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Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 45
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: November, 1940
Description: CGC certified: Fine (6.0). Purple label: Restored (C-2). Off-white pages. Grader notes: "Creasing to cover; pieces added top spine C-2; small amount of color touch on top spine; tear seals interior & cover C-1." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 146 graded copies (109 Universal, 8 Qualified, 1 Signature Series, 28 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A restored 4.0 (C-1) sold for $1600 in 11/22.
 
For comparison purposes, here are recent Universal sales: A 6.0 sold for $7100 in 4/22; a 5.5 sold for $4975 in 5/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Bob Kane (Jerry Robinson and George Roussos inks). Scripts: Bill Finger, Jerry Siegel, Jack Lehti, Chad Grothkopf. Art: Bob Kane (Jerry Robinson inks, George Roussos backgrounds), Ed Moore, Irwin Hasen?, Jack Lehti, Ed Winiarski (signed Fran Miller), Don Lynch, Chad Grothkopf, Howard Sherman. Overstreet: "1st Joker story in Detective (3rd book app. & 4th story app. overall)."Bat-cyclopedia: "In November 1940 Batman and Robin battle the JOKER.... the arch-villain of the BATMAN chronicles, a maniacal harlequin whose bizarre appearance, unparalleled arrogance, and unerring instinct for absurdity have earned him a reputation as 'the cleverest and the most dangerous criminal in the annals of crime'.... By his own account, he is 'the greatest criminal on Earth' and 'the world's greatest clown', as well as 'the greatest comedian of all -- the caliph of crime clowns, the grand mogul of mountebanks, the king of jesters... the one and only Joker!'
 
"The Joker returns [after his apparent death in Batman #2], this time under the guise of an elderly music store proprietor named A. Rekoj. As the bespectacled Rekoj, the Joker recruits a gang of criminals and plans a series of elaborate crimes for them without ever telling them that he is in reality the Joker. Later, after the henchmen have committed a robbery, the Joker, having shed his Rekoj disguise, appears on the scene and steals their accumulated loot, leaving the hapless henchmen with the impression that the loot they stole for Rekoj has been hijacked by the Joker. 'The idiots!' gloats the Joker to himself. 'I make them do all the dirty work, gather all the jewels together... then I step in and take it away from them! Now I don't have to divide it with them! Ha ha! The fools! The uter fools! HA HA HA HA.'"— Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, pp. 115, 234, 237.
 
The Joker's crime scheme in this ish, in which he disguises himself in order to rob his own henchmen, may or may not have inspired the opening sequence of Christopher Nolan's 2008 film The Dark Knight, in which a disguised Joker robs and kills his own goons in the course of a violent bank robbery.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.