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Title: BATMAN No. 70
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: April-May, 1952
Description: CGC certified: Poor (0.5). Purple label: Restored (C-1). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Reattached with tape cover; tape cover; tape interior; tape interior cover, moderate staining to cover; small amount of glue on spine; two thirds missing interior part/page/wrap back cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 98 graded copies (90 Universal, 1 Qualified, 7 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 3.0 (C-1) sold for $203 in 11/22.
 
For comparison purposes, here are recent Universal sales: A 2.0 sold for $211 in 1/21; a 2.5 sold for $247 in 8/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Win Mortimer. Scripts: Bill Finger, David Vern. Art: Charles Paris (inks), Bob Kane (Batman and Robin only), Lew Sayre Schwartz, Curt Swan. Overstreet: "Robot cover."Bat-cyclopedia: "In April-May 1952 Batman and Robin meet MR. WEIR and apprehend the "Barker" Dawes gang; close down the ACADEMY; and battle the PENGUIN." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 123.
 
Details: In order to demonstrate his rehabilitation from a life of crime, the Penguin agrees to release his entire collection of birds. The Penguin then opens Penguin Umbrellas, Inc., a seemingly legit enterprise. Eager to see his foe go straight, Batman endorses the Penguin's umbrellas, and business is booming. Unbeknownst to his customers, however, each of the Penguin's umbrellas is fitted with a powerful magnet. When the Penguin electromagnetizes a large statue, every Penguin umbrella-holder is thrown into the air and stuck to the statue. The Penguin then demands his victims' valuables, threatening to drop them if they don't comply. The Dynamic Duo thwart the robbery, but fail to capture the Penguin. His crime wave continues, as he travels to a fancy beach resort and plants special umbrellas in the sand that are actually powerful fans. The Penguin's henchmen activate the fans, creating an artificial sandstorm and blinding the resort guards. Before they can loot the resort, however, Batman and Robin swoop down in the batplane and dampen the sandstorm with an artificially-induced rainstorm. The Penguin and his goons are captured once again, and treated to another short stay at Gotham's revolving-door prison.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.