Presenting a Dozen of the Greatest Batman Comics of All Time, Curated and Selected by Former DC Comics President Jennette Kahn, including a Replica Copy of Batman #1

(February 19, 2024) The Folio Society, independent publisher of beautifully illustrated hardback books, in collaboration with DC, will celebrate the 85th anniversary of the first comic book appearance of DC’s Dark Knight Detective with the release of DC: Batman. Created by Bob Kane with Bill Finger, Batman first appeared in 1939’s Detective Comics #27 and since then the Dark Knight has stood as a symbol of determination, courage and justice to generations of fans for over 80 years. Batman is one of the most iconic fictional characters in the world, and is a self-made Super Hero, notable not for his super powers, but for his intelligence, determination, and tech savvy.

This collectible compilation includes twelve seminal comics, by a host of iconic writers and artists— including Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson, Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Marshall Rogers, Frank Miller, Dave Mazzucchelli, Alan Moore, Brian Bolland and Kelley Jones—all selected and introduced by former DC President, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of DC, Jennette Kahn. Along with the 320-page one-of-a-kind deluxe book, DC: Batman also comes with a stand-alone replica copy of Batman #1. Scanned in its entirety from an original 1940 copy, the replica copy of the Batman #1 comic book, which includes the original back-up strips and vintage ads and introduces DC’s Clown Prince of Crime, aka The Joker, and The Cat, who would come to be known as Catwoman.

“Created towards the end of the Great Depression by artist Bob Kane with writer Bill Finger, Batman is an icon as familiar as James Bond or Tarzan, one who has evolved to reflect the changing attitudes of the twentieth century,” said Folio Society Head of Editorial, James Rose. “The stories selected for DC: Batman reveal how the character and his billionaire alter-ego Bruce Wayne gradually evolved from the dutiful crimefighter of the 1940s to a man possessed, as crazy as the criminals he puts away. The Caped Crusader faces a rogue’s gallery steeped in gothic horror, from the Weimar cinema-inspired The Joker to the Jekyll/Hyde figure of Two-Face and the Moriarty-like Ra’s al Ghul.”

“Trauma is a through-line in the Batman mythology,” writes Jenette Kahn in her introduction. “It has made psychopaths of Batman’s foes and brought him to the edge of madness himself. Batman’s battle is not just against criminals and crime. He fears the day he’ll look into a mirror and see, not Bruce Wayne’s face, but The Joker’s.”  The first woman at the helm of the legendary comic book publisher, Jenette Kahn  helped transform comics into a sophisticated art form during her 27-year tenure from 1976 to 2002.

“The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller and Batman: Year One, by Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli, and the terrifying classic The Killing Joke by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland are widely regarded as among the greatest comic books ever created,” said Folio Society Publishing Director, Tom Walker. “These stories changed the graphic medium forever with their combination of cinematic storytelling, shocking violence and literary depth and serve as centerpiece texts for DC: Batman.”

DC: Batman includes:

Facsimile: Batman #1 (Spring 1940)

Writer: Bill Finger
Cover artists: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson
Artists: Bob Kane, Sheldon Moldoff
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth

The Bat-Man
Detective Comics #27 (May 1939)

Writer: Bill Finger
Artist: Bob Kane
Editor: Vincent Sullivan

Robin—the Boy Wonder
Detective Comics #38 (April 1940)

Writer: Bill Finger
Artists: Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth

The Crimes of Two-Face!
Detective Comics #66 (August 1942)

Writer: Bill Finger
Artists: Jerry Robinson, George Roussos
Letterers: Ira Schnapp
Editor: Whitney Ellsworth

Batman and Green Arrow: The Senator’s Been Shot!
The Brave and the Bold #85 (September 1969)

Writer: Bob Haney
Cover artist: Neal Adams
Penciler: Neal Adams
Inker: Dick Giordano
Letterer: Ben Oda
Editor: Murray Boltinoff

Daughter of the Demon
Batman #232 (June 1971)

Writer: Dennis O’Neil
Cover artist: Neal Adams
Penciler: Neal Adams
Inker: Dick Giordano
Letterer: John Costanza
Editor: Julius Schwartz

The Dead Yet Live
Detective Comics #471 (August 1977)

Writer: Steve Englehart
Cover artists: Marshall Rogers, Terry Austin, Tatjana Wood, Gaspar Saladino
Penciler: Marshall Rogers
Inker: Terry Austin
Colorists: Marshall Rogers
Letterer: John Workman
Editors: Julius Schwartz, E. Nelson Bridwell

The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 (June 1986)

Writer: Frank Miller
Cover artists: Frank Miller, Lynn Varley
Penciler: Frank Miller
Inker: Klaus Janson
Colorist: Lynn Varley
Letterer: John Costanza
Editors: Dick Giordano, Dennis O’Neil

Batman: Year One—Chapter One: Who I Am—How I Come to Be
Batman #404 (February 1987)

Writer: Frank Miller
Artist: Dave Mazzucchelli
Colorist: Richmond Lewis
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editor: Dennis O’Neil

Batman: The Killing Joke (July 1988)

Writer: Alan Moore
Cover artists: Brian Bolland, Richard Bruning
Artist: Brian Bolland
Colorist: John Higgins
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Editors: Dennis O’Neil, Dan Raspler

The Last Arkham (Part One)
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 (June 1992)

Writer: Alan Grant
Cover artist: Brian Stelfreeze
Penciler: Norm Breyfogle
Inker: Norm Breyfogle
Colorist: Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Todd Klein
Editors: Scott Peterson, Dennis O’Neil

