Comic Title: Batman #1
Publisher: DC (Detective Comics, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Spring 1940
On Sale Date: April 25, 1940 Newsstand Date April 25, 1940
Source: House Ad, Detective Comics #39, Page 13

Copyright Date April 24, 1940
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1940
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Frequency: Quarterly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 64
Editor: Fredric Whitney Ellsworth

Title: (The Joker)
Pages: 13

Feature(s):
Batman (of Earth-2)

Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Bob Kane

Reprinted In:
Great Comic Book Super-Heroes HC (1965)
Great Comic Book Super-Heroes SC (1965)
Batman from the 30s to the 70s HC (1972)
Famous First Edition F-5 (1974)
Detective Comics #27 [Oreo Premium] (1984)
Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told HC (1989)
Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told TPB (1989)
Stacked Deck:The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told HC (1990)
Batman:The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 1 HC (1992)
Millennium Edition:Batman 1 (#60) (2001)
Millennium Edition:Batman 1 (#60) [Variant] (2001)
Batman Chronicles Vol. 1 TPB (2005)
Joker:The Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB (2008)
Joker:A Celebration of 75 Years HC (2014)
Batman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2016)
Batman:The Golden Age Vol. 1 TPB (2016)
Joker:80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime:The Deluxe Edition HC (2020)
Batman (Facsimile Edition) #1 (2023)
Batman (Facsimile Edition) #1 [Variant A] (2023)
Batman (Facsimile Edition) #1 [Variant B] (2023)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Batman #12; next appearance in Batman #1)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #12; next appearance in Batman #1)

Villain(s)

• Joker (first appearance; last appearance in Detective Comics #168; next appearance in Batman #1)
• Brute Nelson and his gang (gangsters; Brute dies in this story; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Henry Claridge, Jay Wilde, and Judge Drake (victims of the Joker; die in this story; no further appearances)

Comments:
The two page origin sequence from the first story of Detective Comics #33 entitled "The Legend of Batman – Who He Is and How He Came To Be" precedes this story; the splash panel is reprinted from the first story of Detective Comics #34.

This story was not originally titled.

Synopsis:
The Joker, a grinning clown-faced killer, announces his crimes over the radio, threatening to kill several men and steal valuable items from them. When he is successful, the underworld is angry that he has upstaged them. Brute Nelson, a gangster, plans a trap for the Joker, but the Joker avoids the trap and kills Nelson. Batman, having taken an interest in the case is nearly killed himself when he attempts to pursue the Clown Prince of Crime.

Batman has Robin watch the site of the Joker’s next attack where the Joker has killed Judge Drake. Robin follows Joker back to an old house, but is captured. Batman arrives in time to save Robin from being injected with Joker Venom, a poison which kills leaving a smile on the victim’s face.

Joker escapes again, but only temporarily as Batman tracks him down once again. This time the Dynamic Duo is able to take down the villain and send him to prison.