BATMAN #161

Graded at 1.0 (FR) on 2026-10-22, from new photos taken out of the sleeve: front, back, interior page and spine. Row of extra staples through the covers along the spine. Yellowed tape along the spine front and back. Blue ink numbers written on the front. Heavily worn, split spine with soiling. Cream to tan pages.

Batman #161 (DC Comics, February 1964) pairs two stories: "The New Crimes of the Mad Hatter," in which the Mad Hatter turns on the twelve jurors who sent him to prison, written by Dave Wood with art by Sheldon Moldoff and Charles Paris (credited on the cover as Bob Kane, per the studio arrangement of the era); and "The Bat-Mite Hero," in which a disillusioned Bat-Mite sets out to create heroes of his own, his last appearance in the Batman titles during the Silver Age. Arriving in the final stretch of the pre-New Look Batman line, the issue belongs to a run heavy on gimmick villains and science-fiction trappings.

Pricing shows the typical Silver Age curve: values stay modest through mid grades and then climb sharply near the top of the certified population. Sales activity is present across most grade points, with 135 of 141 graded copies in the Universal census, indicating reasonably steady collector interest rather than a book chased for cover art or scarcity alone. No copy has been certified above 9.4, so top-end pricing reflects a thin, competitive pool rather than a deep high-grade market.

The book suits Silver Age Batman run collectors and fans of Bat-Mite and the Mad Hatter. Raw copies in low and mid grades trade as accessible, affordable pickups for readers and set-builders, while a Universal 9.8 — should one ever surface — would represent a condition-census event commanding a significant premium over the current 9.4 benchmark.