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Batman by James Tynion IV
Batman, Vol. 1: Their Dark Designs
Beginning a whole new chapter in the life of the Dark Knight, the epic art team of Tony S. Daniel and Danny Miki are joined by new series writer James Tynion IV!
It's a new day in Gotham City, but not the same old Batman. With Bane vanquished and one of his longtime allies gone, Batman has to start picking up the pieces and stepping up his game. Batman has a new plan for Gotham City, but he's not the only one. Deathstroke has returned as well, under a mysterious new contract that could change everything.
Collects Batman #85–94, Batman Secret Files #3 (9 Issues)
It's a new day in Gotham City, but not the same old Batman. With Bane vanquished and one of his longtime allies gone, Batman has to start picking up the pieces and stepping up his game. Batman has a new plan for Gotham City, but he's not the only one. Deathstroke has returned as well, under a mysterious new contract that could change everything.
Collects Batman #85–94, Batman Secret Files #3 (9 Issues)
264 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2020
301 people are currently reading
802 people want to read
About the author
James Tynion IV
1,641 books1,984 followersPrior to his first professional work, Tynion was a student of Scott Snyder's at Sarah Lawrence College. A few years later, he worked as for Vertigo as Fables editor Shelly Bond's intern. In late 2011, with DC deciding to give Batman (written by Snyder) a back up feature, Tynion was brought in by request of Snyder to script the back ups he had plotted. Tynion would later do the same with the Batman Annual #1, which was also co-plotted by Snyder. Beginning in September 2012, with DC's 0 issue month for the New 52, Tynion will be writing Talon, with art by Guillem March. In early 2013 it was announced that he'd take over writing duties for Red Hood and the Outlaws in April.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Tynion is also currently one of the writers in a rotating team in the weekly Batman Eternal series.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 252 reviews
May 5, 2021
3.5 stars
While I can't say I absolutely loved it, it's also only the 1st volume of Tynion's run. I didn't finish it in 1 or even 2 sittings, but I also didn't dread having to pick it up.
Who's to say how much it's going to grow on me in the future?
Tynion takes off right where King ended things, with Batman and Catwoman still a couple and Alfred still as dead as a doornail. While I still can't really appreciate not having Alfred around, I will say that I'm glad Tynion didn't try to fuck with the Bat/Cat partnership.
The gist is that SOMEONE is out to get Batman and they've got twisty plans upon twisty plans that are wrapped outside another set of ingenious twisty plans and twisted together with an explosive ribbon.
So who's the bad guy?!
I'm not telling.
But at least it wasn't Bruce being harrassed by the Joker and losing his fortune...again.
Anyway.
On to the next volume!
While I can't say I absolutely loved it, it's also only the 1st volume of Tynion's run. I didn't finish it in 1 or even 2 sittings, but I also didn't dread having to pick it up.
Who's to say how much it's going to grow on me in the future?
Tynion takes off right where King ended things, with Batman and Catwoman still a couple and Alfred still as dead as a doornail. While I still can't really appreciate not having Alfred around, I will say that I'm glad Tynion didn't try to fuck with the Bat/Cat partnership.
The gist is that SOMEONE is out to get Batman and they've got twisty plans upon twisty plans that are wrapped outside another set of ingenious twisty plans and twisted together with an explosive ribbon.
So who's the bad guy?!
I'm not telling.
But at least it wasn't Bruce being harrassed by the Joker and losing his fortune...again.
Anyway.
On to the next volume!
January 22, 2025
Wow, I thought things were going to calm down. Was I ever wrong!
It is a new Gotham. After the events of the City of Bane, Gotham, Batman/Bruce, and the whole Bat family, they have been rocked to their foundations like never before. Now, round two is an earthquake.
A plan made years in advance, by a criminal mastermind with the help of some of Gotham's top villains at the time, have been put into motion. Even the villains involved are running scarred. The devil is in the details.
I like the fact that Batman/Bruce is taking a different direction after what he has been through and lost. What he will realise is that he still has more to lose. The dynamic has also needed to change as part of the loss.
It's an epic start to this story arc. I can't wait for the next part. Great story and artwork. Every chapter starts with an issue cover, and then there is a varient cover gallery at the end.
It is a new Gotham. After the events of the City of Bane, Gotham, Batman/Bruce, and the whole Bat family, they have been rocked to their foundations like never before. Now, round two is an earthquake.
A plan made years in advance, by a criminal mastermind with the help of some of Gotham's top villains at the time, have been put into motion. Even the villains involved are running scarred. The devil is in the details.
I like the fact that Batman/Bruce is taking a different direction after what he has been through and lost. What he will realise is that he still has more to lose. The dynamic has also needed to change as part of the loss.
It's an epic start to this story arc. I can't wait for the next part. Great story and artwork. Every chapter starts with an issue cover, and then there is a varient cover gallery at the end.
March 29, 2021
Batman finds himself under siege from new villains and old as five world-class assassins headed up by Deathstroke arrive to wreak havoc in Gotham, while Riddler, Penguin and Joker ally under the mysterious Designer who has some dark designs for the Dark Knight…
Back when Scott Snyder was wrapping up his Batman run, I was wary of Tom King taking over the title because, up until then, I hadn’t read anything of his that was much good. So I was very surprised and delighted that King’s Batman run turned out to be one of the greatest ever with numerous excellent books added to the Batman canon.
I had deja vu recently when I heard James Tynion IV was taking over Batman from King. I’ve never read a good Tynion comic before and I wasn’t convinced his Batman would be anywhere near as high quality as King’s was. The difference this time is that Tynion has been writing Batman comics for some time now on the Rebirth line of Detective Comics, so I had an idea, going into this one, of what to expect: garbage, basically. Tynion’s Detective Comics run - based on the books I finished, as there were a couple I started and abandoned because they were so tortuously crap - was dismal. Overwritten, boring stories with zero excitement.
Disappointingly, the same goes for Batman, Volume 1: Their Dark Designs which is ten not very interesting issues (and a buncha even worse backups) that’s essentially just preamble to the Joker War storyline.
