Latest news with #Batman:DarkPatterns
Geek Dad
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Batman: Dark Patterns #7
Batman: Dark Patterns #7 cover, via DC Comics. 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!
Geek Dad
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Dad
Review – Batman: Dark Patterns #6
Batman: Dark Patterns #6 cover, via DC Comics. Ray: This series has a very unusual format – three stories set early in Batman's career, three issues each, one creative team. The second narrative, 'The Voice of the Tower', had a fascinating large-scale concept – a run-down tower filled with low-income Gotham residents is set for demolition, but it's somehow captured by the spirit of Scarface, who has turned all the residents of the tower into his loyal minions. The original Ventriloquist, Arnold Wesker, has been captured and had his tongue cut out. But last issue revealed that the mastermind and the new voice of Scarface isn't the abusive bully Rickson, but his mild-mannered wife Michelle – who was finally pushed too far by her husband and by society as a whole, and finally found a voice that could reflect her rage at the world. And with a police officer held hostage and the cops closing in, she's ready to escalate her war on Gotham even more. Burning days. Via DC Comics. A lot of the ideas in this story have been under the radar with the Ventriloquist for a while. He's always been a meek, harmless-seeming guy for whom Scarface represents the anger he wants to show the world. So you take that idea, and give it to a woman whose anger burns much hotter, and you have a very dangerous situation – literally, as she moves to burn the tower down with everyone in it. It's one of the best Ventriloquist stories ever, of course, but much of the credit also goes to Hayden Sherman. Their art on this series has been one of the best and most disturbing work of their career, with twisted monsters and dark shadows lurking around every corner. This arc hasn't been as horrific as the first, which introduced us to the horrific Wound Man, but it's subtly terrifying with some amazing visuals as this tower comes to life and casts a nightmarish spectre over all of Gotham City. 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!
