I think a Batman/Sandman/Sandman story would be good, in which Batman works with Wesley Dodds and his visions to do a job Morpheus needs doing in the waking world. Maybe as a reward, Morpheus could arrange a dream visitation from Thomas and Martha Wayne for Bruce. Of course it would have to be written by Gaiman though.

And I’d like to echo earlier nods to using Angel & The Ape and the Inferior Five.

Seriously. Sort of.

Batman/Klation the Witch Boy

Batman/Starfire, Barbara Gordon, Huntress and Tarantula (every female hero that Nightwing has taken to bed) where Nightwing is injured/hurt/needs rescuing.

Batman (kick butt, ask questions later)/Artemis (just kick butt).

One of the last issues of the late, lamented JLU comic featured this exact pairing (with Ralph Dibny tossed in to keep the dialogue moving). It worked (but, then, most “crazy team-up with obscure characters” stories in JLU worked really well).

As for who doesn’t work… I don’t remember ever being blown away by a DCU pairing of Batman and Wonder Woman, which is why I was surprised when they worked so well together on JLU. Then again, that’s a very different version of Wonder Woman.

I think a Batman/Connor Kent story or a Batman/Bart Allen story would be good though.

But of DC heroes, I’d say a) any detective character, because they always have so much in common (the Elongated Man/Batman team-ups, though rare, were always a treat), b) any rookie hero, because there’s always a wonderful mentor/student dynamic that shows Batman’s tender side (heck, that’s why Robin works well with him), c) any light-hearted hero, because Batman makes a great straight man (“Inform the troops! Lord Vader has arrived!”) and d) any dark hero, because Batman always schools them on how to be dark without being evil.

So really, who _doesn’t_ team up well with Batman?

If we are dropping the Vertigo ban, then just Batman dealing with all of the Endless – what a strange trip that would be.

Or maybe Batman and Crazy Jane.

New idea for an Elseworlds story – what if Batman existed in the Vertigo World!

Bats and.. Mark Moonrider! Is he alive? They have to find the super-rave in the woods- before it blows up the world!!

Bats and.. pre-Vertigo Swamp Thing! I had an old one where they fought Solomon Grundy.. Or was that a Superman team-up?

Bats and.. Orion! Forager’s Bugs invade Gotham for food!

Bats and.. The Shadow!!!!! Especially if set in the 1930′s..

I’m not one of those people who thinks “Chimp = awesome” either. I just like the idea of Batman actually needing help on a mystery because it (1) heavily invovles the occult, and (2) can’t be solved by beating people up until they tell him where to go next. Maybe even play up the idea that if Batman can’t admit when he needs help, he’s not as awesome as he’s always made out to be. And of course throw in enough street-level underworld situations and thug fighting to make sure it’s not a Detective Chimp story with Batman tagging along.