Like Snyder, who went from writing Detective to Batman, who in his first Batman book, The Court of Owls, set Bruce up as planning a major revamp of Gotham City while introducing new villains who’ve been somehow operating for some time now without being noticed by Batman, Tynion does the same thing here: Wayne Enterprises is embarking on major infrastructure projects in Gotham and the villainous Designer is introduced. It’s derivative but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Tynion at this point.
That said, Tynion does try some new-ish things. Batman’s new toy is the Nightclimber that is part mech-suit, part Batwing (or Batplane as there’s a character called Batwing now), that looks clunky and doesn’t look as effective as the Batwing. Lucius (doing his best Alfred impression) has invented some kind of portable device that turns any car into a temporary Batmobile but only holographically or something?! Nonsense.
Bruce has also funded the construction of a new high security prison called the Black Block which makes sense given how insecure Arkham/Blackgate have proven to be - at last, positive progress and a good idea too! Except Black Block turns out to be about as effective as Arkham at keeping prisoners locked up… So the new stuff is crap.
The story itself is a convoluted, dreary mess. Apparently there’s a wooden haunted house sitting in the middle of the ocean - what?! There’s also green gas the Designer has that can turn people into controllable zombies - how?! Really effectively too. One character in particular turns out to have been a corpse being controlled via green gas (and a VR headset and joystick!!!) but was talking and sword-fighting at Batman-level the whole time. It’s all stuff that probably seemed cute and interesting in the planning stages but seems way too convenient and silly for the finished product.
Harley in recent years has become one of DC’s most popular characters so they’ve moved her character away from villainous tendencies and into a more heroic alignment. But DC seems to still want an evil Joker girlfriend so we get (the yet again derivative) Punchline, a goth/emo Joker groupie with an on-the-nose name. There’s not much to like about the character given that her entire presence is so uninspired, transparent and uncreative - she looks like what she is: a pale imitation of Harley Quinn.
The Designer himself isn’t a great character either. His character design is bizarre - he looks like he should be in Grant Morrison’s Invisibles! But, like all weak writers, Tynion tells us who he is rather than show us. Designer (what a rubbish name) is a criminal mastermind - except we don’t see that. What are his motivations for doing what he’s doing? No clue. He’s a red herring placeholder for this book - the villain of the week - while the real villain, the more familiar one, does what he needs to do for the next story arc.
Similar in style to his Detective Comics run, Tynion takes a long time to tell a very simple story. Too much is made of the five killers who come to town - besides Deathstroke, the four are plain terrible characters. Cheshire is crappier Elektra, while Merlyn, Gunsmith (guess what he likes?) and Mr Teeth (guess what’s prominent about him?) are instantly forgettable nobodies. Besides wasting pages on them in the main story - when all they’re doing is fighting Batman, which is boring to read - they get their own backups, included at the end of the book, which were the worst part of this volume (they’re a dull group I didn’t want to know more about). Not that if the story had been streamlined and cut down more it would be better - Their Dark Designs would still be unimpressive - but it might’ve been less tedious to read at a shorter length.
Tony S. Daniel produces his usual sterling level of artwork and I really liked Jorge Jimenez’s pages too - his painted 3D effects are incredibly skilful. I’m not a huge fan of Rafael Albuquerque’s art though - his pages are only ever just fine, rather than stunning like Jimenez’s - and I didn’t love Guillem March’s art either, which is a shame as he draws the most pages here. March’s Penguin and Riddler designs are ridiculous - far too cartoonishly grotesque. Warping Riddler’s body into a question mark is contrived and Penguin looks like King Shark’s dad in some panels!
Besides the art, I did like that Bullock is now the (temporary) Commissioner - his hostility towards Batman makes for a spicier dynamic in that relationship - and I like where we do end up anyway. As overlong a prelude as this book turned out to be, I am intrigued to read Joker War. That said, Tynion’s still writing Joker War too so my hopes aren’t anywhere close to high for that one.
Derivative, leadenly-paced, unnecessarily complicated, never gripping, and far too long, Batman, Volume 1: Their Dark Designs is an underwhelming and poor start to Tynion’s Batman run.
Back when Scott Snyder was wrapping up his Batman run, I was wary of Tom King taking over the title because, up until then, I hadn’t read anything of his that was much good. So I was very surprised and delighted that King’s Batman run turned out to be one of the greatest ever with numerous excellent books added to the Batman canon.
I had deja vu recently when I heard James Tynion IV was taking over Batman from King. I’ve never read a good Tynion comic before and I wasn’t convinced his Batman would be anywhere near as high quality as King’s was. The difference this time is that Tynion has been writing Batman comics for some time now on the Rebirth line of Detective Comics, so I had an idea, going into this one, of what to expect: garbage, basically. Tynion’s Detective Comics run - based on the books I finished, as there were a couple I started and abandoned because they were so tortuously crap - was dismal. Overwritten, boring stories with zero excitement.
Disappointingly, the same goes for Batman, Volume 1: Their Dark Designs which is ten not very interesting issues (and a buncha even worse backups) that’s essentially just preamble to the Joker War storyline.
Like Snyder, who went from writing Detective to Batman, who in his first Batman book, The Court of Owls, set Bruce up as planning a major revamp of Gotham City while introducing new villains who’ve been somehow operating for some time now without being noticed by Batman, Tynion does the same thing here: Wayne Enterprises is embarking on major infrastructure projects in Gotham and the villainous Designer is introduced. It’s derivative but that’s what I’ve come to expect from Tynion at this point.
That said, Tynion does try some new-ish things. Batman’s new toy is the Nightclimber that is part mech-suit, part Batwing (or Batplane as there’s a character called Batwing now), that looks clunky and doesn’t look as effective as the Batwing. Lucius (doing his best Alfred impression) has invented some kind of portable device that turns any car into a temporary Batmobile but only holographically or something?! Nonsense.
Bruce has also funded the construction of a new high security prison called the Black Block which makes sense given how insecure Arkham/Blackgate have proven to be - at last, positive progress and a good idea too! Except Black Block turns out to be about as effective as Arkham at keeping prisoners locked up… So the new stuff is crap.
