Batman: Dark Patterns is onto its third case, and it remains riveting. For a legacy character like Batman, it’s always compelling to see him earlier in their career, which hits hard in Batman: Dark Patterns #8. Exhausted, he’s trying to solve the Red Hood Gang killing, but the Red Hood Gang hasn’t existed in some time. Time to make headlines, but not in a good way.
Batman: Dark Patterns #8 opens with Batman interrogating perps and making headlines. These headlines, which Hayden Sherman masterfully renders, add up and eventually send him to the man writing them. The reporter makes a good point, while showing Batman is still early enough in his career to let a reporter get to him. That leads to a rather significant tease as to a problem to be resolved, but that’s for another day.
As is customary in this series, the detective work remains a highlight. Batman arrives on the scene where two young men observe him, and soon, things are discovered. Sherman continues to do excellent work with layout, especially on a page where Batman jumps down and then discovers the boys. The crisscrossing of panels and their gutters adds interest to the scenes, making the chase an exciting one. This all leads to new clues and, eventually, a major confrontation.
Writer Dan Watters gives this issue a kick in the pants thanks to a Rear Window-like twist. I won’t spoil it, but it’s a clever turn in the story that logically sets Batman in a new direction.
I love these newspaper clippings.
Credit: DC Comics
Probably the highlight of the issue involves a bullet. Drilling into Batman’s mind, Watters reveals all the information Batman learns from the blast of a gun, but unfortunately, due to his human frailty, his mind works fast enough to discover details before he can get out of the way of it. It’s a cool way to show that Batman’s mind is a superpower.
These short but sweet scenes add up to an excellent issue, although I will say this does end up feeling like a table setting more than a revelatory issue. A great chapter in a larger book, so to speak.
Batman: Dark Patterns #8 continues the series’ streak of smart, grounded detective storytelling, giving us a younger Batman still refining his methods and managing his emotions. With standout visuals by Hayden Sherman and clever twists courtesy of Dan Watters, this issue deepens the mystery even as it positions itself more as a setup than a payoff. Still, when the setup is this good, you won’t mind the wait.
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