Batman #1

(Spring 1940)

Boys! G-Man Outfit (Table of Contents)

advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Synopsis:

Ad for winning prizes from the Crowell-Collier Publishing Co., Springfield Ohio.

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Also includes indicia.

The Legend of the Batman--Who He Is and How He Came to Be! (Table of Contents)

The Batman / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed); Sheldon Moldoff (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Sheldon Moldoff

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne] (origin); Thomas Wayne; Martha Wayne; Joe Chill (villain, un-named)

Synopsis:

Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered by a cheap crook, and young Bruce vows to avenge their deaths by warring on all criminals.

Reprints:

• from Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #33 (November 1939) [rest of story], #34 (December 1939) [splash panel]
• in The Great Comic Book Heroes (Dial Press, 1965 series) #[nn] (1965)
• in Batman (New American Library, 1966 series) #D2939 (March 1966) [first 2 pages, as modified for Batman #1]
• in Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies (Crown Publishers, 1971 series) #73-168329 (October 1971)
• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975) [in this form]
• in Secret Origins of the Super DC Heroes (Crown Publishers, 1976 series) #[nn] (1976)
• in Lynvingen (Williams Forlag, 1969 series) #6/1976 ([juni] 1976)
• in Caped Crusader Classics! (Titan, 1988 series) #1 - Batman and Robin (August 1988)
• in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (DC, 1992 series) #1 (June 1992) [story in this form]
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001) [story in this form]
• in Klassiker der Comic-Literatur (Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2005 series) #7 - Batman (2005)
• in The Batman Chronicles (DC, 2005 series) #1 ([March] 2005)

Indexer Notes

The background inks and letterer credits were verified by Moldoff.

[The Joker] (Table of Contents)

Batman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (see notes)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Jerry Robinson

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Henry Claridge (death); Mrs. Claridge; Jay Wilde (death); Judge Drake (death); The Joker (villain, Introduction); Brute Nelson (villain, death)

Synopsis:

Batman faces a new criminal who succeeds in killing famous men and stealing their prized possessions, leaving them all with "a smile" on their face!

Reprints:

• in The Great Comic Book Heroes (Dial Press, 1965 series) #[nn] (1965)
• in Batman from the Thirties to the Seventies (Crown Publishers, 1971 series) #73-168329 (October 1971)
• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (DC, 1988 series) #[nn] ([December] 1988)
• in Stacked Deck: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (Longmeadow Press, 1990 series) #[nn] ([November] 1990)
• in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (DC, 1992 series) #1 (June 1992)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)
• in Klassiker der Comic-Literatur (Frankfurter Allgemeine, 2005 series) #7 - Batman (2005)
• in The Batman Chronicles (DC, 2005 series) #1 ([March] 2005)
• in The Joker: The Greatest Stories Ever Told (DC, 2008 series) #[nn] ([June] 2008)

Indexer Notes

First line: "Once again a master criminal stalks the city streets -- a criminal weaving a web of death about him..."

There is an earlier chronological appearance (and origin) of the Joker in Detective Comics #168.

Robinson verified with Gary Watson in July 2009 that he did some penciling (including the Joker's card on the splash page specifically), in addition to the background inks and lettering he already confirmed.

["Yippe-e! Hey-cut that out! Waho-o-o!"] (Table of Contents)

Major Bigsbe an' Botts / filler / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Pencils:

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Inks:

Paul Gustavson (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Paul Gustavson

Content Information

Genre:

humor; western-frontier

Characters:

Major Bigsbe; Botts; un-named Sheriff

Synopsis:

Having bought the Bar Q Ranch, Major Bigsbe decides to celebrate by shootin' off his pistols...and lands in jail!

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit added by Craig Delich on 2008-10-30.

[The Giants of Hugo Strange] (Table of Contents)

Batman / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Jerry Robinson

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Professor Hugo Strange (villain); unnamed monsters (villain, all die);

Synopsis:

The Batman faces an arch criminal who has invented a serum to create a race of giant monsters, and nearly becomes one of them himself!

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (DC, 1988 series) #[nn] [1] ([November] 1988)
• in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (DC, 1989 series) #nn [1] ([June] 1989)
• in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (Warner Books, 1989 series) #[nn] ([June] 1989)
• in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (DC, 1992 series) #1 (June 1992)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)
• in The Batman Chronicles (DC, 2005 series) #1 ([March] 2005)

Keywords:

The Batplane

Indexer Notes

First line: "While an innocent metropolis sleeps little does it realize that huge, terrifying man-monsters shall soon stalk the streets..."

This story was originally prepared for Detective Comics #38, but with the introduction of Robin in that issue, the story [sans Robin] was published here.

Oddity: Machine guns are mounted on the Batplane, which are used to kill.

The background inks and letters credits were verified by Robinson.

