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Title: DETECTIVE COMICS No. 226 * Martian Manhunter's Origin
Publisher:DC [Indicia: National Comics Publications, Inc.]
Date Published: December, 1955
Description: CGC certified: G/VG (3.0). Off-white to white pages. Grader notes: "Light spine stress lines to cover; light wear all edges of cover; moderate creasing to cover; moderate spine splits to cover; moderate wear all corners of cover." Provenance: The DC UNIVERSE COLLECTION.
 
CGC Census: 89 graded copies (89 Universal).
 
GPAnalysis: A 3.0 sold for $240 in 8/23.
 
Credits: Cover: Win Mortimer. Scripts: Edmond Hamilton, Joe Samachson (?), and Jack Miller (?). Art: Dick Sprang, Charles Paris (inks), Ruben Moreira, and Joe Certa. Overstreet: "Origin Martian Manhunter cont'd (2nd app.)."Bat-cyclopedia: "In December 1955 Batman and Robin receive a mysterious package from HARVEY HARRIS.... a renowned police detective who, according to Detective Comics No. 226, was the crime-fighting idol of the teen-aged Bruce Wayne, gave young Wayne what may well have been his first practical instruction in solving crimes and apprehending criminals, and, although he never admitted it to Bruce Wayne during his lifetime, was one of the few people ever to deduce correctly that millionaire Bruce Wayne is secretly Batman. In a letter he arranges to have mailed to the Wayne mansion after his death, Harris admits that he solved the secret of Batman's identity and describes his former pupil as 'the greatest detective of all,' but Batman insists privately to Robin that his early mentor was 'a greater detective than I!'
 
"According to Detective Comics No. 226, Bruce Wayne approached Harris while he was still a teen-ager and begged Harris to instruct him in the art of detection, taking care to conceal his true identity from the great detective by wearing a bright red costume almost identical to the one that would one day be worn by Batman's young partner, ROBIN. According to this text, it was Harris who coined the name Robin: '...since you're brilliant as a robin redbreast in that costume,' he told the disguised Bruce Wayne, 'I'll call you — Robin!'" — Michael L. Fleisher, The Encyclopedia of Comic Book Heroes Vol. 1: Batman. Macmillan: 1976, pp. 126, 226-227.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.