The story itself is a convoluted, dreary mess. Apparently there’s a wooden haunted house sitting in the middle of the ocean - what?! There’s also green gas the Designer has that can turn people into controllable zombies - how?! Really effectively too. One character in particular turns out to have been a corpse being controlled via green gas (and a VR headset and joystick!!!) but was talking and sword-fighting at Batman-level the whole time. It’s all stuff that probably seemed cute and interesting in the planning stages but seems way too convenient and silly for the finished product.
Harley in recent years has become one of DC’s most popular characters so they’ve moved her character away from villainous tendencies and into a more heroic alignment. But DC seems to still want an evil Joker girlfriend so we get (the yet again derivative) Punchline, a goth/emo Joker groupie with an on-the-nose name. There’s not much to like about the character given that her entire presence is so uninspired, transparent and uncreative - she looks like what she is: a pale imitation of Harley Quinn.
The Designer himself isn’t a great character either. His character design is bizarre - he looks like he should be in Grant Morrison’s Invisibles! But, like all weak writers, Tynion tells us who he is rather than show us. Designer (what a rubbish name) is a criminal mastermind - except we don’t see that. What are his motivations for doing what he’s doing? No clue. He’s a red herring placeholder for this book - the villain of the week - while the real villain, the more familiar one, does what he needs to do for the next story arc.
Similar in style to his Detective Comics run, Tynion takes a long time to tell a very simple story. Too much is made of the five killers who come to town - besides Deathstroke, the four are plain terrible characters. Cheshire is crappier Elektra, while Merlyn, Gunsmith (guess what he likes?) and Mr Teeth (guess what’s prominent about him?) are instantly forgettable nobodies. Besides wasting pages on them in the main story - when all they’re doing is fighting Batman, which is boring to read - they get their own backups, included at the end of the book, which were the worst part of this volume (they’re a dull group I didn’t want to know more about). Not that if the story had been streamlined and cut down more it would be better - Their Dark Designs would still be unimpressive - but it might’ve been less tedious to read at a shorter length.
Tony S. Daniel produces his usual sterling level of artwork and I really liked Jorge Jimenez’s pages too - his painted 3D effects are incredibly skilful. I’m not a huge fan of Rafael Albuquerque’s art though - his pages are only ever just fine, rather than stunning like Jimenez’s - and I didn’t love Guillem March’s art either, which is a shame as he draws the most pages here. March’s Penguin and Riddler designs are ridiculous - far too cartoonishly grotesque. Warping Riddler’s body into a question mark is contrived and Penguin looks like King Shark’s dad in some panels!
Besides the art, I did like that Bullock is now the (temporary) Commissioner - his hostility towards Batman makes for a spicier dynamic in that relationship - and I like where we do end up anyway. As overlong a prelude as this book turned out to be, I am intrigued to read Joker War. That said, Tynion’s still writing Joker War too so my hopes aren’t anywhere close to high for that one.
Derivative, leadenly-paced, unnecessarily complicated, never gripping, and far too long, Batman, Volume 1: Their Dark Designs is an underwhelming and poor start to Tynion’s Batman run.
November 4, 2020
Batman gets wrung through another gauntlet as 5 assassins arrive in Gotham including Deathstroke. They run Batman ragged as he tries to figure out what's really going on. I liked what Tynion did with Catwoman. I'm not a fan of returning the Penguin to using goofy gadget umbrella weapons. I also don't think Lucius Fox sitting in for Alfred on comms makes any sense. However, there is a lot more good than bad going on here. The art is great, even with the crazy number of artists on the book.
October 30, 2020
Tynion picks up where Tom King left off with a story that’s dense, intricate, and over-the-top. And I loved it. The art continues to be top-notch on this book, and while I can see some people not loving this approach to Batman, I’m digging it like the 4,000 squirrels burying nuts in my backyard right now (and no, for once, that’s not a double entendre or metaphor for something dirty).
November 4, 2020
I'll be honest I was unsure about this run. A couple of reasons.
1) It came right off Tom King's run, which is either loved or hated by many (I loved 75-80% of it). And King was SUPPOSED to have 100 issues but they cut him short at 85.
2) James Tynion IV is a very solid writer but he's also big into the indie scene now and worried he would get stretched to thin here.
3) James Was only supposed to be on till Issue 100. of course things changed, and the wildly successful Joker's War and Punchline character made DC decide to let Tynion continue his run. But that wasn't always the case and was worried this would be filler.
But soon after I finished around issue 2 or 3 I was sucked into Tynion twisty twisty detective feel storyline. This is a lot of twist and turns, a lot of backstabbing, a lot of setting up a old villain who might be a new villain, while also setting up Joker War, while feeling like this is the part 1 of that and yet still feeling self contained. Tynion is not new to juggling A LOT on his plate, but what he's getting better and better at is pacing and dialogue. Luckily, he strikes mostly gold here.
Batman starts off taking out Deathstroke and the rest of these Mercs. However, soon into doing this he realizes something is wrong. Someone is playing them all. The Designer? No not the singer. This is a villain who is trying to strike Batman behind his back while also taking care of Harley and Catwoman. Can Bruce juggle this all, while losing his dad-like figure (Alfred) just recently?
James does a ton of great work with Harley here. I for one am NOT a fan of her in comics for the most part. Maybe besides when Tom Taylor writes her. But Tynion does a great job of pushing her redemption arc along while giving her real character growth. I love Bruce struggle to prove he can save the people of this city while also mourning. The feel for Catwoman as she has to lie to the man she loves is great. All of this works well.
Also the art...fan-fucking-tastic. The fights are fast, brutal, and wonderful to view. I love everyone's design, the style it has it going, just makes everything look and run smooth. The way they design batman getting bruised and beaten up is so cool. I loved seeing that and felt his desperation.
I honestly REALLY enjoyed this arc. Sure the payoff is to be expected of who it is. I mean the next arc is incoming. And the first issue was just decent. But when it got going, I was 100% into it. I loved learning more about the mercs at the end of the volume too.
I highly recommend this for Batman fans who want a little something different from King's run. This is more traditional detective batman saving the day, but I had a blast reading it. A 4.5 out of 5.
1) It came right off Tom King's run, which is either loved or hated by many (I loved 75-80% of it). And King was SUPPOSED to have 100 issues but they cut him short at 85.
2) James Tynion IV is a very solid writer but he's also big into the indie scene now and worried he would get stretched to thin here.
3) James Was only supposed to be on till Issue 100. of course things changed, and the wildly successful Joker's War and Punchline character made DC decide to let Tynion continue his run. But that wasn't always the case and was worried this would be filler.
But soon after I finished around issue 2 or 3 I was sucked into Tynion twisty twisty detective feel storyline. This is a lot of twist and turns, a lot of backstabbing, a lot of setting up a old villain who might be a new villain, while also setting up Joker War, while feeling like this is the part 1 of that and yet still feeling self contained. Tynion is not new to juggling A LOT on his plate, but what he's getting better and better at is pacing and dialogue. Luckily, he strikes mostly gold here.
Batman starts off taking out Deathstroke and the rest of these Mercs. However, soon into doing this he realizes something is wrong. Someone is playing them all. The Designer? No not the singer. This is a villain who is trying to strike Batman behind his back while also taking care of Harley and Catwoman. Can Bruce juggle this all, while losing his dad-like figure (Alfred) just recently?
James does a ton of great work with Harley here. I for one am NOT a fan of her in comics for the most part. Maybe besides when Tom Taylor writes her. But Tynion does a great job of pushing her redemption arc along while giving her real character growth. I love Bruce struggle to prove he can save the people of this city while also mourning. The feel for Catwoman as she has to lie to the man she loves is great. All of this works well.
Also the art...fan-fucking-tastic. The fights are fast, brutal, and wonderful to view. I love everyone's design, the style it has it going, just makes everything look and run smooth. The way they design batman getting bruised and beaten up is so cool. I loved seeing that and felt his desperation.
I honestly REALLY enjoyed this arc. Sure the payoff is to be expected of who it is. I mean the next arc is incoming. And the first issue was just decent. But when it got going, I was 100% into it. I loved learning more about the mercs at the end of the volume too.
I highly recommend this for Batman fans who want a little something different from King's run. This is more traditional detective batman saving the day, but I had a blast reading it. A 4.5 out of 5.
March 26, 2022
Reread: 26/03/2022
This was a fascinating read omg!
I loved this one! The thoughts on the whole story are pretty much the same and I love how Tynion sets up the plans of the designer and involving all his rogues gallery and then the big fight with the assassins, solving the riddlers clue and the heavy fight with Deathstroke and then Designer and finding whose behind it and stories for Selina and Harley, ahh I love it! One of my fav Batman stories easily and it takes the best things about him and folds it into an epic story and then also setting up the next arc well and introducing so many gadgets and new characters, just awesome stuff and the art was incredible!
_________________________________________________________________________
Its a pretty cool story and start to this new run!
Batman is attacked by Assassins namely Deathstroke, Cheshire, Merlyn, Mr Teeth and Gunsmith and we see they are part of a larger plan and here to distract batman and then Penguin and Harley get involved and well its fighting on all sides but then the main villain: THE DESIGNER is revealed and we come to find his secret history and what he had planned in the past with the 4 and how Catwoman is involved here and plus the big face off with the Riddler and how Joker and his new gf Punchline factors into it and how it leads to one of the most epic wars in Gotham and status quo changes for Bruce?!
I loved this story and it has so many reveals, twists and turns and character fates and cool histories and great plans. The Designer is like Moriarty to Batman and I like the dynamic and how the main villain reveals himself is awesome and the art is gorgeous all around and especially towards the end and some new characters and new gadgets which was awesome. It reads fast but some panels do take some time to get through but its all in service of the story. I liked it overall and it makes for great re-reads again and again. Next up: Joker war!
This was a fascinating read omg!
I loved this one! The thoughts on the whole story are pretty much the same and I love how Tynion sets up the plans of the designer and involving all his rogues gallery and then the big fight with the assassins, solving the riddlers clue and the heavy fight with Deathstroke and then Designer and finding whose behind it and stories for Selina and Harley, ahh I love it! One of my fav Batman stories easily and it takes the best things about him and folds it into an epic story and then also setting up the next arc well and introducing so many gadgets and new characters, just awesome stuff and the art was incredible!
_________________________________________________________________________
Its a pretty cool story and start to this new run!
Batman is attacked by Assassins namely Deathstroke, Cheshire, Merlyn, Mr Teeth and Gunsmith and we see they are part of a larger plan and here to distract batman and then Penguin and Harley get involved and well its fighting on all sides but then the main villain: THE DESIGNER is revealed and we come to find his secret history and what he had planned in the past with the 4 and how Catwoman is involved here and plus the big face off with the Riddler and how Joker and his new gf Punchline factors into it and how it leads to one of the most epic wars in Gotham and status quo changes for Bruce?!
I loved this story and it has so many reveals, twists and turns and character fates and cool histories and great plans. The Designer is like Moriarty to Batman and I like the dynamic and how the main villain reveals himself is awesome and the art is gorgeous all around and especially towards the end and some new characters and new gadgets which was awesome. It reads fast but some panels do take some time to get through but its all in service of the story. I liked it overall and it makes for great re-reads again and again. Next up: Joker war!
February 5, 2022
What a start to a Batman run this is. It begins with a bang and ends with a bang. Although this is a set up book for The Joker War, it has a lot to offer in itself. The Underground Four and the flashback section surrounding them is great; Tynion's Penguin is a particular stand out for me. The Designer is a solid villain despite his lack of phsyical presence and the reveal is pretty satisfying even though it's not a huge surprise. Unlike some other comics I've read, almost every move Batman makes results in actual consequences, making the stakes feel high and giving some well needed suspense to many of the fights. It manages to set up what's to come phenomenally with its immersive storyline and good characterisations of the main players. If I had to nitpick, perhaps 9 parts is a little much for something which could have been done in less.There are also a couple of short stories at the end that pale in comparison to the main one, but they're harmless extras. Overall, this is a set up done right, albeit a tad bit bloated.