Strictly Publicity (Table of Contents)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Guy Monroe (signed)

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

crime

Characters:

The Chief; Terry Gallant

Synopsis:

Detective Terry Gallant proves to his Chief that the late Barton Barlow had killed himself with a gun in a most mysterious way.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

Meet the Artist! (Table of Contents)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

Whitney Ellsworth [as The Editor] (signed)

Pencils:

? (photo)

Inks:

? (photo)

Colors:

? (photo shaded in magenta)

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

biography

Characters:

Bob Kane (photo)

Synopsis:

Biography of Batman creator Bob Kane.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)

Indexer Notes

First line: "Readers, meet Bob Kane, creator of THE BATMAN!"

[The Cat] (Table of Contents)

Batman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Jerry Robinson

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; John Travers; Martha Travers; un-named ship steward; The Cat [Selina Kyle; as Miss Peggs] (villain, introduction); Denny (villain)

Synopsis:

Batman and Robin take a trip aboard an exclusive yacht in order to prevent the theft of the Travers necklace at the hands of the Cat!

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (DC, 1989 series) #2 ([May] 1992)
• in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (DC, 1992 series) #1 (June 1992)
• in The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told (Warner Books, 1989 series) #2 (July 1992)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)
• in The Batman Chronicles (DC, 2005 series) #1 ([March] 2005)

Indexer Notes

First line: "Among the guests walks a young steward..."

The Cat was later renamed Cat-Woman or Catwoman in next issue; earlier chronological appearance was in issue #52 and in Brave and the Bold #197.

The background inks and letterer credits were verified by Robinson.

The 'Big Six' Comics Magazines Still Lead the Field! (Table of Contents)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

? (various)

Inks:

? (various)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?; typeset

Content Information

Genre:

science fiction; superhero

Characters:

Superman [Clark Kent]; Sandman [Wesley Dodds]; Ultra-Man; Spectre [Jim Corrigan]; Flash [Jay Garrick]; Batman [Bruce Wayne]

Synopsis:

Illustrated promotional ad for Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Detective Comics, More Fun Comics, Flash Comics, and All-American Comics, and their headline features.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)

Indexer Notes

Sequence and all information added by Craig Delich 2008-10-30.

Two Aces (Table of Contents)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

George Shute (signed)

Pencils:

Raymond Perry

Inks:

Raymond Perry

Colors:

Raymond Perry

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

adventure

Characters:

Lt. Bill Wayne; Doctor Synce; von Berket (villain, death)

Synopsis:

Inventor Doctor Synce gets Navy flier Wayne to fly secret plans from Pensacola, Florida to the coast, when the pilot runs up against an old adversary and ace from years before.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

["Gosh! And only ten cents!"] (Table of Contents)

Ginger Snap / filler / 2 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bob Kane [as Ted Raye] (signed)

Pencils:

Bob Kane [as Ted Raye] (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane [as Ted Raye] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Bob Kane ?

Content Information

Genre:

humor

Characters:

Ginger Snap; Uncle Zep; un-named soda jerk

Synopsis:

Uncle Zep takes Ginger to the soda shop for a soda, but ends up drinking way too many himself!

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

["In Egypt they say "How are you sweating"? instead of "How is your health"?"] (Table of Contents)

Fantastic Facts / filler / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed)

Inks:

George Papp [as Geo. Papp] (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

non-fiction

Characters:

Jack Dempsey

Synopsis:

Contains facts about boxer Jack Dempsey, kangaroos and "greetings and salutations."

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

The Joker Returns (Table of Contents)

Batman / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Credits

Script:

Bill Finger

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors:

?

Letters:

Jerry Robinson

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner James Gordon; Chief of Police Chalmers (death); Edgar Martin (death); The Joker (villain)

Synopsis:

The Joker escapes from prison to continue his rampage of death and to steal the famed Cleopatra necklace and Fire Ruby.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives (DC, 1992 series) #1 (June 1992)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)
• in The Batman Chronicles (DC, 2005 series) #1 ([March] 2005)

Indexer Notes

First line: "Once again that harlequin of hate..the Joker..brings grinning death to a terrified people..."

As recounted in various sources, the Joker was supposed to die of his stab wound at the end of the story, but the editors decided this villain was too good to kill off, so the last panels were re-drawn to show him surviving. The last panel of the story, titled "Golden Rules for Robin's Regulars", introduces readers to "Robin's Code" of conduct.

The background inks and letterer credits were verified by Robinson.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Detective Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Jerry Robinson

Colors:

?

Letters:

typeset

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Clayface

Synopsis:

Promotional ad for Detective Comics #40, whose cover is reproduced.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)

Charlie Barnet Uses Home Recordo! (Table of Contents)

advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Script:

?

Pencils:

?

Inks:

?

Letters:

?; typeset

Indexer Notes

Advertisement for making your own records at home, from Home Recording Company, New York, N.Y. Appears on the inside back cover.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents)

Batman and Robin / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Credits

Pencils:

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks:

Bob Kane (signed)

Colors:

?

Letters:

?

Content Information

Genre:

superhero

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]

Synopsis:

Pin-up of Batman and Robin.

Reprints:

• in Famous First Edition (DC, 1974 series) #F-6 (F-5) (February-March 1975)
• in Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 (DC, 2001 series) #[nn] (February 2001)

Indexer Notes

Found on the back cover. Made to cut out and frame.