Cover: Jim Aparo

Detective Comics #497

Dec 1980 · DC · 0.50 USD

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★ 1st appearance — The Squid

About this Issue

Detective Comics #497 marks the debut issue of the Gerry Conway / Don Newton run on the Batman feature — a pairing that would define the title through the first half of the 1980s and eventually shepherd in landmark characters such as Jason Todd and Killer Croc. Beyond its place at the opening of that era, the Batman lead story is a deliberate, issue-long love letter to Will Eisner, weaving in visual and narrative homages to The Spirit that make the issue a small but meaningful bridge between the Golden Age's most inventive cartoonist and DC's Bronze Age Batman. Simultaneously, the Batgirl back-up opens a multi-part murder-accusation storyline against Barbara Gordon that gave the character one of her most sustained dramatic arcs of the period, anticipating the kind of dual-identity legal jeopardy that would become a comics staple.

In "Bad Night in Baja," Batman ventures into the desert heat of Baja Mexico to recover stolen missile launch codes from the criminal known as The Squid, who plans to auction them to the highest bidder. Written by Gerry Conway and brought to life by Don Newton’s gritty interiors, with Dan Adkins’ inks and Adrienne Roy’s colors, the story unfolds in a tense, sun-scorched chase as Batman, wounded and on the run, takes refuge in a run-down hotel while The Squid’s men close in. The cover by Jim Aparo captures the issue’s noir edge with a stark, shadowed image of Batman in silhouette against a desert dusk.

Contains 2 stories

Bad Night in Baja

15 pp · Superhero

Batman [Bruce Wayne]Alfred PennyworthWaldo Pepper (hotel owner)Ernie Edwards (thug)Sloan (FBI agent)Witt (FBI agent)The Squid [Clement Carp] (villain)Squid's menMarie Schneider (newlywed)David (Marie's husband)Mr. Halston

In "Bad Night in Baja," Batman ventures to Baja Mexico to recover stolen missile launch codes from the criminal mastermind The Squid, who plans to auction them to the highest bidder. After a tense escape with the documents, Batman is wounded and must hole up in a run-down hotel, hunted through the shadows by The Squid and his men.

Barbara Gordon... Murderess!

10 pp · Superhero

Batgirl [Barbara Gordon]Doreen GrayJames SteinRobert "Bob" BartonDetective CameronRichard BenderAssistant District Attorney Charles Turner

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (Fine) $6

CGC 9.8 · 35 in census $110

CGC 9.6 · 24 in census $44

CGC 9.4 · 10 in census $31

CGC 9.2 · 8 in census $20*

CGC 9.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $20*

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CGC 8.0 · 1 in census $20*

CGC 7.5 · 4 in census $20*

CGC 7.0 · 3 in census $20*

CGC 6.5 · 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

VG $9.5 Newsstand $9.78 VF $9.93 VF $10.39 VG · Newsstand $12.99 VF $12.99 FN $15 VF $18.5

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History

The issue sits at the precise transition point when DC contracted the oversized 'Dollar Comics' experiment: the expanded anthology format that had run from Detective Comics #481 through #495 ended, and #497 launches the slimmer, tighter package with Conway installed as the new regular writer on the Batman feature and Don Newton (inked by Dan Adkins) stepping in as penciller. Conway had already been handling the title briefly and would soon also take over the sister Batman title, making him the single writer responsible for both main Batman books and enabling easy monthly crossovers between them. The Batgirl back-up was handled by a separate creative team — writer Cary Burkett and artist José Delbo — continuing a tradition of the feature carrying its own distinct voice.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date December 1980; on-sale date September 25, 1980 (DC Database / GCD).
Batman lead story: 'Bad Night in Baja!' — written by Gerry Conway, pencilled by Don Newton, inked by Dan Adkins; this is Conway and Newton's first regular issue on the Detective Comics Batman feature, a run that would last through issue #526.
First appearance of the Squid (Clement 'The Squid' Carp), a mob boss who shoots and seriously wounds Batman in Baja California — the character's only story appearance in this issue.
The lead story is an explicit tribute to Will Eisner and The Spirit: the splash page spells out 'Batman' in rain puddles on the sidewalk (mirroring Eisner's famous title treatments), the villain is named 'The Squid,' and the hideout is 'Hotel Dolan' — all deliberate Spirit references, and the issue is formally dedicated to Eisner.
Batgirl back-up: 'Barbara Gordon… Murderess!' — Part 1 of a two-part story written by Cary Burkett with art by José Delbo and Joe Giella; Barbara Gordon is arrested for first-degree murder after being framed for the poisoning death of a rival Congressman.
Executive editor Paul Levitz and editor Joe Orlando oversaw the issue; cover art is by Jim Aparo and Gaspar Saladino.
The 'Bad Night in Baja' lead story has been reprinted in two DC collections: Tales of the Batman: Don Newton Vol. 1 (2012) and Tales of the Batman: Gerry Conway Vol. 1 (2017).
The Batgirl back-up was reprinted in Batgirl: The Bronze Age Omnibus Vol. 2 (2019), as well as in international editions (Batman Taschenbuch #14, 1981; Batman Poche #41, 1981).