Robin (Dick Grayson) First Appearance: Detective Comics #38 and How to Identify It

Robin (Dick Grayson) first appeared in Detective Comics #38 (cover date April 1940), published by DC, by Bill Finger, Bob Kane, Jerry Robinson. The source puts it this way: "Featuring the first appearance of Dick Grayson! As Batman's sidekick Robin debuts, learn how Dick Grayson went from circus performer to the Boy Wonder to crimefighter!".

• Cover date: the CGC census record lists the cover date as 4/40.
• Original cover billing: the original cover bills Robin as "the sensational character find of 1940."

Several later editions reproduce this issue. They are easy to mistake for the original at a glance:

• DC Facsimile Edition #1 (2020): Modern DC facsimile reprint of the original 1940 issue, sold under this facsimile title on DC's own site

• Indicia: the small print on the first page or inside cover gives the issue number, date and publisher; reprints usually say so there.
• Cover price and barcode: a price or barcode format that did not exist in the year printed means a later edition.
• Paper and staples: decades-old newsprint is tan at the edges; bright white pages on an old date are a warning sign.
• Restoration: color touch, trimmed edges and married covers are common on expensive keys; a grading service can detect them.

Shoot the front cover flat, straight on, in even light, then the indicia page and the back cover. Include the top edge and staples in one frame. The app reads the title, issue number and cover and matches it against the checks above; the indicia photo settles most reprint questions.