July 16, 2021
Ambitious storytelling and clean, dynamic superhero art to be sure but it may just be that I am...getting Bored with the Bat?
Sorry Bruce, it's not you, it's me...
I get it that DC needs to treat everything to do with their most popular flagship character as Important, but sometimes I feel it slips over into the realm of self-importance. At least this book explicitly acknowledges the reality that someone with a billionaires' resources could make far, far better use of their time and said resources helping individuals and communities directly than by inventing gadgets and souping up cars in their mancave in order to ultimately punch mentally ill criminals in the jaw.
All that said, it ends with a pretty seismic shift for Bruce Wayne and Co. so I will certainly take a look at the next volume and see what, exactly, goes down in The Joker War.*
I you like the set up, you'll enjoy the Punchline as well.
*Didn't we just have a War of Jokes and Riddles a few years back? I guess the clown was sick of sharing top billing!
Sorry Bruce, it's not you, it's me...
I get it that DC needs to treat everything to do with their most popular flagship character as Important, but sometimes I feel it slips over into the realm of self-importance. At least this book explicitly acknowledges the reality that someone with a billionaires' resources could make far, far better use of their time and said resources helping individuals and communities directly than by inventing gadgets and souping up cars in their mancave in order to ultimately punch mentally ill criminals in the jaw.
All that said, it ends with a pretty seismic shift for Bruce Wayne and Co. so I will certainly take a look at the next volume and see what, exactly, goes down in The Joker War.*
I you like the set up, you'll enjoy the Punchline as well.
*Didn't we just have a War of Jokes and Riddles a few years back? I guess the clown was sick of sharing top billing!
August 4, 2025
This comic was really good and the artwork was great!
December 18, 2020
Any time a new writer takes over the main Batman title, there is always a sense of trepidation, especially after Grant Morrison writes a legendary seven-year-long run on the character across multiple titles. However, after the impressive runs written by Scott Snyder and Tom King, that element of surprise has been always pleasant, as was the case of this current run by James Tynion IV, someone who is no stranger to writing the Dark Knight whether it is collaborating as a co-writer alongside Snyder, or solely writing Detective Comics during DC Rebirth.
Following "City of Bane", which concluded Tom King's 85-issue run, Gotham City and its bat-themed protector struggle to pick up the pieces. As Wayne Enterprises attempts to rebuild the city to be a safer place for its citizens, evil forces continue to get in the way, specifically five assassins including Deathstroke who are back in town under a new contract.
A lot happened in King's run, such as Bruce Wayne romantically linked with Selina Kyle and the death of his trusted butler Alfred, and the writer is currently concluding his story with Clay Mann on Batman/Catwoman. Tynion isn't ignoring these benchmarks as he builds them into the storytelling here from the Bat-Cat romance hitting a road block over Selina keeping a secret that can bring death to her lover, whilst Bruce is still mourning over the death of the man who raised him through his extensive monologue.
That said, Tynion has his own plans towards the Bat and his world that certainly feels different from what King was doing, as this initial arc is a pretty ambitious start where you have a slew of characters, old and new, including other figures from the wider DC universe taking place in the restructuring backdrop of Gotham. Alfred no more, Lucius Fox takes over as Batman's guy on the chair and with his resources at Wayne Enterprises, Batman has some cool new gadgetry such as the Nightclimber, which is the new Batmobile.
Ten issues long, one can argue too much happens, but there are plenty of jam-packed moments that sustain the entertainment of this long volume, such as the banter between Catwoman and Harley Quinn, and the unlikely pairing of Batman and Deathstroke. Because Batman has the best rogues gallery, Tynion takes full advantage over with well-established villains like the Riddler, whilst injecting new blood such as the Joker's new sidekick, Punchline. When it comes to the new creation that is the Designer who may have an interesting design and his background as a criminal mastermind who designed and pulled off perfect crimes serves a great foil for the Dark Knight Detective. However, once he is unveiled, it is somewhat anticlimactic and instead the most iconic supervillain of all time takes over.
Starting with Tony S. Daniel, who provides a familiar aesthetic to Gotham City in the initial issue, regular artist Guillem March carries on that sensibility for most of the volume, with other artists jumping into the mix, such as Jorge Jimenez drawing one stunning issue. The frequent changing of artists can be jarring, but the vibrant colouring by Tomeu Morey allows for a visual consistency throughout the book.
Ending on an annual issue where multiple writers and artists make their own short about Batman fighting the various assassins, James Tynion IV mostly succeeds with a new status quo for Batman and his world, which is about to be shaken up based on an exciting cliffhanger for the next big storyline.
Following "City of Bane", which concluded Tom King's 85-issue run, Gotham City and its bat-themed protector struggle to pick up the pieces. As Wayne Enterprises attempts to rebuild the city to be a safer place for its citizens, evil forces continue to get in the way, specifically five assassins including Deathstroke who are back in town under a new contract.
A lot happened in King's run, such as Bruce Wayne romantically linked with Selina Kyle and the death of his trusted butler Alfred, and the writer is currently concluding his story with Clay Mann on Batman/Catwoman. Tynion isn't ignoring these benchmarks as he builds them into the storytelling here from the Bat-Cat romance hitting a road block over Selina keeping a secret that can bring death to her lover, whilst Bruce is still mourning over the death of the man who raised him through his extensive monologue.
That said, Tynion has his own plans towards the Bat and his world that certainly feels different from what King was doing, as this initial arc is a pretty ambitious start where you have a slew of characters, old and new, including other figures from the wider DC universe taking place in the restructuring backdrop of Gotham. Alfred no more, Lucius Fox takes over as Batman's guy on the chair and with his resources at Wayne Enterprises, Batman has some cool new gadgetry such as the Nightclimber, which is the new Batmobile.
