Warning! Spoilers for Batman: The Detective #1 below.
Batman just fought a powerful ghost that feeds on the fear of its opponents and ultimately won thanks to an assist from John Constantine. In Batman: The Detective #1, the Caped Crusader wields a powerful pair of gloves that does much more than keep his hands warm, as it helps take down the Gentleman Ghost.
John Constantine, DC's cynical magic-user and expert in the occult, has often used mystical and ancient relics to help defeat his opponents. Whether he's reluctantly a member of the Justice League Dark, starring in his own solo adventures, or helping Batman deal with a magical threat, Constantine has a knack for finding the right item to face off against darker threats in the DC Universe. While he hasn't always seen eye-to-eye with the Dark Knight, Constantine has lent a hand to the protector of Gotham in situations that defied explanation - and in a new story, he gives him a magical upgrade in the form of gloves that helps Batman greatly.
In Batman: The Detective #1 by Tom Taylor, Andy Kubert, and Brad Anderson, Batman heads to England to investigate a plane crash after feeling that he's not making a big enough difference in Gotham City. When he arrives in the U.K., a new version of Squire shows up at the crime scene. She asks him why he's wearing a special pair of gloves and Batman tells her it's because the temperature is dropping in unnatural increments since he arrived - but not because of the weather. He turns around and sees Gentleman Ghost.
Gentleman Ghost is exactly the type of villain Constantine excels at defeating. Feeding on fear, Gentleman Ghost tries to intimidate Batman by saying that he knows he fears losing those closest to him while adding "not many men have been orphaned twice." Batman doesn't buy into the fear and shocks Gentleman Ghost as his gloves hurt him. It's revealed Batman got the gloves from Constantine, who, in a move very much in character, cheated in a card game with a demon. He gave them to Batman because he prefers to not fight with his hands.
Batman managed to scare Gentleman Ghost off with his powerful gloves. Even when he's not physically involved by fighting with his spells and trickery, Constantine can make an impact simply by letting his fellow heroes borrow some magical relics. The gloves gave Batman the upper hand and were the perfect upgrade needed to get rid of Gentleman Ghost. Batman: The Detective #1 is in stores now.