Cover: Dick Sprang

Detective Comics #153

Nov 1949 · DC · 0.10 USD

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★ 1st appearance — Roy Raymond★ 1st appearance — Karen Duncan

About this Issue

Detective Comics #153 (November 1949) marks the debut of Roy Raymond, TV Detective, a character who anchored the title's backup slot for over a decade and embodied a distinctly postwar, television-age archetype: the debunking investigator whose arena was the new medium of broadcast TV rather than the street. The issue also signals a deliberate editorial housecleaning at DC, as Roy Raymond stepped into the backup slot previously occupied by Slam Bradley — a character who had appeared continuously since Detective Comics #1 in 1937, a run of 152 consecutive issues. Beyond the Raymond debut, the issue contains the origin of the Human Fly and a standalone Batman lead story exploring powered flight, making it one of the densest single issues of the late Golden Age. Roy Raymond's first adventure was later selected for reprinting in the 2019 prestige collection Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman: The Deluxe Edition, affirming its enduring editorial significance.

In "The Flying Batman!", the Dark Knight takes to the skies with a daring new twist—bat-shaped wings designed by a mysterious scientist, leading him on a high-stakes pursuit of the elusive Slits Danton. Penciled and inked by Dick Sprang, this 1949 adventure blends classic noir intrigue with a touch of early sci-fi flair, showcasing the Caped Crusader’s ingenuity in a flight-inspired mystery.

Contains 5 stories

The Flying Batman!

12 pp · Superhero

Batman [Bruce Wayne]Robin [Dick Grayson]Commissioner James GordonProfessor Carl Wilde (authority on bats)Slits Danton (villain)

In "The Flying Batman!" from Detective Comics #153, Batman takes to the skies with a pair of high-tech bat wings, chasing the elusive criminal Slits Danton after a scientist claims to have invented them. But as the Dark Knight soars above Gotham, he can't shake the feeling that something about the wings—and the scientist—doesn't quite add up.

The Second Robotman

6 pp · Superhero

Robotman [Robert Craneaka Paul Dennis]

The Land of Lost Years!

8 pp · Detective-Mystery

Roy Raymond (introduction)Karen Duncan (introduction)

Untitled Humor story

0.5 pp · Humor

Shorty

The Revenge of Little Thunder Cloud!

10 pp · Western-Frontier

Pow-Wow Smith

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Good) $149

CGC 9.6 · 1 in census $7,055*

CGC 9.4 · 2 in census $4,514*

CGC 9.2 · 2 in census $3,051

CGC 9.0 · 2 in census $2,011*

CGC 8.5 · 2 in census $1,437

CGC 8.0 · 3 in census $943

Show all 18 grades ▾

CGC 7.5 · 5 in census $923

CGC 7.0 · 4 in census $713

CGC 6.5 · 3 in census $530

CGC 6.0 · 5 in census $530

CGC 5.5 · 2 in census $448*

CGC 5.0 · 8 in census $425

CGC 4.5 · 5 in census $336

CGC 4.0 · 4 in census $316*

CGC 3.5 · 1 in census $281*

CGC 3.0 · 5 in census $249*

CGC 2.5 · 1 in census $202*

CGC 2.0 · 3 in census $172*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

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History

The issue was cover-dated November 1949, a moment when DC was actively reshaping its Detective Comics anthology lineup following the end of World War II–era features. The lead Batman story, 'The Flying Batman!', was written by Don C. Cameron and drawn by Dick Sprang, whose pencil credit on the story was personally verified by Sprang himself. The Roy Raymond backup debuted under the series title 'Impossible—But True!' and was drawn by Ruben Moreira, who would go on to illustrate the strip throughout its run; the writer credit for this inaugural installment is disputed across sources. The Captain Tootsie material in the issue is a one-page advertisement produced by the C.C. Beck studio — the same shop responsible for Captain Marvel at Fawcett — which had been creating these candy-sponsored comic strips since 1943.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date: November 1949; published by DC Comics as part of Detective Comics Vol. 1.
First appearance of Roy Raymond, TV Detective, in the backup story 'The Land of Lost Years!' (running title: 'Impossible—But True!'); Raymond is a television host who investigates and debunks sensational claims, with assistant Karen Duncan.
Roy Raymond replaced Slam Bradley in the Detective Comics backup slot; Slam Bradley had run continuously from Detective Comics #1 (1937) through #152 — a 152-issue unbroken run.
Contains the origin of the Human Fly, a DC villain/character.
Lead Batman story 'The Flying Batman!' was penciled and inked by Dick Sprang (credits verified by Sprang), with script by Don C. Cameron.
The Pow-Wow Smith backup feature, created by Don Cameron and Carmine Infantino (debuted in #151), continued in this issue with Carmine Infantino art.
Captain Tootsie, Rollo, and Fatso appear in a one-page Tootsie Roll advertisement produced by the C.C. Beck studio; Beck and writer Rod Reed created Captain Tootsie as an advertising character in 1943.
Roy Raymond's debut story 'The Land of Lost Years!' was reprinted in the 2019 hardcover Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman: The Deluxe Edition.