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Title: BATMAN No. 19
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: October-November, 1943
Description: CGC certified: Fine- (5.5). White pages. Grader notes: "Tape interior front cover; light cover tanning; small tear with crease right center of front cover; spine stress lines to cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 263 graded copies (234 Universal, 3 Qualified, 26 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade in 4 years. A 6.0 sold for $1130 in 4/22; a 5.0 sold for $1020 in 7/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Dick Sprang. Scripts: Don C. Cameron, Joe Samachson (?). Art: Dick Sprang (signed as Bob Kane).  Overstreet: "Joker app."Bat-cyclopedia: "In October-November 1943 Batman and Robin apprehend the BIG BEN ROLLING gang; battle ADMIRAL VON BURITZ; match wits with the JOKER; and smash an elaborate underworld scheme concoted by the ruthless ALI." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 117.
 
Details: A copycat clown imitates the Joker's zany criminal antics, and leaves behind the Joker's traditional calling cards in order to pin the blame on the Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker, enraged at the thought of his rep being ruined by a bumbling imitator, throws his copycat into the lion cage at the Gotham City Zoo. * Big Ben Rolling forces the holders of large life-insurance policies to make him the beneficiary, then murders them, before Batman busts him and he ends up on death row. * Admiral Von Buritz, the commander of a fleet of Nazi submarines, discovers the lost continent of Atlantis and dupes the inhabitants into becoming his allies. Batman and Robin show up, open the Atlanteans' eyes to Nazi perfidy, and together they boot Von Buritz and his Nazi cohort out of Atlantis.
 
Undersea Chronology: This ish contains the second appearance of Atlantis in DC comics, following the undersea kingdom's first mention in a Zatarra story in Action Comics #17 (1939) and predating Aquaman's debut in Adventure Comics #260 (1959). It also predates Timely/Marvel's first reference to Atlantis — the Sub-Mariner's undersea kingdom wasn't specifically referred to as Atlantis until Sub-Mariner Comics #31 (1949).The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION comprises over 40,000 comic books, including a copy of every single DC comic published for retail sale from 1934 to 2014. The collection was amassed by British music producer Ian Levine over the course of several decades, and it's been hailed as the single greatest collecting accomplishment in comic book history. This collection served as the basis for former DC Comics president Paul Levitz's monumental book 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking, published by Taschen in 2017. PBA is proud to present this epic collection in a series of themed sales over the next two years. To join the DC Universe Collection notifications list, contact pba@pbagalleries.com.
Enjoying PBA's Batman sale? A very small number of softcover and limited edition hardcover auction catalogues are available for purchase. The catalogues are fully illustrated, thoroughly researched, and make excellent reference works for Batman fans. To order a copy, or to inquire about consignment opportunities, contact Ivan Briggs, PBA's Director of Comics: ivan@pbagalleries.com.