Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series) #140

Price: 0.10 USD

Pages: 52

On-sale Date: 1948-08-23

Editing: Whitney Ellsworth (credited); Jack Schiff (actual)

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The Riddler!

(Table of Contents)

Batman and Robin / cover / 1 page

Pencils:	Win Mortimer
Inks:	Win Mortimer
Colors:	?
Letters:	Ira Schnapp (sourced)

Genre:superhero

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Introducing a sensational new adversary of the partners in peril - the prince of puzzles

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; The Riddler [Edward Nigma]

Reprints (9)

in Detective Comics (National Comics Publications of Canada Ltd, 1948 series) #140 ([circa November 1948])
in Batman: Featuring Two-Face and the Riddler (DC, 1995 series) ([August] 1995)
in Batman Archives (DC, 1990 series) #7 (2007 [January 2008]), #7 (2007 [January 2008])
in Batman: The TV Stories (DC, 2013 series) (2013 [March 2014])
in Batman Arkham: The Riddler (DC, 2015 series) ([July] 2015)
in DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection (Eaglemoss Publications, 2015 series) #19 - Batman - Das lange Halloween 1
in Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2015 series) #6 (2018 [February 2019])
in Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman (DC, 2019 series) ([May] 2019)
in Detective Comics 140 (Facsimile Edition) (DC, 2023 series) (December 2023)

Issue Data

Publisher's Brand: A Superman DC Publication
Indicia / Colophon Publisher: National Comics Publications Inc.
Indicia Frequency: monthly
Printer: ?

Indexer Notes

On-sale date from copyright registration.

Kodak Film

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Kodak Cameras and Film / advertisement / 1 page

The Riddler

(Table of Contents: 2)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 12 pages

Script:	Bill Finger
Pencils:	Dick Sprang
Inks:	Charles Paris
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:superhero

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Calling all mystery fans!
Keywords:Basin Street Banquet; Batmobile; Batrope; Cross Cleaning Company; Departamento de Gotham City Police Department HQ; Gotham City; Gotham First Bank; Pleasure Pier; The Eyrie

Characters:

Batman [Bruce Wayne]; Robin [Dick Grayson]; Commissioner James Gordon; unnamed Mayor of Gotham City; Harrison Eagle (millionaire collector, introduction); The Riddler [Edward Nigma] (villain, origin, introduction)

Synopsis:: Having grown up an expert and a cheat when it came to solving puzzles, Edward Nigma decides to use this capacity to mystify the Police and Batman...as the Riddler!; in Batman from the 30s to the 70s (Crown Publishers, 1971 series) (1971)
in Batman Especial - As Várias Faces de Batman (Editora Abril, 1989 series) (outubro de 1989) [recolorida, traduzida]
in Batman: Featuring Two-Face and the Riddler (DC, 1995 series) ([August] 1995)
in Batman Archives (DC, 1990 series) #7 (2007 [January 2008])
in Batman: The TV Stories (DC, 2013 series) (2013 [March 2014])
in Batman Arkham: The Riddler (DC, 2015 series) ([July] 2015)
in DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection (Eaglemoss Publications, 2015 series) #19 - Batman - Das lange Halloween 1
in Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus (DC, 2015 series) #6 (2018 [February 2019])
in Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman (DC, 2019 series) ([May] 2019)
in Detective Comics 140 (Facsimile Edition) (DC, 2023 series) (December 2023)

Indexer Notes

Credits verified by Sprang and Paris per Craig Delich.

Johnny Mize

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page

Bit-o-Honey Races to the Rescue!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Bit-o-Honey / advertisement / 1 page

Robotman's Double Trouble!

(Table of Contents: 5)

Robotman / comic story / 6 pages

Script:	Otto Binder
Pencils:	Jimmy Thompson
Inks:	Jimmy Thompson
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:superhero

First Line of Dialogue or Text:This is how I deal with crooks-- my sledgehammer fist and my l-o-n-g reach!

Characters:

Robotman [Robert Crane; aka Paul Dennis]

Reprints (1)

in Detective Comics 140 (Facsimile Edition) (DC, 2023 series) (December 2023)

Indexer Notes

Writer credit by Martin O'Hearn.

