), Jinny Hex's debut gained wider visibility and her role in Young Justice cemented this issue as a genuine character-introduction key.
In "Batman Universe Part 2," Batman dives deeper into the mystery of the Faberge egg, tracing its origins to Jinny Hex and her great-great grandfather, Jonah Hex, while following the Riddler’s cryptic path to Amsterdam—where a tense encounter with Deathstroke tests his resolve. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Nick Derington with colors by Dave Stewart and letters by Josh Reed, this gripping chapter blends noir intrigue with high-stakes action. The cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams captures the issue’s shadowy intensity.
In "Batman Universe Part 2," Batman delves into the mysterious past of the Faberge egg by seeking out Jinny Hex, whose great-great grandfather, Jonah Hex, once possessed it. His investigation leads him to Amsterdam, where he crosses paths with the Riddler—and then unexpectedly meets Deathstroke.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
DC launched its line of 100-page Walmart-exclusive Giant comics in mid-2018 as a deliberate attempt to court new readers in mass-market retail environments that had little or no relationship with the direct-market comic shop network. Each issue paired roughly 12 pages of all-new original story with a selection of reprinted back-issues, and DC publisher Dan DiDio orchestrated a writer swap that put Bendis — who had just arrived at DC to write Superman — on the Walmart Batman title instead, pairing him with artist Nick Derington and colorist Dave Stewart. Bendis described feeling genuinely daunted by the Batman assignment and framed the Walmart format's 12-page serialized chapters as a creative challenge unlike anything he had previously tackled. The original Walmart run was later collected and reformatted for the direct market as the six-issue miniseries Batman Universe, beginning in July 2019, which gave the Jinny Hex introduction its widest readership.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Jinny Hex, a descendant of DC Western hero Jonah Hex, who was introduced as part of the 'Batman Universe' serial story written by Brian Michael Bendis.
- Published October 26, 2018, with a cover date of December 2018; sold exclusively through Walmart as part of DC's 100-page Giant initiative.
- Original story: 'Batman Universe, Part 2,' written by Brian Michael Bendis, penciled and inked by Nick Derington, colored by Dave Stewart, lettered by Josh Reed.
- The issue's original story contains 12 pages of new content — the standard chapter length for the Walmart Giant format — out of the book's total 100 pages.
- Reprinted stories in this issue include a chapter from Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee's 'Hush' arc (Batman #611) and a chapter from Kyle Higgins and Trevor McCarthy's Nightwing (Volume 3) #4.
- Jinny Hex was conceived by Bendis simultaneously with his Young Justice relaunch; she carries a mysterious trunk of Jonah Hex's collected DC artifacts and was designed to be a core Young Justice team member.
- The content of Batman Giant #3 and #4 was later reprinted as Batman Universe #1 (of 6), released July 10, 2019, giving direct-market readers their first easy access to Jinny Hex's debut.
- This issue represents Brian Michael Bendis's first extended Batman writing work after joining DC Comics in 2018, having been assigned the character by publisher Dan DiDio despite Bendis's own stated apprehension about taking on the role.
Full credits
Reprints
↩ Reprints Batman #611 (2003), Nightwing #4 (2012), Harley Quinn #4 (2014)
Reprinted in Batman: Universe #1 (2019), Batman: Universe #[nn] (2020), Batman: Universe #[nn] (2021)
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