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Detective Comics #27 Billy Wright pedigree (DC, 1939) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages....
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Description
Detective Comics #27 Billy Wright pedigree (DC, 1939) CGC FN+ 6.5 Off-white to white pages. The first appearance of Batman is currently considered the second most-valuable comic in the hobby. However, it has had the #1 spot before, and it's not inconceivable that it could regain it, as Batman is a collector many prefer to Superman. Batman has certainly been more of a pop culture presence than Superman in recent years.To put the 6.5 grade in perspective, no copy has received a grade higher than 8.0 from CGC to date. The "off-white to white" page quality is the best page quality certification we've seen for this issue (aside from copies that owed their white pages to restoration).
As with the majority of comics from this collection, this copy has no writing or marking from a newsdealer or previous owner on the cover. The other thing that struck us as we examined this copy was that Bob Kane's signature at the bottom is almost entirely visible -- most copies you'll find do not have the "Kane" visible.
When this issue was released with a May 1939 cover date, Superman was the only other superhero on the stands, save for the now-obscure likes of the Arrow and the Crimson Avenger. So it's no wonder that the striking cover by Kane made a strong impact. It has taken its place as one of the most famous covers in the history of comics. Kane and writer Bill Finger (generally credited these days as a co-creator of the character) produced a hero to rival Superman without imitating the earlier character. As Jim Steranko noted, "Superman had given DC its strength, but Batman gave it tone. Of course, Superman was more impressive... but Batman was more fascinating."
"The Bat-Man" appeared in a six-page story that also introduced the character of Commissioner Gordon. The second-to-last panel revealed that this mysterious figure was in fact Bruce Wayne, introduced earlier in the story.
It's a special treat to be able to offer this book as part of a Detective run, allowing the hobbyist to compare and contrast the subsequent issues with what came before!
While of course not every existing comic has been CGC-certified, many of the notable Golden Age pedigree comic collections have lacked this key issue. It was notably absent among the Lamont Larson collection and the Davis Crippen "D" Copies, two of the few pedigree collections which began early enough to encompass this book's May 1939 cover date.
Overstreet 2011 FN 6.0 value = $240,000; VF 8.0 value = $600,000. CGC census 2/12: 4 in 6.5, 6 higher.
View the certification for CGC Certification ID 0916338001 and purchase grader's notes if available.
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