Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 Comic Book Review

by Adam Koppel July 17, 2025

written by Adam Koppel

In this review of Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41, who’s ready for a tension headache? Bizarro World returns, but this time the quaint backwards planet resembles a gothic house of horrors with our heroes in the middle.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 main cover by Dan Mora (DC Comics)

BATMAN/SUPERMAN: WORLD’S FINEST #41
Written: MARK WAID
Art: ADRIÁN GUTIÉRREZ
Main Cover: DAN MORA
Variant Covers: MICHAEL CHO, ADRIÁN GUTIÉRREZ, DOALY
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date July 16, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 begins with a scene familiar to many horror fans as a panicked Robin (Dick Grayson) is chased through a dark forest at night by multiple Bizarros. This time, Bizarro World isn’t sad or funny, just terrifying. Robin’s acrobatic skills keep him one step ahead of the various horrors he encounters in a local suburban neighborhood, but he still has no idea how he arrived here.

Batman tracks Robin to a horror house with a crying Bizarro, startling the already frazzled teenage hero. In true Batman fashion, the Dark Knight chides his partner about not keeping his guard up, but Robin isn’t in the mood for a lecture during this particular crisis moment. The pair head outside, and from above, a flock (?) of angry Bizarro Supermen descend towards them at super speed. Superman appears, running interference and shepherding the Dynamic Duo to safety (in what looks like an upside down barn on the Bizarro Kent farm?)

Batman explains to the justifiably freaked-out Robin that when they were at Superman’s Fortress of Solitude, a mysterious portal opened and whisked them all away to Bizarro World. (Robin was looking at the bottled city of Kandor and thus did not see the portal when he got pulled through). Robin pleads for Superman to send them back, but the Man of Steel explains that Bizarro World’s constant shifting through space makes it impossible for him to find a point of reference.

Batman muses over the identity of the culprit who sent them to Bizarro World, noting that some of the Bizarros were acting stranger than normal. Cut to downtown as a brawl erupts between dozens of Bizarro Supermen, some of whom ARE NOT SPEAKING BACKWARDS. Batman rescues one Bizarro woman from the chaos, while Superman and Robin save Bizarro Jimmy Olsen, who explains that a contagion spreading through the community is resetting the Bizarros’ thoughts and speech to normal.

Batman deduces that the Bizarro Supermen must have come from the old duplication ray that created the original Bizarro (copies of a copy), so he and Robin track down the machine, while Superman heads into space looking for nearby Kryptonite. Batman activates the ray, targeting the giant chunk of Green K that Superman sends hurtling towards them. The beam hits the meteor, transforming it into Blue Kryptonite, which repels the Bizarros.

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 ends as Batman, Superman and Robin infiltrate the Bizarro Batcave, and are greeted by the the original Bizarro and Batzarro, both speaking normally.

Analysis

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 is another enjoyable entry in this acclaimed series. Leave it to comics historian Mark Waid (writer of the current “History of the DC Universe” series) to update Bizarro World for modern readers, while honoring established DC Comics lore. The brilliance of dropping readers (and one freaked out Robin) into classic horror movie tropes (with a decidedly Bizarro twist), is immediately engaging.

Waid’s witty dialogue explores how each hero responds to this unsettling situation, (and to each other), and his scripting shows them to be heroes at their core, even in unfamiliar circumstances by saving the “cured” Bizarros. Batman Superman: World’s Finest #41 moves at a brisk pace, and Waid’s writing informs readers “on the run” as it were, (with Robin as our surrogate).

Bizarro stories aren’t for everyone; I’ve always been drawn to the tragic/heroic side of Bizarro (see: John Byrne’s classic Man of Steel #5), rather than the frustrating, backwards-speaking goofy Superman duplicate, so the horror elements and the humanity of the “infected” Bizarros in Batman Superman: World’s Finest #41 works well.

Artist Adrian Gutierrez continues to do masterful work on this series, beginning with the near wordless three-page horror movie-inspired cold open. Gutierrez’s talents are on full display with the various action sequences (that Bizarro Superman brawl), and numerous sight gags (see Robin inspecting the bottled city of Kandor, the headless Bizarro, and the bulky Bizarro Jimmy Olsen).

