Batman is often regarded as the best detective in the world
, but in the DC universe, that’s not really the case. A secret club shows that Batman has many competitors.
Even though you often don’t notice it much in the films: Batman has been a detective since his beginnings in 1939 – after all, he started in Detective Comics No. 27. This also distinguishes his two main series:
- Comics from the Batman series are often action titles with a strong focus on the Bat.
- The
Detective Comics
series showcases cases that Batman must solve not just with muscles, but with a lot of brains. Here he is an investigator, and often other characters from his family are involved, such as various Robins.
For his skills as a detective, he is just as well-known as for his wealth and combat techniques. Even iconic villains like Ra’s al Ghul casually refer to him as Detective
.
But even though he is often called the best detective in the world, that’s not true. There are several competitors.
There is an entire club full of good detectives
Who could possibly be better than Batman? For Detective Comics No. 1000, DC released a special in 2019. Several authors and artists contributed diverse stories to celebrate the history of the series. Among them was the story Batman’s Longest Case by Scott Snyder (writer) and Greg Capullo (artist), referencing Batmans längster Fall
, which refers to his first appearance in 1939.
It began with an alleged murder that he investigated during his first case as Batman. The clues that Batman found led him on a journey across the entire world. According to Batman, this lasted several months (and in the real world, a full 80 years). However, as it turns out in the end, it was not a murder, but a test.
The test that Batman finally passed led him to the Guild of Detection, a secret organization for the best detectives in the world. It is said to have existed for an indescribable amount of time. Upon arriving, he was greeted by several detectives from the DC universe who were faster than he was:
- Detective Chimp: A magical chimpanzee who is also often referred to as the best detective of all time.
- Martian Manhunter: An alien from Mars who possesses telepathy among other abilities and is a member of the Justice League.
- Hawkman: Also a member of the Justice League, who was a police officer on the planet Thanagar and came to Earth.
- Hawkgirl: Along with Hawkman, Hawkgirl also came from the planet Thanagar.
- Elongated Man: He is also a member of the Justice League and a detective with the ability to stretch his body like rubber when he consumes Gingold, a special drink.
- The Question: A detective who operates in Hub City and hides his face behind a faceless mask.
- Susan Dearbon: A detective, currently without significant stories.
All of these detectives have already managed to solve their puzzles before Batman. It should be noted that other members had different puzzles and that members also develop puzzles for new members. Who exactly founded this organization is unclear, but this club is said to deal with the most difficult cases that exist both inside and outside of the world.
But Batman is not only active as a detective. Alone with Gotham, he has his hands full, and that has been the case for over 80 years. Many of his adventures have been filmed, but there are also titles outside of the major blockbuster films that you can check out. You can find 10 of them here: The 10 best animated films of Batman that will shorten your wait until the next movie
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