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The Forensic Files of Batman

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The Forensic Files of Batman is a 2005 novel by Doug Moench with art by Dean Motter.

Synopsis for "The Forensic Files of Batman"

Prologue

A close call at Arkham Asylum forces Batman to acknowledge his own mortality, and consider his possible legacy. The following night, he begins compiling select case-files from his first two years of crimefighting, hoping to guide future criminologists. In time, this compilation becomes interspersed with observations from Alfred, reports from Commissioner Gordon, and excerpts from Bruce Wayne's pre-Batman training journal.

Every Contact Leaves A Trace

An account of Batman's first encounter with the Scarecrow, located in part through chemical analysis of fibers left by his sackcloth mask.

Bagged and Tagged

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, detailing the usual methods police investigators take with a freshly-discovered corpse.

Tools of the Trade

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, listing the forensics equipment he expects to use - and thus purchase - during his crimefighting career.

Red of Fang and Claw

An account of a man discovered - and convicted - of his girlfriend's murder through bite-mark analysis.

Spiral Striations

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, discussing the history and evolution of ballistics.

Blowback

An account of an underworld hitman convicted by feather fragments inside his gun, left over from a pillow he had recently used as a makeshift silencer.

Cause of Death

An entry from Alfred's journal, recounting a corpse recovered from Gotham Bay, and the discovery of its killer through tissue and blood-vessel analysis.

The Joker and the Profiler

A transcript of an FBI profiler's interview with an incarcerated, but highly uncooperative Joker. Batman makes several annotations, most disparaging psychological profiling as a valid investigation tool.

Telltale Tattoo

An account of a drug dealer supposedly killed in a drive-by shooting, but in truth murdered by his own bodyguard, who was in turn exposed by the overabundance of gunpowder residue in his victim's wound.

Two Much Evidence

An account of an elaborate frame-up orchestrated by Two-Face, which nearly misled both the police and Batman into pursuing the wrong suspect.

Finger Furrows

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, discussing the basics of fingerprint analysis.

A Puzzle of 206 Pieces

An account of Batman's first consultation with Dr. Sabra Temple, a forensic anthropologist who helps him identify a "mystery" skeleton and solve a decades-old murder.

Written in Blood

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, discussing the basics of blood analysis.

A Very Available Weapon

An account of suspicious fires plaguing Gotham's south-side businesses, which Batman eventually links to False Face Society racketeers.

Murdicide

An unfiled report from Commissioner Gordon, detailing a murder so cunningly disguised that his men at first ruled it suicide - until a certain discrepancy was found on the victim's neck.

All the Way to Bugs

An entry from Alfred's journal, discussing the history of forensic entomology and using a recent murder investigation - facetiously dubbed "The Case of the Inordinately Fat Maggot" - as illustration.

9000 Degrees At 18,000 Miles per Hour

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, discussing the basics of investigating bombs and other explosives.

The Best Evidence

An account of Batman's first consultation with city coroner and chief medical examiner Mortimer Gunt, whose autopsy of a murdered coed exposes and convicts a homicidal landlord.

My Brother Esau

An entry from Bruce Wayne's journal, discussing the basics of hair analysis.

Cat Marks

An entry from Alfred's journal, chronicling Batman's earliest encounters with Catwoman - including a successful attempt to clear her of murder.

Residue of Innocence

An account of how police oversight convicted an innocent man, who died moments before Batman managed to discover exonerating evidence.

Cutting and Culling

An account of Batman's first encounter with the serial killer Zsasz, whose carefully-maintained anonymity and sheer number of victims strain the Dark Knight's skills to their limits.

Epilogue

Upon reviewing the compilation some time later, Batman begins to consider its use in training a protégé. Already, he has found a worthy candidate: a young circus orphan named Dick Grayson.

Appearing in "The Forensic Files of Batman"

Featured Characters:

  • Batman (Flashback and main story)

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:



Links and References

  1. ↑ Here given the first name Anton, which has not been observed by any writer before or since.
  2. ↑ First name spelled René throughout the book.


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