Final Thoughts

Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #41 is another winner for World’s Finest fans, even for those with little to no knowledge of Bizarro World, or classic Silver Age Superman. Fun, funny, fresh, thrilling and gorgeous to look at.

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #41

Final Thoughts

Batman/Superman: World's Finest #41 is another winner for World's Finest fans, even for those with little to no knowledge of Bizarro World, or classic Silver Age Superman. Fun, funny, fresh, thrilling and gorgeous to look at.

4.8

Final Score

July 17, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 Comic Review

by Gareth Turner July 16, 2025

written by Gareth Turner

In this review of Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2, a young Jason Todd struggles to relate to his surrogate Bat-family while a mysterious outsider sparks his interest.

Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 main cover by Dustin Nguyen (DC Comics)

ROBIN & BATMAN: JASON TODD #2
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and Main Cover: DUSTIN NGUYEN
Variant Covers: RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE, GUILLEM MARCH, CHRISTOPHER MITTEN
Page Count: 40 pages
Release Date: July 16, 2025

This comic book review contains spoilers

The Story

Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #1 ended with Jason Todd/Robin chasing after a d-list villain called “Cuckoo.” That’s right, we’re back in the mid-1980s young Jason era. As Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 begins, Batman finds Robin standing over Cuckoo dead in a puddle of blood, but it was actually a masked vigilante named “Wraith” who pulled the trigger. Batman pursues him but Wraith gets away. Jason accuses Batman of thinking he was the one that committed the murder.

Back at the cave, Bruce and Alfred discuss whether Jason is emotionally equipped to be Robin. Meanwhile, Jason has a nightmare in which he relives his encounter with Wraith. After killing Cuckoo, Wraith told Jason that he felt a kinship with him and that Batman is holding him back before slipping him a note with his address.

That afternoon, Batman recruits Dick Grayson/Nightwing to spend some quality big-brother time with Jason, and give his impression. The hangout starts well, with them knocking out Firefly and his henchmen on a nightly patrol, but later Dick’s invitation for Jason to join the Titans backfires when Jason accuses both him and Batman of not taking the “mission” seriously enough. Dick gives Bruce a progress report. He says Jason isn’t like either of them, but that they should give him the space to become who he wants to be.

Finally, Jason meets up with Wraith at the address he shared. Wraith espouses a worldview that should sound very familiar to fans of Jason Todd’s adult persona: Gotham is getting worse and Batman isn’t doing enough to stop it. Lethal force is necessary. Jason and Wraith go swinging into the night.

(Image Credit: DC Comics)

Analysis

When I first saw the title of this book, I really didn’t know what to expect. Jason Todd has been a character that DC has tried just about everything with and his name on a cover has historically been associated with a huge variability in quality. But immediately I was relieved to see that this was truly a Robin story, written as if it was plucked right out of that ominous late 80s run leading up to A Death in the Family. I just love being in this time period. I love Nightwing’s 80’s pop-collar and open chest outfit, I love Bruce’s fleeting time of semi-optimism, I love it all.

In this series’ first issue, I was a little unsure of Jeff Lemire’s writing especially for Alfred, who seemed ready to drop Jason right back off at Ma Gunn’s School for Boys. But in Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 he concedes that he may have been too harsh, and there’s a wholesome charm to the Bat-family at this stage with Bruce and Alfred teaming up as surrogate parents and Dick acting as an experienced older sibling coming back from college (or in this case Titan’s tower) to try and bond with Jason.

There was a meme that went viral on Reddit a couple years ago that said “Jason Todd as Robin [originally]: golden retriever, Jason Todd as Robin in flashbacks: werewolf.” This comic is the epitome of that concept, but that’s just how mythology works. They’re never going to do a Jason Todd as Robin story and write him exactly like Max Allan Collins, it’s just not going to happen. And it really doesn’t need to. The version of Jason Todd that became iconic is the one Jim Starlin hinted at in Batman #424 and Judd Winick solidified in Batman #635.

The jury’s still out on Wraith for me. He looks like Jim Lee’s “Grifter” if he was the villain in a Wes Craven movie. Some fans may be annoyed that he’s just a proto-Red Hood, and I get that. The idea that Jason just stole his entire ideology from some hereto unseen vigilante instead of coming to his ideas independently based on, y’know, everything that happens to him does remove a lot of agency from the character. But taken for what it is, I’m enjoying this story in isolation. Clearly there is a mystery surrounding Wraith’s identity so I’ll withhold judgment until I know exactly what Jeff Lemire is doing.

I feel such a melancholic nostalgia reading Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 with most of it due to Dustin Nguyen. He captures the feeling of casting back to a foregone time perfectly. His art in this book is like memory put to color. I can barely put into words how much I love the look of this book. The canvas texture, the watercolors. It’s like the flashbacks from 2002’s Hush but for an entire comic. It may not look exactly like the Jim Aparo era in which it’s set, but it looks like how it felt to read those comics as a kid. It has the lingering optimism of the Bronze Age and the foreboding of what’s to come. This is my favorite comic art in I don’t know how long.

Final Thoughts

Robin & Batman: Jason Todd #2 is everything I wanted it to be. It’s nostalgic and eye-meltingly gorgeous. Dustin Nguyen has done something truly inventive and unique with this art, and I can’t wait to see more. A few narrative quibbles aside, this is a huge recommendation from me.

Robin And Batman: Jason Todd #2

Final Thoughts

This comic is everything I wanted it to be. It’s nostalgic and eye-meltingly gorgeous. Dustin Nguyen has done something truly inventive and unique with this art, and I can’t wait to see more. A few narrative quibbles aside, this is a huge recommendation from me.

4.5

Final Score

July 16, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Comic Book Review: Nightwing #128

by Ian Miller July 16, 2025

written by Ian Miller

In this review of Nightwing #128, Nightwing faces many versions of himself in the 5th dimensional mutation of Titans Tower.

Nightwing #128 main cover by Dexter Soy (DC Comics)

NIGHTWING #128
Writer: DAN WATTERS
Art and Main Cover: DEXTER SOY
Variant Covers: JORGE FORNÉS, JUAN FERREYRA, MARCIO TAKARA, SERG ACUÑA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 16, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Nightwing #128 begins as Oliva gives her Spheric troops 24 hours until they go into the 5th Dimensional Titans Goop Tower Kappa rays blazing, as Nite-Mite calls for Nightwing to save him.

The dark hero Nightwing of Kandor, a Kryptonian, patrols his planet Titanis, and discovers Nightwing, who has walked through the front door. He rescues him from fighting phantoms of Nightwing’s past – Deathwing and Discowing.

Commissioner Maggie Sawyer visits Mayor Melinda Grayson-Lin, who has just woken up, and they argue about whether trusting Nightwing without any evidence is good city policy.

After evading “sketchy archers”, which Dick recognizes as his childhood drawings of Robin Hood, Nightwing of Kandor betrays Dick to “keep the peace” by trying to feed him to the monster mutation of his dog.

Analysis

The first issue of this arc combined Dan Watters’s love of horror with Nightwing’s recent history of gaining Nite-Mite as a supporting character in a reasonably efficient, clever way. However, Nightwing #128 is padded with pointlessly long fights, character decisions that are either arbitrary plot convenience or thunderingly obvious and annoying, and continued vamping on the villains being scary without actually giving any new information.

In the category of “arbitrary character choices”, why does our Spheric/Zanni villainess Oliva need to give Nightwing 24 hours? That feels like pure villain nonsense. Why is Maggie Sawyer wrong that the mayor of a city cannot base city policy decisions on unsupported assertion by a superhero? That’s just nonsense. The delay of revealing more about Oliva herself also baffles me – I get that we can’t get into the Dragon Knight for the Big Bad too soon – but that just means you shouldn’t have revealed her as the Dragon so soon! This is Heartless all over again – the villain keeps wandering around doing horrible stuff, but you learn nothing about them and the hero makes zero progress fighting them because it’s not time in the story to do so yet. It’s extremely inorganic and leads to a completely arbitrary feeling about the importance and threat from the villains.

To add to this arbitrary feeling, we have 6 pages of Nightwing fighting apparitions of previous villains that DOES NOT MATTER because we know they won’t win and since they’re obviously apparitions, there’s nothing at stake in the fight. SIX WASTED PAGES – Dexter Soy and Veronica Gandini make the fights look good, but there’s absolutely no point except to use up space in this padded second chapter of an arc that’s seriously threatening to reveal itself as a two parter flattened into more issues for the trade.

