Scott's Take: Batman: Dark Patterns by Dan Watter and illustrated by Hayden Sherman

 

Batman: Dark Patterns by Dan Watter, illustrated by Hayden Sherman, is a read that I read through Hoopla and the DC Universe Infinite App. This is a twelve-issue miniseries where each of the four separate story arcs contain three issues each. These stories are set in Batman’s early career.

 

These tales are supposed to be grounded street level mysteries which means they are not supposed to have supernatural, space aliens, or other fantastical elements. Yet, there are implications in the read that those elements are, in fact, very much present. The read does not match the plot synopsis marketed with the book. This is a mystery series with some horror elements.

 

My favorite of the four separate story arcs was the second one. The tale was clearly inspired by the movie, The Raid. (A way better movie than the sequel.) In the story arc, Batman has to fight his way through an entire apartment building full of people to solve the mystery at the heart of that story.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this miniseries even if each story arc is a bit rushed. If you are looking for some less fantastical Batman reading than the normal fare, this is a book for you.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/48nIbUA

 

Some of this I read by way of the Hoopla App through the Dallas Public Library System and some by way of the DC Universe Infinite App.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Absolute Flash Vol 1: Of Two Worlds by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles (Illustrator)

 

Absolute Flash Vol 1: Of Two Worlds by Jeff Lemire and Nick Robles (Illustrator) is a read in the Absolute Universe where The Flash is reimagined. In this universe, the legacy of The Flash is gone, there is no speed force, and Wally is on his own. After an accident at a government facility military brat Wally West became a speedster. Feeling overwhelmed by these new powers and dealing with the loss of his mother he went on the run. The government is going to track him down and bring him back. They want his powers at any cost. His father thinks he can control the situation and protect his son.  Of course, the government does not care about the boy. They just want his powers at any cost. They will bring him in either alive or dead.

 

The art is excellent. It’s also nice to read a Jeff Lemire title in the DC universe again. I like his writing, but he is mostly doing indie horror comics now, and I am just not a horror guy. I really like this new version of Grodd that is introduced in this volume. The Rogues are now government operatives instead of just bank robbers. They are now “the good guys” instead of the bad guys. This series will continue with Absolute Flash Vol 2: Still Point.

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4c2z2DF

 

 

I read the eBook copy of this through the DC Universe Infinite App.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2026

Scott's Take: Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age by Andy Diggle and Leandro Fernández (illustrator)

 

Batman: Gotham by Gaslight - The Kryptonian Age by Andy Diggle and  Leandro Fernández (illustrator) is a book that is a sequel to the original Batman: Gotham by Gaslight, which I have not read, but I did not have any trouble following this read. This was originally supposed to be a 12-issue series but instead was turned into to two six issue series. The second series will be called Gotham by Gaslight – A league For Justice.  I read this in one sitting through the DC Universe Infinite app.

 

A lot of this story is setup for the next series so questions are raised without real answers and it all ends abruptly. This elseworld tale set sometime in the 1800s has Batman investigating the Kryptonian age. A lost civilization (Krypton) on Earth that disappeared with very few clues to what happened to them. This period of time is referred to as the Kryptonian age.

 

For some reason, a mysterious group is collecting artifacts from that time and killing anyone who gets in the way. Somehow the artifacts herald the return of the Kryptonian age. That return, somehow, threatens humanity. This tale is told through multiple perspectives and that means that a significant portion of the read is without Batman.

 

There is a wide range of characters involved from Superman (yes, there is somehow a Superman in the 1800s even if the Kryptonians died thousands of years ago), Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, the Suicide Squad, Lois Lane, and others. There is constant shifting between stories. One segment might have John Constatine in England with Queen Elizabeth while another has Adam Strange in somewhere cold looking for a lost city of the Kryptonians while still another has Catwoman trying to steal a relic in a museum.

 

 

I found the story interesting even with the abrupt ending and with so much unexplained. However, the creative team being told sometime while working on it that the series was being broken up into miniseries instead of the original plan definitely played a negative role here for the reader. The art was serviceable. Some pages were way more detailed than others.

 

The sequel, hopefully, will answer these questions. The sequel, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – A League for Justice, is not a horrible title, but maybe they can workshop it and make it better.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4443PLI

 

 

I read this through DC Universe Infinite app.

 

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025

Scott's Take: Batman: Dark Age by Mark Russell, Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist)

 

Batman: Dark Age by Mark Russell, Michael Allred (Artist), Laura Allred (Colorist) are the same creative team that worked on Superman: Space Age. I read this through the DC Universe Infinite app.

 

This is not set on the same earth as Superman: Space Age, but a parallel one in the same multiverse that features the same Pariah.  Some character designs are also similar which is a little confusing. This is a life story of Batman through sometime in the 1900s where he ages in real time. Batman tells this story at a retirement home for people with memory problems. This story covers Batman, his parents murder, serving in Vietnam, being a vigilante, and how he ultimately saved Gotham.

 

The art remains the same as Superman: Space Age. Overall, pretty good. The story is well told, but I feel like this one could have used a few more issues to flesh out. A few more pages would have helped add detail to the twist ending. I liked the Superman read more, but this is still pretty good overall. The cast is large, but a lot of characters do not make an appearance. Some that do appear are not explored much at all.

 

I also think it would have flowed better if the DC Infinite app did not take so long to put each issue up. The wait between issues made then feel more disconnected as one had to wait months between issues.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/4dVNcW0

  

I read this through DC Universe Infinite app.

 

Scott A. Tipple ©2025