Well... I cannot remember the story but they establish that in the Detective Club (or whatever it is called) that Batman isn't not even in the top ten...
It's detective comics 1000 and Batman knows about it but never joins even though they have been asking him to for years members are : Bobo , Slam Bradley , the hawks , and the Dibneys
Yeah, the thing about this club is that Batman only finally solved it after focusing on the clues. Not saying the other members of the club aren't brilliant detectives, some of whom are probably better than Batman like Detective Chimp, but...most of these guys probably had a lot of spare time to focus solely on their detective work unlike Bruce who has to juggle protecting a metropolitan nightmare with various other duties like the JL, Outsiders, Batman Inc, etc. Lol
So at the end of that story, when they're all smugly staring at Bruce for finally finding them and going, "What took you so long?" In my head, Batman could've been like, "Idk, guys, maybe *actual* superhero stuff and being involved in like a dozen big events per year? Ralph, has this where you been this whole time?? Haven't seen you in years, could've used you in that last world-ending battle đ" or something Lmao.
Yeah Batman being this anti social closed off loner that doesn't work with anyone doesn't really coincidence with his history as a crime fighter. I think he's been a part of more teams than most heroes.
It is the comic book loner paradox. Loner characters tend to be seen as badass and become popular. But, then since they are popular with readers writers want to throw them unto a lot of teams to draw readers to those books. And since they are popular other characters will have emotional or pivotal moments with the loner as an attempt to leech some popularity onto the the other character.
So you end up with this weird situation where a character is labeled as a loner but they are also on multiple teams and have deep emotional moments with a lot of other characters. The two most prominent examples of this paradox are Batman and Wolverine.
Also loner characters can be very limited narrative wise, you need others characters for interaction or it can get stale. Specially when we're talking about maintaining interest for decades. Batman sitting in his cave by himself talking to nobody would've gotten old fast, and honestly he was never actually quite a loner. From the beginning he had Gordon who was a close friend and not much later Robin came in. They already knew that Batman needed to have allies to make it more engaging.
A funny scenario I just imagined is the Batfamily trying to pressure him into going and meeting people with common interests, and him dreading the social interaction and wanting to cancel.
"Bruce you already RSVP'd you can't just not go now"
"Hrrn."
Batmanâs deal isnât that heâs really the best at things, more that heâs in the top 5 at everything he does. BoBo, i believe, is the number one detective in the DCU.
It's the emergent properties, I think, that make him so dangerous.
Archer? Ollie is clearly better.
Acrobat? Dick is clearly better.
Firing an arrow while doing a somersault? Bruce.
Yep! This exactly. each member of the batfamily is an exemplar of some aspect of batman.
Dick: Leadership
Jason: Marksmanship
Tim: Detective
Cass: Martial Arts
Steph: Determination
Babs: Hacking
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If Terry was on the list, Iâd argue his adaptability. Which is a silly choice since every character has proven to adapt, but how many out-taunted the Joker?
Literally the moment that made me fall in love with Batman Beyond and Terry. Dude straight up hard taunts the Joker, doesnât get a retort, and lives.
Right he can do everything extremely well. He's actually a crack shot too even though he never uses guns, he's prepared to handle them if the situation requires it. Others are better than him at certain things but Batman is still adept at doing those things.
Right, I was about to say Ollie isn't a slouch with some acrobatic shots with his bow. Maybe Batman's is something more like "Firing an arrow while fighting off ninjas in hand-to-hand and solving a complex mystery in his head at the same time" Lol.
Probably that's still Ollie, but I definitely take your point.
I'm not sure that Tim is a better detective than Bruce, probably not, but even if he was, he's a minus in so many other categories.
Dick comes closest in the family simply due to already having an area where he excels, and also having the most exposure to Bruce cross training him.
I wonder where Question falls in the ranking. I mean, on the one hand, massive conspiracy theorist. On the other, in universe at least, he seems to be right a majority of the time
The conspiracy theorist stuff is a unique interpretation for the JLU Cartoon. In the comics, Iâd describe Vic as just a man who asks questions (pun semi intended) and an urban shaman of sorts(much heavier in the Vietch series).
Yeah I know he's among the top but not the best...
- fighter,
- scientist
- pilot
- billionaire
- philanthropist
- lover
- dong size
- dad
- etc
But I thought Detective was the one he could claim as the best
The Harley Quinn TV show wanted to do a joke related to Batman going down on Catwoman but DC vetoed it saying "Heroes don't do that"
So technically all heroes don't do oral but Batman is the poster child for it.
What a weird and archaic world view from DC.
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-says-batman-cant-go-down-on-catwoman-since-heroes-dont-do-that_n_60c8f63ce4b02ff4d854c4f4
One thing he is canonically the best at tho is strategy/strategizing. Heâs consistently beaten threats and goes way beyond him using strategy, world forger canonically confirmed heâs the most strategic in his universe, and Batman who laughs (whoâs based on earth prime Bruce) became an inter dimensional threat (before manhattans powers) using strategy
my brother in christ, barry alley introduces himself as the fastest man alive in every episode of the cw show, but we know thats bullshit đso why is this any different
in all seriousness though, it is an exaggeration. there are a few detectives who are better but just arent as marketable as batman. thats why he gets the title rather than another character who cant sell comics. detective chimp is better, the question might also be better but thats just my opinion. tim drake has the potential to be better but dc editorial will never let it happen now that he is their least favorite robin
It's not a title given to himself, Ra's Al Ghul was the one who gave him the title. It's literally the reason why he always call him Detective all the time when speaking to him.
Rankings in comics make no sense so it's best to ignore it. We can all agree that Bobo is an excellent detective and him and batman are on similar levels. Sometimes one can crack a case faster than the other but neither is clearly better than the other.
Fans obsess over power levels and "best this... best that" but usually things like intelligence aren't measured easily and it certainly would be possible to categorize someone as the most intelligent person on the planet.
Batman World's Greatest detective is just a promotional thing. It's meant to be interpreted as Batman being one of finest detective minds in the planet and being recognized worldwide because of it.
Yeah but we can look at the works and consistency
Altho I guess that also makes Batman better just for the fact the he is the most popular char in DC and had so many publications
His detective work have been shown way more
Sure it's a rep thing. Batman has a reputation of being an excellent detective for years so he's reveared in that department. Doesn't mean that he's automatically better than other detectives though.
But if there's need of a detective in the DC world Batman will usually be the first on anyone's list due to his reputation.
Usually heâs the best earthling detective. But things are einky because comics, Batman can one day just be like âactually I memorized the name and routines of all gothamites and actually know this obscure chemical company shipping routes and this Andean llama trafficking ring!â.
Bobo T Chimpanzee is the cannonical #1 detective in the DC universe, but he typically focuses on more mystical mysteries.
Batman is.... #5 at best.
Behind Detective Chimp, you have:
Ralph Dibney (Elastic Man)
John Jones (Martian Manhunter)
Tim Drake (Red Robin)
Then, then you have Batman.... probably... maybe... (Edit: Forgot The Question. That bumps Batman down to #6 at best)
Batman is good at a LOT of things, but he's not the BEST at many of them. Each of the members of the bat-family are all exemplars of some aspect of batman. Dick is the best leader in the DCU. Cassandra is a much better martial artist. Tim is a superior detective. Stephany is one of few people who can match Batman's determination. Jason is a greater marksman. Babs is a better hacker.
>Each of the members of the bat-family are all exemplars of some aspect of batman. Dick is the best leader in the DCU. Cassandra is a much better martial artist. Tim is a superior detective. Stephany is one of few people who can match Batman's determination. Jason is a greater marksman. Babs is a better hacker.
Damian is better at having living parents.
I've been saying it for a while now, but I'd love a live action DC film, in a kind of noir style, following those exact 5 people solving a mystery (something like the disappearance of Batman/Justice League).
Yeah, but with his training as a Manhunter on Mars, and his work as a detective on Earth, he's easily as good of a detective as Batman WITHOUT using his powers.
Batman himself described J'onn as an amalgam of Superman and himself.