On a more positive note, on a structural level this issue is a step up from the first, where I felt the single POV from Nightwing seriously made the pacing poor. The Maggie POV really helps give Bludhaven and the narrative overall feel like it’s not just Dick Grayson, so hopefully that will continue to give the book structural depth and pacing strength.

Dexter Soy’s main cover for Nightwing #128 shows Nightwing entering the “Tower of Terror” – offering no really new visuals, but nicely reflecting what actually happens in the issue. Jorge Fornes’s variant emphasizes design again, with an extreme “NIGHTWING” in wacky font surrounding Dick’s head light a dark red halo. Juan Ferreyra’s variant shows half of Nightwing’s face and torso in the rain, with very nice rain droplet effects! Poison Ivy artist Marcio Takara’s Gotham City Sirens variant features Nightwing tied up by Poison Ivy’s vines as Selina and Harley look on in amusement – nothing super original, but beautifully rendered as always by Takara. Serg Acuna’s 1 in 25 incentive variant features Nightwing surrounded by dragons and other mythical beasts, looking up at the reader – very creative, but a bit puzzling as to inspiration.

Let me know what you think on twitter @ibmmiller, or join the conversation in our Discord!

Final Thoughts

Solid art can’t save this padded thin entry of a chapter – hopefully next issue offers a LOT more meat.

Nightwing #128

Final Thoughts

Solid art can’t save this padded thin entry of a chapter - hopefully next issue offers a LOT more meat.

2.5

Final Score

Support TBU by Purchasing from our Affiliates

Amazon

My Comic Shop

July 16, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Comic Review: Detective Comics #1099

by Adam Koppel July 16, 2025

written by Adam Koppel

In this review of Detective Comics #1099, Elixir’s mastermind is finally revealed (and it’s not who you think), as the mystery organization targets Batman, Penguin and Harvey Bullock for execution, (good thing Bats brought along his bulletproof cape).

Detective Comics #1099 main cover by Mikel Janín (DC Comics)

DETECTIVE COMICS #1099
Written by TOM TAYLOR
Art by LEE GARBETT
Main Cover: MIKEL JANÍN
Variant Covers: GUILLEM MARCH, CHRIS STEVENS, JAE LEE, ASHLEY WOOD
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 16, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Detective Comics #1099 finds Batman, Harvey Bullock and Oswald Cobblepot (Penguin) under heavy fire from Elixir’s private militia after rescuing Harvey in Pokolistan. Batman deploys his large, bulletproof cape to shield everyone (including the people who tortured Harvey) as Oswald reluctantly drags the others to safety.

Lead Elixir agent Ambrose orders his men to press the attack, but Batman creates a distraction and escapes, proceeding to wreak havoc on the Elixir compound. Ambrose and his men scatter amid the chaos, and Oswald gets the drop on Ambrose (with a little help).

Soon after, Batman and the others hole up in the ravaged Elixir compound, while Harvey concocts a plan to trick the captured Ambrose into talking (by scaring the hell out of him) after getting Batman to leave the room. Later, Batman returns (heh), to find that Oswald and Harvey have learned the secrets of Elixir (LXR) from a shaken Ambrose.

Ambrose leads the group down to where the head of Elixir is hiding in an underground bunker (of all places), and it does not go well. Upon breaching the armored door, Batman, Harvey and Oswald brace themselves for a fight, but are greeted by an unexpected sight and are notably unimpressed.

Detective Comics #1099 ends with Batman promising the downfall of Elixir.

Elixir obviously doesn’t know who they are messing with… (DC Comics)

Analysis

Detective Comics #1099 wraps up the “Elixir” story arc with a rushed finale that condenses a story that needed a little more breathing room to feel complete, while also squandering what seemed like the start of a bigger, ongoing threat from Elixir. Also, a key supporting character is missing after playing an important role in the first two chapters.

Tom Taylor’s scripting in Detective Comics #1099 is taut, thrilling and at times funny, but it still feels as if he is just ticking off boxes to end the arc before next month’s issue #1100 (which is a big deal). Elixir had a brilliant set up going back to the beginning of Taylor’s run, so it’s baffling why story ended so abruptly, rendering a menacing villain toothless without sufficient explanation.

