Batman No. 18: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Batman issue No. 18 was published by DC Comics in August and September 1943. It sold for 10 cents. The yellow cover has art credited to Dick Sprang that depicts Batman and Robin running from an exploding fire cracker that knocks down cartoon caricatures of the Axis leaders Hitler, Mussolini, and Tōjō. The cover bears the caption “Insure the 4th of July! Buy War Bonds and Stamps!” Many comics of the period encouraged patriotism and participation in the war effort.

This issue contains the stories "The Secret of Hunters Inn," "Robin Studies his Lessons," The Good Samaritan Cops," and “The Crime Surgeon."

Batman made his comic debut in 1939 in Detective Comics No. 27 and received his own self-titled line of comic books in 1942.

Materials, dates and provenance

• date made: 1943
• referenced: Hitler, Adolph
• referenced: Mussolini, Benito
• referenced: Tojo, Hideki
• maker: D. C. Comics, Inc.
• Object Name: comic book
• Physical Description: paper (overall material)
• Measurements: overall: 7 1/2 in x 10 in; 19.05 cm x 25.4 cm
• Subject: War Bonds
• depicted: Batman
• Subject: Comics
• Subject: World War II
• related event: World War II
• ID Number: 2013.0086.015
• catalog number: 2013.0086.015
• accession number: 2013.0086
• Credit Line: a gift from Olivia V. Crisson and Phillip M.S. Crisson- in honor of Peter Bozzer
• Data Source: National Museum of American History

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of American History through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed.