Warning: Spoilers for Batman: Dark Patterns #1Batman: Dark Patternshas launched its debut issue, and it fills a much-needed gap in the current roster ofBatmantitles. The majority of titles under DC’s Batman umbrella fluctuate between different varieties of traditional superhero fare, usually with some elements of detective fiction. ButBatman: Dark Patternsbrings horror back into the Caped Crusader’s world, returning what’s been missing from the franchise.
A new miniseries,Batman: Dark Patternsby Dan Watters, Hayden Sherman, Tríona Farrell, and Frank Cvetkovic, takes readers back into Batman’s early career, withthe series telling four self-contained cases of Batman solving the darkest and strangest crimesGotham has to offer.
The first of these stories, “We are Wounded,” involvesBatmantracking down a serial killer with something more sinister at play. While the series focuses clearly on Batman’s early days as a detective, Watters and Sherman’s story spins into the realm of horror as well.Batman: Dark Patterns- and specifically its first issue - invokes the finest aspects of the character to deliver something special.
Batman: Dark PatternsUnderstands the Horror of Gotham City
Finally, a Batman Miniseries That Does Something New
Gotham City is unique among the different cities of the DC Universe, but sometimes that edge feels like it could be lost. It isn’t enough that Gotham City is a bad place where bad things happen. It must feel likean uncanny realm of shadows and the macabre, almost as if the city itself is a living being, and it has grown ill. Watters and Sherman understand this inDark Patterns, characterizingGotham City as a placewhich feels otherworldly and horrifying.
With his body covered entirely in nails and spikes, the Wound Man captures the horror vibes ofDark Patternsimmaculately.
Sherman’s pencils and Farrell’s colors are the stars of the show, rendering a Gotham City that invokes the characterization Watters gives it. The pair create a dense, urban metropolis with an aura of danger, making every panel ofDark Patternsfeel dangerous. This danger extends to the design ofBatman’s newest villain, the Wound Man. With his body covered entirely in nails and spikes, he captures the horror vibes ofDark Patternsimmaculately. Additionally, the choice to cast Batman in an almost indigo tint also makes the iconic hero feel all the more otherworldly.
DC’s New Batman Miniseries Embraces History While Looking into the Future
An Old Batman Classic Is Given New Life inDark Patterns
The most stand-out feature ofDark Patternsis the wayit feels like a spiritual successor toBatman: Legends of the Dark Knight, aBatmananthology series that initially ran from 1989-2007. Both titles tell self-contained stories set early in Batman’s career, with an emphasis on those stories running darker than their contemporaries. In doing so, both books give Batmana certain element of danger which is otherwise missing from the more mainstream titles.
This feeling is whyDark Patternsstands out as well as it does. It keepsthe traditional superheroic flair of the mainBatmanseries, as well as the detective aspects that make the character iconic, but it also keeps in mind the darkness and danger of Gotham City as a setting. Combined, these aspects create something which feels familiar enough to slip right into, but just slightly different enough to keep the pages turning up until the very end.
Gotham’s Newest Villain Is Definitely More Terrifying Than the Joker: Please Meet the Wound Man
The Wound Man has arrived in Gotham, and his gruesome first battle with Batman proves that he’s a much more frightening foe than the Joker.
Batman: Dark Patternsis the exact kind of book the Batman franchise needs. At its core, it’s one that deeply understands the character and his world perfectly, casting it with shadows and danger, all while feeling fresh and exciting.Batman: Dark Patternsis off to an exciting start, and one that promises aBatmanbook that feels unlike any other that DC is currently publishing.
Batman: Dark Patterns#1is available now from DC Comics.
Batman
One of DC’s most iconic heroes, Batman is the vigilante superhero persona of billionaire Bruce Wayne. Forged by tragedy with the death of his parents, Bruce dedicated his life to becoming the world’s leading martial artist, detective, and tactician. Recruiting an entire family of allies and sidekicks, Bruce wages war on evil as the dark knight of his hometown, Gotham City.