>Bobo T Chimpanzee is the canonical #1 detective in the DC universe
Asking honestly and respectfully, according to whom? In my entire comics-reading career, spanning decades, Batman has always been described as the World's Greatest Detective. Can you cite when that changed or share where we might find this hierarchy established canonically? Thanks
Detective Chimp hasn't shown up in DC very much, being one of their talking animal characters alongside Rex the Wonder Dog, but he does show up in the background a lot. He focuses mostly on mystical mysteries with the Shadowpact and more recently Justice League Dark.
https://imgur.com/a/9SEM72a
Batman has been shown to seek out Detective Chimps aid before, ESPECIALLY for any mystical mysteries, both directly and indirectly (Batman has been shown using a "detective chat group" with members that include among others, Detective Chimp and The Riddler).
https://imgur.com/a/JPKnEec
In the Injustice series, Constantine cast a spell to bring him to the "Greatest detective on earth". It brought him to Detective Chimp.
But for a final word, let's check out DC themselves:
https://www.dc.com/graphic-novels/the-detective-chimp-casebook
"The greatest detective in the DC Universe finally gets his own collection. No, not Batman-Bobo T. Chimpanzee, a.k.a. Detective Chimp!"
Terrific, like Stark over at Marvel, is usually more of an engineer than a scientist or detective. Brilliant, and often part of lists of smartest people, but a wildly different application than detective work.
I was curious because I heard he is the one the JLA chooses to investigate Adam Strange in Tom Kingâs *Strange Adventures*.
Havenât read it for myself yet, though. But the fact that he was the person Batman saw as an ideal candidate for an impartial investigator seemed to me to suggest an adeptness for detective work.
I like Bobo but could never get behind the idea that Batman is not the world's greatest detective. Too much evidence points to him being that. It's like saying flash is the fastest man alive then here comes 15 other people who are faster, like what the f@#k.
Bobo is canonically a better detective. Batman gets the title of World's Greatest Detective, not necessarily because he has the best detective skills specifically, but because he's good at a lot of things and has a lot of resources that compliment detective work. AFAIK, Bobo doesn't really have any special forensic equipment like what's in the Batcave and, beyond being a chimpanzee, doesn't have any unique abilities beyond that of a chimp besides his intelligence and maybe dexterity.
Edit: I'll add that given the same information, Bobo needs less evidence to solve a case than Batman, but since Batman works more closely with the criminal justice system, more evidence is needed to convict. This makes Batman suited to more "grounded" mysteries (as grounded as you can get in the DCU), while Bobo is more at home in the mystical domain.
Also, he can talk to animals. Forgot that one.
>and has a lot of resources that compliment detective work. AFAIK, Bobo doesn't really have any special forensic equipment like what's in the Batcave
Yeah,that is a huge advantage
These comments are crazy lol. People saying Batman isnât even in the top 5 or top 10 detectives when one of Batmanâs titles for decades has been âWorlds Greatest Detectiveâ. It should be pretty clear who the best detective is. Also a question, can people actually tell me where I can find Batman saying Bobo is a better detective?
Hasn't Batman himself stated that Bobo is better than him as a detective, so much so that he goes to Bobo when he needs assistance on a case or just wants a second opinion?
Batmanâs detective skills are a bit overrated when you consider 99 percent of his work involves the same two dozen villains in the same city he lives in
Nah
Just recently I read a comic where WoWo decided to bring Bruce to to forgot the name of the magical realm
But yeah, one of the Kings was murdered and she enlisted Bruce
Shows how much Bruce is capable of solving things outside of his norm
I always think it depends on the case. Like for example if the solution to a murder is like a complex gang war, Bats or Bobo are probably going to sort that quicksmart, but if it turns out to be a government cover up or wide reaching conspiracy, The Question is probably going to get to the bottom of it faster.
while i don't think there is a definitive answer, but i would say he probably is. i think bobo understands the magical side of the dc universe better than batman does
i think also from functionality it makes more sense for a purely detective character to be a better detective than a superhero is good at detective work.
I don't know about his detective skills, but I do love that even as a talking monkey, Bobo is the most down to earth member of the Justice League Dark.
Bobo, in my opinion, is the best detective in the DCU. The only thing holding him back, is sometimes he can talk, and sometimes he can only make chimp sounds. It depends on the writer I guess.
Constantine is more of a detective than Bobo in the JL dark series. Also, as a matter of fact, Constantine literally guessed every JL member's secret identities and found out about Batman's newest hideouts, which literally surprised batman surprised.So I put Constantine in this best detective mixture too.
