Comic Title: Detective Comics #235
Publisher: DC (National Comics Publications, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: September 1956
Approx. On Sale Date: July 26, 1956 Copyright Date July 24, 1956
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1956
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: Monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 32
Editor: Jack Schiff

Title: "The First Batman"
Pages: 10

Feature(s):
Batman (of Earth-1)

Writer: Bill Finger
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Stan Kaye

Reprinted In:
Batman Annual #4 (1963)
Batman #255 (1974)
Best of DC #2 (1979)
Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told HC (1988)
Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told TPB (1989)
Batman:Secrets of the Batcave TPB (2007)
Batman:The Black Casebook TPB (2009)
Batman Annuals Vol. 2 HC (2010)
Batman in the Fifties TPB (2021)
Batman:The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2023)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (also appears in flashbacks, see comments below; last appearance in Batman #102; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #84)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #102; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #84)
• Commissioner Gordon (last appearance in Batman #102; next appearance in Batman #103)

Villain(s)

• Lew Moxon (a crime boss; dies in this story; no further appearances)
• Moxon’s men (no further appearances)
• Joe Chill (first Earth-1 appearance; dies in flashback; last appearance in Detective Comics #265; no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Thomas Wayne (first Earth-1 appearance; appears in flashback; next appearance in Detective Comics #265)
• Martha Wayne (first Earth-1 appearance; appears in flashback; next appearance in Detective Comics #265)

Flashback Appearance(s)

• Bruce Wayne (Bruce sees Thomas Wayne in the bat costume; last appearance in World's Finest Comics #146; next appearance in Detective Comics #370)

Comments:
Batman’s origin is recapped in this story, and he learns for the first time that his parents killer Joey Chill was hired by gang boss, Lew Moxon.

This story contains several flashbacks to Batman's origin.

Flashback 1: (page 2, panel 4) Bruce vows vengeance for his parents murder. Flashback occurs chronologically between flashback 1 in the first story of Detective Comics #265 and the flashback in the first story of World's Finest Comics #84.

Flashback 2: (page 2, panels 5-6) While still training, a bat crashes through a window inspiring Bruce to become Batman. This flashback recounts the flashback the first story of Batman #94 (page 3, panels 3-5)

Flashback 3: (page 2, panel 7 - page 3, panel 2) Batman finds Joe Chill, but Chill is gunned down. Flashback occurs chronologically between flashback in the first story of Batman #133 and the flashback in the first story of Detective Comics #244.

Flashback 4: (page 4, panel 3 & page 4, panel 6 - page 5, panel 2) Thomas Wayne battled Lew Moxon in a bat costume. Page 3, panel 4 - page 4, panel 1 also show a film which reveals additional details about this flashback. Moxon is then sent to prison (page 5, panel 4) and eventually released (page 5, panels 5-6). Flashback occurs chronologically between flashback in the first story of World's Finest Comics #146 and the flashback in the first story of Detective Comics #370.

Synopsis:
Bruce Wayne finds an old bat-costume in a trunk that had been worn by his father. His father had been wearing the costume at a party that was interrupted by gangsters. Wayne stopped the crooks and later testified against gang leader, Lew Moxon. Moxon went to prison, but when he was released he hired Joey Chill to kill Wayne.

Bruce, as Batman, tracks Moxon to the west coast, but the gangster has no memory of hiring Chill. A car accident gave him amnesia about these events. Batman then confronts Moxon in his father’s bat-costume (his own was shredded in a fight with Moxon’s men). The image of the costume restores Moxon’s memory. He flees from Batman and runs into traffic where he is killed by a passing car. Batman is disappointed that he was unable to bring the man behind his father’s death to stand trial.