In honor of Batman's 75th anniversary, the 1st four years of stories on ebay

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http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=221410965926

 

 

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Some significant changes (additional items) have been added to this offering. Please inquire if you have any questions.

Batman's first appearance was published 75 years ago and DC comics is planning a year-long celebration, as well another big-screen adaptation. Here is that first appearance -- as well as all his other appearances for his first four years from 1939-1943.

Represented in these volumes are the first 113 Batman stories (including the origin tale) from 70 issues of comics.

This is a collection of Batman pages from the original comics printed 1939-43. It includes the Batman stories from Detective comics #27-73 Batman 1-14 and World's Fair 1940 plus World's Best/World's Finest 1-8.

The Batman pages were neatly clipped from the original comics and assembled in a bound volume so that it presents like a series of books.

This Batman fan apparently had multiple copies of these books because, in addition to all the Batman story pages there are cut-out pieces from covers and cut-outs from comic pages that were used to adorn inset pages with hand-written titles for each adventure. It was all in the style of kids' adventure books of the time. I can't identify where all the additional images came from but I recognized images from the covers of Batman 3, 4 and 9. I would have recognized the images from other covers of Batman 1 - 14 or Detective 27 - 45 so I know that no elements from those other covers are included)

Since the person who made this clearly wanted books that were ALL about Batman, he threw out any ad pages or back-up stories which did not contain any Batman.

Coincidentally, however, I have a collection of some loose non-Batman story pages so among those I can include with these volumes are:

I can include separate original examples of the non-story pages for Batman #1 (which, coupled with the Batman pages in these volumes, would make a complete coverless Batman #1);

I can also include 24 loose trimmed leafs containing 48 pages of back-up stories and ads from Detective Comics #27 -- the whole book minus the pages from the first four wraps, which includes the Batman story (but that is included in the bound volumes).

To be clear: The additional loose pages included with these bound volumes make for a complete coverless Batman #1 and a near complete coverless Detective #27 (including centerfold)

It would take some doing to list all of the "key" issues and all the significant "firsts" and all the canon-building that occurs in these stories which includes all Batman stories from the first two years. But the stories include: 1st appearances of Batman, Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Joker, Catwoman, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Batmobile (several incarnations beginning with the first which was merely a cool looking coupe), Hugo Strange, Penguin, Puppet Master, Alfred, Bat gyro, the Monk, Clayface, Dr. Death, 1st girlfriends, Batman using a gun, Batman fighting opium dealers, vampires and Nazis, etc.

I have been tempted to take this apart and sell the pieces separately since even loose individual pages from the earliest adventures of Batman and Superman have sold for substantial amounts. I've been told a coverless Detective 27 was sold in pieces for a total of 45K and middling pages from Batman 1 sell for 500 or more, while single back-up pages (without Superman on them) from Action 1 have fetched up to 1K or more. All of which means the value of the sum of the parts here can easily exceed the price if disassembled, following today's market.

(Please NOTE there are a couple of errors in my answer to a potential bidders question.

I mentioned I could not see threads holding the pages to the binding. But upon closer inspection I found a loose page that does seem to the pages do appear to have been threaded into volume. I've included a photo of that page which shows that small threads were used and there is no doubt that all pages could be removed from the volumes with minimal damage if done with careful disassembly)

I had told a potential bidder (in an answer listed below) that there had been some text clipped from the final panels. Six pages have advertising text clipped from the final panels. Those panels include: the final panel of one story from Batman 1; the final panel of a story from Batman 2; the final panel from a story in Batman 3, and final panels in the stories from Detective 49, 50 and 51. (I can have extra copies of loose pages from Batman 3 and Detective 49-51 and will include the panels that have been clipped)

In regard to the glue: Some story pages were glued to plain paper backing to disguise the ads. But I flipped through the volumes and I easily separated ALL of the glued pages from their backing papers with no tearing at all. I have included a picture of one page that had been glued so you can see how it came apart without damage (except the pages are slightly darkened from the old glue residue.

