Review – Batman: Dark Patterns #7
Ray: This has been a fascinating series, tying together three diverse and creepy cases early in Batman's career. First, Batman faced off against a mysterious villain named the Wound Man, who was a horribly scarred victim of a terrible chemical leak caused by corrupt businessmen. Then, he went up against the residents of a condemned tower who seemed to all be in thrall to Scarface – who had taken over the whole tower. And now, as he grows increasingly paranoid, Batman heads into the eeriest place in Gotham – the Rookery. This new location is fascinating – a Gotham shantytown that was built out of temporary supplies after an earthquake, and has become the permanent home for the city's most downtrodden and disturbed. It's easy to get lost in there – and even easier to be completely forgotten, as happened to a mysterious woman who was found deceased inside a dryer in a burned-down laundromat. Haunted. Via DC Comics.
This kicks off an intriguing mystery, as Batman is called in by Gordon and discovers that even the police largely fear to tread here. There's a darkly funny segment involving a down-on-his luck man in the shanty, but it's not long before the evidence starts to pile up that this wasn't a standard murder. In fact, it may have been committed by the very first incarnation of the infamous Red Hood Gang – known for its colorful execution methods. As this unfolds, Bruce becomes increasingly paranoid as he starts to see odd connections between the cases that may or may not be there. This is peak classic Batman content, and it's elevated to the next level by the brilliant Hayden Sherman art – their style always had an eerie and surreal edge, and it's perfectly suited for bringing Gotham City's darkest secrets into the light. It might not be as immediately disturbing as the first two arcs, but this is a great start to the finale.
To find reviews of all the DC issues, visit DC This Week.
GeekDad received this comic for review purposes. Liked it? Take a second to support GeekDad and GeekMom on Patreon!
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