Knightfall Part 1: Crossed Eyes and Dotty Teas
Batman #492 (May 1993)

Writer: Doug Moench
Cover artists: Kelley Jones, Bob LeRose
Penciler: Norm Breyfogle
Inker: Norm Breyfogle
Colorist Adrienne Roy
Letterer: Richard Starkings
Editors: Scott Peterson, Jordan B. Gorfinkel, Dennis O’Neil

The release of DC: Batman is the second release in the Folio Society publishing program with DC, following the release of the acclaimed DC: The Golden Age. DC: Batman has been made according to The Folio Society’s exceptional production standards. Scanned from original copies held in the DC archives, the comics have been reproduced in 10” x 7” treasury format. An anti-scratch laminated hardcover features Batman’s signature silhouette, with titles foil-embossed in yellow and midnight blue, the book itself cowled in a pitch-black slipcase bearing the famous Bat-Signal. A compendium of gothic artwork and Batarang-sharp storytelling, DC: Batman is an unmissable investigation into the adventures and pathology of one of the world’s most famous – and most troubled – DC Super Heroes. DC: Batman will be available from the Folio Society on February 20, 2024. The Folio Society edition of DC: Batman, selected and introduced by Jenette Kahn, will be available for £65 / US $100 on February 20, 2024 exclusively from https://www.foliosociety.com/usa/fiction/comics-graphic-novels.

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ABOUT DC

DC, part of Warner Bros. Discovery, creates iconic characters and enduring stories and is one of the world’s largest publishers of comics and graphic novels.  DC’s creative work entertains audiences of every generation around the world with DC’s stories and characters integrated across Warner Bros. Discovery’s film, television, animation, consumer products, home entertainment, games, and themed experiences divisions, and on the DC Universe Infinite digital comic subscription service.  Learn more at DC.com.

ABOUT MILTON ‘BILL’ FINGER

Milton ‘Bill’ Finger (1914–74) was born in Denver, Colorado and raised in the Bronx during The Great Depression. He joined Bob Kane’s art studio in 1938 and together they developed a concept Kane had for a new superhero called ‘the Bat-Man’. Debuting in Detective Comics #27 in 1939, Batman became a runaway success and Finger continued to write comics until the early sixties. He worked on several characters, including Green Lantern and Superman, and co-created many of Batman’s supporting cast, including Robin and The Joker (both with artist Jerry Robinson). He later moved into screenwriting, with credits including episodes of the Batman TV show. He was given several posthumous awards including an Inkpot Award and induction into the Jack Kirby and Will Eisner Halls of Fame. The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing was established in 2005.

ABOUT BOB KANE

Bob Kane (1915–98) – born Robert Kahn – was born and raised in New York City, studying art before joining the Fleischer Brothers animation studio in 1934. He moved into drawing comics two years later, producing strips for several studios before setting up one of his own. Working with writer Bill Finger, he co-created Batman in 1939, his initial concept inspired by Douglas Fairbanks’ Zorro and the bat-like wings of Da Vinci’s ‘ornithopter’. Batman proved phenomenally popular, and Kane had to assemble a team of ‘ghost artists’ to keep up with demand for stories. He retired from comics in the 1960s and returned to animation and fine art. He received an Inkpot Award in 1978 and was inducted into both the Jack Kirby and Will Eisner Halls of Fame. He later worked as a project consultant on the first four Batman films (1989–97) and was posthumously awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

ABOUT JENETTE KAHN

After graduating from Harvard in 1968 and founding several magazines for young readers, Jenette Kahn joined National Periodical Publications as its publisher in 1976. She quickly revived the name DC Comics to publicly proclaim the company’s pride in the comic book medium. In 1981, Kahn became president of the division, the youngest ever within what is now Warner Bros. Discovery to hold that title – and the first woman. A key architect of DC’s modern shared universe, she introduced the graphic novel to America and transformed comics into a sophisticated art form. She oversaw the launch of two seminal imprints, Vertigo and Milestone, and under her leadership, DC became known for addressing critical issues of domestic violence, sexual orientation, gun violence, homelessness, racism and AIDS in the company’s mainstream titles. In an industry where creators had few rights, Kahn granted royalties, reprint payments and a share in merchandise, film and television revenue. Inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame, Jenette Kahn has also been honored by the Library of Congress, and by numerous organizations for DC’s work on landmines and gun control.

ABOUT THE FOLIO SOCIETY

The Folio Society, based in London, publishes beautifully produced, illustrated hardback books. From a single  purchase to a lifetime of collecting, book lovers around the world can buy these exquisite editions exclusively from  their website, foliosociety.com. Proudly independent for its 75-year history, in 2021 under the leadership of its  CEO, Joanna Reynolds, The Folio Society became an Employee Ownership Trust. The Folio Society is committed to a  progressive sharing of power and profit in publishing, and this is reflected in their new status.

The Folio Society publishes some of the best names in publishing past and present, across the globe in high  specification, collector editions. Notable publications include Frank Herbert’s Dune, Margaret Atwood’s The  Handmaid’s Tale, Andrew Chaikin’s A Man on the Moon and Alice Walker’s The Color Purple among many other  contemporary and classic titles including a publishing partnership with Marvel delivering the world-recognised,  iconic brand’s luxury editions.

Founder and Editor-in-Chief of AmberUnmasked.com and Vodka O'Clock Podcast. Author of The Farrah Wethers Mysteries, comic book short stories, prose, and non-fiction. Cosplayer and figure model.