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Title: BATMAN No. 44
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: December, 1947-January, 1948
Description: CGC certified: Good (2.0). Purple label: Restored (C-5). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Detached cover; tape cover; tape spine; color touch on front cover & spine; cover tanning; piece added with tape spine & cover C-5." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 187 graded copies (172 Universal, 2 Qualified, 1 Signature Series, 12 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 2.5 (C-1) sold for $312 in 2/20.
 
For comparison purposes, here are recent Universal sales: A 2.0 sold for $960 in 6/22; a 1.5 (incomplete) sold for $900 in 1/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Jim Mooney and Charles Paris (inks). Scripts: Bill Finger. Art: Jim Mooney (signed as Bob Kane). Overstreet: "Classic Joker cover."Bat-cyclopedia: "In December 1947-January 1948 Batman and Robin match wits with the JOKER; battle the GLOBETROTTER; and journey into the past, to Philadelphia in the year 1787, for a meeting with SILAS WAYNE." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 120.
 
Details: Inspired by his recent winning streak at an underworld gambling casino, the Joker decides involve gambling in his next big crime. "Batman will be my opponent and REAL LIVES will be the stakes!" Kidnapping two petty thieves, the Joker lures the Dynamic Duo into a series of snares based on games of chance. Giant pinball machines and huge tumbling dice threaten the lives of Robin and the thieves, and Batman must master the Joker's rules in order to save everyone's lives. Batman wins every one of the Joker's games and chases the Crime Clown, but the Joker leaps off a cliff to escape.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.