Detective Comics #156 for Sale - First Appearance of Varsity Vic - Where to Buy

Identification plate

Series: Detective Comics (DC, 1937 series)
Issue: #156
Publication date: February 1950
Key date: 1950-02-00
On-sale date: 1949-12-19
Indicia publisher: National Comics Publications Inc.
Price: $0.10
Pages: 52

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

Why this issue matters

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

First appearance of Karen Duncan - 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	Batmobile of 1950	cover	1	pencils: Dick Sprang; inks: Dick Sprang; letters: Ira Schnapp	Batman, Dick Grayson, Robin, Bruce Wayne
1	National Comics Takes "Top Place As the Choice of Parents and Children."	promo (ad from the publisher)	1	script: Gertrude Wixson
2	The Batmobile of 1950!	comic story	12	script: Joe Samachson; pencils: Dick Sprang; inks: Charles Paris	Batman, Commissioner James Gordon, Dick Grayson, Robin, Bruce Wayne
4	Star Spangled Comics; Action Comics; Adventure Comics	promo (ad from the publisher)	0.67
5	-	statement of ownership	0.33	letters: typeset
6	The Beauty Who Talked with Beasts!	comic story	8	pencils: Dan Barry; inks: Dan Barry	Karen Duncan First, Roy Raymond
8	-	cartoon	1	script: Harry Lampert; pencils: Harry Lampert; inks: Harry Lampert
9	To Arms!	comic story	6	pencils: Lee Elias; inks: Lee Elias	Robert Crane / Paul Dennis, Robotman
10	Here's Good News for Batman and Robin Fans!	promo (ad from the publisher)	1
11	Batman and Robin Stand Up for Sportsmanship!	public service announcement	1	script: Jack Schiff; pencils: Win Mortimer; inks: Win Mortimer; letters: Ira Schnapp	Batman, Dick Grayson, Robin, Bruce Wayne
12	-	comic story	2	script: Henry Boltinoff; pencils: Henry Boltinoff; inks: Henry Boltinoff; letters: Henry Boltinoff	Varsity Vic First
13	TV Quiz	text article	2	letters: typeset
14	The First!	comic story	0.75	script: Stookie Allen; pencils: Stookie Allen; inks: Stookie Allen; letters: Stookie Allen	Emory Sekaqwaptewa
16	The Great Gold Robbery!	comic story	10	script: Don C. Cameron; pencils: Carmine Infantino	Pow-Wow Smith

Plus 5.25 pages of advertisements and other matter across 6 sequences, as published.

Where to read it

Collection	Year
100-Page Super Spectacular #DC-14	1973	On eBay ›
The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #47	1958	On eBay ›
Batman in the Fifties #[nn] ISBN 1-56389-810-1	2002	On eBay ›
Batman: Cover to Cover #[nn] ISBN 1-4012-0659-X	2005	On eBay ›
Batman Archives #8 ISBN 978-1-4012-3376-1	2012	On eBay ›
Batman: The Golden Age Omnibus #7 ISBN 978-1-4012-8965-2	2019	On eBay ›
Batman in the Fifties #[nn] ISBN 978-1-77950-950-5	2021	On eBay ›

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

Before you buy

Golden-age paper is brittle. Ask about page suppleness and check edges for chips in the photos.
Check for trimmed edges, married covers, and clipped coupons - all common on books this old.
Confirm the indicia matches this plate; many golden-age titles changed names mid-run.

Series context

‹ #155156 of 883#157 ›

Sources

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

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