Ten issues long, one can argue too much happens, but there are plenty of jam-packed moments that sustain the entertainment of this long volume, such as the banter between Catwoman and Harley Quinn, and the unlikely pairing of Batman and Deathstroke. Because Batman has the best rogues gallery, Tynion takes full advantage over with well-established villains like the Riddler, whilst injecting new blood such as the Joker's new sidekick, Punchline. When it comes to the new creation that is the Designer who may have an interesting design and his background as a criminal mastermind who designed and pulled off perfect crimes serves a great foil for the Dark Knight Detective. However, once he is unveiled, it is somewhat anticlimactic and instead the most iconic supervillain of all time takes over.
Starting with Tony S. Daniel, who provides a familiar aesthetic to Gotham City in the initial issue, regular artist Guillem March carries on that sensibility for most of the volume, with other artists jumping into the mix, such as Jorge Jimenez drawing one stunning issue. The frequent changing of artists can be jarring, but the vibrant colouring by Tomeu Morey allows for a visual consistency throughout the book.
Ending on an annual issue where multiple writers and artists make their own short about Batman fighting the various assassins, James Tynion IV mostly succeeds with a new status quo for Batman and his world, which is about to be shaken up based on an exciting cliffhanger for the next big storyline.
November 25, 2020
A few issues too long, including uncalled for characters (Harley Quinn, Deathstroke and his bunch of losers...) and some inconsistencies.
Yet it finally grows on you after a while, revealing itself a quite pleasant old school detective thriller with unexpected consequences to be dealt with in the next book.
Taking over after Tom King-whether you liked his run or not it kind of disrupted something in the Bat U- probably wasn't a walk in the park but the deed is graciously done. Not the best Bat story ever but not the worst either. And very good art to boot.
Yet it finally grows on you after a while, revealing itself a quite pleasant old school detective thriller with unexpected consequences to be dealt with in the next book.
Taking over after Tom King-whether you liked his run or not it kind of disrupted something in the Bat U- probably wasn't a walk in the park but the deed is graciously done. Not the best Bat story ever but not the worst either. And very good art to boot.
November 8, 2020
You can find my review on my blog by clicking here.
With the heads of DC Comics having cut short writer Tom King’s Batman (2016) run to 85 issues instead of the promised 100, Batman: City of Bane Part II rushed to its conclusion and epitomized former Batman writer’s rocky run as he passed on the torch to writer James Tynion IV, known mostly for his implication in indie projects (The Backstagers, The Woods, Something is Killing the Children) as well a couple of DC Comics projects (Detective Comics, Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). Marking the 14th installment within the Rebirth era of DC Comics, this latest volume now softly reboots the critically-acclaimed Batman comic book series with a whole new chapter in Bruce Wayne’s life that picks up right after the tragic loss of his butler and his dramatic comeback against Bane. However, Batman’s new allies won’t be enough for the manipulative new scheme at play by an unusual, enigmatic, and original villain who goes by the name of The Designer.
What is Batman: Their Dark Designs about? The story picks up where things were left off as the Caped Crusader loses both a terrifying archnemesis from his incredible rogue’s gallery and a beloved longtime ally. With Lucius Fox now filling in empty shoes, Batman wishes to put into play a new design for Gotham City that might help him and the citizens of this city to bounce back from a plethora of tragedies. Unfortunately for him, someone else has a plan for Gotham City as well. Following a cookie trail leading directly to the most dangerous mercenaries in the world, including Deathstroke himself, Batman quickly realizes that he might be getting played. Collecting issues of Batman #85-94 as well as Batman Secret Files #3, the story unveils an incredible web of conspiracy and mystery that will challenge the Dark Knight’s confidence in everyone around him.
To pick up the mantle of one of the most treasured comic book series is no easy feat but writer James Tynion IV raises to the challenge as he introduces readers to a crime mystery riddled with signature detective elements as well as an iconic campy humour delivered through villain redesigns. While the constant wordplay on “design” is a bit overplayed, especially with a new villain who embraces the word in his own name, it is refreshing to watch writer James Tynion IV showcase Batman’s ludicrous yet creative gadgetry, his impeccable fighting style, and his internal struggle to grasp with this new reality where he fights crime alongside his significant other (Catwoman) and substitute-butler (Lucius Fox). The cautious build-up in this ultimate prelude to the upcoming Joker War remains efficient in establishing the foundation for a zanier scheme at play but also to set the overall tone of writer James Tynion IV’s Batman comic book run.
There is some truly ambitious characterization that almost comes off awkward, at times even turning foes into oddly-placed comedy relief, but it is nothing that truly kills the potential of this narrative as writer James Tynion IV plunges Gotham City into chaos. What impressively helps his story deliver such a thorough and elaborate execution also lies in the artwork. Despite initially teasing a creative team led by writer James Tynion IV and artist Tony S. Daniel, the latter who only contributed with pencils for issue #86, this entire story-arc required the help of multiple artists who nonetheless deliver a fantastic and engrossing artistic vision. With artist Guillem March mostly leading the charge with impressive panels that showcase his absolute understanding of Batman’s universe, as well as Tomeu Morey’s incredible grasp over the colours, shading, and patterns, I do have to mention that artist Jorge Jimenez (who returns during the Joker War story-arc) is the one artist who continues to blow my mind.
Batman: Their Dark Designs is a promising prelude to an upcoming war falling back on Batman’s fundamentals to explore his latest plight.
Yours truly,
Lashaan | Blogger and Book Reviewer
Official blog: https://bookidote.com/
March 26, 2021
Interesting concept with the Designer and I’m excited to see what happens with Joker war. Tynion’s usual goodness.
August 25, 2020
Man, I wanted to love this.
I like Tynion's work a lot (his run on Detective Comics was consistently good, and his creator-owned stuff just keeps getting better), but this just didn't hit for me. Maybe it's because I loved what Tom King did with the character (don't @ me, but he did things with Batman that no one else has ever done before and I loved it), but this whole story was all flash and no substance. Where King tore at Batman's facade and delivered an introspective look at the man underneath, Tynion gives us a Batman who...recaps the plot via long-winded monologues? Where Snyder gave us unreal plots that challenged Batman's fundamentals, Tynion lets Joker take over Gotham City. It feels unfair to compare this first arc to the work of other Batman writers, but it's hard not to, especially when most of what happens here feels like well-trod territory.
