Batman 1940 #294 - reader copy - $15.00

The Penguin controls some cuckoo clocks and has them stealing money, but the police entice the clocks to stop using Hostess Fruit Pies, and they capture The Penguin.

The Joker testifies to the circumstances whereby he killed Batman, but when Two-Face demands that the Joker produce the photographic evidence he claims to have, a recess is called. After Two-Face leaves the court, he removes his disguise, revealing the Batman beneath. Having identified the real murderer, Batman confronts the Joker and sends him back to Arkham. Later, Batman confers with Commissioner Gordon and discusses how it was really Batman-admirer Jerry Randall in a Batman costume that the Joker had killed and how the trial was a ruse to discover who was actually responsible.

The on-sale date is the publication date reported in U. S. Copyright Office filings. Comic Reader #148 gives an on-sale date of September 6.

• - Colors credit provided by Anthony Tollin.
• The Cuckoo Cuckoos - Inside front cover advertisement for Hostess Fruit Pies in comicstrip format. One bystander looks like Julius Schwartz.
• [Where Were You on the Night Batman Was Killed?] The Testimony of the Joker! - Credits for script, pencils and inks confirmed from Julius Schwartz's editorial records, provided by DC Comics. Story continues from Batman #293.
• - Letters of comment from D. B. Webb, Mike White and Charles D. Brown.
• Volume 77 Issue 36 - Week of September 5, 1977 - Information on Aquaman #59, Ghosts #59, comics on sale the week of September 12th, and Ask the Answer Man!