Batman #163
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeBatman #163 (May 1964, on sale March 5, 1964) serves a dual historical function: it closes out the entire 'Alfred's Tales of the Future' miniseries — six interconnected imaginary-story installments running from Batman #131 (1960) through this issue — while simultaneously being the last Batman comic published before Julius Schwartz took over as editor and launched the celebrated 'New Look' era beginning with Batman #164. The issue's back-up story, 'Bat-Girl — Batwoman II!', delivers the debut of Betty Kane in her grown-up Batwoman II identity, expanding Silver Age DC's concept of legacy heroism and demonstrating that Bill Finger and editor Jack Schiff were willing to use a semi-imaginary frame to push the Bat-family forward in ways the main continuity could not accommodate. Both stories — the legacy tale and the Joker caper — have been judged significant enough for repeated anthology reprinting, affirming their standing as genuine touchstones of the pre-'New Look' Batman.
In "Bat-Girl -- Batwoman II!", Betty returns to Gotham City and takes up the mantle of Batwoman II, stepping into the shadows as a new guardian. With Batman and Robin II away, the original Dark Knight is captured, forcing Batwoman II to intervene—only to uncover his secret identity in the process. Written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Chic Stone, with inks by Charles Paris and letters by Joe Letterese, this 1964 classic features a striking cover by Sheldon Moldoff.
In this classic 1964 tale from *Batman* #163, Betty returns to Gotham City and takes up the mantle of Batwoman II, stepping into the shadows as a new guardian. With Batman and Robin II away, the original Dark Knight is captured—only for Batwoman II to rescue him, leading to a startling revelation about his true identity.
In "The Joker Jury!", the Clown Prince of Crime orchestrates a citywide scheme, turning Gotham’s institutions into his twisted stage. When Batman and Robin confront him, they’re captured and forced to face a courtroom of his own making—where the verdict is already decided.
ComicBooks.com Value
Show all 22 grades ▾
More listings for this title
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The 'Alfred's Tales of the Future' sub-series to which this issue belongs originated in Batman #131 (April 1960), when Alfred wrote a speculative story on his new typewriter imagining a future Dynamic Duo; Batman #163 is the sixth and final chapter of that thread, picking up directly from Batman #159 (November 1963). Both stories in the issue carry Bill Finger scripts — the lead 'Joker Jury!' story is pencilled and inked by Sheldon Moldoff with Charles Paris on inks, while the Batwoman II back-up was pencilled by Chic Stone (better known at the time for his Marvel work inking Jack Kirby) with Paris again on inks — making Stone's contribution here a notable one-off, identified by researchers as the only Batman-title job he received during this entire editorial era. The issue was published under the National Periodical Publications indicia, approved by the Comics Code Authority, at the standard twelve-cent cover price of the period.
Trivia · 9 facts
- Cover date May 1964; actual on-sale date March 5, 1964 (confirmed via copyright registration and cross-reference with Blackhawk #196).
- Contains two main stories: 'Bat-Girl — Batwoman II!' (script Bill Finger, pencils Chic Stone, inks Charles Paris) and 'The Joker Jury!' (script Bill Finger, pencils Sheldon Moldoff, inks Charles Paris), plus a one-page public-service piece titled 'Names Do Hurt!' drawn by Moldoff.
- First appearance of Betty Kane as Batwoman II: the grown-up former Bat-Girl returns to Gotham, dons the Batwoman mantle, rescues the original Batman, and in the process learns Bruce Wayne's secret identity.
- Sixth and final installment of the 'Alfred's Tales of the Future' series, which began in Batman #131 (April 1960) and spanned issues #131, #135, #145, #154, #159, and #163; the framing device has Alfred Pennyworth writing speculative fiction about Dick Grayson as Batman II and Bruce Wayne Jr. as Robin II.
- The Batwoman II story is technically not a formal DC Imaginary Story, but functions as one because its events occur within Alfred's in-continuity fiction; Crisis on Infinite Earths: The Compendium later catalogued the issue as an appearance of Earth-Forty.
- Published as the final Batman issue before Julius Schwartz replaced Jack Schiff as editor; Schwartz's 'New Look' debuted with Batman #164, making #163 the last chapter of a distinct editorial era.
- 'The Joker Jury!' has been reprinted in The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (DC, 1988), Stacked Deck: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told (Longmeadow Press, 1990), The Joker: A Celebration of 75 Years (DC, 2014), and The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime: The Deluxe Edition (DC, 2020).
- 'Bat-Girl — Batwoman II!' was reprinted in DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories Vol. 2: Batman and Robin (DC, 2010), which collected all six Alfred's Tales of the Future chapters together for the first time.
- The issue also carries a house ad for Captain William Storm, the DC war title whose character is therefore indexed as a non-story appearance.
Cast · 12 characters
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Batman #240 (1964), The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] (1988), The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] (1989), The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] (1989), Stacked Deck: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] (1990), DC's Greatest Imaginary Stories #2 (2010), The Joker: A Celebration of 75 Years #[nn] (2014), The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] (2020), Albi del Falco #435, Super Albo Nembo Kid #59
Key issues in Batman
★
★
★
★
★
★
★
★Reviews
Reader reviews
No reader reviews yet.