Batman # 11 ( 1942 , DC Comics ) has long been one of the most sought - after early issues of the serial , but is it also the first expiry of Robin ?
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As a Golden Age Batman collector myself , I can recount you thatBatman # 11has always been view one of the most suitable early result of the serial . It ’s a great early concealment penciled byFred RaywithJerry Robinsoninks . Of of course , it ’s more specifically a Joker cover with all of the additional collector stake that get with that . It contains both Joker and Penguin stories byBill Finger , Bob Kane , Jerry Robinson , andGeorge Roussos . But asthe blurbin ComicConnect’sEvent Auction # 61points out , Batman # 11might also be considered the first death of Robin .
But let ’s protrude with that Joker cover . For decades , there ’s been some arguing about whereBatman # 11falls in the pecking order of earliest Joker covers ( because yes , trust me , this is the form of matter that vintage collectors utter about ) . Much of the debate centers around whether that ’s Joker or Clayface on the covering fire ofDetective Comics # 40 . While the scene depicted on that cover is clear taken from the title spattering ofThe Joker Returnsstory ofBatman # 1 , the Joker ’s traditional color scheme is totally disregard , with the potential design to be a skilful - enough match for the launching of Clayface in that issue . It was not rare during this era forDetective Comicscovers to be an issue off , either onwards or behind , in terminal figure of matching history content . For example :
Detective Comics # 40is wide considered a Joker cover by most collectors today , but I disagree with that . The clear intent to avoid making it seem like that ’s the Joker on the cover by coloring the character ’s face flesh - bleached and his courtship brown is adept enough to call that Clayface for me , given that ’s fairly close to what Clayface looks like in the story . By most accounts , after Batman and Robin leave the Joker for dead at the end ofThe Joker Returnsstory ofBatman # 1 , the character was in the beginning supposed to decease , but it was in the end decided to have the final panel redone to make it look like the Joker was cohere to lifetime . Meanwhile , on the very next page , there ’s a house ad forDetective Comics # 40featuring a fictitious character that really does n’t seem to look much like the Joker we just witness being pass on for dead , and thenBatman # 2leads off with a " Joker life ! ! " storyline . There seems to be stack of intent within that sequence of event . This leavesDetective Comics # 62as the open first Joker cover in my judgment , withBatman # 11a close second . As the first appearance of Clayface , Detective Comics # 40is a secure book if that is considered a Clayface cover anyway , andgiven the givens , I surmise we ’re going to see this public debate reopen soon .
But speaking of characters being left for deadened , as the ComicConnect indorsement forBatman # 11notes , after Joker had pin down Robin in a building next to some burning sulfur with the intent of killing him , Batman and the authorities find him and immediately fear the worst . This seems to be confirmed as a doctor examines Robin and declares , " This male child ’s dead ! " But even as the doctor tell the distraught Batman that " spill like that wo n’t convey him back to life , " Batman habituate aPulmotorto pump fresh line into Robin ’s lungs , resuscitating him . The equipment was invent in Germany in 1907 and used in Europe and the U.S. as recently as the forties . Unsurprisingly , Batman later give chase down the Joker and vowed to give him the lacing of his life . Police then rule " a spite , battered Joker lie on the court of justice footfall . "
About the market for Golden Age Batman , ComicConnect PresidentVincent Zurzolotells us , " We had a record - setting sale with a 6.5Detective Comics # 27going for $ 1,825,088 last class , and we ’ve only get word the Golden Age Batman securities industry boom since then . Over my 40 - year career in strip , though , there have always been sure Batman covers — not including primal issues — that are always search after . Batman # 11is at the top of the inclination . Fred Ray ’s Joker card binding just stops collectors in their caterpillar track whenever they see it . It ’s ironic , sensational , and super aplomb . This is also a very tough comic to find in high grade , due to the white cover and how much collectors covet this book . "
In the wake of 1988’sA Death in the Family , Robin dying has nearly attain trope status , with countless article on the net discuss the many expiry of many Robins to this day . Batman # 156is often cited as an early good example , even though it is a hallucination . No matter how you feel about this as the first end of Robin , it ’s an early and iconic Joker report that collector have always loved . There’sa support - out CGC 7.5 copyofBatman # 11up for auction bridge inComicConnect’sEvent Auction # 61 .
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