Cover: Jim Aparo

Detective Comics #470

Jun 1977 · DC · 0.35 USD

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“The Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus!”

★ 1st appearance — Silver St. Cloud

About this Issue

Detective Comics #470 is the opening chapter of what fans and critics have since called the 'Strange Apparitions' era — a Bronze Age run widely credited as one of the most influential Batman stories ever published and a direct blueprint for both the 1989 Tim Burton film and Batman: The Animated Series. Beyond its place in that larger arc, the issue carries its own debut weight: it introduces Silver St. Cloud, Bruce Wayne's most fully realized romantic partner of the Bronze Age, a character whose intelligence and emotional depth broke from the standard-issue love interest mold of the period. The issue also marks a structural turning point for Detective Comics itself, being the first issue in which backup stories were dropped entirely in favor of a full-length Batman feature — a sign of the title's gradual evolution from anthology book to a dedicated second Batman title. Taken together, the character debuts and format shift make #470 the foundation stone of a run that reshaped how serialized Batman storytelling could work.

In "The Master Plan of Dr. Phosphorus!", Batman races to stop the villain's dangerous scheme at Gotham City's new offshore nuclear power plant, where the stakes are higher than ever. Written by Steve Englehart and brought to life with dynamic art by Walt Simonson, this 1977 issue features a tense showdown underscored by Al Milgrom’s inks, Jerry Serpe’s colors, and Ben Oda’s crisp lettering, all framed by Jim Aparo’s striking cover.

writer Steve Englehart · artist Walt Simonson · inker Al Milgrom · colorist Jerry Serpe · letterer Ben Oda · cover Jim Aparo

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $10

CGC 9.8 · 21 in census $268

CGC 9.6 · 27 in census $112

CGC 9.4 · 17 in census $74

CGC 9.2 · 9 in census $55

CGC 9.0 · 11 in census $40

CGC 8.5 · 11 in census $40

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CGC 8.0 · 8 in census $40

CGC 7.5 · 3 in census $28

CGC 7.0 · 3 in census $24*

CGC 6.5 · 1 in census $22*

CGC 6.0 · 3 in census $21*

CGC 5.5 none in existence

CGC 5.0 · 2 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 $10 FN+ $11 VG $11 FINE $17.66 VG+ $18.28 VG $19 VG $20 VF $25

Related listings we couldn't confirm as this exact issue · 34 total · seen 27 days ago

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History

Steve Englehart was brought to DC by publisher Jenette Kahn primarily to revitalize Justice League of America, but he also took on Detective Comics with the explicit aim of restoring a pulp-noir darkness to Batman by studying Xeroxes of the character's earliest Golden Age adventures. For the opening two issues of his run — #469 and #470 — Englehart was paired with penciler Walt Simonson, inked by Al Milgrom, under editor Julius Schwartz, with E. Nelson Bridwell as associate editor. The issue went on sale March 29, 1977, with a June 1977 cover date. Englehart reportedly scripted his issues well in advance, and contemporary critics have noted that the Simonson-drawn opening chapters, while structurally important for seeding Rupert Thorne and Silver St. Cloud, feel tonally closer to Silver Age material than the Englehart/Rogers issues that followed — with Simonson's art on these two issues considered by many to be below the standard of his later work, partially attributed to Al Milgrom's heavy-handed inks.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Silver St. Cloud, Bruce Wayne's romantic partner, created by Steve Englehart and Walt Simonson — one of the most consequential Batman love interests ever introduced.
Continuation of Rupert Thorne's role as Gotham's corrupt political crime boss (introduced in the preceding issue #469); his campaign to outlaw Batman runs through the entire 'Strange Apparitions' arc.
Second and concluding chapter of the two-part Doctor Phosphorus story arc ('The Master Plan of Doctor Phosphorus!'), in which Batman confronts the radioactive villain at a Thorne-financed offshore nuclear power plant.
First issue in which the backup anthology stories were dropped, making it a full-length, single-feature Batman comic — a precursor to Detective Comics' eventual identity as a dedicated Batman title.
Written by Steve Englehart with pencils by Walt Simonson, inks by Al Milgrom, colors by Marshall Rogers (per the issue's own text), and edited by Julius Schwartz; on-sale date was March 29, 1977.
Part of the 'Strange Apparitions' arc (Detective Comics #469–479), retroactively collected in trade paperback in 1999, which directly influenced the 1989 Tim Burton Batman film (producer Michael Uslan commissioned Englehart to write treatments based on it) and Batman: The Animated Series.
Reprinted in Shadow of the Batman #1 (December 1985), the Batman: Strange Apparitions trade paperback (1999), and Tales of the Batman: Steve Englehart (2020).
The in-story arena is named 'Gotham Sprang Memorial Arena' — a tribute to 1950s Batman artist Dick Sprang.