Batman #138
(March 1961)

DC, 1940 Series
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Price
0.10 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
monthly, with the exception of January, May, July and November
On-sale Date
1961-01-12
Publisher's Age Guidelines
Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
National Comics Publications Inc.
Brand
Superman DC National Comics
Printer
Printed in U.S.A.
Editing
Jack Schiff (credited) (editor); Murray Boltinoff (credited) (associate editor); George Kashdan (credited) (associate editor)

Issue Notes

On-sale date from copyright registration.

Secret of the Sea Beast! (Table of Contents)

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

Script
?
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Sheldon Moldoff
Colors
?
Letters
Ira Schnapp
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Great Scott! Our spears just bounced off the creature -- and it's coming straight at us!
Genre
superhero
Characters
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Sea-Beast
Reprints
Keywords
underwater

Indexer Notes

Letterer credit by Martin O'Hearn and Joe Desris.

Cover Thumbnail for Batman (DC, 1940 series) #138
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Cover gallery

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Jowett Institute of Physical Training / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Batman's Master (Table of Contents: 2)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Finger
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Sheldon Moldoff
Colors
?
Letters
Stan Starkman
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Batman--you will seize Robin and leap into the vat below!
Feature Logo
Batman with Robin - The Boy Wonder [40's face]
Genre
superhero
Characters
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; a Batman robot [as Kadar] (a mystic); Dorian (villain, renegade scientist); Dorian's henchmen (villains); The Tiger (villain); The Tiger's Gang (villains)
Synopsis
Batman battles a renegade scientist using a Batman robot, which is damaged during the battle. Soon after, the mysterious Kadar appears on the scene, a mystic who knows Batman's every thought and plan.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Script credit by Martin O'Hearn. Inker credit confirmed by Moldoff.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

Rip Hunter... Time Master / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

Don't Sell Nature Short! (Table of Contents: 4)

public service announcement / 1 page (report information)

Script
Jack Schiff
Pencils
Bernard Baily
Inks
Bernard Baily
Colors
?
Letters
Ira Schnapp
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Jim asked me to help him at the mayor's meeting Wednesday.
Genre
advocacy
Characters
Bill

Indexer Notes

This PSA is produced in sequential comics-art style.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 5)

Casey the Cop / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script
Henry Boltinoff
Pencils
Henry Boltinoff
Inks
Henry Boltinoff
Colors
?
Letters
Henry Boltinoff
First Line of Dialogue or Text
State Prison
Feature Logo
Casey the Cop
Genre
humor
Characters
Casey the Cop
Reprints

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 6) (Expand) /

Grit Newspaper / advertisement / 0.5 page (report information)

The Simple Crimes of Simple Simon (Table of Contents: 7)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Finger
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Charles Paris
Colors
?
Letters
Stan Starkman
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Great scott! Batman and Simple Simon are fighting on the whale Simple Simon fished out of a pail!
Genre
superhero
Characters
Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Simple Simon (villain); Simon's henchmen (villains)
Synopsis
A new villain on the scene uses the name as well as the nursery rhyme to commit his crimes.
Reprints

Indexer Notes

Script credit by Martin O'Hearn. Inker credit confirmed by Paris.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 8)

Letters to the Bat-Cave / letters page / 1 page (report information)

Script
Jack Schiff
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Charles Paris
Colors
?
Letters
typeset
Feature Logo
Letters to the Bat-Cave [batwing + headshot]
Characters
Batman

Indexer Notes

Letters from Sanford Oakley, Lisa Walters, Robert Weinstock, Ray Bodkin, Marian Philbrick, Sean O'Reilly, and Lefty Bullett.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

The Brave and the Bold; Hawkman / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 10)

Jail Jests / comic story / 0.67 page (report information)

Script
Henry Boltinoff
Pencils
Henry Boltinoff
Inks
Henry Boltinoff
Colors
?
Letters
Henry Boltinoff
First Line of Dialogue or Text
What are you doing with that fishing pole here?
Genre
humor
Reprints

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Detective Comics; World's Finest Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.33 page (report information)

The Secret of the Sea Beast (Table of Contents: 12)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script
Bill Finger
Pencils
Sheldon Moldoff
Inks
Charles Paris
Colors
?
Letters
Stan Starkman
First Line of Dialogue or Text
It should have died thousands of years ago...
Feature Logo
Batman with Robin - The Boy Wonder [50's face]
Genre
superhero
Characters
Batman [Bruce Wayne; also as Hassel]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner James Gordon; Chips Hassel (villain); Hassel's gang (villains); Lester Guinn (villain); Hal Torson (villain); Sea-Beast (villain, a submarine)
Synopsis
The Caped Crusaders investigate reports of a mysterious sea beast that has attacked ships and caused the disappearance of two passengers.
Reprints
Keywords
Gotham City

Indexer Notes

Script credit by Martin O'Hearn. Inker credit confirmed by Charles Paris.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

Stephens Credit Sales / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 14) (Expand) /

Zenith Stamps / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 15) (Expand) /

American Seeds / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

Editing
Issue at my.comics.org
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. Secret of the Sea Beast!
    Batman and Robin
  2. 1. ["Are you skinny like I was?"]
    Jowett Institute of Physical Training
  3. 2. Batman's Master
    Batman and Robin
  4. 3. ["In every issue you will travel along with Rip and his companions in the amazing sphere that smashes the time barrier..."]
    Rip Hunter... Time Master
  5. 4. Don't Sell Nature Short!
  6. 5. ["State Prison"]
    Casey the Cop
  7. 6. ["Boys here's a swell way to make $1 to $5 weekly in your spare time -- and win dandy prizes too!"]
    Grit Newspaper
  8. 7. The Simple Crimes of Simple Simon
    Batman and Robin
  9. 8. [no title indexed]
    Letters to the Bat-Cave
  10. 9. ["Who is Hawkman--"]
    The Brave and the Bold; Hawkman
  11. 10. ["What are you doing with that fishing pole here?"]
    Jail Jests
  12. 11. ["This famous symbol is your guarantee..."]
    Detective Comics; World's Finest Comics
  13. 12. The Secret of the Sea Beast
    Batman and Robin
  14. 13. ["Do you want spending money? Sell these popular Patriotic and Religious Mottoes"]
    Stephens Credit Sales
  15. 14. ["Everything you need to enjoy stamp collecting yours for only 25ยข"]
    Zenith Stamps
  16. 15. ["Make money get prizes with fast selling American Seeds"]
    American Seeds
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Craig Delich
  • Del Gruber
  • Jan Roar Hansen
  • Matthew Head
  • Jerry Hillegas (R.I.P.)
  • Bob Hughes
  • Lou Mougin (R.I.P.)
  • Matthew Peets
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Brian Stewart
  • Jim Van Dore
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