Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jun 18, 2026 | 3 comments

EXCLUSIVE! The greatest Golden Age cover of them all…

DC in September will release a startling seven Facsimile Editions. A lot of them deserve their own spotlight, so make sure you check out the links at the bottom of this post. You will be so glad you did.

One of those issues is 1942’s Batman #11, boasting the Joker’s first cover appearance — pencilled by Fred Ray and inked by Jerry Robinson — a cover that just happens to be the greatest Golden Ager of them all.

It’s a long overdue addition to the Facsimile line — and one we’ve been banging on about for a long time.

Dig the solicitation info, which will be released by DC officially later Thursday.

BATMAN #11 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by BILL FINGER, HENRY BOLTINOFF, and EDMOND HAMILTON

Art by BOB KANE and HENRY BOLTINOFF

Cover by FRED RAY
Foil variant cover by FRED RAY ($9.99 US)
Blank sketch cover ($7.99 US)

The Joker challenges Batman and Robin to thwart his next crimes by leaving cryptic clues in the local want ads, but these funny pages could end up meaning death for the Boy Wonder! Then the Penguin returns (along with some fowl felonious friends) to give Bruce Wayne a run for his money, but a crack shot and a killer hurricane may cause the Caped Crusader to cash in his chips! Plus, two more tales of crime and comeuppance courtesy of the Dynamic Duo!

$6.99 US | 64 pages

ON SALE 9/2/26

—

Buncha thoughts:

— I’m dispensing with humility and claiming full credit for this one happening. (DC is free contradict me if I’m wrong.) Seriously, though, just in February we posted a column on Ray’s birthday that laid out a complete case for why this is an essential pick — including the seminal cover and the Joker and Penguin stories inside. It was not the first time I’d made the point, either. So, yay!

— The original has long been a grail item for me, but I don’t expect I’ll ever be able to afford one (see below), so this is a wonderful development. At least, I’ll get the issue in some format.

— Dang, this will look good in foil.

— Obligatory Price Comparison: You don’t often find unslabbed copies. A slabbed, 7.0-rated original recently sold on eBay for $19,500.

—

MORE

— DC to Re-Release the BATMAN #251 Facsimile Edition — This Time With Foil and Sketch Variants. Click here.

— DC COMICS to Offer SEVEN Facsimile Editions in SEPTEMBER. Click here.

— 1960’s SUPERMAN #141: One of the Man of Steel’s Greatest to Be Released as a Facsimile Edition. Click here.

— DC to Salute JOE KUBERT’s CENTENNIAL With a Facsimile Edition and a Special Retrospective Issue. Click here.