Batman: Death by Design

In this 2012 DC prestige one-shot, writer Chip Kidd and artist Dave Taylor craft a noir-infused mystery that reimagines Gotham City’s architectural legacy. Set during the Great Depression, the story follows Bruce Wayne’s battle to save his family’s construction company from ruin, even as a string of deadly accidents plague the city’s most ambitious building projects. Kidd’s atmospheric script and Taylor’s moody, sepia-toned artwork evoke the era’s cinematic shadows, making this a visually striking, self-contained Batman tale that explores ambition, tragedy, and the cost of progress.