RESILIENCE

The Batman focuses primarily on his detective skills and shows how resilience can keep us pushing for the truth. As a series of politicians are murdered in Gotham City, Batman races to take down the one responsible, The Riddler. Cutting deeper through The Riddler’s web, Bats is confronted by the corruption of his city and the part his family may have played in it. Without a great deal of resilience, Batman’s discoveries and the mayhem dished out by The Riddler would crush him. He proves that to be The World’s Greatest Detective you need to bounce back after being beaten down.

Behavioral Analysis

Written by Brian Augustyn and Mike Mignola, Gotham by Gaslight finds Batman in Victorian-era Gotham hunting the infamous Jack the Ripper. After being placed in jail having been framed for the murders, Batman uses his skills in behavioral analysis to gain assistance from James Gordon in cracking the case. It is this same skill that helps Batman realize who the murderer is and his connection to the Wayne family. A single photo is all it takes for Batman to put the pieces together and discover Jack the Ripper’s true identity.

Adaptability Preparedness

Scott Snyder’s The Black Mirror puts a new face beneath the cowl. Dick Grayson is now responsible for saving Gotham using the teachings of his mentor. He must adapt to his new role and discover who is placing weapons in the hands of Gotham’s supervillains. Moreover, he must continue to adapt to a life he has not yet grown comfortable living. His investigation and ultimate discovery of the man responsible will test Grayson’s ability to adapt but proves he is worthy of the cowl.

Our final entry is another of Grant Morrison’s seminal stories. Batman RIP pushes our hero to the frayed ends of sanity only to find he has a contingency for everything. When The Black Glove pursues his utter annihilation, Batman activates a backup identity to take over the case and bring down this crazed syndicate. Known as the Batman of Zur-En-Arrh, this emergency identity saves Wayne after he is injected with a lethal dose of drugs. One would need to see many steps ahead of their adversaries to even consider the possibility of a backup identity. Thankfully, as Morrison writes, “Batman thinks of everything.”

BY REBECA NISHI