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Title: BATMAN No. 59 * 1st Deadshot Appearance
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: June-July, 1950
Description: CGC certified: Poor (0.5). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Piece reattached with tape back cover; staple detached top of cover; tape cover; small piece out left bottom of front cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 228 graded copies (213 Universal, 4 Qualified, 11 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: A 0.5 sold for $645 in 8/20; another 0.5 (incomplete) sold for $545 in 1/22.
 
Credits: Cover: Bob Kane (Batman and Robin only), Lew Sayre Schwartz, Charles Paris (inks). Scripts: David Vern, Bill Finger. Art: Bob Kane (Batman and Robin only), Lew Sayre Schwartz, Charles Paris (inks), Jim Mooney. Overstreet: "1st app. Deadshot."Bat-cyclopedia: "In June-July 1950 Batman and Robin thwart the machinations of DEADSHOT; get the goods on PROFESSOR VINCENT; and, after apprehending the JOKER, journey 100 years into the future for an encounter with the evil ERKHAM." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 122.
 
Details: Deadshot's debut, introducing Floyd Lawton, a Gotham City millionaire by day and gun-toting tuxedo-clad crimefighter by night. A rising star to rival Batman, Deadshot's flawless aim allows him to apprehend criminals without injuring them. His skill and excellent track record gain him the approval of Gotham City police, but Batman senses something amiss. This suspicion leads him to seek evidence of wrongdoing, resulting in Batman tricking Deadshot into revealing his true plans: to usurp Batman as the city's protector, and then use his influence to become a crime lord. Deadshot is one of the greatest underutilized characters of DC's Golden Age, and didn't achieve widespread popularity until Steve Englehart revived and revamped the character 29 years later in Detective Comics #474 (1979). * In an effort to understand the Joker's clown-themed criminality, Batman and Robin visit him in prison. The Joker claims that it's because his ancestors were all famous clowns. The Dynamic Duo, attempting to go back in time 100 years to meet the Joker's ancestors, accidentally end up 100 years in the future. Though they learn nothing that will help them with their current Joker, they do meet his descendant, Chief Rekoj, Gotham's future chief of police.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.