If its kept together, however, it would preserve a great example of vintage comics fandom and I could see it being the sort of thing that might ultimately be worth more than the sum of its parts as the rare examples of these "homemade" volumes tend to be disassembled for all the reasons listed above.

The way kids loved their comics back in the late 30s/early 40s was to personalize them with their names or assembles them in "homemade" volumes like this. And these are among the most painstakingly assembled homemade books I have ever seen. It's as if he thought the Batman's adventures should be seen as real literature (at least on par with an adventure novel) so he remade it in that form.

I added one picture of a handmade "chapter title page" which shows how the original owner cut out images of Batman and Robin and villains to add illustrations to the title pages in between stories. Clearly these were cut from additional copies of these books as these images are not missing from the stories contained in the bound volumes. In addition to the pasted up images I found a number of loose cut-out images tucked in the book which had not been affixed to any of the title pages. There's about 125 or so of these little cut-outs. Whoever made this took a LOT of time and care putting it together.

This Bat-fan even spotted how the story continuity was different from the issue number continuity and adjusted so that story continuity prevailed. He begins with the 2 page Batman origin tale from Batman #1 and then goes into the first published appearance in Detective #27. Then he leaves out the 1 page origin from the story in Detective 33 reorders the stories from 33 and 34, etc. to correct the fact they were presented out of chronology (which only a sharp reader would notice).

In all it makes it a very interesting collection of Batman memorabilia as well as a great piece of comic history. Batman was pretty popular when the fan assembled these volumes, but he has gone on to be one of the most enduring fictional characters in history, known and loved by literally billions of fans all over the world.

These are the most valuable Batman comics of all and would be more well over a million if complete and in high grade (or even mid to high grade) condition. The value would be well into six figures if but a few of these books could be completed with missing covers and/or pages, even considering the discount for heavily restored books. I reserve the right to cancel this listing and relist or offer it elsewhere if there are sufficient indications that the auction is going too far 'under the radar' and/or I obtain additional examples of the missing pages or covers. Any questions, please feel free to call. Fully guaranteed as authentic, and available for perusal and pick-up in L.A. by serious buyers.

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Never counted the stories until today. 113 stories in all (including the origin as a separate story) from 70 issues

 

I had listed it tossing loose backup pages which make the tec 27 almost complete and the bat 1 complete (albeit both coverless) and then added up what the separate parts have sold for, only then realize the open bid is not close to the sums received for all the parts sold separately in previous sales. A colleague suggested I revise the open bid but not sure how that would be received....

 

 

[Chicago Boy]

Very interesting piece! I'd be interested in the Tec 27 (what you have) or individual page or wrap if you decide to separate. Feel free to PM me if you decide to go that route.

[bluechip]

Very interesting piece! I'd be interested in the Tec 27 (what you have) or individual page or wrap if you decide to separate. Feel free to PM me if you decide to go that route.

 

Not looking to separate them now unless a lot of things change. But of course things change. For instance I might find additional pieces from a 27 that would allow the assemblage of a true frankenbook.

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Forgot to mention this book has lots of loose cut-out images of Batman and Robin which were apparently taken from duplicate copies. I noticed while flipping through that every so often a neatly cut-out figure of Batman suddenly appears, tucked between the pages.

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Sample shot of how the original owner cut up secondary copies of the books to make adornments on his homemade chapter pages.

 

 

 

Still no thoughts on whether it's okay or bad form to change the min bid once the auction is up if there are no bids?

 

 

 

[Chicago Boy]

I don't think it's poor form. I've seen it done multiple times before and personally never thought it was bad form--just a business decision ,......

[bluechip]

I don't think it's poor form. I've seen it done multiple times before and personally never thought it was bad form--just a business decision ,......

 

Appreciate that. I actually decided to take it down and relist after getting reliable indications that people didn't understand what it was and what was in it and -- even more -- when I discovered that I had more additional pages from Tec 27 than I'd thought . Including the centerfold!!

 

[TrinityComics]

Wow! Very cool!

[bluechip]

Wow! Very cool!

 

Thanks. Adding some pix in addition to the 12 that ebay allows.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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