*DC: Also from the Midas Collection, a war time issue of Batman, #15 from 1943, with the Caped Crusader firing a machine gun on the Jack Burnley cover, where the blurb urges: ‘Keep those bullets flying! Keep on buying War Bonds and Stamps!’ Four Batman stories inside, the lead with Catwoman (in a new costume), where the ambiguity of her relationship with Bruce Wayne is further explored. There’s also a gangster story where a criminal boss decides that he will use Batman’s methods against him and adopts a youngster to aid him. Thirdly there’s a war story which postulates different futures after the war, and a Christmas story where Batman & Robin play Santa for the loneliest men in the world. Cracking content by writers Jack Schiff, Don C Cameron and Bill Finger, artists Bob Kane, Jack Burnley and Jerry Robinson. This is a low grade copy. The cover is detached, with fingernail-size holes at both staples. There are cover tears at right edge, repaired by tape on the inside front cover. There are also small chips out along the right edge and a thumbnail chip out bottom edge. Four score lines vertically down the cover, with dust shadows at top left edge and bottom right, and a small stain on Batman’s cloak. Superficially, it looks like the top edge is trimmed, since the date and DC logo look clipped, but there is a white line along the bottom edge that suggests the cover was misaligned and it compares favourably with contemporary copies length-wise, so we don’t think any trimming has taken place. Inside the staples are firm at the spine, but off at the centrefold. Page quality isn’t too bad – off-white to cream with very slight tanning to some edges. At least all this makes this seminal issue relatively affordable!
PICTURED: BATMAN #15 FA £400 SOLD