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slightly brittle pgs
1st app. Dr. Death; 2nd Batman cover


The looming castle, the night gloom, the dark cape, the evil scientist —- the influence of pre-code horror cinema on Bob Kane's nocturnal creation is nowhere more evident than on this classic (and painfully rare) cover. It's no secret that top collectors have chased after the pre-Robin run of Detective #28-37 as some of the moodiest and most compelling Batman stories ever published. i>Detective #29 is one of the most difficult issues to obtain, as both Batman's second cover appearance and third appearance in the comics.

Kane's cover packs a powerful punch, too, portraying the Caped Crusader's first brawl with a proper supervillain. Dr. Karl Hellfern, aka Doctor Death, creates a powerful poison that he'll release upon Gotham City if the wealthiest citizens don't meet his demands. It's well documented that Batman stories took on a lighter tone as Robin came along and the hero moved into his own book. This issue, however, has Batman taking a bullet to the shoulder and other great pulp elements. The scarcity of these ground-zero Dark Knight Detective issues has collectors taking notice whenever these classics come up for auction.