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 Returns"
Pages: 13

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

Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Bob Kane

Reprinted In:
Famous First Edition F-5 (1974)
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 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 #1; next appearance in Detective Comics #40)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #1; next appearance in Detective Comics #40)
• Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in Batman #32; next appearance in New York World's Fair Comics (#2))

Villain(s)

• Joker (last appearance in Batman #1; next appearance in Batman #2)

Other Character(s)

• Police Chief Chalmers and Edgar Martin (a public opponent of the Joker; die in this story; no further appearances)

Comments:
The cover of Detective Comics #40 greatly resembles the splash page of this story and may have been intended as the cover had this story appeared in Detective Comics instead of Batman.

Synopsis:
The Joker escapes jail using an explosive hidden inside his tooth. He continues his string of jewel thefts and strange killings. Batman encounters him at one such robbery, but the Harlequin of Hate gets the best of him. Batman recovers before the police can remove his mask, but the Joker has already escaped.

Batman then plants a trap for the Joker, by baiting him to steal a priceless ruby. The Joker shows up and tangles with the Dynamic Duo. While struggling with Batman, Joker is stabbed by his own knife and left for dead by the Caped Crusaders. The police find the body and a doctor determines that the Joker lives on.