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Title: BATMAN No. 4
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: Winter, 1941
Description: CGC certified: Good- (1.8). Purple label: Restored (C-4). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Tape interior cover; tape spine; color touch on cover; heavy tape pull left bottom of back cover; moderate spine splits to cover; moderate tears to cover; piece added with tape cover C-3." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 295 graded copies (202 Universal, 11 Qualified, 5 Signature Series, 77 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A restored 2.0 (C-3) sold for $1425 in 5/23; a restored 1.5 (C-1) sold for $1680 in 4/23.
 
For comparison purposes, here are recent Universal sales: A 1.8 sold for $3000 in 5/23; a 1.0 sold for $1800 in 10/22.
 
Credits: Cover: Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson (inks). Scripts: Bill Finger, Bob Kane (signed as Lou Reed) Art: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson (inks), George Roussos (backgrounds). Overstreet: "4th app. The Joker (see Detective #45 for 3rd); 1st mention of Gotham City in a Batman comic (on newspaper)."Bat-cyclopedia: "In Winter 1941 Batman and Robin match wits with the JOKER; apprehend the villainous BLACKBEARD; find themselves caught in the midst of a bloody gang war; and battle a gang of criminals led by the gambler STACY." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 115.
 
Details: The Joker poses as a rent-a-clown in order to gain access to the mansions of rich Gothamites eager for lowbrow laffs, memorizes the layout of each mansion, and returns to rob the rich folks blind. The story ends when the Joker plummets into Gotham's sewer system while tussling with Batman and Robin, who abandon the search assuming that the Bandit Buffoon has drowned in effluvia. * A two-bit crook calling himself "Blackbeard" poses as a pirate to fleece Gotham's rich, but craps out when he meets the Dynamic Duo. * Stacy, the crooked owner of Gotham City's pro football franchise, turns to murder to ensure his team's victory, until Batman and Robin end his criminal career and toss him in the penalty box.
 
Bob Kane's Walk on the Wild Side: Bob Kane's "Ginger Snap" two-pager in this ish is signed under the psuedonym "Lou Reed." Strangely enough, according to an internet rumor that made the rounds a few years ago, the Velvet Underground's Lou Reed and John Cale dressed as Batman and Robin to perform at children's birthday parties in the early days of their collaboration when paid music gigs were lean. Alas, spoilsports have debunked the rumor, but at least the famous 1966 photo of Andy Warhol and Nico dressed as the Dynamic Duo is the real deal. Incidentally, Warhol's unauthorized 1964 movie Batman Dracula debuted the over-the-top campy Batman motif, predating the popular TV series by two years.The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION comprises over 40,000 comic books, including a copy of every single DC comic published for retail sale from 1934 to 2014. The collection was amassed by British music producer Ian Levine over the course of several decades, and it's been hailed as the single greatest collecting accomplishment in comic book history. This collection served as the basis for former DC Comics president Paul Levitz's monumental book 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, published by Taschen in 2017. PBA is proud to present this epic collection in a series of themed sales over the next two years. To join the DC Universe Collection notifications list, contact pba@pbagalleries.com.
Enjoying PBA's Batman sale? A very small number of softcover and limited edition hardcover auction catalogues are available for purchase. The catalogues are fully illustrated, thoroughly researched, and make excellent reference works for Batman fans. To order a copy, or to inquire about consignment opportunities, contact Ivan Briggs, PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.