In this episode, Curt and Kevin mark the 1,000th issue of Detective Comics and the 80th birthday of Batman with a look back at three early milestones in the career of DC Comics' mega-popular Caped Crusader—beginning with his first appearance (as "The Bat-Man") in Detective Comics #27 from 1939!

From there, it's on to the world's best-known origin story from 1939's Detective Comics #33! And last but not least, since a snarling Dark Knight Detective is only as good as his anarchic arch-enemy, it's the first appearance of the Joker, from 1940's Batman #1!

Can the World's Greatest Detective crack the imminently solvable Case of the Chemical Syndicate, overcome the death of his parents, and survive his first encounter against the deadly Clown Prince of Crime? And can he strike terror into the hearts of the superstitious and cowardly gatekeepers of … The Comics Canon?

Things Discussed in This Episode:

• What's the appropriate gift for an 80th anniversary?
• Our Dark Knight Returns episode
• The enduring flexibility of Batman as a character
• Batman & Bill and the legacy of Bill Finger
• The cover of Detective Comics #27
• "I'm not a doctor, but that's not how poisons work!"
• Conrad Veidt in The Man Who Laughs
• The Silver Age Batwoman
• Batman: Year One, the animated film
• The Caped Crusade: Batman and the Rise of Nerd Culture (and our Court of Owls episode)

Join us in two weeks as we begin a four-part deep dive into Watchmen with a look at issues 1 through 3!

Until then, why not peruse our new spring line of Comics Canon merchandise? We also invite you to check out Mathilda: The Forces of Evil vs. the Third Grade, as well as the King Krackle digital brushes from our friends at Category 4!

Last but not least, please be so kind as to rate us on iTunes, send us an email, or hit us up on Twitter or Facebook, and we may read your comments in an upcoming episode. And as always, thanks for listening!