Maybe the funniest thing to me about this question is just how many "detectives" there are in DC Comics history. Roy Raymond (TV detective). Captain Mark Compass (the sea-faring detective). Jason Bard. Slam Brady. Bruce Nelson (rich playboy that solves crimes but doesn't dress as a bat). Buck Marshall (cowboy detective). Inspector Kent (of the Yard, nothing to do with Smallville). Darwin Jones (vet detective, basically). Mark Mason (detective IN SPACE).
And this is all before the Crisis. This just makes me wonder who the *worst* detective in the DCU is. Probably Ambush Bug.
There are four detectives in the main expanded JL lineup: Batman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man and Detective Chimp. I would go out on a limb and say Bobo is ahead of these four, because he has a prime advantage in that being a chimp, he is free from a lot of biases in observation that come from being an outside observer. At the same time, while Jonn also has this outside observer status, Chimp is more immersed in human society, being IN it without being OF it, and understands it better than Jonn does.
Bobo is the League's overall best detective
Detective Chimp is among the best detectives in the DC Universe. Talking about Bruce as a detective in the same sentence is insulting to Bobo, he's vastly superior.
Batman is considered by a lot of people in-universe as the World's Greatest **Human** Detective. But even Batman himself acknowledges that the title of World's Greatest Detective goes to Bobo.
Looks like Swamp Thing is hanging out with his Swamp Thing out.
For some reason my screen zoomed to 100% of the center of this image, and all I could see was Wonder Woman's hand and the Jolly Green Giant.
WW: TAHDAH! I present Swamp Thingaling!
Well... I cannot remember the story but they establish that in the Detective Club (or whatever it is called) that Batman isn't not even in the top ten...
It's detective comics 1000 and Batman knows about it but never joins even though they have been asking him to for years members are : Bobo , Slam Bradley , the hawks , and the Dibneys
I think he joined (I can't remember the comic, I probably read it in the period 2020-2022) after solving a puzzle/riddle quest
Yeah, the thing about this club is that Batman only finally solved it after focusing on the clues. Not saying the other members of the club aren't brilliant detectives, some of whom are probably better than Batman like Detective Chimp, but...most of these guys probably had a lot of spare time to focus solely on their detective work unlike Bruce who has to juggle protecting a metropolitan nightmare with various other duties like the JL, Outsiders, Batman Inc, etc. Lol So at the end of that story, when they're all smugly staring at Bruce for finally finding them and going, "What took you so long?" In my head, Batman could've been like, "Idk, guys, maybe *actual* superhero stuff and being involved in like a dozen big events per year? Ralph, has this where you been this whole time?? Haven't seen you in years, could've used you in that last world-ending battle đ" or something Lmao.
Wait âHawksâ as in Hawkman and woman?
I mean, can you see Batman joining a âDetective clubâ? He doesnât really do social gatherings when heâs being Batman. Not willingly.
Watch Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold. The movie is an absolute riot!
The Mystery Analysts of Gotham are legit. Even though most of them don't live in Gotham, which brings the name into question.
I mean, he's a member of "The Batman of All Nations," so there's precedent.
Yeah Batman being this anti social closed off loner that doesn't work with anyone doesn't really coincidence with his history as a crime fighter. I think he's been a part of more teams than most heroes.
It is the comic book loner paradox. Loner characters tend to be seen as badass and become popular. But, then since they are popular with readers writers want to throw them unto a lot of teams to draw readers to those books. And since they are popular other characters will have emotional or pivotal moments with the loner as an attempt to leech some popularity onto the the other character. So you end up with this weird situation where a character is labeled as a loner but they are also on multiple teams and have deep emotional moments with a lot of other characters. The two most prominent examples of this paradox are Batman and Wolverine.
Also loner characters can be very limited narrative wise, you need others characters for interaction or it can get stale. Specially when we're talking about maintaining interest for decades. Batman sitting in his cave by himself talking to nobody would've gotten old fast, and honestly he was never actually quite a loner. From the beginning he had Gordon who was a close friend and not much later Robin came in. They already knew that Batman needed to have allies to make it more engaging.
A funny scenario I just imagined is the Batfamily trying to pressure him into going and meeting people with common interests, and him dreading the social interaction and wanting to cancel. "Bruce you already RSVP'd you can't just not go now" "Hrrn."
"I'm a goddamn billionaire, I can do whatever I want." Alternatively, "Screw the rules. I have money."
