Leading up to The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #50 release on July 22, 2020, Gemstone Publishing will commemorate the milestone by diving into the publication’s rich history. Over the Guide’s five decades in print, thousands upon thousands of comic books have been priced, the market has been meticulously studied, and creators, characters, and publishing houses have been featured with detailed coverage. With the 50th edition comes time to revisit how comic values have steadily (sometimes astronomically) risen over the years and reflect on contributions made in crafting the Guide.

The history of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide isn’t nearly as long as that of the Caped Crusader – we’re getting ready for our 50th year and the Dark Knight is well into his 80th – but the Guide has been privileged to have a long and happy association with Bruce Wayne’s alter ego. The cast of artists who provided Bat-covers ranges from Joker and Robin creator Jerry Robinson and Silver Age legend Murphy Anderson to acclaimed painter Mark Chiarello and Grendel creator Matt Wagner, among others.

Guide #13 - The first Guide cover to spotlight Batman also showcased Wonder Woman and Superman in 1983. They were featured as an infinity cover concept with pencils by Don Newton, who did the first Guide cover with original art (#4), and inks by Joe Rubinstein, who has a long and distinguished carrier. In 1982, the year before this edition came out, he worked on the four-issue Wolverine miniseries by Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Since Rubinstein was Newton’s favorite inker, it was a given that he would be asked to ink this piece. Rubinstein had previously inked his pencils on New Gods in 1978 and Avengers Annual in 1979, and he also inked Newton’s last story for Infinity, Inc. in 1985 just before he died.

Guide #19 - “After acquiring permission from DC Comics in 1988 to have a Batman cover, I contacted Jerry Robinson in New York to create the cover. A meeting was set up in New York at the Gotham Bar and Grill, where our editor from House of Collectibles and I met Robinson for dinner,” Overstreet said. The restaurant was picked for its name being associated with Batman’s Gotham City. “It was a stormy night with thunder and lightning. Perfect atmosphere for the meeting, and Robinson was thrilled. He was the “perfect” choice who rendered a classic Batman-Robin-Joker cover for the Guide.

Guide #26 - Batman was featured on a Justice League (-ish) cover by Starman artist Tony Harris. The edition sold well, but despite Harris’s stellar work on Starman and Ex Machina, it has never made any of the lists of “favorite Overstreet covers” we’ve seen from time to time. The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #26 is as also notable because it was the last time to date that we’ve produced only one cover for an edition.

Guide #31 - Just one of the many Guide covers produced by the legendary Murphy Anderson, and one of the most popular over the years. This one is a faithful recreation of Bob Kane’s cover to Detective Comics #31. The original image that has inspired many new interpretations over the years, ranging from Neal Adams’ cover for Batman #227 and Matt Wagner’s cover for Batman and the Mad Monk #1.

Guide #36 - Jim Lee’s striking Batman image on the cover of the Random House edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #36 has the distinction of being the only time in the history of the Guide that the resolution of the image used to print was too low, producing a slightly (but still appallingly) pixilated image. The version we produced for our oversized, spiralbound edition (The Big, Big Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #36) looked just fine, and that’s how we like to remember that one.

Guide #40 - Evoking both style and comic book history in addition to the usual elements associated with the Dark Knight Detective, Mark Chiarello’s cover immediately saw its influence felt in covers of contemporary comics. The elements of the scattered comic book issues, the Joker marquee on which Batman’s perched, and the color choices resonated with fans, dealers and Chiarello’s fellow artists.          

Guide #42 - Matt Wagner’s cover for the Hero Initiative edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #42 was a first in several ways. It was Wagner’s first Guide cover and it was the first DC character on a Hero Initiative edition Guide cover (after Conan and a slew of Marvel characters), but most importantly it was the first time Batman ever teamed up with a non-DC character on a Guide cover (in this case, Wagner’s own Grendel, who had crossed over with Batman twice in miniseries).

Guide #44 - With his work on Wonder Woman, 52, and Doc Savage, among many others, J.G. Jones had already carved out his own distinctive place in DC Comics history as one of the company’s top cover artists when CBPG #42 artist Mark Chiarello suggested him for the cover of CBPG #44. His inspiration for this piece came from advertising and illustration art icon J.C. Leyendecker, an influence he certainly infused into his interpretation of the Dark Knight.

Guide #47 - Regardless of the industry, public relations machines have beaten the word “legendary” into the ground, and the comic book industry is no different. But what better word is there to describe artist-writer-historian-designer-publisher-escape-artist Jim Steranko? Unlike many of his peers (and other mere mortals), Steranko shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to seek new challenges. Our example at hand is his highly stylized take on Batman for CBPG #47.

Guide #41 - While not a Batman cover, it’s certainly tied to Batman’s corner of the DC Universe with Amanda Conner’s beautiful interpretations of Batgirl and Supergirl. Conner had just come off the Supergirl strip in DC’s Wednesday Comics and a 12-issue run on Power Girl when she knocked this one out of the park.

Guide #42 - Catwoman’s appearance on the cover of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #42, courtesy of artist Adam Hughes, has at least two “Easter eggs,” or semi-hidden elements that make it cool beyond Adam’s stunning depiction of Selina Kyle. First, it actually is a Batman Guide cover if you catch the silhouette seen in reflection to the viewer’s right of Catwoman (and slightly less so to the left). Second, Catwoman’s bag of loot contains multiple copies of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1, always in demand but really a great item at auction the last two years.

Guide #46 – Amanda Conner’s second and third Overstreet covers both occurred on CBPG #46 and came with a solid dose of Batman-related characters. Conner’s covers combined to form one larger image (and slightly even larger for those who purchased the hardcover editions), with Harley Quinn front and center with Catwoman and Poison Ivy mixed into the action on the cover to the right. These covers were the first time for us that our covers combined to form a single image. 

Guide #49 – The energy and tension just crackle from Tony Daniel’s cover for CBPG #49 as some of the most dynamic members of Batman’s Rogues Gallery are found in the highly unlikely setting of the Batcave. Catwoman, Riddler, Poison Ivy, and Penguin flank The Joker, and even the dinosaur and the giant penny are in on the diabolical laughter.