Batman #1 for Sale - First Appearance of Dick Grayson - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Batman (DC, 1940 series)
Issue: #1
Publication date: Spring 1940
Key date: 1940-04-00
On-sale date: 1940-04-25
Indicia publisher: Detective Comics Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 68

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

From the editorial file Batman's solo launch, Spring 1940, and a double first appearance: the Joker debuts in two stories in this single issue, and Catwoman debuts as the Cat. Few comics introduce two villains of this permanence at once.

First appearance of Dick Grayson - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Robin - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Joker - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Basil Karlo - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Clayface - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Bob Kane - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of The Cat - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

Origin story on record for: Batman, Bruce Wayne.

Death on record for: Martha Wayne, Thomas Wayne.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	-	cover	1	pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Jerry Robinson	Batman, Dick Grayson First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne
2	The Legend of the Batman--Who He Is and How He Came to Be!	comic story	2	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Sheldon Moldoff	Batman Origin, Bruce Wayne Origin, Joe Chill, Martha Wayne Death, Thomas Wayne Death
3	The Joker	comic story	13	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Jerry Robinson	Batman, Dick Grayson First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne, Joker First
4	Major Bigsbe an' Botts	comic story	2	script: Paul Gustavson; pencils: Paul Gustavson; inks: Paul Gustavson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Paul Gustavson	Major Bigsbe; Botts; unnamed Sheriff
5	The Giants of Hugo Strange	comic story	12	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Jerry Robinson	Batman, Bruce Wayne, Hugo Strange
6	Strictly Publicity	text story	1	script: Guy Monroe	The Chief; Terry Gallant
7	Meet the Artist!	text article	1	script: Whitney Ellsworth	Bob Kane First
8	The Cat	comic story	13	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Jerry Robinson	Batman, Dick Grayson First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne, The Cat First
9	The "Big Six" Comics Magazines Still Lead the Field!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	colors: Strauss Engraving Company	Batman, Jim Corrigan, Wesley Dodds, The Flash, Jay Garrick, Clark Kent, The Sandman, The Spectre, Superman, Ultra-Man, Bruce Wayne
10	Two Aces	text story	2	script: George Shute; pencils: Raymond Perry; inks: Raymond Perry; colors: Raymond Perry	Lieutenant Bill Wayne; Doctor Synce; Von Berket (villain, death)
11	-	comic story	2	script: Bob Kane; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Bob Kane	Ginger Snap; Uncle Zep; un-named soda jerk
12	-	cartoon	1	script: George Papp; pencils: George Papp; inks: George Papp; colors: Strauss Engraving Company	Jack Dempsey
13	The Joker Returns	comic story	13	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company; letters: Jerry Robinson	Batman, Commissioner James Gordon, Dick Grayson First, Joker First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne
14	Detective Comics!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson; colors: Strauss Engraving Company	Batman, Clayface First, Dick Grayson First, Basil Karlo First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne
16	-	illustration	1	pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane; colors: Strauss Engraving Company	Batman, Dick Grayson First, Robin First, Bruce Wayne

Plus 2 pages of advertisements and other matter across 2 sequences, as published.

Printings and variants

Edition	How to tell
Cover Number without Period	See the GCD record for identification notes.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Detective Comics #39	1940	On eBay ›
Detective Comics #40	1940	On eBay ›
Superman #5	1940	On eBay ›
Detective Comics #41	1940	On eBay ›
Batman Annual #5	1963	On eBay ›
The Great Comic Book Heroes #[nn]	1965	On eBay ›
Batman #D2939 [1]	1966	On eBay ›
Batman from the 30s to the 70s #[nn]	1972	On eBay ›
The Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0930-289-35-8	1988	On eBay ›
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0-930289-36-6	1989	On eBay ›
Famous First Edition #F-6 (F-5)	1974	On eBay ›
Millennium Edition: Batman No. 1 #[nn]	2001	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

1 of 715#2 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Wikidata, Q660051 (Dick Grayson), first-appearance property (CC0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com