Batman #1 is the kind of key comic book that is known for far more than one significant aspect. It is the introduction of the Joker, one of Batman’s greatest foes and one of the most dangerous, unpredictable, and scary villains in comics. It is also the debut of Catwoman, the villain turned antihero who blurs the lines of morality and has been Bruce Wayne/Batman’s most significant love interest.

Additionally, Batman #1 has a Hugo Strange appearance and there’s a pinup of Batman and Robin on the back cover. This issue, which kicks off Batman’s first titular comic book, features the work of Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson.

When Batman #1 was published in the spring of 1940, it had a cover price of just 10¢. When Robert M. Overstreet published The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide #1 in 1970, a Near Mint copy was priced at $175. Ten years later, it rose in value 16 times to $2,800. When the Guide #20 was published in 1990, Catwoman and Joker’s debut was up to $14,500.

By the Guide #30, the major key was up to $65,000, and after just ten years in 2010’s the Guide #40, it reached $250,000. The book was well on its way to seven figures in the Guide’s milestone 50th edition, priced at $860,000 in 2020. Just four years later in 2024’s the Guide #54, a Near Mint copy of Batman #1 was valued at $1.3 million.