Heading:
Title: BATMAN No. 121 * 1st Mister Freeze Appearance
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: February, 1959
Description: CGC certified: Good+ (2.5). Off-white pages. Grader notes: "Piece reattached with tape right bottom of front cover; creasing to cover; finger bends on cover; large tear left center of back cover; tears to cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 916 graded copies (874 Universal, 5 Qualified, 3 Signature Series, 34 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: A 2.5 sold for $1623 in 9/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Curt Swan and Stan Kaye (inks). Scripts: Bill Finger, Dave Wood. Art: Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris (inks). Overstreet: "Origin/1st app. of Mr. Zero (Mr. Freeze)."Bat-cyclopedia: "In February 1959 Batman and Robin probe the mysterious death of ALEC WYRE; accompany a railroad policeman on his daily rounds to help familiarize themselves with the work of the railroad police; [and] match wits with MR. ZERO." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 128.
 
Details: Mr. Zero (who was renamed "Mr. Freeze" in 1966 for the Batman TV show) is doomed to an icy existence after an accident with his experimental "freezing solution." He creates an insulated costume that enables him to survive in the outside world, develops an ice gun, and goes on a crime spree in Gotham City. While battling the Dynamic Duo, an accidental "steam treatment" returns Mr. Zero to normal. This proto-version of Mr. Freeze has little to do with the more familiar iteration of the character, the tragic Dr. Victor Fries, whose crimes are in the service of curing his terminally ill, cryogenically-frozen wife. * After stumbling across the body of Alec Wyre inside the Batcave, Batman and Robin are desperate for answers. How did the dead man discover their hideout? Who killed him, and why? After tracking down and capturing a series of Wyre's associates, Batman and Robin realize that Wyre's death was no murder — it was an accident, caused when the intruder knocked his head on one of the cave's stalactites.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.