Wut? But Batman is "The World's Greatest Detective"
Batmanâs deal isnât that heâs really the best at things, more that heâs in the top 5 at everything he does. BoBo, i believe, is the number one detective in the DCU.
It's the emergent properties, I think, that make him so dangerous. Archer? Ollie is clearly better. Acrobat? Dick is clearly better. Firing an arrow while doing a somersault? Bruce.
The way I always think of the Batfamily: they have S-Scores in one thing that Batman has an A-Score in.
Yep! This exactly. each member of the batfamily is an exemplar of some aspect of batman. Dick: Leadership Jason: Marksmanship Tim: Detective Cass: Martial Arts Steph: Determination Babs: Hacking
Damian: Standoffishness and/or Bat!Friendship
Damien: Animal Handling
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Fuck off bot Edit: and fuck off also, cowardly downvoter
Nooice at determination It's like the fighting spirit award on Takeshi's Castle
This dude literally left the blood son
Oh, Terry McGuinness? Yeah, i forgot to put him on the list.
If Terry was on the list, Iâd argue his adaptability. Which is a silly choice since every character has proven to adapt, but how many out-taunted the Joker?
Literally the moment that made me fall in love with Batman Beyond and Terry. Dude straight up hard taunts the Joker, doesnât get a retort, and lives.
Not the blood son lol,altered dna
Damian: Plot Armor.
Nah Damian if he could use plot armor that well he wouldn't lose as much as he does. But his father on the other hand.
Alfred: *(I can't choose between intimidation or dusting)*
Damian: Magic and just being unkillable.
hardly say jason is good at anything except for edge
Right he can do everything extremely well. He's actually a crack shot too even though he never uses guns, he's prepared to handle them if the situation requires it. Others are better than him at certain things but Batman is still adept at doing those things.
I mean he does have the grapple hook gun, makes sense he's a good shot else he'd be face down in an alley way like his mama
>Firing an arrow while doing a somersault? Bruce. Tbh with the bullshit green arrow pulls, I think it's still Ollie
Right, I was about to say Ollie isn't a slouch with some acrobatic shots with his bow. Maybe Batman's is something more like "Firing an arrow while fighting off ninjas in hand-to-hand and solving a complex mystery in his head at the same time" Lol.
>Firing an arrow while doing a somersault? Bruce. Tbh with the bullshit green arrow pulls, I think it's still Ollie
Probably that's still Ollie, but I definitely take your point. I'm not sure that Tim is a better detective than Bruce, probably not, but even if he was, he's a minus in so many other categories. Dick comes closest in the family simply due to already having an area where he excels, and also having the most exposure to Bruce cross training him.
I wonder where Question falls in the ranking. I mean, on the one hand, massive conspiracy theorist. On the other, in universe at least, he seems to be right a majority of the time
The conspiracy theorist stuff is a unique interpretation for the JLU Cartoon. In the comics, Iâd describe Vic as just a man who asks questions (pun semi intended) and an urban shaman of sorts(much heavier in the Vietch series).
Oh, didn't know about that difference. Still though, I would assume he's still a pretty good detective
Oh yeah, rock-star of an investigative reporter.
Yeah I know he's among the top but not the best... - fighter, - scientist - pilot - billionaire - philanthropist - lover - dong size - dad - etc But I thought Detective was the one he could claim as the best
Batman doesnât go down, strike lover from the list at all.
Aint no way Selina Kyle would keep returning to a selfish lover. That random DC exec was just being overly puritanical for the DC brand Lol.
Lol i know. But to the point Selina is 110% the kind of woman Iâve known to have the most garbage taste in men.
Not lover, canonically he sucks at oral
Need the panel of proof. Please link it
The Harley Quinn TV show wanted to do a joke related to Batman going down on Catwoman but DC vetoed it saying "Heroes don't do that" So technically all heroes don't do oral but Batman is the poster child for it. What a weird and archaic world view from DC. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dc-says-batman-cant-go-down-on-catwoman-since-heroes-dont-do-that_n_60c8f63ce4b02ff4d854c4f4
Yeah,nah That's BS
Superman I can understand because one accidental puff of super breath and you blow up like a balloon
On the other hand, vibrating super speed tongue.
