There cawn't be any doubt about it-- Mr. Bruce Wayne is the Batman, and the young mawster is Robin! How clever of me to have discovered it-- and how fortunate they are to have a man of my abilities in their employ! 
Batman #16 is an issue of the series Batman (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1943. It was published on February 6, 1943.
Synopsis for "The Joker Reforms"
In Gotham City, Batman and Robin confront the Joker and his gang after an almost successful robbery, but they aren't able to capture them.
The Joker and his thugs then ride on a plane away from Gotham, but during the voyage, the fuel starts running out and the three thugs jump off the plane. Joker, thinking that he could land the plane safely, decides to stay and take the loot from the crime all for himself, but he crashes along with the plane, landing near a town known as Farr Corners. When Joker recovers, he doesn't remember anything, not even who he is and what happened. With his memory lost, Joker finds the loot from the crime and a newspaper informing about the stolen jewels. With his new state of mind, Joker walks to Farr Corners and delivers the jewels to the local sheriff, under the identity of Ed Smith.
In the meantime, Batman and Robin investigate the Joker's crime and they finally deduce that Joker must have gone to Farr Corners and using the Batplane, they leave Gotham towards the discovered destination.
Soon, the Joker's henchmen, the ones who jumped from the plane, arrive at Farr Corners and they learn that the town is celebrating the arrival of such an honest man as Ed Smith. The thugs recognize the Joker posing as Ed Smith and they decide to play along to see whatever the criminal mastermind has planned this time. During the celebration, Batman and Robin arrive at the town and they are informed of Ed Smith's good actions. When the dynamic duo meet with "Ed Smith", they are shocked to see the Joker, but when they realize that the man has no memory of his past, they give him the benefit of the doubt. When the three thugs see Joker alongside Batman and Robin, they suspect that their boss had been captured and they try to save him. However, Joker, who still doesn't remember his criminal past, protects Batman and Robin from the attacker and he fights the three thugs away, much to the dynamic duo's surprise.
That night, Joker has a dream about some kind of package with money and jewels at the express office. Following a hunch, he decides to check on the express office and make sure that there's no such package and if there is, make sure that it goes to the rightful owner. However, Joker goes in the middle of the night and his henchmen follow him, thinking that Joker is planning to steal something at the place. When Joker notices the thugs, he tries to fight them again, but this time he is outmatched and knocked unconscious. At that moment, Batman and Robin arrive and start fighting the thugs. When Joker recovers, his amnesia is gone and he is the criminal mastermind once again. Robin manages to pull some big boxes on top of the Joker just in time for the sheriff to arrive and arrest Joker. It is then revealed that the Joker did send a box to Farr Corners with money and jewels for himself, but he wouldn't remember about it. Joker is arrested and the dynamic duo return to Gotham.
Appearing in "The Joker Reforms"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Joker
- Sparky (Single appearance)
- Nitro (Single appearance)
- Kite (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Jeb Johnson
Locations:
- Farr Corners
- Gotham City
Items:
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Grade A Crimes!"
An "Early Bird" crime wave hits Gotham City during the eerie hours before dawn. As Batman and Robin investigate the crime scenes, they find a pattern; the crimes happen between 3 to 4 a.m., the guard is taken by surprise and shot in the back and only valuable gems are stolen. When the dynamic duo find a white button torn from a white suit at the next heist, they realize the master criminal behind the spree are a group of jewel thief disguised as a milkmen delivery drivers.
Following the criminals to their secret barn hideout, Batman and Robin defeat them and put an end to their crime ring.
Appearing in "The Grade A Crimes!"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Commissioner Gordon (Cameo)
Antagonists:
- John Winthrop (Single appearance)
- Sparks (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Gotham City
- GCPD Headquarters (Single appearance)
- Wayne Manor
- A Farm
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "The Adventure of the Branded Tree"
When Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are fishing on the countryside, they witness some city criminals attacking some lumberjacks and they get into action as Batman and Robin. The thugs are after one tree that was marked, but as they weren't able to stop the lumberjacks from cutting it, they decide to infiltrate the lumber mill and prevent the log from being destroyed. Batman and Robin learn of their scheme and try to stop them, but this time they aren't successful and the thugs manage to knock them down and retrieve a special box from inside the marked log. When Batman and Robin recover, the thugs are forced to hide the box inside a roll of printing paper before leaving the lumber mill.
