ATTENTION TO DETAIL

Batman: Black and White is a series of shorts published in anthological form and outside of regular canon. “Perpetual Mourning” is written and illustrated by Ted McKeever. In it, we find Batman piecing together the murder of a young woman. His attention to detail goes beyond his examination of the body. Batman proves to be The World’s Greatest Detective as clues point to more than a culprit. They advise Bats on the state of the world he has sworn to protect and remind him it is still worth protecting.

Fearlessness

Grant Morrison’s Final Crisis shows us a man can take down a god, and it reminds us of the fearlessness required to do so. Although not working alone, Batman’s one weakness sets him apart from the rest of the Justice League. He possesses no superpower, and Darkseid underestimates him because of it. Taking advantage of the opportunity, Batman’s fearlessness allows him to stare into the eyes of death and pull the trigger.

SELF-REFLECTION

The mettle of a true detective is their ability to self-reflect and use what they learn to improve their skills. Batman: War on Crime, written by Paul Dini with art by Alex Ross, shows Batman doing exactly that. He asks himself, “what kind of man would I have become if things had been different?”

The remainder of the story shows time spent reflecting not only improves decision making but also how we treat others. By providing him time to self-reflect, Dini and Ross show how Batman keeps clear the fog of doubt to make the right decisions.

Collaborative Attitude

Joseph Loeb’s Hush introduces audiences to a mysterious villain with a close connection to Batman. Using various members of the Rogues Gallery, our lead baddie, Hush, plans to destroy Batman in epic fashion. While putting the pieces together, Batman realizes he is going to need help taking down this cancer on Gotham. Robin, Nightwing, Huntress and Catwoman all step in to assist the Dark Knight. While Batman is known for being a lone wolf, he’s smart enough to know when to collaborate. Hush is a great example of how even The World’s Greatest Detective must lean on others and trust their intentions.

Sacrifice

Mask of the Phantasm is a strong example of Batman working as a detective. Criminals keep falling to a figure dressed as the Grim Reaper, and Batman needs to use all his powers of detection to discover the identity of this villain. The movie sees our hero put the pieces together only to discover the masked wraith is someone he knows intimately. In this moment, Batman discovers he may have lived a more joyous life had he never made his sacred pledge. The audience sees just how much Wayne has sacrificed to be the hero we need him to be.