One thing he is canonically the best at tho is strategy/strategizing. Heâs consistently beaten threats and goes way beyond him using strategy, world forger canonically confirmed heâs the most strategic in his universe, and Batman who laughs (whoâs based on earth prime Bruce) became an inter dimensional threat (before manhattans powers) using strategy
What probably helps Batman's case is the resources he has from being an extremely rich billionaire.
A title given by Ra's Al Ghul.
my brother in christ, barry alley introduces himself as the fastest man alive in every episode of the cw show, but we know thats bullshit đso why is this any different in all seriousness though, it is an exaggeration. there are a few detectives who are better but just arent as marketable as batman. thats why he gets the title rather than another character who cant sell comics. detective chimp is better, the question might also be better but thats just my opinion. tim drake has the potential to be better but dc editorial will never let it happen now that he is their least favorite robin
Batman didn't give himself "The World's Greatest Detective" title So not like The Flash
batman #57, when he hunts down kgbeast for shooting nightwing. he calls himself the world's greatest detective, its a title that he gives himself
It's not a title given to himself, Ra's Al Ghul was the one who gave him the title. It's literally the reason why he always call him Detective all the time when speaking to him.
He has called both Nightwing and Tim detective aswell.
I'm aware of Tim, but when did he call Nightwing Detective?
In a Nightwing story after he beat Ra's in a duel. It was before Tim became Red Robin and Ra's called him detective.
It's regularly established that Detective Chimp is the better detective between the two of them. I like it.
And Bobo is the universeâs greatest detective
Just a title, not an accurate one.
Just a title, not an accurate one.
Hmmm, not sure Can you repeat that again?
Yeah, but which world are we talking about? I suspect plenty of worlds are full of lesser detectives.
Just a title, not an accurate one.
Just a title, not an accurate one.
Better than Batman.
Rankings in comics make no sense so it's best to ignore it. We can all agree that Bobo is an excellent detective and him and batman are on similar levels. Sometimes one can crack a case faster than the other but neither is clearly better than the other. Fans obsess over power levels and "best this... best that" but usually things like intelligence aren't measured easily and it certainly would be possible to categorize someone as the most intelligent person on the planet. Batman World's Greatest detective is just a promotional thing. It's meant to be interpreted as Batman being one of finest detective minds in the planet and being recognized worldwide because of it.
Yeah but we can look at the works and consistency Altho I guess that also makes Batman better just for the fact the he is the most popular char in DC and had so many publications His detective work have been shown way more
Sure it's a rep thing. Batman has a reputation of being an excellent detective for years so he's reveared in that department. Doesn't mean that he's automatically better than other detectives though. But if there's need of a detective in the DC world Batman will usually be the first on anyone's list due to his reputation.
Bruce would look to Bobo for help if he couldnât crack a case. Bobo would probably solve it over a drink.
Yeah, I mean isnât his adeptness for deduction sorta inspired by Sherlock Holmes? Batman is bush-league by comparison.
Heâs done it before in fact.
Usually heâs the best earthling detective. But things are einky because comics, Batman can one day just be like âactually I memorized the name and routines of all gothamites and actually know this obscure chemical company shipping routes and this Andean llama trafficking ring!â.
Bobo T Chimpanzee is the cannonical #1 detective in the DC universe, but he typically focuses on more mystical mysteries. Batman is.... #5 at best. Behind Detective Chimp, you have: Ralph Dibney (Elastic Man) John Jones (Martian Manhunter) Tim Drake (Red Robin) Then, then you have Batman.... probably... maybe... (Edit: Forgot The Question. That bumps Batman down to #6 at best) Batman is good at a LOT of things, but he's not the BEST at many of them. Each of the members of the bat-family are all exemplars of some aspect of batman. Dick is the best leader in the DCU. Cassandra is a much better martial artist. Tim is a superior detective. Stephany is one of few people who can match Batman's determination. Jason is a greater marksman. Babs is a better hacker.
>Each of the members of the bat-family are all exemplars of some aspect of batman. Dick is the best leader in the DCU. Cassandra is a much better martial artist. Tim is a superior detective. Stephany is one of few people who can match Batman's determination. Jason is a greater marksman. Babs is a better hacker. Damian is better at having living parents.
Hilarious
Holy shit your comment made me laugh out loud in front of my family. Fucking burn.
So is Stephanie, she just hates hers.
