IN CELEBRATION OF THE BOY WONDER’S 85TH BIRTHDAY, WE TAKE A BY-THE-NUMBERS LOOK AT BATMAN’S PARTNER IN CRIME FIGHTING
Before April 1940, Batman was a bit of a loner. That’s when Detective Comics No. 38 hit newsstands, bringing with it a brand-new character who would turn the solo Caped Crusader into one-half of the Dynamic Duo. Over the past eight-plus decades, Robin has gone by many names – Jason Todd, Tim Drake and Carrie Kelley among them – but Dick Grayson was the first and remains the most iconic. The Boy Wonder’s debut created a sensation among readers and caused a flood of imitators that would last the duration of the Golden Age. Below, we look at some of the highlights from Robin’s long history, illustrated with past and present lots from Heritage Auctions.
24
THE RANKING OF Detective Comics No. 38 on Overstreet’s list of Top 100 Golden Age Comics. The iconic issue’s famous cover by Bob Kane and Jerry Robinson features Robin literally bursting onto the scene in his first appearance. Also pictured is a proud Batman, who is making an early appearance of his own, having debuted in No. 27 of the same series. This copy of the sought-after comic book, graded CGC VF 8.0, is available in Heritage’s January 9-12 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction.
9.4
THE HIGHEST GRADE CGC has awarded to Star Spangled Comics No. 65, the book that featured the first stories of Robin “in Solo Action.” The comic’s cover, created by Win Mortimer, placed Robin front and center and promised “A Thrilling New Series of Smash Adventures Starring Batman’s Famed Partner-in-Peril.” This copy of the February 1947 issue, one of only three examples graded CGC NM 9.4, realized $5,760 in a September 2021 Heritage auction.
15
THE NUMBER OF chapters in Columbia Pictures’ 1949 serial New Adventures of Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder. Starring Robert Lowery as Batman and John Duncan as Robin, the series finds the crime fighters doing battle against the Wizard, a masked villain with a device that can remotely control all vehicles. This six-sheet for the serial sold for $18,600 in a July 2018 Heritage auction.
19
BURT WARD’S AGE when he landed the role of Robin in ABC’s Batman. The campy television series ran for three seasons, from 1966-68, and spawned a feature film also featuring Ward alongside Adam West as Batman. Batman: The Movie, the first full-length theatrical adaptation for the Dynamic Duo, premiered in the summer of 1966, just a couple of months after the TV show’s first season ended. This black-and-white photograph of Ward as the Boy Wonder hails from the Collection of Greg Jein and was part of a group lot of production and press photos from the film that sold for $10,625 in an October 2023 Heritage auction.
$615,000
THE PRICE PAID for this pair of Batman and Robin costumes worn by West and Ward in both Batman: The Movie and the popular TV series. The iconic ensembles were one of the top-selling lots in Heritage’s June 2023 auction of The Comisar Collection, the massive assemblage of television memorabilia collector James Comisar spent decades building.
4.5 x 3.5
THE SIZE IN inches of this original artwork painted by pulp artist Norman Saunders for Topps’ debut set of Batman trading cards, which featured colorful artwork and action-packed scenes depicting the Caped Crusader and the Boy Wonder in their crime-fighting adventures. Saunders created the mixed media piece for “The Bat Signal,” the third card in the 55-card set, which Topps launched in 1966 during the peak popularity of TV’s Batman. Saunders’ painting fetched $25,200 in a January 2024 Heritage auction.
3
THE NUMBER OF young superhero sidekicks who starred alongside Robin in the first issue of Teen Titans. The 1966 comic book, written by Bob Haney, featured Wonder Girl, Kid Flash, Aqualad and the Boy Wonder taking on the Beast-God of Xochatan. After an extended hiatus that began in 1973 and a brief revival that launched in late 1976, the title officially ceased publication in 1978. Soon, however, the Teen Titans would be resurrected as The New Teen Titans in October 1980’s DC Comics Presents No. 26, which was followed by their own book that November written by Marv Wolfman and drawn by George Perez. This copy of Teen Titans No. 1 realized $31,200 in an April 2021 Heritage auction.
12
THE NUMBER OF DC Comics characters, including Robin, that made up the first series of Kenner’s Super Powers Collection, which debuted in 1984. In all, three series of DC action figures were released between ’84 and ’86. The Robin figure, which performed a “power action karate chop” when his legs were squeezed together, came with a removable cape and a mini comic book. This Robin figure, graded AFA 80, is available in Heritage’s January 26 Action Figures & Toys Showcase Auction.
1986
THE YEAR THAT Carrie Kelley made her debut as the first female Robin in Frank Miller’s four-part epic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. The 13-year-old schoolgirl becomes Robin after saving Batman’s life in the series’ first issue. This original cover art for Batman: The Dark Knight Returns No. 3, the only Dark Knight cover that features Carrie Kelley, sold for $264,000 in an April 2022 Heritage auction.
5,343
THE NUMBER OF votes cast in favor of Robin’s controversial 1988 death at the hands of the Joker. In Batman No. 427, DC Comics published a 1-900 number and asked readers to call in with their vote for or against the character’s demise. Out of more than 10,000 calls, Jason Todd’s Robin lost by a mere 72 votes. The hotline results were published in the following issue, whose cover depicted a battered Boy Wonder amidst the aftermath of an explosion. This original cover art by Mike Mignola for Batman No. 428 realized $228,000 in a June 2022 Heritage auction.