Cut-Out Model of "Daylight" Train

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

Kellogg's Variety / advertisement / 1 page

For Thrills! For Action!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Adventure Comics; Action Comics; Sensation Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

Dog for a Day!

(Table of Contents: 8)

Slam Bradley / comic story / 7 pages

Script:	?
Pencils:	Howard Sherman
Inks:	Howard Sherman
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:detective-mystery

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Very often it takes a dogcatcher to catch a dog, but here's a new twist--

Characters:

Slam Bradley; Shorty Morgan

Reprints (1)

in Detective Comics 140 (Facsimile Edition) (DC, 2023 series) (December 2023)

Indexer Notes

Inker credit by Craig Delich; we previously credited John Daly.

Editorial Advisory Board

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

Bendix Coaster Brake / advertisement / 0.5 page

To the Moon and Back

(Table of Contents: 11)

text story / 2 pages

Script:	?
Pencils:	?
Inks:	?
Colors:	?
Letters:	typeset

Genre:adventure

First Line of Dialogue or Text:Right this way, folks! Get your tickets for your ninety-eight hour trip to the Moon!

Reprints (1)

in Detective Comics 140 (Facsimile Edition) (DC, 2023 series) (December 2023)

Spalding Football Book

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Spalding Sports Equipment / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Bazooka Bubble Gum; Bazooka the Atom Bubble Boy / comics-form advertising / 1 page

The Dictator from Alcatraz!

(Table of Contents: 14)

The Boy Commandos / comic story / 12 pages

Script:	?
Pencils:	Curt Swan
Inks:	Steve Brodie
Colors:	?
Letters:	?

Genre:adventure; war

First Line of Dialogue or Text:My name is Jumbo Miller... my business is any nifty racket.

The Riddler! (Table of Contents)

Batman and Robin / cover / 1 page

Issue Data

Indexer Notes

Kodak Film (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

Kodak Cameras and Film / advertisement / 1 page

The Riddler (Table of Contents: 2)

Batman and Robin / comic story / 12 pages

Indexer Notes

Johnny Mize (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Wheaties / advertisement / 1 page

Bit-o-Honey Races to the Rescue! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Bit-o-Honey / advertisement / 1 page

Robotman's Double Trouble! (Table of Contents: 5)

Robotman / comic story / 6 pages

Indexer Notes

Cut-Out Model of "Daylight" Train (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

Kellogg's Variety / advertisement / 1 page

For Thrills! For Action! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Adventure Comics; Action Comics; Sensation Comics / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

Dog for a Day! (Table of Contents: 8)

Slam Bradley / comic story / 7 pages

Indexer Notes

Editorial Advisory Board (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

Bendix Coaster Brake / advertisement / 0.5 page

To the Moon and Back (Table of Contents: 11)

text story / 2 pages

Spalding Football Book (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

Spalding Sports Equipment / advertisement / 1 page

[no title indexed] (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

Bazooka Bubble Gum; Bazooka the Atom Bubble Boy / comics-form advertising / 1 page

The Dictator from Alcatraz! (Table of Contents: 14)

The Boy Commandos / comic story / 12 pages

Scribbly (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

Scribbly / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page

How Much Do You Really Know About Baseball? (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 16)

Thom McAn Shoes / advertisement / 1 page

And to Think They Used to Call Me Skinny! (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

Charles Atlas Dynamic Tension System / advertisement / 1 page

Hero on the Bench (Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)

Adventures of "R. C." and Quickie; Royal Crown Cola / advertisement / 1 page

The Riddler!

(Table of Contents)

Kodak Film

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 1)

The Riddler

(Table of Contents: 2)

Johnny Mize

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 3)

Bit-o-Honey Races to the Rescue!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 4)

Robotman's Double Trouble!

(Table of Contents: 5)

Cut-Out Model of "Daylight" Train

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 6)

For Thrills! For Action!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 7)

Dog for a Day!

(Table of Contents: 8)

Editorial Advisory Board

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 9)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 10)

To the Moon and Back

(Table of Contents: 11)

Spalding Football Book

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 12)

[no title indexed]

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 13)

The Dictator from Alcatraz!

(Table of Contents: 14)

Scribbly

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 15)

How Much Do You Really Know About Baseball?

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 16)

And to Think They Used to Call Me Skinny!

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 17)

Hero on the Bench

(Expand) / (Table of Contents: 18)