Cover: Jerry Robinson

Batman #17

Jun 1943 · DC · 0.10 USD

📊 ~150,684 copies sold its debut month

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“The Batman's Biographer!”

In "The Batman's Biographer!", the Penguin, overlooked in a lecture on Gotham’s most notorious criminals, takes it upon himself to prove he’s worthy of the same infamous legacy. With the Warden Keyes dismissing him as lacking genius, the Penguin devises a scheme to cement his place in Gotham’s rogues’ gallery—forcing Batman and Robin to intervene before his plan escalates. Written by Don C. Cameron and illustrated by Jack Burnley with inks by Ray Burnley, this 1943 classic features a cover by Jerry Robinson that captures the moment of Penguin’s dramatic resolve.

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writer Don C. Cameron · artist, inker Jack Burnley · inker Ray Burnley · letterer Betty Bentley · cover Jerry Robinson

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Full credits

writer Don C. Cameron

artist, inker Jack Burnley

inker Ray Burnley

letterer Betty Bentley

cover pencils, inks Jerry Robinson

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

The Penguin attends a lecture by Gotham City's prison Warden Keyes, who talks about the city's most dangerous villains: the Scarecrow, the Joker and the Cat-Woman...but fails to list him. When asked about the Penguin, Keyes says that he hasn't the genius or inventiveness of the others. Penguin decides to correct that assumption, and Batman and Robin must stop him in that attempt.

Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).