The hint of big things to come from Elixir’s longtime manipulation Gotham City, their decades of influence in world events, a connection to a classic Bat-Villain, paranoia over exposure, and Ambrose’s ruthless quest to maintain his grip on power were rife with story potential. Also it would be interesting to see how Gotham’s own Court of Owls reacted to another clandestine group horning in on their territory.

There is still a lot to like in Detective Comics #1099, it just feels incomplete, (but even an uneven Tom Taylor story is still a good read). Is it possible that the twist reveal of the so-called big bad was illustrating the manipulative tactics used to keep the masses scared and compliant, (I’m trying my hardest to avoid a “man behind the curtain” reference, but there it is).

Taylor provides Batman’s inner monologue as a step-by-step battle plan with little insight, (save for Batman recognizing the indicators for sociopathic behavior in others).

Guest artist Lee Garbett (Shadecraft) wraps up the arc with a mix of gun-toting action (picture that epic scene from “The Batman” movie for context), and a back half consisting mostly of talking heads, a shocking twist, and some welcome sight gags.

Garbett’s sketchy style adds a lived-in feel to the grittier parts of this story. However, while some of his layouts are thrilling, others unfortunately fall flat. Garbett’s Batman is impressive though: large, imposing and constantly cloaked in shadow. Also, the composition of the characters in that splash page with the creator credits is impactful.

Final Thoughts

While Detective Comics #1099 provides a rushed ending to a story that had the potential for a bigger impact on Gotham City, overall, the issue still works as part of an enjoyable mismatched ensemble action comedy.

Detective Comcis #1098

Final Thoughts

Final Score

Support TBU by Purchasing from our Affiliates

Amazon

My Comic Shop

July 16, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Batman & Robin: Year One #9 Comic Book Review

by D.M. Grant July 12, 2025

written by D.M. Grant

In this review of Batman & Robin: Year One #9, as the battle for Gotham intensifies between the crime families, Grimaldi and Clayface, a major player is taken off the board!

Batman & Robin: Year One #9 main cover by Chris Samnee (DC Comics)

BATMAN & ROBIN: YEAR ONE #9
Written by MARK WAID and CHRIS SAMNEE
Art and Main Cover: CHRIS SAMNEE
Variant Covers: JUNI BA, FRANK QUITELY, REBEKAH ISAACS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 16, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Batman & Robin: Year One #9 begins as the various Gotham crime families have all recognized that General Grimaldi is using the villain Clayface to upend their operations. Together, the Falcone, Giacomo and Thorne families have pooled their resources in order to bring in the best assassins in town and take Grimaldi out. Unfortunately, the General has one-upped them, turning his men in a crude imitation of Monster Men infused with Clayface DNA. Batman and Robin arrive on the scene and a fight breaks out, but before long one of the assassins triggers an explosion, of which the Dynamic Duo barely escape.

On the ride home, Batman notices Robin is unusually quiet, and asks Alfred to check on him while he attends a business function later that evening. Alfred inquires, telling Dick he’s found out that that day is the late Mary Grayson’s birthday. Dick tries not to cry at first, but then releases all of his emotions into Alfred’s arms.

Grimaldi’s men inform him that they’ve gone through the stolen police file on the suspects of Batman’s identity. Unsatisfied, Grimaldi suddenly recalls a slang term Robin threw out when he was in their capture – “slall”. Quickly, Grimaldi searches online and learns of Dick Grayson’s parents’ murder and his adoption by Bruce Wayne. Just as he starts to put two and two together, he’s impaled from behind by his father, whose hands have morphed into giant knives. This is of course Clayface, who’s also dispatched of Grimaldi’s father as well. With the two men dead, the Grimaldi crime family is now secretly under the control of Clayface and Two-Face.

Analysis

Another issue, another small moment of character introspection and missed opportunity when it comes to examining Dick Grayson’s emotional interior. The whole issue of his silence as Robin and the reason behind it could’ve been a lot more effective had we been made privy to it before Batman and Alfred were. As it was, Robin was perfectly quippy during the battle with the Monster Men, and we don’t know anything’s wrong until Batman brings up that he usually says more. Then, at home, he runs off and the focus turns to Alfred talking to him. It’s all not bad writing, but again – I feel that Robin’s mental and emotional development should be far more centered than it is. His mother’s birthday could’ve been something to hint at or lead up to, bringing out the fact that Dick’s slowly getting used to the fact of his parents’ deaths.

