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Title: BATMAN No. 56
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: December, 1949-January, 1950
Description: CGC certified: G/VG (3.0). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Readers crease front cover; light creasing to cover; small piece out left bottom of back cover; small piece out left top of back cover; small piece out right bottom of front cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 113 graded copies (108 Universal, 1 Qualified, 4 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: A 3.0 sold for $242 in 3/22.
 
Credits: Cover: Dick Sprang and Charles Paris (inks). Scripts: David Vern, Bill Finger. Art: Dick Sprang (signed as Bob Kane), Charles Paris (inks), Jim Mooney.Bat-cyclopedia: "In December 1949-January 1950 Batman and Robin apprehend EL PAPAGAYO; battle the PENGUIN; and capture 'SPECS' ROSE." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, p. 122.
 
Details: By providing the Gotham police information that led to the execution of gangster "Squeeze" Miller, the Penguin's prison sentence is reduced and he is released on parole. Upon leaving prison, the Penguin discovers that Miller left him $250,000 in bonds, with a catch. He must commit seven crimes using birds that spell out the name Penguin. Successfully completing the first six crimes using a pelican, eagles, noctule bats, gulls, umbrella birds, and and Indian vulture, the Penguin is captured by Batman and Robin during the seventh crime. Adding insult to injury, the bonds were bogus to begin with: a final act of revenge from the man the Penguin sent to the chair. Anyway, since when is a noctule bat a bird?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.