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Mar20

BATGIRL’S Million-Dollar Debut Gets 60th Anniversary FACSIMILE EDITION Release

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Mar 20, 2026

BATGIRL’S Million-Dollar Debut Gets 60th Anniversary FACSIMILE EDITION Release

EXCLUSIVE! 1966’s Detective Comics #359 is returning to print… You’d be forgiven for thinking that Batgirl — the Barbara Gordon version, that is — didn’t show up until Yvonne Craig put on her spangly purple tights in the fall of 1967, when the Batman TV show entered its third and final season. There seems to be this weird Mandela Effect about it, but in actually, she first appeared 10 months earlier to much ballyhoo in November 1966’s Detective Comics #359. To be fair, however, Batman TV producer William Dozier did have a hand in her creation, along with editor Julius Schwartz, writer Gardner Fox, and artist Carmine Infantino. In any event, Detective Comics #359 — “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!” — will in June be getting its second Facsimile Edition, in advance of the Dominoed Daredoll’s 60th anniversary. Dig the solicitation info, to be officially released by DC later Friday: DETECTIVE COMICS #359 FACSIMILE EDITION Written by GARDNER FOX Art by CARMINE INFANTINO and MURPHY ANDERSON Cover by CARMINE INFANTINO Foil variant cover by CARMINE INFANTINO ($6.99 US) Blank sketch cover ($4.99 US) Killer Moth has decided to enter the protection racket, shaking down all the very wealthiest citizens of Gotham City. When he and his gang of Moth Men target millionaire Bruce Wayne, only a certain caped crusader can save the day—but it isn’t who you think! Thrill to the fantastic first appearance of Barbara Gordon—Batgirl! $3.99 US | 32 pages ON SALE 6/17/26 — Buncha thoughts: — The first ‘Tec #359 Facsimile Edition was released in January 2020. This edition is an improvement in that DC now puts its anachronistic UPC symbols on the back, giving the cover that extra retro feel. This will also have the foil and sketch logo variants, the latter in all likelihood to feature Go-Go Checks. — Depending on your source, Dozier’s reasoning in adding Batgirl was either to attract more female viewers — or ramp up the show’s sex appeal. I’m going with the latter. — DC has three other Facsimile Editions — and two Super Powers covers — coming in June. Links below! — Obligatory Price Comparisons: An unslabbed, original Detective Comics #359 listed in VG condition recently sold on eBay for about $4,500. (Looks like a higher grade in the pic, though.) A NM copy of the 2020 Facsimile...

Mar20

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TURNS 40 — But 1986 Was Even Bigger for BATMAN Than You Realize

Posted by Dan Greenfield on Mar 20, 2026

DARK KNIGHT RETURNS TURNS 40 — But 1986 Was Even Bigger for BATMAN Than You Realize

A 40TH ANNIVERSARY salute… By JASON CZERNICH The Dark Knight Returns turns 40 today, March 20, and it changed the world of comics in numerous ways, particularly for the Batman franchise itself. It kicked off a period that I like to refer to as The Late ’80s Batman Renaissance, which included classic stories such as Son of the Demon; The Cult; Ten Nights of the Beast; The Killing Joke; A Death in the Family; Gotham by Gaslight; Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth; and the 1989 Batman film. The mainstream media attention The Dark Knight Returns garnered even had a hand in greenlighting the film for production, as Executive Producer Michael Uslan told me in an online message: “Its primary impact was on the (to me at the time) older generation of studio execs by opening their eyes to the fact that comic books and their super-heroes were no longer made for and read by 8-12 year old boys, but had evolved in story, art and format to appeal to high school, college and adult audiences globally. That lessened the risk to the studios of spending big money on a limiting kid’s movie or camp comedy.” Even though The Dark Knight Returns was the project that brought the most attention, 1986 was a transitional year for the Masked Manhunter, shaping the course of his future, both on the page and in the public’s mind. Here are 13 ways how: — 1. Guest Appearances Increased. Batman seemed to be EVERYWHERE in comics in 1986. Whether that was due to the breakout success of The Dark Knight Returns, or it just turned out that way, Batman was getting out there! Batman left the Outsiders in Batman and the Outsiders #32 and rejoined the Justice League of America in Issue #250, even leading them for a few issues. He also co-starred with Superman and Lex Luthor in the all-star creator benefit book Heroes Against Hunger; appeared in Alan Moore’s classic Swamp Thing run for four issues; appeared in that year’s Super Powers mini-series; had a walk-on appearance in Action Comics #583 (Alan Moore’s “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”); showed up in The Man of Steel #3; and even did a guest shot in Outsiders Annual #1. The Golden Age Batman got his origin retold in Secret Origins #6 and his...

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