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Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 128
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: October, 1947
Description: CGC certified: Poor (0.5). Brittle pages. Grader notes: "Detached cover; detached page(s) 1-8; missing interior part/page/wrap page(s) 18-24 affects story; heavy spine splits to cover; moderate pieces out to cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 98 graded copies (97 Universal, 1 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 1.5 sold for $500 in 1/23. 
 
For comparison purposes, here are recent Universal sales: A xx sold for $xxx in xx; a xx sold for $xx in xx.
 
Credits: Cover: Jack Burnley (Charles Paris inks). Scripts: Bill Finger. Art: Jack Burnley (ghosting as Bob Kane), Lee Harris, John Daly, Curt Swan. Overstreet: "Joker cover/story."Bat-cyclopedia: "In October 1947 Batman and Robin battle the JOKER.... [who] escapes from prison and stages a series of spectacular crimes in reverse, all of which involve announcing the crime before it has actually been committed and then capitalizing on the reactions of the people who assume that the evil deed has already been done. At the Gotham Horse Show, for example, a henchman posing as an insurance investigator approaches wealthy Mrs. Tyler Vanderkill and tells her that he has received word that her priceless emerald necklace has been stolen. When Mrs. Vanderkill removes the necklace from her neck to prove that the necklace has not been stolen after all, the henchman seizes it and disappears with it into the crowd. The strange crimes in reverse proceed like clockwork until the Joker is finally apprehended by Batman and Robin." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, pp. 120, 242.
 
Literary Antecedents Dept.: We know that Batman scribe Bill Finger modeled the Caped Crusader's detective skills after Sherlock Holmes (see entry for Detective Comics #110), and it's possible that while writing this yarn he took inspiration from the classic Holmes caper "A Scandal in Bohemia," in which Holmes tricks the clever Irene Adler into revealing the location of a hidden photograph by faking a fire in her lodgings and watching her reaction. "When a woman thinks that her house is on fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she values most. It is a perfectly overpowering impulse, and I have more than once taken advantage of it." — Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, "A Scandal in Bohemia," The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. Barnes & Noble: 2014, p. 27.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.