The Story of Batman's Real Rookie Card

The Card collecting industry considers the 1966 Topps as Batman’s official rookie card. New research has discovered that Batman had cards long before 1966. The “Batman Craze” didn’t really begin until the new TV show began in 1966. What Batman cards that exist before this are not what you would call “official releases.” You see a lot of Batman Menko on the market. Most is from the 1960’s and forward. There are also a lot of Batman Menko being listed & sold as from the 1950’s that are actually made later in the 60’s. With that said, if you know what to look for, there are actually Batman Menko that dates to the 50’s, and yes….even the 40’s! But, good luck finding an “Authentic” 1940’s example.

The first Batman Menko I found that I knew had to date before 1966 was the Kagome Menko with the name Bat Man in English on the front. Kagome Toy Ltd. ( not to be confused with the food company named Kagome Co.) produced Menko from late 40's to the mid/late 50's. Not only do we know these are the dates Kagome Toy Ltd produced Menko, but their Menko are easily identified by a 6-pointed star on the back. In a way, this is Batman's first title card with his name in large bold English with Gotham City in the background. Kagome Toy Ltd produced this particular Menko during the mid to late 50's ('55-'57), which easily pre-dates the 1966 Topps. I purchased this Batman Menko from a dealer in Japan. These are extremely difficult to find. I lucked out and found a really nice example in really good condition. Especially considering these Menko came in sheets and children had to cut them out. 

Through all my research to date, the information indicates that there are No known Authentic examples of Batman Menko that dates to the 40's. Mainly due to World War II. Actually, in the 40's in Japan during the War, they had what they called Paper Drives. They encouraged people to donate paper & even asked children to donate their Menko cards for the cause of the War. So, I was satisfied that I had found one of the earliest Batman Menko when I found the Kagome example from the 50's. Then, one day,  I was looking at a large lot of Menko on a Japanese website.....and suddenly everything changed!

This large lot of Menko had several Batman Menko, most of which dated to the 60's. But, I noticed one Batman Menko right away that stuck out. Batman was actually holding a gun! Batman in the early days would occasionally use a gun in the comics. By Batman comic #4 they let everyone know that Batman did not carry or use a gun to kill his enemies. It was actually a caption that said this in the #4 Batman comic book. Then I was shocked to find out the scene on this Menko matches the stories in the Batman #4 Comic. You have the story that involved the gun, and also another story about how Batman & Robin fought pirates on a pirate ship. This is exactly what we see in this particular Batman Menko. We also see No logo on Batman's chest like the Kagome Menko. This is what originally drew my attention to it. I really didn't realize what I had until I finally received it from its 6,500 mile trip from Japan to me. 

Right away when I received it I immediately noticed several differences. The surface of the card has a very soft, velvety feel to the touch, which is much different than even the Kagome Menko from the 50's. Also, the colors are much more dull compared to the brighter more vibrant Kagome Menko. Then I knew for sure I had something much older than the Kagome Batman when I looked at this Menko under magnification.  Wow.....what a difference.

Under magnification, all the color on this Menko is Solid Ink. There are no dot matrix of any type on the front or back of this Menko. All of my other Batman Menko, even the Kagome from the 50's, have some type of dot matrix on the card under magnification. The Kagome Batman from the 50's  is all solid ink too, but does have "some" dot matrix in the skin color of Batman. This Batman Menko is 100% printed in solid ink, which makes it a Block Printed Menko. This also explains the soft, velvety card surface & some ink bleed through on the back, all of which are characteristic of Block Printed Menko from the 40's.  Block Printed Menko was the primary way of printing Menko in the 1930-40's. By the early 50's we see new advances in the printing techniques of Menko. Brighter colors, different types of dot matrix under magnification, and different types of paper used. These new ways of printing Menko not only changed the way Menko looked visually, but also under magnification. This is where the real story is told on this Menko. Actually, none of this cards characteristics are from what we see in the 50's. Under magnification, all of its characteristics point to the 1940's!! When in the 40's? I'm still looking into that. Also, is it coincidence that the scene on the Menko perfectly matches the scenes & stories in the Batman #4 comic book? Which by the way, had a cover date of December 1940. There were no official Batman cards in the 40's, so what few examples that still survive were made by a small printing house in Japan in no doubt....small quantities. Especially since the success of Batman wouldn't be realized until the mid 60's.  I plan on getting both of the above mentioned Menko graded & authenticated. I just haven't decided how to go about doing this yet. I'm not sure I want to put these Menko in the mail. I may attend an event where I can get them graded on the spot. 

For the First time in the Non-Sports card industry, we are now looking at the first Batman Menko form the 1940's! I know the 1936 Wolverine Gum "Strange True Stories" Bat Man card exists, but it doesn't even look like the Batman we all know and love. Plus it was released 3 years before the Batman comic even came out in 1939. This Batman Menko could be the first time Batman appeared on a card looking like the Batman we all know. 

Stay tuned as I will continue to post more information on this Amazing find!

You heard it here first! Move over 1966 Topps. Batman has a new Rookie Card!