The Forensic Files of Batman

It's a fairly safe bet that when most (if not all) writers aren't writing, they are reading instead. It's part of the professional writer's mantra (well, for me anyway) that you should always read at least twice (or more) than you write.

So it is that my reading shelf is absolutely packed, and I usually get through them at a rate of knots. I'll post later about what I've been reading over the last few months with some brief reviews, but right now I want to tell you about The Forensic Files of Batman, which is the book I'm currently getting through.

As a Batman fan, I would heartily recommend to all others with a penchant for the Dark Knight (particularly if you're still gripped by movie fever and are seeking out all forms of Batman literature, be it leaning towards the pictorial or more along the lines of the novel - of which there are a few dedicated to the Dark Knight - check out an earlier post in the archive about No Man's Land, Inferno, Dead White and Fear Itself).

This book, the one in question, is a little hidden gem. I actually happened on it purely by mistake. We do, at times, get batches of books sent to us from other publishers (sf/fantasy and the like) and on such an occasion I was very fortunate to get my hands on The Last Days of Krypton (bear with me), which I also plan on reading next, but it was The Forensic Files of Batman that caught my eye. Alas, this potentially very interesting paperback was snaffled by Christian Dunn (a fellow editor, who is also a huge comic books fan). Despite this minor setback, I went straight to Amazon and found the book in the second hand buyers section (or rather it was being sold by a second hand marketplace distributor).

Upon arrival I had a quick delve through (and have, subsequently, almost finished it). Written by Dough Moench, the best way to describe the novel is 'Batman meets Crime Scene Investigation'. The book is divided in a number of 'case files', preceded by an introduction 'written' by the Batman himself setting them in context. 'Chapters' take the form of diary entries written by Bruce Wayne before he is about to embark on his 'mission', and discussing forensic technologies and techniques he has learned or might need to employ in the persecution and, ultimately, bringing to justice of the criminal elements of Gotham.

This, in itself, offers an intriguing insight in the nascent Batman's forensic rationale. These entries are usually short and are oft tempered with more objective reports added by Alfred Pennyworth, as a keen and shrewd observer of the Batman's methods and mores. Of course, the bulk of the book is dominated by the cases themselves and these (with a few exceptions coming from Alfred) come from the Dark Knight himself.

The pace of these case files, often delivered as prose, is varied depending on what forensic principle is being explored between the lines of narrative as it were. The scope here is broad: autopsy, hair and fibres, finger printing, entomology, trace evidence, chemical analysis, DNA, ballistics (or as the preferred term 'firearms investigation'), psychological profiling, forensic anthropology, blood work and more are all described and analysed in pretty exacting detail.

Yes, there the semblance of the bullet points of a forensic text book represented and couched around the world and methods of the Batman, but it is undeniably cool. This 'thematic' approach to exploring the world of forensics according to the Batman also allows for a few cameos in the more story-based extracts from the Rogue's Gallery, too. Scarecrow, Catwoman, Two-Face and the Joker (a transcript of him being psychologically profiled!) all feature, amongst some others.

It's a great read, not quite a story you understand with an ongoing narrative or anything, but the bite-size episodic chunks are delivered with confidence and respect to the sub-genre. I would seriously advise any Batman fan to seek it out.