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This DC Comic is a Perfect Alternative to Absolute Batman (And Is Actually a Better Batman Story)
There is no denying that Absolute Batman is one of the best things to happen to DC Comics in ages. The alternative universe take on Batman as well as just about every character in his expansive mythos has not only captured reader imagination like little else before it, but it’s been a smash hit in terms of sales and doesn’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. There’s a good reason for that. Absolute Batman has given readers something fresh and, in many ways entirely new when it comes to one of DC’s most prolifically written characters and it’s a pretty solid read, too.
But while Absolute Batman is good, that particular gritty alternative take on Batman and the DC Universe on the whole isn’t for everyone. For some, they can acknowledge the quality of Absolute Batman while also finding it not to be their taste—there are plenty of valid criticisms about how that book relies too much on juicing up various characters until they are caricatures, if we’re being fair. Fortunately, there’s another really great and dramatically different Batman story for those readers and it might just be better than Absolute Batman. It’s Dark Patterns.
Batman: Dark Patterns Is a Horror-Toned Return to Form for the Dark Knight
Written by Dan Watters with art by Hayden Sherman, Batman: Dark Patterns isn’t exactly a unique take on Batman. The book is set in the early days of Batman’s vigilante career and digs into some of his earlier, more detective stories. It has flavors of mystery and noir and an intriguing darkness to it—something we’ve seen before in stories like The Long Halloween. However, what makes Dark Patterns different is that the stories that this Batman is trying to solve are devoid of supernatural elements or even outlandish ones and instead is very focused on Batman’s efforts to solve crimes with the goal of bettering Gotham.
It’s an approach that works brilliantly and lets Batman shine as a more street-level character than he’s been in years. Sure, you can point out that Absolute Batman is also a street-level take on the hero, but there is something larger than life about that whole story (this isn’t a criticism; Swole Batman is literally huge.) But Dark Patterns Batman has a humanity that feels a little fragile at time, a little raw. This is a Batman that is still connected to his feelings. The darkness and the horror comes from the mysteries themselves, rather than Batman.
The Series Requires No Established Knowledge of Batman Lore to Succeed
The best thing about Dark Patterns, however, is that it is a story that stands entirely on its own. If you were an absolute beginner when it comes to comic and had never even heard of Batman, you could pick up Dark Patterns and feel at home. And, you wouldn’t even have to start at the beginning of the series. Dark Patterns is actually a collection of four, separate and self-contained mysteries that have a beginning, middle, and end all their own. The stories do connect in the large scale, but you don’t have to keep up with one to fully enjoy and follow another.
The connective tissue, however, might just be one of the greatest turns in comics. Watters brilliantly makes the city of Gotham a character all its own, as the mysteries Batman takes on are all rooted in the city’s trauma. This is something of a unique approach to Batman stories. We typically look at Batman stories and mysteries as the sum of the characters within them and their traumas and experiences. We don’t often think about Gotham itself being as much a victim of the decay as its residents. By giving the city its own reverence in the limited series, the result is something that feels a little revolutionary It’s Batman, but it’s also different.
Dark Patterns is For Readers Who Want Something Different From Batman (But Something That’s Familiar, Too)
Ultimately, what makes Dark Patterns one of the best Batman books ever done is that it delivers on being different and familiar at the same time. Like Absolute Batman, this is a version of the Dark Knight that feels a little different than how we have come to know and appreciate him. But unlike Absolute Batman, this Dark Knight feels realistic and grounded and deeply multifaceted. The Batman of Dark Patterns is one you learn something new about each time you read the stories. It’s an all-time classic and if Absolute Batman isn’t your thing, this is the series you need to check out.
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