Batman: Death by Design.

Batman: Death by Design (2012) is an original graphic novel written by Chip Kidd and illustrated by Dave Taylor that stands as one of the more intellectually distinguished entries in the Batman canon — a work that brings genuine thematic and aesthetic seriousness to a superhero narrative by rooting it in the actual history of American urban architecture and preservation. Kidd based his story on two real incidents: the 1960s demolition of New York's Pennsylvania Station — one of the great acts of architectural vandalism in American history and the catalyst for the modern historic preservation movement — and the 2008 New York City crane collapse, asking what if the two incidents were related and what if they happened in Gotham City instead, producing a narrative in which Bruce Wayne's role as chairman of the Gotham Landmarks Commission becomes as central as his role as Batman. Kidd himself is the editor-at-large at Pantheon and one of the most celebrated book jacket designers of his generation, co-author and designer of the two-time Eisner Award-winning Batman Animated, and the author of the national bestselling novel The Cheese Monkeys — credentials that lend the project an unusual creative authority. Taylor's artwork, rendered largely in pencil and graphite with a minimalist color palette evoking a retro-futuristic 1950s gothic aesthetic, was praised by Publishers Weekly as producing a fantastic period piece about architecture, politics, and murder, and by IGN for its crisp, clean style that is both awe-inspiring and regal. The volume became a New York Times bestseller and was named a June 2012 Amazon Best Book of the Month.