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Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 139
Publisher:DC [Indicia: Detective Comics, Inc.]
Date Published: September, 1948
Description: CGC certified: Good- (1.8). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "heavy chews left top of back cover; moderate chews page(s) 5-24 slightly affects story." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 56 graded copies (50 Universal, 2 Qualified, 4 Restored).
 
GPAnalysis: No reported sales in this grade. A 1.5 sold for $169 in 7/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Jack Burnley (Charles Paris inks). Scripts: Bill Finger. Art: Jack Burnley (ghosting as Bob Kane), Lee Harris, John Daly, Curt Swan.Bat-Bibliography: The DC Universe Collection copy of Detective Comics #139 is illustrated in Taschen's 75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Mythmaking (page 155), with the following commentary: "Larger-than-life heroes required backgrounds to match. From giant pennies and huge statues to enormous working models of everyday objects, oversize set pieces were a hallmark of Bill Finger's stories. Countless younger writers have incorporated giant objects into their own Batman adventures as a way of paying homage."
 
Bat-cyclopedia: "In September 1948 Batman and Robin match wits with NICK BAILEY.... a ruthless GOTHAM CITY gangster who kidnaps and then impresonates Shing Far, the mayor of Chinatown and the city's largest importer of Chinese curios, as part of an elaborate scheme to dispose of a fortune in Wyoming jade hijacked from a boxcar. Bailey is apprehended... through the heroic efforts of BATMAN, ROBIN, and Chinese detective Ling Ho." — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, pp. 121, 20.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.