*DC: One of the very best issues of the Golden Age Batman from the Midas Collection this week. From 1947, Batman #44 features an iconic Joker cover by Jim Mooney, and one of the best splash pages I’ve ever seen, also by Mooney, illustrating the lead story, where the Joker gambles with Batman & Robin and the stakes are life and death. All art on this issue is by Mooney in fact, and the writer, where known, is Bill Finger. Other stories involve a would-be adventurer and a trip back to the days of the American Revolution, involving Bruce Wayne’s ancestor and Benjamin Franklin. The cover alone is worth the price of admission, with a vivid red background, with seven Joker heads popping out to surround the Dynamic Duo. On the equally symbolic splash, the Joker plays cards with Death. This is a quite reasonable copy, with intact and glorious cover image, although there are some flaws. A small corner top right is torn off across the DC symbol, and there is some narrow chipping along the lower half of the right edge. Upper spine split of 2 cm, which carries over to the pages to lessening degree. Tiny chip out top centre cover. There is a lower spine split up to the lower staple, with the cover detached at that point. Other than that, the staples are good and the pages are a nice off-white, with some cream edging. 
PICTURED: BATMAN #44 GD/VG £1,000