Famous First Edition #F-6 (F-5)

(December 1974-January 1975)

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

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Script

Carmine Infantino

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Last February, The Batman lost a father...

Indexer Notes

Inside front cover. Memorializes Bill Finger.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 2)

Batman / cover reprint (on interior page) / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 [Cover Number with Period] (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

This is an inner cover printed on glossy paper (the rest of the book is newsprint).

The inks credit was verified by Robinson.

Boys! G-Man Outfit (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

The Crowell-Collier Publishing Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

The Legend of the Batman - Who He Is and How He Came to Be! (Table of Contents: 4)

Batman / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane; Sheldon Moldoff (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

Sheldon Moldoff

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman [Bruce Wayne] (origin); Thomas Wayne; Martha Wayne; Joe Chill (unnamed)

Synopsis

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

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) [in this form]
which is reprinted
• from Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #33 (November 1939) [first two pages only], #34 (December 1939) [splash panel]

Indexer Notes

The background inks and letters credits were verified by Moldoff.

[The Joker] (Table of Contents: 5)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

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

Inks

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

Jerry Robinson

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Once again a master criminal stalks the city streets...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Henry Claridge (Death); Jay Wilde (Death); Judge Drake (Death); The Joker (Villain; Introduction); Brute Nelson (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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

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.

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

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

Script

Paul Gustavson

Pencils

Paul Gustavson

Inks

Paul Gustavson

Colors

?

Letters

Paul Gustavson

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Yippe-e! Hey-cut that out! Waho-o-o!

Genre

humor

Characters

Major Bigsbe; Botts

Synopsis

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

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

All Gustavson credits verified and courtesy of Terry Gustafson, Paul Gustavson's son.

[The Giants of Hugo Strange] (Table of Contents: 7)

Batman / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

Jerry Robinson

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Already an almost legendary figure...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Professor Hugo Strange (Villain); unnamed monsters (Villains; Death); the Batplane

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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

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: 8)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Guy Monroe (house name)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

Genre

detective-mystery

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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Meet the Artist! (Table of Contents: 9)

text article / 1 page (report information)

Script

Whitney Ellsworth (signed as The Editor)

Pencils

? (photo)

Inks

? (photo)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Readers, meet Bob Kane, creator of The Batman!

Genre

biography

Characters

Bob Kane (photo)

Synopsis

Biography of Batman creator Bob Kane.

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

[The Cat] (Table of Contents: 10)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane; Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

Jerry Robinson

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Once more that eerie figure of the night...

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; John Travers; Martha Travers; The Cat [Selina Kyle; also as Miss Peggs] (Villain); Denny

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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

The Cat was later renamed Cat-Woman or Catwoman.

The background inks and letters credits were verified by Robinson.

The 'Big Six' Comics Magazines Still Lead the Field! (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

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

Two Aces (Table of Contents: 12)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Shute

Pencils

Raymond Perry

Inks

Raymond Perry

Colors

?

Letters

?

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

Genre

adventure

Characters

Lt. Bill Wayne; 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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

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

Ginger Snap / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Bob Kane (signed as Ted Raye)

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed as Ted Raye)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed as Ted Raye)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gosh! And only ten cents!

Genre

humor

Characters

Ginger Snap; Uncle Zep

Synopsis

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

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

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

Fantastic Facts / cartoon / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

George Papp (signed as Geo. Papp)

Inks

George Papp (signed as Geo. Papp)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

In Egypt they say "How are you sweating"? instead of "How is your health"?

Genre

non-fiction

Characters

Jack Dempsey

Synopsis

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

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

The Joker Returns (Table of Contents: 15)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 13 pages (report information)

Script

Bill Finger

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane; Jerry Robinson (backgrounds)

Colors

?

Letters

Jerry Robinson

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Once again that harlequin of hate..the Joker..brings grinning death...

Genre

superhero

Characters

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

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

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 letters credits were verified by Robinson.

Detective Comics (Table of Contents: 16) (Expand) /

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

Charlie Barnet Uses Home Recordo! (Table of Contents: 17) (Expand) /

Home Recording Co. / advertisement / 1 page (report information)

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 18)

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

Pencils

Bob Kane (signed)

Inks

Bob Kane (signed)

Colors

?

Letters

?

Editing

Whitney Ellsworth

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman; Robin

Synopsis

Pin-up of Batman & Robin.

Reprints

• from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940)

Indexer Notes

Reprinted from the original back cover.

The Line of DC Super-Stars (Table of Contents: 19)

illustration / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

typeset

Indexer Notes

Inside back cover.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 20)

Batman / illustration / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

Bob Kane

Inks

Bob Kane

Colors

?

Genre

superhero

Characters

Batman

Indexer Notes

Back cover. The figure of Batman from the cover, over a bat symbol.