Detective Comics #35
Detective Comics #35 represents a formal turning point in the early evolution of Batman: with this January 1940 issue, Batman became the permanent cover-feature of the title, displacing the anthology's rotating cast and signaling that DC's editorial team had fully committed to him as the franchise's centerpiece. The issue also records the first appearance of a dedicated Batmobile — a blue car kept exclusively for Batman's use, separate from Bruce Wayne's personal vehicle — making it the foundation of one of the most enduring props in superhero fiction. Those two developments together, cover prominence and a vehicle of his own, mark the moment the Batman concept graduated from promising new character to full-blown phenomenon, coming just months before Robin's debut and the launch of Batman's solo title in spring 1940.
In "The Case of the Ruby Idol," a cursed gem shaped like a grotesque idol sets off a deadly chain of events, drawing Batman into a shadowy mystery involving a strange Hindu cult. Written by Bill Finger and illustrated by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff, this 1940 classic showcases the Dark Knight’s early days with atmospheric art and a chilling, otherworldly threat. The cover by Bob Kane captures the eerie allure of the ruby idol, setting the tone for a tale that blends mystery and the supernatural.
In "The Case of the Ruby Idol," the Batman investigates a deadly mystery surrounding a grotesque ruby idol, where one man has already died and another's life hangs in the balance. As the Dark Knight delves into a sinister Hindu cult’s web of secrets, he faces a threat as ancient as it is unnatural.
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The Batman story 'The Case of the Ruby Idol' was written by Bill Finger, with interior pencils credited to Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff — the same creative core that had been shaping the character since his debut in Detective Comics #27 (May 1939). Finger, whose contributions to Batman's look, world-building, and scripting were largely uncredited during his lifetime, is confirmed across multiple sources as the writer; Moldoff's involvement in the pencils at this early stage reflects the ghost-artist arrangement that characterized much of the Kane studio's output. Vincent Sullivan, the title's founding editor, oversaw the issue. Notably, the cover — drawn by Bob Kane and depicting Batman restraining a man with a hypodermic needle in the room — actually illustrates a scene from the previous issue's story rather than anything in issue #35 itself.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Cover date: January 1940; published by Detective Comics, Inc. (the predecessor company to DC Comics).
- First appearance of the Batmobile: Batman drives a blue car kept solely for his use as Batman, distinct from Bruce Wayne's earlier red roadster; the vehicle is not yet called the 'Batmobile' in the story's text.
- This is the first issue in which Batman appears as the permanent cover feature of Detective Comics, a status he would hold continuously from this point forward.
- The lead Batman story is 'The Case of the Ruby Idol,' written by Bill Finger and drawn by Bob Kane and Sheldon Moldoff; it is also the issue in which Batman's cape and cowl are depicted in blue rather than black.
- The cover, drawn by Bob Kane, is the celebrated 'hypodermic needle cover' — depicting Batman restraining a figure over a seated victim — but it illustrates a scene from Detective Comics #34, not the story inside this issue.
- Batman kills the villain Sheldon Lenox (disguised as a Chinese crime lord named Sin Fang) by causing him to fall from a window — consistent with the darker, pre-code moral compass of early Golden Age Batman before DC's later editorial edict against Batman killing.
- The Batman story from this issue, 'The Case of the Ruby Idol,' has been reprinted in Batman Archives Vol. 1 and Batman Chronicles Vol. 1.
- The issue is a full anthology: in addition to the Batman lead, it includes stories featuring Bart Regan (Spy), Buck Marshall (Range Detective), Steve Malone (District Attorney), Speed Saunders (Ace Investigator), Cosmo the Phantom of Disguise, Bruce Nelson, and Slam Bradley, with Jerry Siegel contributing stories to the non-Batman features.
Cast · 11 characters
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Reprints
↩ Reprints Superman #3 (1940), Flash Comics #2 (1940)
Reprinted in Batman Archives #1 (1990), DC Archiv Edition #3 (1999), The Batman Chronicles #1 (2005), Action! Mystery! Thrills! Comic Book Covers of the Golden Age: 1933-45 #[nn] (2011), Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus #1 (2016), Batman: The Golden Age #1 (2016), DC Comics Graphic Novel Collection #92 (2016)
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