That's not to say it's bad, because it most certainly isn't. Tynion's love of the world is apparent, as always, and it's fun seeing how many characters from the Batman mythos he brings into the fray. I wasn't always convinced by the voices of the characters, but I read enough comics to know to expect that, and it's still fun seeing Tynion put his spin on so many classic characters. The issues I have stemmed from how he uses those characters. The plot he builds up here seems to think of itself as this grand, ambitious undertaking, but it never comes close to earning that. Issue #90 comes closest, as we get a deeper, more character-centric look into where the plot Tynion is unraveling started, but the issues that follow don't capitalize on the seeds of that I found most compelling.
There are double-crossings and triple-crossings galore, and there are moments of real excitement, but the stakes feel shallow, for the most part. Both Snyder and King found ways to create tangible stakes for characters we knew had to be mostly okay at the end of the, and it feels like Tynion is still trying to figure out how to do that (even his Detective Comics run had that issue a lot of the time).
The art is also a bit inconsistent, which doesn't help things. I like Jimenez and Daniels' work a lot, and they both do impressive things with page layouts and movement. But there are a lot of guest artists that join the series intermittently, meaning the art style is far from consistent, even within the same issue, sometimes. Action scenes are always drawn well, though, which is great because there are a lot of fight scenes in this. Too many, almost, and they either skirt the line of feeling like padding or act as a visual backdrop for the many long expositional dumps the characters give us.
I'm holding out hope that "Joker War," the big event these nine issues build up to, will deliver a more cohesive and compelling Batman story, but I'm keeping my expectations in check. I'm hoping to be surprised and delighted, but for the first time in years, I'm considering dropping Batman from my weekly pull list, and that bums me out.
I like Tynion's work a lot (his run on Detective Comics was consistently good, and his creator-owned stuff just keeps getting better), but this just didn't hit for me. Maybe it's because I loved what Tom King did with the character (don't @ me, but he did things with Batman that no one else has ever done before and I loved it), but this whole story was all flash and no substance. Where King tore at Batman's facade and delivered an introspective look at the man underneath, Tynion gives us a Batman who...recaps the plot via long-winded monologues? Where Snyder gave us unreal plots that challenged Batman's fundamentals, Tynion lets Joker take over Gotham City. It feels unfair to compare this first arc to the work of other Batman writers, but it's hard not to, especially when most of what happens here feels like well-trod territory.
That's not to say it's bad, because it most certainly isn't. Tynion's love of the world is apparent, as always, and it's fun seeing how many characters from the Batman mythos he brings into the fray. I wasn't always convinced by the voices of the characters, but I read enough comics to know to expect that, and it's still fun seeing Tynion put his spin on so many classic characters. The issues I have stemmed from how he uses those characters. The plot he builds up here seems to think of itself as this grand, ambitious undertaking, but it never comes close to earning that. Issue #90 comes closest, as we get a deeper, more character-centric look into where the plot Tynion is unraveling started, but the issues that follow don't capitalize on the seeds of that I found most compelling.
There are double-crossings and triple-crossings galore, and there are moments of real excitement, but the stakes feel shallow, for the most part. Both Snyder and King found ways to create tangible stakes for characters we knew had to be mostly okay at the end of the, and it feels like Tynion is still trying to figure out how to do that (even his Detective Comics run had that issue a lot of the time).
The art is also a bit inconsistent, which doesn't help things. I like Jimenez and Daniels' work a lot, and they both do impressive things with page layouts and movement. But there are a lot of guest artists that join the series intermittently, meaning the art style is far from consistent, even within the same issue, sometimes. Action scenes are always drawn well, though, which is great because there are a lot of fight scenes in this. Too many, almost, and they either skirt the line of feeling like padding or act as a visual backdrop for the many long expositional dumps the characters give us.
I'm holding out hope that "Joker War," the big event these nine issues build up to, will deliver a more cohesive and compelling Batman story, but I'm keeping my expectations in check. I'm hoping to be surprised and delighted, but for the first time in years, I'm considering dropping Batman from my weekly pull list, and that bums me out.
December 13, 2020
In a tale that stretches back through Batman's history to the earliest days of his rogues gallery, Bruce finds himself facing an enemy he thought he was long past dealing with - the deadly Designer! But the Designer is back, and his master plan will take Gotham out from under Batman, and to make matters worse, it's all Catwoman's fault!
Simply put, I love it when Tynion IV writes Batman. His entire Detective run, and pretty much anything else he's written with the Dark Knight is just gold. This arc feels epic from the word go, and is jam packed with everyone's favourite Bat baddies. It's a rollicking good time from start to finish, and the fact that it serves as one long prelude to the Joker War as well as being a complete story in its own right is just brilliant. I'm glad DC decided to collect the Secret Files issue here too, since it fleshes out some of the hitmen for hire that turn up early on in the volume as well.
The artwork is pretty dope too. We have contributions from Jorge Jimenez who is one of DC's fastest rising stars (and for good reason), as well as Guillem March whose Joker is terrifying at the worst of times, and the ever reliable Carlo Pagulayan as well. Gorgeous, gorgeous book.
JTIV can do no wrong, if you ask me. Him + Batman almost always = gold, and this is another good example as to why. High profile queer creators always make me happy, and high profile queer creators who are also fucking brilliant at what they do are just icing on the cake.
Simply put, I love it when Tynion IV writes Batman. His entire Detective run, and pretty much anything else he's written with the Dark Knight is just gold. This arc feels epic from the word go, and is jam packed with everyone's favourite Bat baddies. It's a rollicking good time from start to finish, and the fact that it serves as one long prelude to the Joker War as well as being a complete story in its own right is just brilliant. I'm glad DC decided to collect the Secret Files issue here too, since it fleshes out some of the hitmen for hire that turn up early on in the volume as well.