It’s a development that could’ve been better, but Batman & Robin: Year One #9 did surprise me with its surprise death at the very end. Grimaldi was circling the drain in terms of dimension, and there was only so many times Waid could give us a scene of him bragging about his intelligence to his paraplegic father. That he was not only killed (the moment he found out Batman and Robin’s secret identities, which is a classic trope), but killed by the image of his abused father was great irony, and truly surprising.

The story has been intimating that Grimaldi’s out of his depth when dealing with a city like Gotham that inhabits freaks and psychopaths, and the “Face” duo have been conspiring in the background. But this wasn’t telegraphed at all, yet it hits at just the right time. Now that Grimaldi’s gone, Batman and Robin will have to really put their detective skills to the test to figure out who’s behind the new crime wave, even though they’ve already encountered Two-Face and Clayface in this series before.

Batman & Robin: Year One #9 was a B&R Year One issue by numbers until the end with Grimaldi’s death. That bumped it up for me. Excited to see what happens next.

*One final note: Carmine Falcone is still alive in this history, meaning that The Long Halloween is not out of continuity? Questions for later.

Batman and Robin: Year One #9

Final Thoughts

Batman & Robin: Year One #9 was a B&R Year One issue by numbers until the end with Grimaldi's death. That bumped it up for me. Excited to see what happens next.

3.5

Final Score

July 12, 2025 0 comments

The Batman Universe Comic Podcast

The Batman Universe Comic Podcast: Season 17 Episode 13

by Theodis Wright July 12, 2025

written by Theodis Wright

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

The Batman Universe Comic Podcast Season 17 Episode 13 is live on your favorite platforms. After some news Theo gives some brief thoughts on his experience watching James Gunn’s Superman earlier in the week. Next, we get in our reviews. Steph and Theo do a full review of only one issue – Batman and Robin #23. After that, they have fun with Greater Gotham.

We regret to inform you that the Memento storyline is STILL going on. However, our host are more amicable to where things are going, especially considering we seem to be nearing the end. And who cannot love our podcast cover for this week. Listen in and find out their thoughts.

And just because…

alternative podcast cover for season 17 episode 13

Would you like one…?

Books Covered In Season 17 Episode 13

Batman and Robin #23

Greater Gotham Titles

Batgirl #9
Birds of Prey #23
Batman ’89: Echoes #6
Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #1
Batman: Dark Patterns #8
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight – A League for Justice #1
Gotham City Sirens: Unfit for Orbit #2
Trinity: Daughter of Wonder Woman #2

Follow The Batman Universe

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/BatmanUniverse
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebatmanuniverse/
Discord: https://discord.gg/sKZncrm
BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/batmanuniverse.bsky.social

July 12, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Batman: Dark Patterns #8 Comic Review

by BJ Shea July 10, 2025

written by BJ Shea

In this review of Batman: Dark Patterns #8, Batman close in on solving mystery of the female victim’s death. Little does he know that the Rookery has plans for him.

Batman: Dark Patterns #8 main cover by Hayden Sherman (DC Comics)

BATMAN: DARK PATTERNS #8
Written by DAN WATTERS
Art and Main Cover: HAYDEN SHERMAN
Variant Cover: MARTIN SIMMONDS
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Batman: Dark Patterns #8 opens with Batman on a tear through Gotham City and taking down meaningless hoods while searching for the Red Hood Gang and for whoever killed a woman in a dryer. Batman is leading the headlines in the newspaper.

Batman meets with Gordon and the forensics expert examining the dead body. Gordon tells Batman that he is taking this case in The Rookery neighborhood too far and they are other cases that deserve his attention. Batman yells back that this case matters and leaves.

Batman then meets Nicky Harris, the reporter writing about him, and tells him the forensics expert, Dr. Sereika has a shady past. While investigating the fire that seems to evoke the memory of the Red Hood Gang, Batman sees two children sneaking around and takes off chasing after them. While chasing after them, Batman comes across a fresh grave.

Batman begins to dig and dig and dig until he comes across a casket. He opens the casket and it is…… empty. While Batman is lamenting about the empty casket, a sniper fires a gun and before Batman can turn around, he is shot in the back.

