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Title: BATMAN No. 42 * 2nd Catwoman Cover
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: August-September, 1947
Description: CGC certified: Good+ (2.5). Off-white pages. Grader notes: "Tape cover; tape spine; creasing to cover; spine stress lines to cover; staining to cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 247 graded copies (230 Universal, 1 Qualified, 16 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: A 2.5 sold for $1525 in 8/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Jack Burnley and Charles Paris (inks). Scripts: Bill Finger. Art: Charles Paris, Curt Swan (one page only). Overstreet: "2nd Catwoman cover (1st in Batman)."Bat-Bibliography: The DC Universe Collection copy of Batman #42 is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (page 159), with the following commentary: "The Catwoman finally settled on a costume in 1947, adopting a purple dress slit up the side with a green cape and steel-clawed gloves. The visuals served her well through the remainder of her Golden Age appearances and remained popular enough in the 1970s that a more modern costume was abandoned in favor of the classic old one."
 
Bat-cyclopedia: "In August-September 1947 Batman and Robin match wits with the CATWOMAN; battle the DUDS NEERY mob; and thwart the nefarious schemes of DOCTOR HERCULES." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 119.
 
Details: After escaping from prison yet again, Catwoman joins up with her old gang and plots a series of crimes inspired by great works of cat-related fiction. For "Puss in Boots," Catwoman disguises herself as a rodeo cowboy in order to steal the ticket receipts from a local rodeo and gain access to the box office. For "Dick Whittington's Cat," Catwoman and her henchmen steal the payroll from White Cat Coal Company, but find that the Dynamic Duo are hot on their heels. Attempting to capture the feline crime queen, the Batman and Robin end up trapped themselves, only escaping with the help of the police. Sussing out the theme of Catwoman's crimes, Batman tracks her down at The Cat and the Fiddle, a Gotham nightspot, and puts her behind bars.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.