Issue | #F-5 |
Published | February-March 1975 |
Frequency | bi-monthly |
Cover Price | 1.00 USD |
Pages | 72 |
Editing | E. Nelson Bridwell (collected edition); Whitney Ellsworth (original editor) |
Notes | The indicia incorrectly lists this issue as Vol. 1, #F-6, with a date of Feb.-Mar., 1975. The cover has the correct number of F-5, but has an incorrect date of Jan. All synopsises copied from original issue index and written by Craig Delich. |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson] |
Genre | superhero |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Notes | The inks credit was verified by Robinson. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Script | Carmine Infantino |
Letters | typeset |
Notes | Memorializes Bill Finger. |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson] |
Genre | superhero |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | This is an inner cover printed on glossy paper (the rest of the book is newsprint). The inks credit was verified by Robinson. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne] (origin); Thomas Wayne; Martha Wayne; Joe Chill (unnamed) |
Synopsis | Bruce Wayne's parent are murdered by a cheap crook, and young Bruce vows to avenge their deaths by warring on all criminals. |
Genre | superhero |
Script | Bill Finger |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane; Sheldon Moldoff (backgrounds) |
Letters | Sheldon Moldoff |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | The background inks and letters credits were verified by Moldoff. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) [in this form]; from Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #34 (December 1939) [splash panel]; from Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #33 (November 1939) [rest of story] |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Henry Claridge (Death); Jay Wilde (Death); Judge Drake (Death); The Joker (Villain; Introduction); Brute Nelson (Death) |
Synopsis | Batman faces a new criminal who succeeds in killing famous men and stealing their prized possessions, leaving them all with "a smile" on their face! |
Genre | superhero |
Script | Bill Finger |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (see notes) |
Inks | Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Letters | Jerry Robinson |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | First line: "Once again a master criminal stalks the city streets -- a criminal weaving a web of death about him..." There is an earlier chronological appearance (and origin) of the Joker in Detective Comics #168. Robinson verified with Gary Watson in July 2009 that he did some penciling (including the Joker's card on the splash page specifically), in addition to the background inks and lettering he already confirmed. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Major Bigsbe; Botts |
Synopsis | Having bought the Bar Q Ranch, Major Bigsbe decides to celebrate by shootin' off his pistols...and lands in jail! |
Genre | humor |
Script | Paul Gustavson |
Pencils | Paul Gustavson |
Inks | Paul Gustavson |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Professor Hugo Strange (Villain); unamed monsters (Villain; Death); the Batplane |
Synopsis | The Batman faces an arch criminal who has invented a serum to create a race of giant monsters, and nearly becomes one of them himself! |
Genre | superhero |
Script | Bill Finger |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane (signed); Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Letters | Jerry Robinson |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | First line: "While an innocent metropolis sleeps little does it realize that huge, terrifying man-monsters shall soon stalk the streets..." Oddity: Machine guns are mounted on the Batplane, which are used to kill. The background inks and letters credits were verified by Robinson. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | The Chief; Terry Gallant |
Synopsis | Detective Terry Gallant proves to his Chief that the late Barton Barlow had killed himself with a gun in a most mysterious way. |
Genre | detective |
Script | Guy Monroe |
Letters | typeset |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Bob Kane (photo) |
Synopsis | Biography of Batman creator Bob Kane. |
Genre | fact |
Script | Whitney Ellsworth (signed as The Editor) |
Pencils | ? (photo) |
Inks | ? (photo) |
Letters | typeset |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | First line: "Readers, meet Bob Kane, creator of THE BATMAN!" |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; John Travers; Martha Travers; The Cat [Selina Kyle; also as Miss Peggs] (Villain); Denny |
Synopsis | Batman and Robin take a trip aboard an exclusive yacht in order to prevent the theft of the Travers necklace at the hands of the Cat! |
Genre | superhero |
Script | Bill Finger |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane; Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Letters | Jerry Robinson |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | First line: "Among the guests walks a young steward..." The Cat was later renamed Cat-Woman or Catwoman. The background inks and letters credits were verified by Robinson. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Superman; Sandman; Ultra-Man; Spectre; Flash; Batman |
Synopsis | Illustrated promotional ad for Action Comics, Adventure Comics, Detective Comics, More Fun Comics, Flash Comics, and All-American Comics, and their headline features. |
Genre | superhero; science fiction |
Pencils | ? (various) |
Inks | ? (various) |
Letters | ?; typeset |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Lt. Bill Wayne; von Berket (villain; death) |
Synopsis | Inventor Doctor Synce gets Navy flier Wayne to fly secret plans from Pensacola, Florida to the coast, when the pilot runs up against an old adversary and ace from years before. |
Genre | adventure |
Script | George Shute |
Pencils | Raymond Perry |
Inks | Raymond Perry |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Ginger Snap; Uncle Zep |
Synopsis | Uncle Zep takes Ginger to the soda shop for a soda, but ends up drinking way too many himself! |
Genre | humor |
Script | Bob Kane (as Ted Raye) |
Pencils | Bob Kane (as Ted Raye) |
Inks | Bob Kane (as Ted Raye) |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Jack Dempsey |
Synopsis | Contains facts about boxer Jack Dempsey, kangaroos and "greetings and salutations." |
Genre | fact |
Pencils | George Papp [signed as Geo. Papp] |
Inks | George Papp [signed as Geo. Papp] |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; James Gordon; Chief of Police Chalmers (Death); Edgar Martin (Death); The Joker (Villain) |
Synopsis | The Joker escapes from prison to continue his rampage of death and to steal the famed Cleopatra necklace and Fire Ruby. |
Genre | superhero |
Script | Bill Finger |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane; Jerry Robinson (backgrounds) |
Letters | Jerry Robinson |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Notes | First line: "Once again that harlequin of hate..the Joker..brings grinning death to a terrified people..." As recounted in various sources, the Joker was supposed to die of his stab wound at the end of the story, but the editors decided this villain was too good to kill off, so the last panels were re-drawn to show him surviving. The last panel of the story, titled "Golden Rules for Robin's Regulars", introduces readers to "Robin's Code" of conduct. The background inks and letters credits were verified by Robinson. |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Clayface |
Synopsis | Promotional ad for Detective Comics #40, whose cover is shown here. |
Genre | superhero |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Jerry Robinson |
Letters | typeset |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman; Robin |
Synopsis | Pin-up of Batman & Robin. |
Genre | superhero |
Pencils | Bob Kane (signed) |
Inks | Bob Kane (signed) |
Editing | Whitney Ellsworth |
Reprinted | from Batman (DC, 1940 series) #1 (Spring 1940) |
Characters | Batman |
Genre | superhero |
Pencils | Bob Kane |
Inks | Bob Kane |
Notes | The figure of Batman taken from the cover, over a bat outline. |