Comic Title: Batman #196
Publisher: DC (National Periodical Publications, Inc.)
Address: 575 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY
Cover Date: November 1967
On Sale Date: September 5, 1967 Newsstand Date September 5, 1967
Source: Direct Currents, Metal Men #28, Page 30

Copyright Date September 5, 1967
Source: Library of Congress, Periodicals 1967


Frequency: Monthly, with the exception of April and October
Cover Price: $0.12
Page Count: 32
Editor: Julius Schwartz

Title: "The Purloined Parchment Puzzle"
Pages: 10

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

Writer: Gardner F. Fox
Penciller: Sheldon Moldoff
Inker: Joe Giella

Reprinted In:
Showcase Presents:Batman Vol. 3 TPB (2008)

Feature Character(s)

• Batman (last appearance in Batman #196; next appearance in Justice League of America #57)

Supporting Character(s)

• Robin (last appearance in Batman #196; next appearance in World's Finest Comics #171)
• District Attorney Danton (last appearance in Batman #194; next appearance in Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen #111)

Villain(s)

• James Frost (a thief; no further appearances)
• Three jewel thieves (no further appearances)

Other Character(s)

• Donald Connery (a museum curator; no further appearances)
• Howard Purley and Bert Savelli (a museum guard and a police lieutenant; no further appearances)

Synopsis:
After stopping a bank robbery, Batman helps with a locked room mystery at a museum. The curator inside the room was knocked out and a rare document stolen. The two guards outside saw no one enter the room. The curator, Donald Connery is accused of the crime and goes to trial.

Both guards testify that no one entered the room until Connery was found. Batman then testifies and explains that he found the missing document rolled into a window shade. He claims to have fingerprint evidence against the real thief which causes guard James Frost to reveal himself. Frost was the real thief, having fashioned a duplicate key to the room and stolen the document while his partner had stepped away.