Detective Comics #226
Detective Comics #226 (December 1955) is a double-barreled key issue that does significant work for two entirely separate corners of the DC universe in a single 36-page package. Its lead Batman story, 'When Batman Was Robin,' introduced Harvey Harris — the world-renowned detective who mentored a young Bruce Wayne, coined the name 'Robin,' and therefore supplied the in-universe origin of both that costumed identity and the distinctive costume Dick Grayson would later inherit. The back-up feature, 'The Case of the Magic Baseball,' delivered the second appearance of J'onn J'onzz (Martian Manhunter), only one month after his debut in issue #225, and expanded his still-nascent power set by adding precognitive abilities — a trait so unusual that it has scarcely been revisited and is absent from modern continuity altogether. Together, the two features make this one of the densest single issues for foundational DC mythology published during the mid-1950s transition into the Silver Age.
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The Batman lead was scripted by Edmond Hamilton with pencils by Dick Sprang and inks by Charles Paris — a pairing well-established on the title at the time. The Martian Manhunter back-up was drawn by Joe Certa, the character's co-creator alongside writer Joseph Samachson, who had introduced J'onn J'onzz just the previous month; the script attribution for this specific installment is disputed, with Rich Morrissey crediting Jack Miller while the Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter collection credits Samachson. The cover was penciled and inked by Win Mortimer, and the issue appeared under the Comics Code Authority seal with editorial oversight credited to Whitney Ellsworth (formally) and Jack Schiff (as the actual editor). The Batman story was reprinted as early as Batman Annual #2 (Winter 1961), indicating that DC editors recognized its mythological weight quickly after original publication.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published December 1955 (on-sale date October 25, 1955) by National Comics Publications (DC); cover price 10 cents.
- Lead story 'When Batman Was Robin' (script: Edmond Hamilton; pencils: Dick Sprang; inks: Charles Paris) establishes that Bruce Wayne, before becoming Batman, disguised himself in a prototype Robin costume to secretly apprentice himself to Harvey Harris, the most celebrated detective of his day.
- First appearance of Harvey Harris, the detective who trained young Bruce Wayne, dubbed his pupil 'Robin,' and — as the story reveals — deduced Bruce's true identity but kept it secret until his death.
- Back-up story 'The Case of the Magic Baseball' (art: Joe Certa) is the second appearance of Martian Manhunter / J'onn J'onzz (first appearance: Detective Comics #225, November 1955).
- This issue is the first place J'onn J'onzz demonstrates precognitive (future-sight) abilities — an early, loosely defined power expansion that was rarely revisited and is not part of the character's modern power set.
- The Martian Manhunter's surname is mis-spelled 'J'onz' (dropping one 'z') in this issue.
- The Batman story was re-imagined and folded into Bruce Wayne's canonical origin in Untold Legend of the Batman #1 (1980, written by Len Wein, penciled by John Byrne); the 'When Batman Was Robin' episode also received reprints in Batman Annual #2 (1961), and the Martian Manhunter story was reprinted in World's Finest Comics #176 (1968), World's Finest Comics #226 (1974), and Showcase Presents: Martian Manhunter Vol. 1.
- The issue also features a Roy Raymond TV Detective story (art: Ruben Moreira), a half-page 'Casey the Cop' humor strip by Henry Boltinoff, and a two-page text story by Jack Miller.
Cast · 9 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Bruce Wayne receives a disturbing parcel in the mail: a Robin costume that he once wore as a youth when he was studying how to be a detective from the famed Harvey Harris...the man who obviously knows that Batman is Bruce Wayne!
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).
