Cover: Dick Giordano

Detective Comics #546

Jan 1985 · DC · 0.75 USD; 0.95 CAD; 0.30 GBP

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★ 1st appearance — Onyx

About this Issue

Detective Comics #546 earns its place in the key-issue record as the debut of Onyx Adams — a character whose trajectory from League of Assassins operative to reluctant vigilante and eventual Batman-family ally makes her one of the more durable original creations of the Copper Age. Her first appearance is tucked into the Green Arrow backup rather than the lead Batman story, which gives the issue a pleasingly understated quality: a consequential introduction hiding in plain sight at the back of a busy book. Onyx would go on to appear across decades of DC continuity, feature in the Batman: War Games event, hold leadership roles in the Outsiders and the Fist Clan, and be adapted for the Arrowverse television series Arrow and the animated film Batman: Bad Blood, confirming that her debut carried real staying power. The issue also sits squarely in the heart of Doug Moench's sustained Batman-and-Detective run of 1983–1986, a period of tightly interlocked storytelling that pushed both titles toward a more character-driven, subplot-heavy style unusual for mainstream superhero comics at the time.

Contains 2 stories

Hill's Descent

17 pp · Superhero

Batman [Bruce Wayne]Hamilton HillBlevins (Mayor Hill's aide)Alfred PennyworthNight-Slayer [Anton KnightNight-Thief]TinaNocturna [Natalia Knight]Jason Todd [Robin]Commissioner James GordonBarbara GordonHarvey Bullock

Clash Reunion

7 pp · Superhero

Green ArrowVengeanceOnyx

ComicBooks.com Value

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Raw (VF) $8

CGC 9.8 · 21 in census $171

CGC 9.6 · 12 in census $86

CGC 9.4 · 9 in census $60*

CGC 9.2 · 5 in census $47

CGC 9.0 · 4 in census $43

CGC 8.5 · 3 in census $43*

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CGC 8.0 none in existence

CGC 7.5 · 2 in census $21*

CGC 7.0 · 1 in census $20*

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More listings for this title

VF $5.84 FN $9 FN $9.98 FN · Newsstand $11 VF+ $11.99 Newsstand $12.6 FN $12.99 FN/VF $12.99

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History

Issue #546 was produced during Doug Moench's first major DC tenure, which ran from Batman #360 through Detective Comics #566, spanning 1983 to 1986 — a run he shared across both titles simultaneously, with stories designed to flow between them as an effective fortnightly serial. The lead Batman story, 'Hill's Descent,' was written by Moench with pencils by Gene Colan and inks by Bob Smith, under editor Len Wein. The backup story — the one that matters most to collectors — was scripted by Joey Cavalieri, who was responsible for the ongoing Green Arrow backup feature in Detective during this period; Jerome Moore penciled it and Bruce D. Patterson inked it. Cavalieri's broader Detective Comics work during these years also included co-creating the redesigned Black Canary costume (introduced in issue #554), establishing him as a meaningful creative contributor to the title beyond just the page count his backups occupied.

Trivia · 8 facts

First appearance of Onyx Adams, introduced in the Green Arrow backup story written by Joey Cavalieri with art by Jerome Moore and inks by Bruce D. Patterson.
Onyx debuts as a woman with ties to an Ashram Monastery that Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) once attended; a dying monk gives her the codename Onyx and tasks her with finding Queen to help save the world.
The lead Batman story, 'Hill's Descent,' is written by Doug Moench with pencils by Gene Colan and inks by Bob Smith; it advances the corrupt-Mayor Hamilton Hill subplot, with Hill framing Batman before the press and ordering Commissioner Gordon suspended and all GCPD officers to arrest Batman on sight — with deadly force authorized.
The issue's cast in the Batman lead includes Jason Todd (then serving as Robin), Barbara Gordon, Harvey Bullock, Nocturna, and the Night-Slayer — reflecting Moench's ensemble-heavy, soap-operatic approach to the title.
Cover art is by Dick Giordano; the issue carries a January 1985 cover date and a 75-cent cover price.
The Green Arrow backup also introduces the villain Vengeance, who disrupts Oliver Queen's high school reunion in an attempt to kill a criminal hiding among the alumni.
Onyx went on to become a recurring figure across DC continuity: she appeared in the Batman: War Games crossover event, joined the Outsiders, and eventually led the Fist Clan.
The character has been adapted in live-action in the Arrowverse series Arrow (Season 6, portrayed by Chastity Dotson) and in the DC animated film Batman: Bad Blood, demonstrating the reach of her original comics debut.