Batman climbs up the stairs covered in mud and blood and breaks down the door of his shooter. His shooter is an old man in a wheelchair who is a former member of the Red Hood Gang. The old man comments on how Batman is running the Rookery and that is why he shot him. Batman then passes out while the two boys that Batman chased enter the room wearing red hoods.

Word is spreading… But is he wanted? (DC Comics)

Analysis

This was my first time reading Dark Patterns but I have all good things on the internet about. I have heard that it is one of the better Bat books being produced and after reading this issue I can see why.

Obviously I jumped in on the second part of this Red Hood Story but I didn’t feel lost and that is a testament to Watters and his writing. I knew going in that this was early days Batman and street level crime which is refreshing. I like a Batman out there solving mysteries and this is a young Batman so he is going to get too invested in the case. We see that here by snapping at Gordon and getting distracted and catching a bullet in the back.

Batman: Dark Patterns #8 is a pretty brisk read. Not overly wordy and heavy handed which again is a positive to Dan Watters.

I really like the art. I love the way Sherman draws the Bat logo on Batman’s chest. It feels like a crossover between Adam West and Michael Keaton. I also love when artists take the time to draw Batman’s utility belt. Instead of it just being a straight yellow belt with tablets on it, I want to see the pouches and the bat ropes hanging out. It felt like Dan Mora started it and Sherman is keeping it going.

I don’t know where the story will go from here. Is the real villain an old man in a wheelchair with an oxygen tank with his grandkids? I’m sure this is some other twist coming. But as of right now Batman is down and out with a bullet in his upper back. Overall a very fun issue that gives us a non BatGod version of the character who is back to roots with detective work and street level crime.

Batman: Dark Patterns #8

Final Thoughts

Overall a very fun issue that gives us a non BatGod version of the character who is back to roots with detective work and street level crime.

3.8

Final Score

July 10, 2025 0 comments

The Batman Universe Podcast

The Batman Universe Podcast Episode 281: DC Retroactive – Batman

by Ian Miller July 9, 2025

written by Ian Miller

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | RSS

In episode 281 of The Batman Universe Podcast, Ian (@ibmmiller) and BJ (@bjshea33) review DC’s three Retroactive Comics published in 2011 for Batman – the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s! By legendary writers Len Wein, Mike Barr, and Alan Grant, and including art by the stellar Norm Breyfogle, these three books looked back at DC’s history just before the n52 wiped it away for five years. Are they worth reading? What should you expect from them?

For our Bat-Family: If DC were to do Retroactive stories for the 2000s and 2010s, what standalone story and creative team would you like to see return?

Drop us a line at TBU@TheBatmanUniverse.net. As always, if you like this episode, please rate, share, and subscribe on the streaming platform of your preference. It’s a great way to show your support, and it’s quick and easy! Thank you, loyal Bat-fans!

Find past episodes of The Batman Universe Podcast right here.

July 9, 2025 0 comments

Comic Reviews and Editorials

Comic Review: Batman and Robin #23

by Stephanie Mounce July 9, 2025

written by Stephanie Mounce

In this review of Batman and Robin #23, Batman and Lautrec continue their search for Robin, who’s trapped in the grasps of Memento.

Batman and Robin #23 main cover by Carmine Di Giandomenico (DC Comics)

BATMAN AND ROBIN #23
Written by PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON
Art by MIGUEL MENDONÇA
Main Cover: CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO
Variant Covers: JUAN FERREYRA, RAFAEL DE LATORRE, JAY ANACLETO, JOHN McCREA
Page Count: 32 pages
Release Date: July 9, 2025

This review contains spoilers

Batman and Robin #23 begins with Etrigan continuing to show Batman how Crowe’s ritual to summon Memento, who arrives originally in the form of a baby playing with snakes. Nicodemus implores the demon to enter him and give him his power, but instead Memento punishes the Crowe’s hubris by entering his adult son, also at the ritual. This is how Memento tortures his victims – by taking what they hold dearest. Etrigan tells Batman he should have everything he needs to find Robin, and transports Batman and Lautrec to an alley in Gotham.

Below Gotham, Memento is approaching and threatening the Gotham Irregulars who have finally found Robin, who jumps in to defend the kids. Memento says he can’t wait to enter Damian’s body and take his skin. Robin tells the kids to run, but they refuse as they have been tasked with finding Robin. The five of them try to escape.

