Issue cover. Verify the exact issue, printing, and cover before buying.
DC · Golden Age · 1951
Detective Comics #168
DC · 1951
Noted for: Joker's origin as the Red Hood
KEY ISSUEShop this issue
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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 Detective Comics #168 in context
Why collectors care
The Joker's origin, cover-dated February 1951, in which Bill Finger established the character's past as the Red Hood and the chemical-vat accident that created him. Every later Joker origin, including The Killing Joke, descends from this story.
How to identify it
Detective Comics #168, February 1951. This is the origin, not the first appearance — the Joker debuts in Batman #1 (1940), also in this catalog.
Common mistakes
Buying this expecting a first appearance. It is the origin issue, a distinct and considerably cheaper key than Batman #1.
Grade considerations
An early-1950s book with limited high-grade survival and frequent restoration. Read the certification label carefully.
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