Cover: Bob Kane & Carmine Infantino & Murphy Anderson & Charles Paris

Batman #198

Jan 1968 · DC · 0.25 USD

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“The Origin of the Batman!”

This 80-Page Giant from 1968 is a special all-villain issue, and the cover sets the tone perfectly — Batman looms large in the foreground, holding up a comic page that he declares is "the moment that changed my life," while portrait vignettes of the Joker, Catwoman, and the Penguin frame the edges. The cover art, penciled by Bob Kane, Carmine Infantino, and Murphy Anderson with inks by Murphy Anderson and Charles Paris, makes for a wonderfully meta presentation that hints at the origin story within. At 25 cents, this oversized package celebrating Batman's greatest rogues offers a generous helping of classic DC storytelling anchored by the talents of writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane.

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writer Bill Finger · artist Bob Kane · inker Charles Paris · letterer Ira Schnapp · cover Bob Kane, Carmine Infantino, Murphy Anderson, Charles Paris

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Cast · 11 characters

Batman Batwoman Commissioner James Gordon Dick Grayson Joe Chill Joker Kathy Kane Martha Wayne Oswald Cobblepot Selina Kyle Thomas Wayne

Full credits

writer Bill Finger

artist Bob Kane

inker Charles Paris

letterer Ira Schnapp

cover pencils Bob Kane

cover pencils Carmine Infantino

cover pencils, inks Murphy Anderson

cover inks Charles Paris

Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers

▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers

While investigating criminal activity at a transport company, Batman recognizes the owner, Joe Chill, as the man who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne years before. Batman tries to find evidence of Chill's illegal operations, but when he fails, he decides to reveal his identity to Chill and tells him that will be watching him and will catch him eventually. In a panic, Chill flees to his gang, but when they find out Chill is responsible for Batman's existence they shoot him, and only after do they realize that they should have asked Chill for Batman's real name.

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