Comic Title: World's Finest Comics #81
Publisher: DC (National Comics Publications, Inc.)
Address: 480 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: Mar/Apr 1956
Approx. On Sale Date: January 26, 1956 Copyright Date January 24, 1956
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1956
Until 1958 DC did not report actual on sale dates to the copyright office
The publication dates listed in LoC records are NOT release dates.

Frequency: Bi-monthly
Cover Price: $0.10
Page Count: 32
Editor: Jack Schiff

Title: "The True History of Superman and Batman"
Pages: 12

Feature(s):
Superman (of Earth-1)
Batman (of Earth-1)

Writer: Edmond Hamilton
Penciller: Dick Sprang
Inker: Stan Kaye

Reprinted In:
80 Page Giant Magazine #15 (1965)
World's Finest Comics Archives Vol. 1 HC (1999)
Batman in the Fifties TPB (2002)
Showcase Presents:World's Finest Vol. 1 TPB (2007)
Batman & Superman in World's Finest Comics:The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (2016)
Batman & Superman in World's Finest Comics:The Silver Age Vol. 1 TPB (2017)
Batman in the Fifties TPB (2021)

Feature Character(s)

• Superman (last appearance in Action Comics #214; next appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #12)
• Batman (last appearance in Detective Comics #229; next appearance in Batman #99)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Detective Comics #229; next appearance in Batman #99)
• Lois Lane (last appearance in Action Comics #214; next appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #12)
• Perry White (last appearance in Action Comics #214; next appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #12)

Villain(s)

• Shark Slaney’s gang (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Ka Thar (a historian from the future; no further appearances)

Synopsis:
Superman and Batman are visited by Ka Thar, a historian from the year 5956. Ka Thar shows them a book recounting the deeds accomplished by the heroes. Superman explains that the details are wrong.

Ka Thar then blackmails the heroes into redoing the feats in the same manner described in the book. If they do not do as ordered, Ka Thar threatens to expose their secret identities. After redoing several tasks, Batman deduces that Ka Thar’s threat is empty. However, each task has now beeen done as described, so the historian returns to his own time.