Holmes vs. Batman
by johnjosephadams on Dec.11, 2009, under John Joseph Adams
Who is the better detective: Sherlock Holmes or Batman?—now that is an interesting question. Of course, phrased that way—who is a better detective—I think the answer obviously is Holmes. After all, Holmes relies purely on his own intellect to solve his cases while Batman has a wealth of technology at his fingertips to enhance his abilities.
But if you were to take a slightly different approach to the question and say: “Who is the better crimefighter?” I’d have to give that to Batman. Now, Holmes is clearly excellent in this more broadly-defined category as well, in that he certainly does a lot to fight crime and is quite good at foiling plots and catching wrongdoers and putting hem behind bars. But Batman is a more well-rounded crime fighter in that he can do, well, a lot more fighting. Admittedly, as I’ve said before, Holmes has mad fighting skills too, but in this case I’m sure he’d be outclassed. Batman is a pure fighting machine; he’s just a regular guy and he takes on superpowered villains! (Though of course I could imagine Holmes using his intellect to come up with clever ways of defeating even the worst of Batman’s foes, especially if he had Batman’s gadgets at his disposal.) So, while I’d give the honor of “best crimefighter” to Batman, this was by no means a blowout; in fact, it was a really, really close call.
As for your other question about how I put my anthologies together…that’s a more complicated answer, so I’ll save that for another post. But I will say that no, I haven’t done any comic book-related anthologies as of yet, though I’d love to. You hear that D.C.? You listening Marvel? YOU GUYS—I’M AVAILABLE.
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- Holmes vs. the Impossible Although Sir Arthur Conan Doyle always had a rational solution for each of Sherlock Holmes’s cases—even the one called “The Case of the Sussex Vampire”—the Victorian/Edwardian age in which Holmes lives feels like the supernatural would be very much at home. It’s funny that Holmes never enountered a case involving...
- Holmes against the supernatural Based on what little of the new Holmes movie that we’ve seen in the trailer, it appears as if the supernatural plays some part. Now, that may all turn out to be smoke & mirrors, but it does look to involve the occult in some way. So, what’s your preference...
- Sherlock Holmes vs. Captain Kirk OK, so Sherlock Holmes has outwitted Gandalf. Score one for the master detective. Now he’s met his match. For round 2: “Who has more luck with the ladies, Sherlock Holmes or Captain Kirk?” ...
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- Kirk vs. Holmes Morgan asked: “Who has more luck with the ladies, Sherlock Holmes or Captain Kirk?” The answer is elementary once again, my dear Morgan, though this time it is obviously NOT Holmes. James Tiberius Kirk, that great, golden Lothario of the spaceways, is practically as well-known for his sexual prowess as...

December 29th, 2009 on 1:15 pm
-he is listed as the worlds greatest detective
-this guy is an idiot
-It isn’t the gadgets that solve the crimes, it is his brain
-this guy is an idiot
-Fighting ability, that has nothing to do with solving a crime and
only comes once you found where everyone is….which requires you to
be a detective
-did I mention this guy is an idiot
-It is mentioned (not in every issue because they want to focus on the
action and story) that batman has a ridiculously high IQ
-This guy probably doesn’t even read Holmes
-Has a plan for EVERY contingency
Just after reading his post I believe that he is basing his opinion on
sound bytes he has learned from TV and movies.
In conclusion: Idiot (that guy)
April 9th, 2010 on 8:27 am
You must not forget that Holmes too was at the forefront of technologies as it pertained to his mystery solving obsessions. The fact that the era he inhabits was less advanced technologically than the one in which Batman exists doesn’t change the fact. And while Batman it does seem would have the upper hand in a physical competition, it would mostly be rather due to practice than talent. The same could be said for their pure detective prowess comparatively. Only in reverse. Holmes spends most of his time and effort engaging in pure detective work and only occasionally has need for any physical prowess. So they would each defeat each other in the areas of their most devoted and common practice. What I wonder is how they might stack up when comparing their research and development of specialized tools and techniques.
November 6th, 2011 on 6:17 pm
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