Some time later, the rolls of paper are taken to one of Gotham's printing presses and the dynamic duo realize that those are the same rolls from the lumber mill. Batman and Robin investigate and they find that the criminals are trying to retrieve the box. The duo beat the criminals and discover that the box contained valuable diamonds. After they are done with their jobs, Batman and Robin are able to read a magazine of "Batman", which had been recently printed.
Appearing in "The Adventure of the Branded Tree"
Featured Characters:
Antagonists:
- Bull Beeton (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Olaf Yonson (Single appearance; dies)
- Scotty (Single appearance)
Locations:
- Parkins Mill (Single appearance)
- Gotham City
Synopsis for "Here Comes Alfred"
A ship from England arrives at Gotham City. The passengers descend to mainland after a long voyage and two among them are most notable. The first one is the Duke of Dorian, who acts very strangely. The second man is a well mannered, stout fellow, who fancies himself an amateur detective. Outside of the ship, a group of thugs is waiting for the arrival of the Duke, but they mistake the polite, fat man for the Duke and they attack. Batman and Robin appear in the scene and the crimials are forced to escape after they are beaten by the dynamic duo and the fat man, who is fascinated to meet such important detectives as Batman and Robin. The english man tells the duo how much he would like to work with them and Batman tells him to contact them whenever he needs, before leaving the place.
At Wayne Manor, Bruce and Dick have a laugh at the amateur detective because they know that there's no way he could contact Batman and Robin. At that moment, the doorbell rings and Bruce answers the door, revealing the fat fellow outside their house. The englishman enters Wayne Manor and informs Bruce that he is Alfred, son of Jarvis, the Waynes' previous butler and he has come all the way from England to fulfill his father's last will of following the family's tradition and become Bruce Wayne's butler.
Knowing that Alfred might be troublesome for their secret careers as Batman and Robin, the duo decide to tell Alfred to leave them, but they'd wait until the next day. That night, the criminals that attacked Alfred, have followed him to Wayne Manor and prepare to break inside and attack him again. Bruce and Dick are awaken by the silent alarms and they quickly change into Batman and Robin. When the criminals break inside the place, Batman and Robin confront them once more and Alfred finally realizes that they have mistook him with the Duke of Dorian. The crimials are once again forced to retreat, but this time, Batman and Robin follow them. In the meantime, Alfred wants to make sure that Bruce and Dick haven't been disturbed by the fight. When he can't find them, he begins to suspect about their activities. Suddenly, Alfred is forced to fight one of the remaining criminals who was left behind and during the fight, the criminal is knocked unconscious when a shield on the wall falls on his head. However, when the shield is moved, it reveals a secret passage to an underground tunnel and the secret undergound hangar of the Batplane. Alfred, using his deductive skills, finally realizes that Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson are Batman and Robin.
Meanwhile, Batman and Robin have followed the criminals to their secret hideout: an abandoned theater. They go inside the place and fall in a trap. The duo are tied up and hanged from the ceiling while the criminals go for the real Duke this time. A few moments later, Alfred arrives at the theater following the criminals and upon entering, he notices that Batman and Robin are in danger. Moments later, the criminals return to their hideout with the Duke and they are attacked by Batman and Robin, who had been freed by Alfred. With their combined efforts, Batman, Robin and Alfred finally capture the criminals and save the Duke, who had a great amount of royal jewels, which was the criminals' target all along.
The next night, Bruce and Dick decide to keep Alfred as their butler, since they believe the man is too oblivious to realize the truth. At that moment, Alfred enters the room with the Batsuit in hand and informs them that the Bat-Signal has been activated, which means that their presence at the GCPD Headquarters is requiered. Bruce and Dick are shocked to learn that Alfred knows their secret identities, but after seeing how trusty he could be, they allow Alfred to become a member of the team.
Appearing in "Here Comes Alfred"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Alfred Beagle (First appearance)
Antagonists:
- Manuel Stiletti (Single appearance)
- Pablo (Single appearance)
- Tomas (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Gaston LeDuc (Single appearance)
- Jarvis Beagle (Mentioned only)
Locations:
Items:
Vehicles:
Notes
- The whole issue is reprinted in Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol 4.
- "Here Comes Alfred" is reprinted in Batman: From the 30's to the 70's and Batman Allies: Alfred Pennyworth.
Trivia
- "The Grade A Crimes!" features a newspaper called "The Daily Bugle", just like the Marvel Comics' Daily Bugle.
See Also