Batman: Dark Patterns #4 – Dan Watters, Writer; Hayden Sherman, Artist; Triona Farrell, Colorist
Ray – 9.5/10
Ray: This series is taking a very unusual approach, weaving three unique cases from Batman’s early years into one narrative. Last issue ended the twisted tale of the Wound Man, and this issue begins “Voice of the Tower”, which kicks off with a hostage situation at Blendin Towers, a run-down apartment complex scheduled for demolition. The proud, working-class residents have refused all buyout offers, and now the criminal element holing up in the tower has escalated – attacking two police officers, capturing one, and throwing the other out the window. With gunmen taking aim at the officers below, Batman takes the high approach and enters the building from the sky – and finds a bizarre landscape that seems to make no sense, with the architecture and sound effects of the tower deceiving him in his search and making it much harder to navigate and putting Batman firmly out of his element.
A tightly knit band of gunmen would be challenging enough for Batman to face in unfamiliar quarters – but they’ve got backup from one of Batman’s most persistent foes, Scarface. No, not the Ventriloquist – Arnold Wesker is safely locked up in a mental health facility after being convinced he was free of Scarface after the dummy was destroyed. But then…why is Scarface whole and currently in the possession of the ringleader of the hostage-takers? And why does he seem to have some hold over the entire tower of rebels trying to lay claim to what’s theirs? It all builds to a pretty surprising reveal over where Scarface’s power is actually coming from, with a great creepy final visual. Naturally, Scarface is one of the trickiest Bat-villains to actually make threatening, so it’s a testament to this creative team that the visuals here aren’t a let-down at all after how dark and twisted the last act of this series was.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
