Publishers / DC / Detective Comics (1937) / #29
29July 1939
$0.10

Detective Comics #29

DC · July 1939 · on sale 1939-05-31

First appearance: Dr. Karl HellfernFirst appearance: Doctor Death
How to read this file
  • Every claim on this page traces to a public bibliographic record; the sources are listed at the bottom of the file.
  • A first-appearance badge means this is the earliest non-flashback appearance on record in this database.
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Identification plate

Series
Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series)
Issue
#29
Publication date
July 1939
Key date
1939-07-00
On-sale date
1939-05-31
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

First appearance of Dr. Karl Hellfern - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

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

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.

Contents

SeqStoryTypePagesCreditsCharacters
0-cover1pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob KaneBatman, Doctor Death First, Dr. Karl Hellfern First, Bruce Wayne
1Action Comics; Adventure Comics; Fun Comicspromo (ad from the publisher)1
2The Batman Meets Doctor Deathcomic story10script: Gardner Fox; pencils: Bob Kane; inks: Bob Kane; letters: Bob KaneBatman, Doctor Death First, Dr. Karl Hellfern First, Bruce Wayne
3Footprints Often Aid Detectives in Bringing Criminals to Justice!cartoon1script: Vin Sullivan; pencils: Vin Sullivan; inks: Vin SullivanF. B. Gompert
4-text article1.4letters: typesetFranz Josef
6The Murder of Ace Mullinscomic story6script: Will Ely; pencils: Will Ely; inks: Will ElyLarry Steele
7Colonel Walsh and the Coastal Defense Planscomic story6script: Jerry Siegel; pencils: Mart Bailey; inks: Mart BaileyBart Regan
8The McNeal Kidnapperscomic story6script: Jim Chambers; pencils: Jim Chambers; inks: Jim ChambersThe Crimson Avenger, Wing How, Lee Travis, Wing
9A Game for Twotext story1.9script: Paul Dean; pencils: Fred Guardineer; inks: Fred GuardineerGregory Baxter; Benson; Inspector Burke; Dennis Kent; Orso
12The Perfect Crimecomic story6pencils: Fred Guardineer; inks: Fred Guardineer; letters: Fred GuardineerSpeed Saunders
13The New Orleans Mardi Gras Murder, Part 3comic story6pencils: Tom Hickey; inks: Tom HickeyBruce Nelson
14The Avengercomic story6pencils: Sven Elvén; inks: Sven Elvén; letters: Sven ElvenCosmo, the Phantom of Disguise
15Warning! Keep Out of Hawaiicomic story13script: Jerry Siegel; pencils: Joe Shuster; inks: Joe ShusterSlam Bradley, Shorty Morgan
16Movie Comics; All-American Comicspromo (ad from the publisher)1pencils: Bill Smith; inks: Bill Smith

Plus 1.7 pages of advertisements and other matter across 4 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

CollectionYear
Batman from the 30s to the 70s #[nn]1972On eBay ›
Batman Archives #1
ISBN 0-930289-60-9
1990On eBay ›
The Batman Chronicles #1
ISBN 1-4012-0445-7
2005On eBay ›
Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus #1
ISBN 978-1-4012-6009-5
2016On eBay ›
Batman: The Golden Age #1
ISBN 978-1-4012-6333-1
2016On eBay ›
The Golden Age of Comic Books #[nn]
ISBN 0-345-25535-6-695
1977On 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

Sources

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