CGC Featured Comic of the Month: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1

Posted on 6/2/2026

The iconic comic’s 40th anniversary is in 2026, and CGC is going to be celebrating with an incredible opportunity for fans. Stay tuned!

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Name of comic: Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1

Comic publisher: DC Comics

Date: March 1986

Variants: In addition to the original edition in 1986, there was also a second print direct and second print newsstand edition, followed by a third and fourth printing, a millennium edition (2000), NYCC foil variant (2018), Fan Expo foil variant (2022), and a facsimile edition (2026) that also included a blank variant, foil variant, Frank Miller variant, and a Jim Lee variant.

Psst… Fans should be on the lookout for some exciting news very soon! Maybe another variant, or a signing opportunity? Stay glued to CGC social for the latest.

What makes it special? The Dark Knight Returns launched what is widely regarded as one of the most influential Batman tales ever created. The story introduces readers to an aging Bruce Wayne who returns from retirement to reclaim the mantle of Batman in a darker, more cynical Gotham City. Its gritty tone, mature themes and cinematic storytelling helped redefine how superhero comics were perceived, elevating the medium in the eyes of mainstream audiences and inspiring countless creators.

Why is it interesting now? As one of the defining comics of the modern era, The Dark Knight Returns celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2026, marking four decades since Frank Miller's groundbreaking reinvention of Batman first reached readers. Few comic books can claim a legacy as enduring or influential. Forty years later, it stands not only as a Batman classic, but as one of the most important and influential graphic narratives ever published.

Did you know? The series was given homage in the mid-'90s Batman: The Animated Series, re-creating the mutant mud fight scene and largely mimicking Miller’s bold designs. It was later adapted into a two-part animated movie also styled after Miller’s artwork, and was a major influence on the 2016 film “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”

Total graded by CGC: As of late May 2026, there are more than 7,000 copies of Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 in the CGC Population Report.

CGC highest graded: There are more than 1,500 examples graded CGC 9.8, but there remains only one graded CGC 9.9.

CGC median grade: CGC 9.6

Sales highlights: A Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 graded CGC Signature Series 9.8 signed and sketched by Frank Miller and Klaus Janson realized $3,360 in a Heritage Auctions sale in November 2020.

CGC Comics Registry Champion: There are nearly 200 sets in the CGC Comics Registry — including This isn't a mudhole... It's an operating table. And I'm the surgeon, by CGC Comics Registry Member Rune that sports a Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 as well as a second, third, and fourth printing, each graded CGC 9.8. These comics, and many other fantastic examples, helped earn it Best Copper Age Set honors in 2014 as well as Top Ranked awards from 2012 to 2017 and again from 2019 to 2025.

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