After getting a call from the Gotham Irregulars’ friends, Batman deduces where Robin is being held. The monster, still following the kids, attacks one of them and Robin swoops in to save them. His inner monologue suggests that he may be accepting that Robin is part of who he is.

Batman and Robin #23 Robin Attacks Memento

(DC Comics)

In the Batmobile, racing to the under-city, Batman is still struggling with his grave digger’s poppy exposure, and sees Alfred talking to him instead of Lautrec on the phone. Alfred asks Bruce what he needs to hear him say. Batman asks if Alfred thinks Damian is scared, dying, and wishing his father was there. Alfred tells him that his father will be there for him, coming to save him.

Batman and Robin #23 Batman and Robin reunite

(DC Comics)

Damian continues to fend off Memento, but eventually, the grotesque monster ensnares him in his clutches. But when all seems lost, Batman explodes from above, diving down to knock Memento out. Batman and Robin have a heartfelt reunion. Memento manages to escape, and Robin shares that he believes he saw Atticus Blye alive. Just then Professor Blye’s voice carries throughout the city, telling “young jack”, Katherine, and the boys that they should have stayed away. Damian says he’ll get the Irregulars out and then come back to help.

Meanwhile, Katherine Lautrec is searching the alleys, and finds Eddie Burroughs, who is brain addled and calling Memento Mori. Batman, looking for Memento, finds Eddie over Katherine’s unconscious body, having hit her in the head with a sledge hammer. Batman is enraged and doesn’t notice Memento behind him. Batman and Robin #23 ends with Batman and Katherine waking up, tied to a lamppost with Memento claiming their dead bodies will be his gift to Robin before he claims him.

(DC Comics)

Summary

Let’s start with the positives. The reunion was fantastic. I loved it. The immediate apologies, the forgiveness, the embracing. I loved it. Batman acknowledges that he should have had faith and believed in Robin. I also enjoyed the creepiness of the backstory of Memento’s entry into the world. It’s not normally my cup of tea, but it was still interesting. I also appreciated that Damian is facing his fears (in the form of the flashbacks before saving one of the Irregulars from Memento) and embracing that Robin is part of who he is. I still am enjoying the Irregulars and their bravery. They’re pretty self sufficient kids. The art in this issue, while not amazing, is still very serviceable, and more or less consistent. Dead Alfred is a little creepy, but it’s nice seeing that even in nightmare form, Alfred is still the nurturing father figure.

The negatives. This is a a little rough, as the major complaints I have are from earlier issues. Batman’s lack of faith in Damian, the way he was speaking about him behind his back was deplorable. I’m glad Batman is apologizing, but that characterization of him is horrible. Batman and Robin also appear to be exposed to the Gravedigger’s Poppy, which in itself is fine, except we’ve recently had Ram V on Detective Comics where Batman spent almost the entire run on drugs there as well. And this “Robin doubting himself” plot line has been done to death, and we are reliving it right after finishing up the last such arc.

So all things considered, for the issue itself, I have to confess I did enjoy it, and overall the story is getting better, redeeming itself slightly from the unfortunate foundation it started from.

Batman and Robin #23

Final Thoughts

So all things considered, for the issue itself, I have to confess I did enjoy it, and overall the story is getting better, redeeming itself slightly from the unfortunate foundation it started from.

3.7

Final Score

July 9, 2025 0 comments

Previews

DC Comics Preview: Batman and Robin #23

by Theodis Wright July 7, 2025

written by Theodis Wright

In this preview of Batman and Robin #23, Damian in the clutches of Memento! Deep under Gotham City lies a subterranean echo of a lost time. This abandoned world has lain uninhabited for decades… until tonight. Now, Damian Wayne is the sole human resident of these abandoned catacombs… imprisoned by the entity known only as Memento. A father is desperate to track down his son, but will Batman be able to descend into the bowels of the city in time to save Robin? Or will the Dark Knight’s mind spiral into madness first?

Enjoy this preview of Batman and Robin #23, provided by DC Comics. And check back here at The Batman Universe later next week to see our review of the issue.

Preview of Batman and Robin #23 Covers

1of5

July 7, 2025 0 comments

Newer Posts

Older Posts