It seems we have a few comics experts hereabouts, so p’raps you can help me. A long time ago, when I used to read Batman comics, I remember that he was described as ‘the world’s greatest detective’.
Q1. Is this appellation still used?
Now, it seemed to me then, and seems to me now, that Batman seldom if ever does anything that could qualify him as a detective.
Q2. Can anyone offer examples where he investigates a crime scene, and notices some clue that others have missed, and detects or deduces something from this clue in a clever or ingenious or perceptive way?
I don’t know what his current status is egarding detection, but there were plenty of xamples in he 1950s. A lot of the stories were structured like detective novels, complete with a list of suspects and an everyone-gathered-in-the-living-room denouement. One story even had Batman attending regular meetings of a crime fiction writer’s club.
I suspect that they’ve gotten more away from this aspect than they used to be, in pursuit of more action. But even Miller’s Batman deduced things about his opponents in the original Dark Knight Returns series.
They reprinted a ton of those late 40s - early 50s detective stories in the various Batman annuals, although I suppose those too are collectors’ items by now. I think the trend was partly in response to the growing agitation against violence in comics. The Batman who originally carried a gun was a much safer figure as a smart forensic detective than as a vigilante.
However, I loved those stories, some of which were truly clever whodunits with a crowd of suspects and a last panel denouement. They’re my favorite era of Batman. I despise these last years in which he has become as insane as his villains.
Because he studies the clues and makes deductions. Yeah, this always results in some bad guy getting the stuffing stuffed down his throat, but you have to go through the detective part first. Or the beatings are a questionable questioning technique.
Don’t know about now, but the older Batman always used to do this. There was one I recall where he realized that Catwoman was smuggling gems because he could smell a bottle of perfume that was given as a prize.*
Another time, he punched out a doorman because he was wearing argyle socks.**
Since perfume bottles are sealed, it meant it had been tampered with.
** Doormen don’t wear them – it was considered tacky. It was a criminal impersonating a doorman.
He is often (or used to be often) referred to as the “DarkKnight Detective.”
I recall a really lame one-page story in which Bruce Wayne proved that an “antique” statue was a forgery. The statue was dated something like “36 B.C.” and he cleverly, ingeniously and perceptively pointed out that something made “B.C” wouldn’t be labeled with a “B.C.” because how would they have known? A lame example but notable IMHO for starring “Bruce Wayne” instead of Batman.
The Mudpack-
Batman examines a few broken glasses and some chairs. He finds drug residue on the glasses and a few drops of blood on the chairs. From this he deduces that Basil Karlo (Clayface 1) drugged Clayfaces 3 and 4, and took samples of their blood with a syringe. Karlo must be planning on having himself injected with the blood in hopes of gaining powers. Since this is very unusual blood, only 2 places in Gotham would have the necescary equipment. Batman (and Looker of the Outsiders) head for Star Labs and (the other place that I can’t remember)
Going Sane-
The Joker believes he has killed Batman. This causes his old persona to resurface and his Joker persona to become dormant. But, of course, Bats isn’t dead. Part of his search for the Joker involves checking a list of people who have rented tapes of classic comedians. One of the names is Joseph Kerr. Bats checks this out. But, the house is the obvious scene of domestic bliss. Bats concludes that the Joker couldn’t possibly live there. (actually he does, but at the moment he’s a nice guy who doesn’t even remember being the Joker)
Joker’s Apprentice-
Batman scrutinizes all crime scene evidence for clues as to the identity of a serial killer. Eventually, he realises that it is actually 2 men. He proves it by measuring fingerprints at the scenes. The killers wear gloves with identical prints. But they leave prints of different sizes
Shaman-
Lots of solid sleuthing in this one. Including Bats looking at a lawyers bookshelf to find a secret room. The lever is concealed as a book. But Winnie The Poohj stands out amidst legal books.
There are plenty of others that come to mind, but which I can’t remember issue number or story title.
In the Early seventies there were quite a few Detective stories in Which Batman had to figure out the identity of the criminal “Ghost of the Killer Slies” For example. There were quite a few interesting stories like that in which he finds a crime, searches the clues and collars one of the many suspects. The well written ones were quite good in that the evidence did point to the killer in a way the reader isn’t cheated.
I’ve been out of touch since the early ninties so I’m not sure what he does now.
Nowadays he designs the kind of weaponry that would take a well-funded university research lab years to develop – and he does it during his spare time.
So what you’re saying is that Batman is not only a Detective, he’s part of the Fashion Police too? (Not that a man who runs around in tights and a cape should be criticizing anyones choice of socks)
Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 (1939).
Detective Comics, as its name suggests, was devoted entirely to detective stories. And Batman, at the beginning, was as much detective as “avenger.” (In fact, the very first Joker story began with a series of mysterious deaths, in which the victim was always left with a smile on his face. Batman solves the mystery.)
Depends on how much you’re willing to invest: DC does something called “Archive Editions” which are hardcover books reprinting (on NICE paper) about 10/12 issues of a Silver Age comic.
If you go down to your local comic shop and ask your friendly neighborhood comic-seller to reserve you a copy of the upcoming BATMAN AND ROBIN Archive, you’ll see (IMO) Batman’s best stories as a detective.
In the late '50s, Batman (in a failed attempt to cash in on Weisinger’s best-selling Superman titles) was turned into a space-adventurer with all sorts of hangers on (Batwoman, Bat-hound, Bat-mite, etc). About 1964 or so, Julie Schwartz: the guy who revived Flash, Atom, Hawkman, Justice League, Green Lantern, etc was given the assignment: Fix Batman!
I don’t remember who wrote the stories (Gardner Fox and John Broome, IIRC), but he got Carmine Infantino to do the art (and redesign Batman’s costume…this is where the yellow circle came from). He lost all the hangers on, killed Alfred (really. Alfred only came back because the T.V. show demanded it) and focused the book on the detective aspect of Batman. It was a stunningly good 2-3 year run.
Then the <censored> T.V. show killed it by being a mega-hit. Since the show was so popular, the tone of the book instantly changed to match the show. About a year and a half after that, O’Neill and Adams (among others) went as far in the other direction as possible.
Anyway, if you pre-order the Archive, it’ll set you back maybe $35.00. But you’ll get 10-12 of the best (IMO) Batman as a detective stories ever.
