- "You're the one... who tried to shoot the cat--"
- ―Batman
| "Black Dawn" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Batman | |
| Title: | "Black Dawn" |
| Storyline: | "Year One" |
| Volume: | 1 |
| Number: | 406 |
| Cover price: | .75 |
| Cover date: | April, 1987 |
| Publisher: | DC Comics |
| Credits | |
| Chief: | Jenette Kahn |
| Ex. Ed: | Dick Giordano |
| Writers: | Frank Miller |
| Pencilers: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Inkers: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover artists: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover inker: | David Mazzucchelli |
| Cover colorist: | Richmond Lewis |
| Colorists: | Richmond Lewis |
| Letterers: | Todd Klein |
| Editors: | Denny O'Neil |
| Navigation | |
| Previous: | Batman #405 |
| Next: | Batman #407 |
"Black Dawn" is the title to the 406th issue of the first Batman ongoing comic book series published by DC Comics. The story was written by Frank Miller with artwork and inks by David Mazzucchelli. It was colored by Richmond Lewis and lettered by Todd Klein. The story was edited by Denny O'Neil. This issue shipped with an April, 1987 cover date and carries a cover price of .75 cents per copy.
Synopsis[]
Flaming piles of debris drop down on top of Batman as the Gotham City SWAT team firebombs the derelict apartment building. Flammable materials within his utility belt begin to explode. Batman finds an electrical cover and uses it to mask his presence.
A ground crew enters the building and begins sifting through the rubble. Batman lures them into a lower section of the building and traps them. Before preparing his escape, Batman uses a remote device to signal a massive flock of bats from the Batcave. The swarm of bats descends on the area giving Batman a chance to use them for cover to mask his escape. Several police squad cars attempt to follow the bat swarm, one of which even drives off Gotham Pier. Dozens of bystanders (including Selina Kyle) are forced to get rabies vaccinations.
Later, Jim Gordon consults with Sarah Essen over the Batman issue. Sarah suspects that the Batman may in fact be Bruce Wayne. Wayne has an alibi however, citing that he was skiing in Switzerland during the recent incident.
Gordon walks Essen home and the two share a romantic embrace. Jim instantly feels guilty knowing that his pregnant wife is home waiting for him.
In Gotham's East End, Selina Kyle decides to go into a different line of work. She punches out her pimp Stan and takes Holly Robinson with her. She fashions a costume for herself and becomes Catwoman for the first time.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
Supporting characters
Villains
Minor characters
- Art
- Barbara Eileen Gordon (Cameo appearance only)
- Fenton
- James Gordon, Jr. (Behind the scenes only)
- Otto
- Praeger
- Pratt
- Stan Merkel
- Sussman
- Swanson
Organizations
Races & Animals
Locations
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
Notes & Trivia[]
- Batman was created by comic book writer Bill Finger and graphic artist Bob Kane. He first appeared in Detective Comics #27 in May, 1939. He received his first ongoing series, Batman, in the Spring, 1940 beginning with Batman #1.
- The tagline for this issue is "They've got him cornered. They've got him outnumbered. They've got him trapped. They're in trouble."
- According to DC Releases #35, this issue shipped to retailers on December 16th, 1986.
- This issue is reprinted in the Batman: Year One trade paperback collection, which was published in October, 1988. It is also reprinted in the Batman: Year One Deluxe hardcover edition, released in April, 2005.
- Scenes from this issue were adapted into the Batman: Year One animated movie, which was directed by Sam Liu and Lauren Montgomery and released direct-to-video on October 18th, 2011.
- This story is the official canonical re-imagining of the origin of Batman in Post-Crisis continuity.
- This is the earliest chronological appearance of Selina Kyle as Catwoman in Post-Crisis continuity.
- This is the earliest chronological appearance of the Batcave in Post-Crisis continuity.
- The idea of Batman using a sonar device to attract bats to his location was later used in the movie Batman Begins.
- There is a dirty ashtray seen in Selina and Holly's room, suggesting that one or both of them were smokers at the time. Future stories do not depict either character as being a smoker.
- This issue establishes that Wayne Manor is actually located several miles outside of Gotham City, though it is still part of Gotham County.