Approximate
Condition Profile
DC COMICS · 12/66
UNIT ECA-038122
DETECTIVE COMICS #358
Silver Age Batman team-up issue from the "New Look" era with an Elongated Man backup
// Unit specification
// Copies in archive
| Unit | Grade | Variant | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| ECA-038122 | ~6.0 | — | AVAILABLE |
// Run position
// Condition analysis
Cover shows moderate wear consistent with a mid-grade Silver Age book: visible spine stress lines and light ticking along the spine, mild corner blunting particularly at the bottom left, and a small edge tear/crease at the left edge near the middle of the book. Colors remain bright with no major fading or staining visible, and there is no writing on the cover. The book is in a protective sleeve which limits assessment of edge chipping; interior pages and back cover were not visible and were not assessed.
// Valuation — market reference
| Bracket | Grade | Est. market value | Marker |
|---|---|---|---|
| LOW_RAW | 0.5 – 1.5 | $12 | |
| MID_RAW | 4.0 – 6.0 | $25 | |
| HIGH_CERT | 9.8 SLAB | $1,000 |
// Archive commentary
Detective Comics #358 arrived during the mid-1960s "New Look" Batman period overseen by editor Julius Schwartz, when the character had been retooled with a yellow oval bat-emblem, tighter plotting, and a lighter, more procedural tone that anticipated the imminent Batman television series. The issue is a standard entry in the flagship Batman-and-Robin lead feature of the era, backed by an Elongated Man solo adventure, a pairing that was common in Detective Comics throughout the mid-1960s as DC used the back pages to build out its stable of Julius Schwartz-line detective heroes. Cover work in this stretch is generally attributed to Carmine Infantino, whose clean, dynamic redesign of Batman defined the visual identity of the era, with interior art handled by the studio system typical of the period.
The book's market profile is that of a well-populated but unspectacular mid-run Silver Age Batman issue: certified population is substantial across the grading spectrum, sales activity is steady rather than heavy, and price appreciation is concentrated almost entirely at the top of the census. Demand is driven primarily by Batman completists and New Look-era specialists rather than by any first appearance or landmark creative event, which keeps mid-grade raw copies affordable and liquid while high-grade certified copies see outsized premiums simply because so few have survived in top condition.
This is a book for series builders and Silver Age Batman run collectors rather than key-issue speculators. Lower and mid-grade raw copies move steadily as affordable run-fillers, while CGC 9.8 copies are scarce enough that any fresh-to-market example draws competitive bidding among the small pool of registry-focused buyers chasing top-of-census New Look Batman material.
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