DETECTIVE COMICS #247

Significant spine wear with heavy vertical creasing and roughness running the length of the spine, along with visible small tears/chips at the top and bottom spine edges. There is notable color loss and staining/discoloration across the cover (browning), especially along the left edge and spine area, plus general surface wear and softened corners. The book is in a protective sleeve which may mask additional edge wear; back cover and interior pages were not assessed.

Detective Comics #247 (September 1957) presents one of the most frequently cited retellings of Batman's origin, expanding on the brief account first given in Detective Comics #33. Scripted by Bill Finger with art long attributed to Bob Kane but generally credited to ghost artist Sheldon Moldoff, the story reworks the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne at the hands of Joe Chill and Bruce Wayne's transformation into Batman, adding narrative detail that would inform the character's mythology for years afterward. Coming amid DC's Silver Age consolidation of its core superhero properties, the issue holds a recognized place in Batman's publishing history distinct from ordinary anthology-era Detective Comics issues of the period.

Market data shows a thin but active certified population, with only 50 Universal copies recorded and pricing that climbs sharply above the mid-grade range. Sales cluster in the 2.5 to 8.0 window, with the $425 result at CGC 8.0 representing the highest reliably priced transaction; grades of 8.5 and above are represented by only one or two census copies apiece, with no sales recorded and no 9.8 yet certified. This scarcity at the top of the grading scale, combined with the book's origin-story significance, supports a wide gap between mid-grade and top-tier pricing.

The book draws steady interest from Batman origin-story completists and Silver Age specialists building runs of Detective Comics, rather than from casual buyers chasing a single marquee image. Lower and mid-grade raw copies trade in a fairly narrow, predictable band reflecting consistent but modest demand, while any copy approaching the top of the certified population would be expected to command outsized attention given the near-total absence of pristine examples on record.