Posted in: ComicConnect Sponsored, Comics, Vintage Paper | Tagged: Batman, Clayface, dc comics, joker

The First Death of Robin? 1942's Batman #11, Up for Auction

Batman #11 (1942, DC Comics) has long been one of the most sought-after early issues of the series, but is it also the first death of Robin?

As a Golden Age Batman collector myself, I can tell you that Batman #11 has always been considered one of the most desirable early issues of the series. It's a great early cover penciled by Fred Ray with Jerry Robinson inks.  Of course, it's more specifically a Joker cover with all of the additional collector interest that comes with that.  It contains both Joker and Penguin stories by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, and George Roussos. But as the blurb in ComicConnect's Event Auction #61 points out, Batman #11 might also be considered the first death of Robin.

But let's start with that Joker cover.  For decades, there's been some controversy about where Batman #11 falls in the pecking order of earliest Joker covers (because yes, trust me, this is the kind of thing that vintage collectors talk about). Much of the debate centers around whether that's Joker or Clayface on the cover of Detective Comics #40.  While the scene depicted on that cover is clearly taken from the title splash of The Joker Returns story of Batman #1, the Joker's traditional color scheme is completely ignored, with the likely intent to be a good-enough match for the debut of Clayface in that issue.  It was not uncommon during this era for Detective Comics covers to be an issue off, either ahead or behind, in terms of matching story content.  For example:

• Detective Comics #27 cover matches #28 story (probably).
• Detective Comics #29 cover matches that issue's story.
• Detective Comics #31 cover matches that issue's story.
• Detective Comics #33… is there a match?
• Detective Comics #35 cover matches #34 story. (villain match, at least)
• Detective Comics #36 cover matches #35 story.
• Detective Comics #37 cover matches that issue's story.
• Detective Comics #38 cover matches that issue's story.
• Detective Comics #39 cover would also seem to match #38 story, interestingly enough.
• Detective Comics #40 cover matches Batman #1 story.
• Detective Comics #41 cover matches that issue's story.

Detective Comics #40 is widely considered a Joker cover by most collectors today, but I disagree with that.  The clear intent to avoid making it look like that's the Joker on the cover by coloring the character's face flesh-colored and his suit brown is good enough to call that Clayface for me, given that's fairly close to what Clayface looks like in the story.  By most accounts, after Batman and Robin left the Joker for dead at the end of The Joker Returns story of Batman #1, the character was originally supposed to die, but it was ultimately decided to have the final panel redone to make it look like the Joker was clinging to life.  Meanwhile, on the very next page, there's a house ad for Detective Comics #40 featuring a character that really doesn't seem to look much like the Joker we just saw being left for dead, and then Batman #2 leads off with a "Joker Lives!!" storyline.  There seems to be plenty of intent within that sequence of events.  This leaves Detective Comics #62 as the clear first Joker cover in my mind, with Batman #11 a close second. As the first appearance of Clayface, Detective Comics #40 is a stronger book if that is considered a Clayface cover anyway, and given the givens, I suspect we're going to see this debate reopened soon.

But speaking of characters being left for dead, as the ComicConnect blurb for Batman #11 notes, after Joker had trapped Robin in a building next to some burning sulfur with the intent of killing him, Batman and the authorities find him and immediately fear the worst.  This seems to be confirmed as a doctor examines Robin and declares, "This boy's dead!"  But even as the doctor tells the distraught Batman that "talking like that won't bring him back to life," Batman uses a Pulmotor to pump fresh air into Robin's lungs, resuscitating him.  The device was invented in Germany in 1907 and used in Europe and the U.S. as late as the 1940s.  Unsurprisingly, Batman subsequently tracked down the Joker and vowed to give him the beating of his life.  Police then found "a bruised, battered Joker lying on the court steps."

About the market for Golden Age Batman, ComicConnect President Vincent Zurzolo tells us, "We had a record-setting sale with a 6.5 Detective Comics #27 going for $1,825,088 last year, and we've only seen the Golden Age Batman market thriving since then. Over my 40-year career in comics, though, there have always been certain Batman covers — not including key issues — that are always sought after. Batman #11 is at the top of the list. Fred Ray's Joker card cover just stops collectors in their tracks whenever they see it. It's ironic, stunning, and super cool. This is also a very tough comic to find in high grade, due to the white cover and how much collectors covet this book."

In the wake of 1988's A Death in the Family, Robin dying has nearly achieved trope status, with countless articles on the internet discussing the many deaths of many Robins to this day.  Batman #156 is often cited as an early example, even though it is a hallucination.  No matter how you feel about this as the first death of Robin, it's an early and iconic Joker cover that collectors have always loved.  There's a stand-out CGC 7.5 copy of Batman #11 up for auction in ComicConnect's Event Auction #61.

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