Phillip Cobb

Phillip Cobb is the Signalman, a Batman villain who bases his crimes around signals, signs, and symbols, using them as theatrical calling cards in classic Silver Age fashion. A cunning Gotham rogue with no special powers, he relies on elaborate signal-themed schemes to challenge the Dark Knight.

Phillip Cobb stepped onto the Silver Age stage in Batman #112 (1957), courtesy of the legendary creative team of Edmond Hamilton and Dick Sprang, and has remained a curious fixture in DC's sprawling universe ever since. With nearly seven decades of appearances stretching from that debut all the way to 2025, this DC character has proven surprisingly durable for a figure whose catalog footprint is modest — turning up in titles as varied as Justice League of America, the beloved Batman '66, and the encyclopedic Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe, that ultimate stamp of DC legitimacy. He shares pages with heavy hitters like Batman, Bruce Wayne, The Flash, and Green Lantern, which says something about the circles he moves in. Collectors take note: one of his appearances carries key-issue status, making Phillip Cobb exactly the kind of deep-cut Silver Age discovery that rewards the dedicated fan who loves digging past the marquee names.