Posted By Dan Greenfield on Jul 17, 2019 | 6 comments

It’s only the greatest single issue in Batman history…

It’s so much fun that DC is getting into the Facsimile Edition action — y’know, full-on reprints that include an issue’s ads, letter columns and whatnot for a fraction of what it’d cost you to get an original.

So far, the company has announced Batman #232 (click here) and House of Secrets #92 (click here) for August, and Batman #181 (click here) for September. They all feature major first appearances — Ra’s al Ghul, Swamp Thing and Poison Ivy, respectively — and are being produced in tandem with various DC/Warner Bros. projects.

And those are all fantastic issues. No question at all. Can’t wait to grab ’em.

But come October, we’re getting a special treat — Batman #251, with the classic The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge! by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams.

Here’s the official solicitation blurb:

BATMAN #251 FACSIMILE EDITION

Written by DENNIS O’NEIL

Art and cover by NEAL ADAMS

It’s “The Joker’s Five-Way Revenge” — and it will take everything Batman has to stop the Clown Prince of Crime’s homicidal rampage! Don’t miss this 1973 classic in this new facsimile edition!

ON SALE 10.02.19

$3.99 US | 32 PAGES

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This is, to my way of thinking, the greatest single Batman issue ever. As in, ever.

And I’m not alone either: Our blue-ribbon panel — featuring historians and big-time pros like Adams, Paul Levitz and many others — voted the story #5 overall in our 80th Anniversary TOP 13 BATMAN COUNTDOWN earlier this year. But the only stories that got more votes had multiple parts. (Click here for much more on this.)

Anyway, I’ve written quite a bit about Batman #251 over the years and if you want to know what Adams and O’Neil have to say about it, click here.

From an original copy.

But back to the Facsimile Edition. Naturally, this is one of the most-reprinted Batman stories. But the cost of an original will have you reaching deep into your wallet, so this is an exceptionally inexpensive way to experience the book the way it came out in 1973.

It also diverges from the rest of the DC Facsimile Editions in a fairly significant way: It doesn’t spotlight a famous first appearance — though the issue is considered the Joker’s first modern appearance. (He had been on the shelf for several years and this was a return to the Clown Prince of Crime’s maniacal, homicidal roots.)

Either way, it’s clear why DC picked Oct. 2 for this particular piece of magnificence. Check out what else is coming out that week:

And there you have it.

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MORE

— The TOP 13 BATMAN Countdown — #5: BATMAN #251. Click here.

— O’NEIL and ADAMS on Bringing Back the JOKER. Click here.