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A 15% BUYER'S PREMIUM WILL BE ADDED TO THIS ITEM AT CONCLUSION OF THE AUCTION
cream/off white pages; Mod (P) ct, tr sls, split sls, reinforced
classic Batman over castle cover by Bob Kane! 1st Batplane and Batarang! (9/39)
Ruben Blades Copy


Detective #27 and #38 are vital keys for the introduction of, respectively, Batman and Robin. It's no secret that top collectors also chase after the pre-Robin run of Detective #28-37 as some of the moodiest and most compelling Batman stories ever published. There are several reasons that Detective #31 is probably the most famous (and difficult) issue to obtain, starting with the cover's iconic imagery of the brooding Caped Crusader in his third cover appearance.

"Batman Versus the Vampire" is also considered by many fans to be the first true classic Batman story. Comics legend Gardner Fox had to write Batman's first two-part tale to cover the global menace of The Monk — making history as the second super-villain to ever take on the Dark Knight. (Fox had brought in Doctor Death as the first.) The Monk's supernatural origins as both vampire and werewolf soon had him sidelined when Robin came along to lighten Batman's stories. Gerry Conway would finally revive the Monk in the '80s, leading to another story arc as the Mad Monk and a cameo in 2016's Batman #14. Bob Kane's classic cover has also been regularly reworked in tribute over the years.

For further firsts, this issue has the Bat-Gyro debuting as a precursor to the Batplane, plus the introduction of the famous Batarang — as still brandished by the Caped Crusader. Julie Madison also makes her first appearance as Bruce Wayne's earliest girlfriend. Gardner Fox adds Batman leaving New York City for the first time, following Julie to Paris. (References to Gotham City were at least a year away.) No serious DC Golden Age collection is complete without this masterpiece, which explains the frenzied bidding that ensues on the rare instances when copies make it to market.
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This striking 6.0 copy of Detective Comics #31 is typical of the Ruben Blades Collection's extraordinary run of rare Detective Comics, retaining the punch of the dramatic cover art inspired by Japanese woodblock prints, plus Moderate restoration that still reflects the original look and feel of this 85-year-old book. Batman: Caped Crusader debuted Aug. 1 on Amazon Prime, with three more Batman-related projects scheduled for release in 2024 — further ensuring that the Dark Knight remains one of pop-culture's most prominent figures.

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