Batman #159 for Sale - First Appearance of Matt Hagen - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Batman (DC, 1940 series)
Issue: #159
Publication date: November 1963
Key date: 1963-11-00
On-sale date: 1963-09-05
Indicia publisher: National Periodical Publications Inc.
Price: $0.12
Pages: 36
Rating: Approved by the Comics Code Authority

Match the book in your hand against this plate before paying an edition-specific price.

Why this issue matters

First appearance of Matt Hagen - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Clayface - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Betty Kane - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

First appearance of Bat-Girl - the earliest non-flashback appearance on record for this character.

The evidence

Claims here come from the story records for this issue, listed under Sources at the bottom of the file. Character hubs with full evidence tables are coming to this site.

Seq	Story	Type	Pages	Credits	Characters
0	The Great Clayface-Joker Feud!	cover	1	pencils: Sheldon Moldoff; inks: Sheldon Moldoff; letters: Ira Schnapp	Bat-Girl First, Batman, Clayface First, Dick Grayson, Matt Hagen First, Betty Kane First, Robin, Bruce Wayne
1	Your United Nations at Work	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Sheldon Moldoff; inks: Sheldon Moldoff; letters: Ira Schnapp
2	The Great Clayface-Joker Feud	comic story	15.34	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Sheldon Moldoff; inks: Charles Paris; letters: Stan Starkman	Bat-Girl First, Batman, Batwoman, Clayface First, Commissioner James Gordon, Dick Grayson, Matt Hagen First, Joker, Betty Kane First, Kathy Kane, Robin, Bruce Wayne
4	The Flashiest News of the Year... A Giant Flash Annual!	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5
6	-	cartoon	1	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff
8	-	letters page	2	letters: typeset
9	-	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
10	The Boyhood of Bruce Wayne Jr.	comic story	8.67	script: Bill Finger; pencils: Sheldon Moldoff; inks: Charles Paris; letters: Joe Letterese	Batman, Batwoman, Dick Grayson, Alfred Pennyworth, Alfred Pennyworth, Robin, Bruce Wayne, Bruce Wayne Jr., Kathy Kane
12	The Brave and the Bold	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.5

Plus 4.99 pages of advertisements and other matter across 8 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
Batman #236	1971	On eBay ›
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0-930289-36-6	1989	On eBay ›
Stacked Deck: The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0-681-41015-9	1990	On eBay ›
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0930289-36-6	1989	On eBay ›
Batman and Robin ISBN 978-1-4012-2725-8	2010	On eBay ›
The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told #[nn] ISBN 0-446-39125-5; 0-446-39126-3	1988	On eBay ›
The Joker: 80 Years of the Clown Prince of Crime: The Deluxe Edition #[nn] ISBN 978-1-4012-9993-4	2020	On eBay ›

Reading the story costs a fraction of owning the issue. Both routes are on every file.

Before you buy

Check spine ticks and cover gloss in the photos; silver-age Marvels chip at the edges easily.
Look for tanning at the page edges and transfer stains on the inside covers.
Confirm the cover price against the plate; higher prices can mean a later or foreign printing.

Series context

‹ #158159 of 715#160 ›

Sources

Grand Comics Database, issue record (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Found an error in this file? corrections@comicrecord.com