Detective Comics #45
October 3, 1940
"The Case of the Laughing Death"
This is the first issue of Detective Comics the Joker appears in. Before this, he was only featured in Batman comics. And he's got a doozy of a story. After the events of the first story of Batman #2 in which it looked once again that the Joker was dead, we learn he is alive and he's back to his murderous ways. Interestingly enough, he's not stealing anything, but is rather motivated by revenge.
The story opens with Batman breaking up the robbery of another private museum. (Wealth has its privileges as we've seen private museums in previous issues.) He follows one of the gang back to a music store where the man appears to disappear. Batman can find no hidden walls and so has to depart.
The gang member meets with the store owner, Rekoj (get it?) who is upset that Batman got as far as he did. Alone, Rekoj removes his makeup to reveal he is the Joker (get it?). He sends a record to the district attorney who plays the unmarked disk. As it plays, Joker's venom is released and he is killed.
The next night, Batman follows a group of men leaving the music shop and allows them to take the place of a group of musicians who were to play at a party of the elite. They rob those in attendance and are about to leave when Joker shows up and demands the money they stole. Batman arrives and the gang keep him busy while Joker makes his escape.
Batman follows Joker back to the music store where he sees how Joker managed to avoid him, dressed as Rekoj. Joker lowers a glass chamber over Batman. Batman escapes from the chamber with one of his acid vials.
He determines Joker plans to steal a jewel encrusted Buddha that is to be auctioned off to raise monies for those affected by the war in China. (First mention of WWII in the comics. At this point, the United States has not entered the war.)
