As casting news pours in for the Batman reboot, collectors are itching to get their hands on his rogue’s gallery’s debuts. If the Golden Age premieres are out of your price range, here are more affordable options.
Last month, I listed five Silver Age alternatives to the Golden Age first appearances of the rogue’s gallery. Since then, more rumors abound as to which villains will round out the cast for Matt Reeves’ The Batman. With that in mind, here are five more alternative investments to those high-priced Golden Age Batman issues. Need more Silver Age alternatives? Check out Silver Age Batman Villain Keys.
I’ll lead with Batman #189 because this issue has been getting more popular lately. While there haven’t been rumors of Scarecrow appearing in The Batman, he would fit with the other villains that have been named so far. That could be why this issue is heating up. Scarecrow originally debuted in World’s Finest #3 back in 1941, so this is the much cheaper option to add to your collection as it's his Silver Age debut.
Another villain we’ve already seen portrayed on the big screen, Two-Face has been the subject of numerous whispers that he is being cast for the new Batman film. If that turns out to be true, then this issue will heat up very quickly. Back in the Golden Age of comics, Two-Face made his debut in 1942’s Detective Comics #66. If you can’t afford a copy of that issue, then his first appearance in a Silver Age comic in 1959’s World’s Finest #173 is the comic for you.
Clay Face hasn’t been mentioned as appearing in any movies or television series, but he’s too interesting to be left out forever. After first appearing in Detective Comics #40 back in 1940, the original Clay Face, Basil Karlo, made his Silver Age debut in 1961’s Detective Comics #298. This issue not only gives you the first SA Clay Face, but it sets up Karlo’s villainous successor, Matt Hagen, who made his first appearance in this issue.
This 1977 issue falls into the Bronze Age, but it is nonetheless an affordable first for the rogue’s gallery. Hugo Strange has been featured on the small screen and in video games, but he's yet to make the venture to movie theaters. The bigger news is that he is rumored for the Matt Reeves’ Batman reboot, which would cause this issue to become much more collectible. Like the others on this list, it’s a much cheaper option than trying to buy his first appearance in 1940’s Detective Comics #36.
Deadshot already made his feature film debut in Suicide Squad, and Will Smith’s portrayal in the otherwise dismal movie was a highlight of the film. Having Smith don the assassin mask gave the villain a major popularity boost, and that’s helped sales despite the poor reception of the movie. Since Deadshot only recently came to the big screen, it is a lock that he won’t be in any of Reeves’ future Batman adventures, but that doesn’t take away from the appeal of his first appearances. Originally debuting in the 1950’s Batman #59, he reappeared in 1977’s Detective Comics #474.
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