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: (Professor Hugo Strange and the Monsters)
Pages: 12

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

Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Bob Kane

Reprinted In:
Famous First Edition F-5 (1974)
Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told HC (1988)
Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told TPB (1989)
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)
Batman:The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2 TPB (2007)
Batman:The Golden Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2016)
Batman:The Golden Age Vol. 1 TPB (2016)
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 #1; next appearance in Batman #1)

Villain(s)

• Professor Hugo Strange (last appearance in Detective Comics #36; next appearance in Detective Comics #46)
• Strange’s gang and several insane men (turned into monsters; no further appearances)

Comments:
This story may have been originally intended for Detective Comics #38 as the last panel in the first story of Detective Comics #37 is an advertisement for it. This story also does not feature Robin, who made his debut in the first story of Detective Comics #38.

This story was not originally titled.

Synopsis:
Hugo Strange escapes from prison and also kidnaps several lunatics from an insane asylum. Later a monstrous giant stalks the streets causing trouble. Batman suspects that Strange is responsible for the monster. The Caped Crusader is quickly defeated and brought in Strange’s hideout where he is injected with a serum that will turn him into a monster.

Prior to the serum taking effect, Batman breaks free and knocks Strange to his apparent death. Batman then must defeat a couple of the transformed lunatics in time to discover an antidote. He does so, then he stops Strange’s gang and the final monster before they can succeed with their plans.