For some reason, locating pre-Comics Code issues of Batman always seemed more challenging than Superman in the halcyon days of overwhelming comic book curiosity, when I was eager to learn about the contents of comics published before I started buying them in 1956.
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Eventually, though, I uncovered all the issues published after the 1940-47 period (#1-43), many of which I saw far less often than some of the first 43 issues. I was amazed at how many really good Batman stories were produced from #44 (Dec. 1947-Jan. 1948) through #89 (Feb. 1955), the last pre-Code issue. This 46-issue run includes plenty of great comics! It’s no wonder they are the most expensive mid-run issues of a 1950s DC title published in the days before the Comics Code. It’s pretty darned hard now, however, to find any of these issues for less than about $60 to $100, although they are vastly more affordable than the earliest issues of Batman.
The first iconic issue is #47 (June-July 1948), with the wonderful 13-page story, “The Origin of Batman!” This issue, like the concurrent Superman #53 origin issue, was the first exposure to the hero’s origin for many readers. At $338 in Overstreet “good,” Batman #47 is by far the most expensive of the issues I’m covering here. Even so, I highly recommend it, especially if you can swing a trade. From the simple yet highly effective cover, to the other stories entitled “The Chain Gang Crimes” and “Fashions in Crime,” this is a highly cool issue. The “arrival date” penciled on the cover of my copy of #47 — April 14 — corresponds with the usual three-month advance sale on bi-monthly DC titles.
Many readers may not consider it iconic, but I also love #48 with “The 1,000 Secrets of the Batcave.” What a readable, historic story! Issue #49 is definitely iconic, with the debut of photographer Vicki Vale in “The Scoop of the Century!” Yet the cover — a take-off of the Joker theme in “Batman’s Arabian Nights” — is one of my least favorite. Even so, the Vicki Vale story is worth the price. It has always seemed odd to me that DC used a surreal image of The Joker instead of headlining the debut of Vicki, but who knew how big she would become in the Batman mythos. How important was Vicki? This important: Michael Fleisher devoted seven pages to her in his detailed 1976 Batman encyclopedia.
One of my favorite Joker covers is #55 (Oct-Nov 1949), with the Joker broadcasting, as Batman and Robin swing into the window of his studio in “The Case of the 48 Jokers!” A similar state theme is evident on the fabulous cover to #58 (April-May 1950) in “The Penguin’s State-Bird Crimes!” This cover is a superb rendering.
Lots of Batman fans will judge cover features such as “Batman in the Future” (with a Bat-spaceship) on #59 (June-July 1950) as the beginning of the end of the good old original Dark Knight. But there was still plenty of great old-school work to come, including “The Origin of Batplane II!” on #61 (Oct.-.Nov 1950) and my favorite cover among the 46 issues we’re discussing, highlighting “The Secret Life of the Catwoman!” on #62 (Dec 1950-Jan. 1951). This was the first Catwoman cover/story in Batman since #42 (Aug.-Sept. 1947) and it’s one of the best of all Catwoman features. Superb! This one goes for $129 in Overstreet “good,” making it one of the finest 1950s bargains in the DC oeuvre. And the story has to rank as one of DC’s all-time best. If you can afford only a handful of pre-Code Batman, get this one! Almost asgood is the surreal Catwoman cover for #65 (June-July 1951).
It’s not iconic, but I highly recommend the cover/story “The Mystery Rope!” in Batman #67 (Oct.-Nov. 1951).This “noose cover” is oddly chilling... I wonder if the Comics Code would have passed it. On the other hand, the addition of “The King of the Cats,” as a self-styled male version of Catwoman called himself, does not make a big impression on the cover of #69 (Feb-March 1952). Thankfully, this was the only appearance of Selina Kyle’s brother. The last 52-page issue is #72 (Aug.-Sept. 1952), virtually tying with Superman #78 for the last 52-page 10-cent DC comic.
One of the most striking Batman covers spotlighted ‘The Gorilla Boss of Gotham City!” in #75 (Feb-March 1953). DC folks always claimed gorilla themes made their comics sell better, and I don’t doubt that, but for some reason this issue actually seems scarcer than several others from its time period. I recommend it just because it’s a highly cool cover and splash.
I will never forget my first Batman back issue — #78 (Aug-Sept. 1953) with the classic “The Manhunter from Mars.” I found this in a third-grade rainy day comic box at school, and I had already read several stories of the real Manhunter in Detective Comics. This story confused the heck out of me until I realized this green-skinned Manhunter was named Roh Kar. Since the copy I found was coverless, this was the first story I saw. It took me a good many years to realize the cover feature is “Batman of the Mounties!” with a nifty snow scene. That’s also a solid story, making this one of my ten favorite issues of Batman.
The rest of the pre-Code covers fail to sparkle, except for “The Sleeping Beauties of Gotham City” Catwoman cover on #84 (June 1954). At this point, Batman stories were still mostly 10-pagers (instead of the standard 12-pagers or longer of the 1940-52 era). Alas, the 44-page issues of Batman — DC’s compromised size for its most popular titles -- were soon to end. The first 36-pager was #88 (Dec. 1954) with a positively awful cover of a freckle-faced boy saying “See him socking that crook? That’s Batman -- that’s my pop!” Not only were Batman’s three stories usually reduced to eight pages, but they got sillier and sillier on occasion. Longtime readers must have shuddered.
Oddly, Superman ran 44 pages until the 36-page #97 (May 1955). Just one of those eternal comic book mysteries.
If, like me, you have been a 1950s Batman completist, the 1953-55 issues are worth obtaining. But many of them really don’t stack up well at all compared to the 1948-52 issues, so if you’re just dabbling in the Dark Knight, stick with the earlier books and you can’t go wrong.
Did you realize that by the time Captain Marvel #150 (Nov. 1953) appeared — the last issue — that Batman had run only 79 issues, even though Batman started in 1940, one year earlier? In retrospect, that seems surreal!
This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.
