Back to comics
Batman

Issue cover. Verify the exact issue, printing, and cover before buying.

DC · Golden Age · 1948

Batman #47

DC · 1948

Noted for: Joe Chill named as the Waynes' killer

KEY ISSUE
Save to Vault

Shop this issue

We may earn a commission from these links, at no extra cost to you. Disclosure.

Before you buy

Verify the issue and printing, check the grader certification, review restoration notes, and compare recent sold examples in the same grade.

The Batman #47 in context

Why collectors care

The issue that first names Joe Chill as the killer of Thomas and Martha Wayne, cover-dated June-July 1948, expanding Batman's origin from the brief 1939 sequence into the story every later version builds on.

How to identify it

Batman #47, 1948. Batman's origin was first sketched in Detective Comics #33 (1939); this issue names the killer and has Batman confront him.

Common mistakes

Confusing this with Detective Comics #33, the original origin sequence. They are different books making different claims.

Grade considerations

A late-1940s book where restoration is common and paper is brittle. Certification and page quality matter more than small grade differences.