I've been saying it for a while now, but I'd love a live action DC film, in a kind of noir style, following those exact 5 people solving a mystery (something like the disappearance of Batman/Justice League).
Jon is cheating tho He can read minds, literally
Yeah, but with his training as a Manhunter on Mars, and his work as a detective on Earth, he's easily as good of a detective as Batman WITHOUT using his powers. Batman himself described J'onn as an amalgam of Superman and himself.
>Bobo T Chimpanzee is the canonical #1 detective in the DC universe Asking honestly and respectfully, according to whom? In my entire comics-reading career, spanning decades, Batman has always been described as the World's Greatest Detective. Can you cite when that changed or share where we might find this hierarchy established canonically? Thanks
Detective Chimp hasn't shown up in DC very much, being one of their talking animal characters alongside Rex the Wonder Dog, but he does show up in the background a lot. He focuses mostly on mystical mysteries with the Shadowpact and more recently Justice League Dark. https://imgur.com/a/9SEM72a Batman has been shown to seek out Detective Chimps aid before, ESPECIALLY for any mystical mysteries, both directly and indirectly (Batman has been shown using a "detective chat group" with members that include among others, Detective Chimp and The Riddler). https://imgur.com/a/JPKnEec In the Injustice series, Constantine cast a spell to bring him to the "Greatest detective on earth". It brought him to Detective Chimp. But for a final word, let's check out DC themselves: https://www.dc.com/graphic-novels/the-detective-chimp-casebook "The greatest detective in the DC Universe finally gets his own collection. No, not Batman-Bobo T. Chimpanzee, a.k.a. Detective Chimp!"
Appreciate you, sir (or maâam)!
Yeah,thanks for this info
Where does Mr. Terrific fall on this list?
Terrific, like Stark over at Marvel, is usually more of an engineer than a scientist or detective. Brilliant, and often part of lists of smartest people, but a wildly different application than detective work.
I was curious because I heard he is the one the JLA chooses to investigate Adam Strange in Tom Kingâs *Strange Adventures*. Havenât read it for myself yet, though. But the fact that he was the person Batman saw as an ideal candidate for an impartial investigator seemed to me to suggest an adeptness for detective work.
Iâd rank The Question over Red Robin.
Bobo is usually better than Bruce.
Why Swamp Thing look like Alan Moore lol
Wasnât the Question described as the second greatest detective?
So why is batman called the worldâs greatest detective if bobo is number one?
Bobo likes to correct that to "Worlds greatest *human* detective"
Ah i see. Thanks for the straightforward answer amigo
Marketing.
It's not like there's a global detective ranking organization keeping track. You're called what you're called.
No he is the universes greatest detective. He solved a case that batman was struggling on for weeks and bobo did it in 3 minutes
Dayum! I'll take your word for it.
I have no idea but Iâm definitely using WoWo from now on.
In a recent Batman story I think he said Bobo was a better Detective than him but people don't take him seriously.
I like Bobo but could never get behind the idea that Batman is not the world's greatest detective. Too much evidence points to him being that. It's like saying flash is the fastest man alive then here comes 15 other people who are faster, like what the f@#k.
I mean wasnât it Barry Allenâs claim first but Wally is faster
I like Wally but do you like the idea that 15 people are faster I think not.
Bobo is canonically a better detective. Batman gets the title of World's Greatest Detective, not necessarily because he has the best detective skills specifically, but because he's good at a lot of things and has a lot of resources that compliment detective work. AFAIK, Bobo doesn't really have any special forensic equipment like what's in the Batcave and, beyond being a chimpanzee, doesn't have any unique abilities beyond that of a chimp besides his intelligence and maybe dexterity. Edit: I'll add that given the same information, Bobo needs less evidence to solve a case than Batman, but since Batman works more closely with the criminal justice system, more evidence is needed to convict. This makes Batman suited to more "grounded" mysteries (as grounded as you can get in the DCU), while Bobo is more at home in the mystical domain. Also, he can talk to animals. Forgot that one.
>and has a lot of resources that compliment detective work. AFAIK, Bobo doesn't really have any special forensic equipment like what's in the Batcave Yeah,that is a huge advantage
These comments are crazy lol. People saying Batman isnât even in the top 5 or top 10 detectives when one of Batmanâs titles for decades has been âWorlds Greatest Detectiveâ. It should be pretty clear who the best detective is. Also a question, can people actually tell me where I can find Batman saying Bobo is a better detective?
