Dig DC’s Groovy 1966 House Ad That Heralded BATGIRL’s Arrival

The Dominoed Daredoll made her debut 55 years ago!

Detective Comics #359 went on sale Nov. 29, 1966, bringing with it “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl,” by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Sid Greene.

It’s a landmark in comics, to be sure, but what’s also cool is how DC trumpeted the move — with a groovy house ad that appeared in the weeks leading up to the big day.

The ad, for example, appeared in Teen Titans #7, which came out about two weeks before ‘Tec hit the stands:

Thumbing through it, it doesn’t take long until you come upon this:

I’m assuming that’s Ira Schnapp’s handiwork and boy does it pop. She’s all… NEW! DYNAMIC! KNOWING! OVER!

And they were right, she was an all-star sensation, forever supplanting Betty Kane and becoming one of comics’ most popular heroes.

Carmine Infantino pencils, Murphy Anderson inks

I’m a huge Batgirl fan myself and I have to admit my original plan was to run the TOP 13 CLASSIC BATGIRL ARTISTS today for her 55th anniversary. But, y’know, real life and Thanksgiving had other plans, so I decided to post the house ad instead, cuz I dig it so.

Seems fitting to run the ad because I still plan to post the TOP 13 CLASSIC BATGIRL ARTISTS before the end of the year. Neat, huh?

And if there’s a Silver or Bronze Age Batgirl artist you particularly like, note it in the comments and I just might add it to the list.

Right on.

MORE

— How Fans Immediately Reacted to BATGIRL’s Debut — Over Five Decades Ago. Click here.

— INSIDE LOOK: The DETECTIVE COMICS #359 Facsimile Edition. Click here.

Author: Dan Greenfield

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6 Comments

  1. What issues of other 1966 DC comics would this house ad have appeared in?

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  2. What other issues of 1966 DC comics would this house ad have appeared in?

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    • That’s a tough one, Dwight. I just happened across it while reading that TT. I imagine it also ran in Batman and maybe Detective itself.

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  3. He didn’t draw Batgirl very often, but I always liked how Jim Aparo drew her. And how Don Newton did, too…

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    • Yes! Don Newton was the best. 🙂 His work on the Assassination of Batgirl in Detective Comics 492 was amazing.

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