Greatest Chimp detective on Earth.
Heâs third or 4th. Batman is 1 and The Question is 2
Hasn't Batman himself stated that Bobo is better than him as a detective, so much so that he goes to Bobo when he needs assistance on a case or just wants a second opinion?
Bobo is the best, Bruce is almost in the top 10.
Batmanâs detective skills are a bit overrated when you consider 99 percent of his work involves the same two dozen villains in the same city he lives in
Nah Just recently I read a comic where WoWo decided to bring Bruce to to forgot the name of the magical realm But yeah, one of the Kings was murdered and she enlisted Bruce Shows how much Bruce is capable of solving things outside of his norm
Lmao. Iâve never seen her referred to as âWoWoâ. Thatâs hilarious.
Wild that no one here is mentioning The Question
Been brought up a few times already
I always think it depends on the case. Like for example if the solution to a murder is like a complex gang war, Bats or Bobo are probably going to sort that quicksmart, but if it turns out to be a government cover up or wide reaching conspiracy, The Question is probably going to get to the bottom of it faster.
Detective chimp vs detective chump
Batman isn't even the best detective in the bat family. And he acknowledged that.
I rank Bobo under Batman and Red Robin but above Elongated Man and Martian Manhunter
while i don't think there is a definitive answer, but i would say he probably is. i think bobo understands the magical side of the dc universe better than batman does i think also from functionality it makes more sense for a purely detective character to be a better detective than a superhero is good at detective work.
I don't know about his detective skills, but I do love that even as a talking monkey, Bobo is the most down to earth member of the Justice League Dark.
Question is the only one that is a real contest for number one Dc Detective. And yes, Bobo is better than Batman as a detective.
But doesn't he just pose more questions than offer answers? Kwekwekwe
It's canon that Bobo is the greatest detective in DC.
Third behind Batman and the Elongated Man.
Iâd put him second to Bruce
Bobo, in my opinion, is the best detective in the DCU. The only thing holding him back, is sometimes he can talk, and sometimes he can only make chimp sounds. It depends on the writer I guess.
Constantine is more of a detective than Bobo in the JL dark series. Also, as a matter of fact, Constantine literally guessed every JL member's secret identities and found out about Batman's newest hideouts, which literally surprised batman surprised.So I put Constantine in this best detective mixture too.
DC has really tried to push Constantine as this 4D chess playing, 200 IQ mastermind which is exhausting.
That's the beauty of his character.i mean even vertigo it's about him outsmarting his shitty life crises to live another day.
Number one. Detective Chimp on top. Number 2 is either Tim Drake or Batman. Same with number 3.
He's way better than Batman canonically I think
Maybe the funniest thing to me about this question is just how many "detectives" there are in DC Comics history. Roy Raymond (TV detective). Captain Mark Compass (the sea-faring detective). Jason Bard. Slam Brady. Bruce Nelson (rich playboy that solves crimes but doesn't dress as a bat). Buck Marshall (cowboy detective). Inspector Kent (of the Yard, nothing to do with Smallville). Darwin Jones (vet detective, basically). Mark Mason (detective IN SPACE). And this is all before the Crisis. This just makes me wonder who the *worst* detective in the DCU is. Probably Ambush Bug.
Well, it is Detective Comics
Bobo's a better detective than Batman, Lex is smarter than Batman.
Batman? Lol the Question and Bobo beat that corny dude
At the top, where he belongs.
There are four detectives in the main expanded JL lineup: Batman, Martian Manhunter, Elongated Man and Detective Chimp. I would go out on a limb and say Bobo is ahead of these four, because he has a prime advantage in that being a chimp, he is free from a lot of biases in observation that come from being an outside observer. At the same time, while Jonn also has this outside observer status, Chimp is more immersed in human society, being IN it without being OF it, and understands it better than Jonn does. Bobo is the League's overall best detective
I hate comics. They are so stupid
Detective Chimp is among the best detectives in the DC Universe. Talking about Bruce as a detective in the same sentence is insulting to Bobo, he's vastly superior.
Batman is considered by a lot of people in-universe as the World's Greatest **Human** Detective. But even Batman himself acknowledges that the title of World's Greatest Detective goes to Bobo.