The artwork is pretty dope too. We have contributions from Jorge Jimenez who is one of DC's fastest rising stars (and for good reason), as well as Guillem March whose Joker is terrifying at the worst of times, and the ever reliable Carlo Pagulayan as well. Gorgeous, gorgeous book.
JTIV can do no wrong, if you ask me. Him + Batman almost always = gold, and this is another good example as to why. High profile queer creators always make me happy, and high profile queer creators who are also fucking brilliant at what they do are just icing on the cake.
May 4, 2021
I really enjoyed this I was hesitant on starting this because it seemed like a filler run which apparently it was until Joker War was really successful so they decided to keep Tynion on for infinite frontier. Anyways this was a really good first volume as much as I loved King’s run on Batman it was kinda refreshing to take a break from the character analysis of Bruce and have a more action focused story. I liked Batman and Catwoman working together as well as the addition of Harley. This also introduces Punchline who I’m very intrigued about, she has a killer design and an interesting setup.
June 10, 2021
A fast paced start to Tynion's run on Batman. And after Tom King's run I think this is a nice change of pace.
Much as I loved Tom King's run this is not only fun but Tynion is talking and doing things with Batman that are pretty great. Namely in his use of the history of Gotham in telling this story before Joker War.
Each issue escalates and escalates until an ending issue. The ending is more of another brief stop before Joker war and while I take issue with that it will not be a problem if Joker War builds on this.
The artist changes often but I think the quality is always outstanding.
This is a very fun Batman as the superhero detective story, he fights a gauntlet of assassins and I am excited to see what is next.
Much as I loved Tom King's run this is not only fun but Tynion is talking and doing things with Batman that are pretty great. Namely in his use of the history of Gotham in telling this story before Joker War.
Each issue escalates and escalates until an ending issue. The ending is more of another brief stop before Joker war and while I take issue with that it will not be a problem if Joker War builds on this.
The artist changes often but I think the quality is always outstanding.
This is a very fun Batman as the superhero detective story, he fights a gauntlet of assassins and I am excited to see what is next.
March 9, 2021
This is a complex and bloated story that isn't helped by the several issues at the start focused on fighting assassins. But, it all does come together nicely in a series of reveals and twists, and it also has a strong basis in the continued relationship of the Cat and the Bat. Overall, a decently strong start to a new era of Batman.
March 13, 2021
The story lead into The Joker War
First appearance of Punchline
First appearance of Punchline
June 6, 2021
It's not special, but it's also not needlessly, confrontationally, offensive, so in today's environment that's something of a plus.
July 7, 2020
I’m so excited to see what’s next , as the hyped built by JT4.
I enjoy Punchline as a new character so far ! Can’t wait to see the new Anti-Harley Quinn !
I like the writing because it’s poetic .
The artwork is so fine .
3.8 stars
I enjoy Punchline as a new character so far ! Can’t wait to see the new Anti-Harley Quinn !
I like the writing because it’s poetic .
The artwork is so fine .
3.8 stars
March 25, 2021
I've been a hard NOPE on reading Batman ever since the end of Grant Morrison's run -- I've never decided on whether I loved or hated that one, but it certainly felt final, and I just couldn't see any point to reading new Batman stories after that. I'm an even harder NOPE on Scott Snyder, who had a stranglehold on the Batbooks for years, and by the time anyone told me to check out Tom King's run it was already like 50 issues in or whatever. Plus, like, I mean it's pretty well established that DC generally, like, sucks? Like New 52 kind of destroyed them and they never really recovered, Rebirth be damned. If you work at a company run by grown ups who honestly keep your company alive on a book called Dark Nights: Death Metal, like, your company sucks and I don't know what to tell you.
Anyway.
So the first DC thing that caught my eye recently that didn't look terrible was Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman, which was only two issues but, if nothing else, was flippin' gorgeous -- probably the first nice looking book I've seen from DC in, well, a decade. But then an announcement for the new Harley Quinn comic showed up in my feed, and by god they finally put Harley in Gotham and let her wear, like, not underwear?
Well holy crap DC, you actually did two good things.
Anyway again, the point is that I went to the comic shop today and bought some Future State comics, as well as HQ #1, then came home and read pretty much all of them. Some was good (dude, DaRk NiGhTz DeTh MeTuL might be stupid but Batman and Superman punching pigeons with eyes in their stomachs is legit hilarious), some was not, but HQ #1 referenced some dumb thing called The Joker War and another dumb thing called City of Bane and I'm telling you man, this is why no one reads DC because these titles, they might as well be the names of Slipknot albums, but y'know through the magic of the internet I scanned through some of the Bat-stories in question and this one, Their Dark Designs, was not bad.
And yes, that's how long it took me to set up this review. I'm soooorry. But like, you're on Goodreads reading DC comics reviews, so look my dude, you're doing this to yourself.
Anyway.
Their Dark Designs does a sort of charming thing and bases itself around a team-up of the four main Bat-villains from the old 1966 TV show (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman). It doesn't reference the old show directly, but it also doesn't not- not, if you know what I mean. It's still kind of a grimdark modern Batman story, but not too much, and each of the villains gets a splashy scene or two and the art is decent -- it has some feeling and isn't just a rushjob Jim Lee clone. There's some stuff about who in the current Bat-family is alive or dead, and it's important but not enough that you can't just go with the flow and get the gist. It's probably the best monthly Bat-story I've read since I stopped reading Batcomics.
Whatever that means.
Anyway.
So the first DC thing that caught my eye recently that didn't look terrible was Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman, which was only two issues but, if nothing else, was flippin' gorgeous -- probably the first nice looking book I've seen from DC in, well, a decade. But then an announcement for the new Harley Quinn comic showed up in my feed, and by god they finally put Harley in Gotham and let her wear, like, not underwear?
Well holy crap DC, you actually did two good things.
Anyway again, the point is that I went to the comic shop today and bought some Future State comics, as well as HQ #1, then came home and read pretty much all of them. Some was good (dude, DaRk NiGhTz DeTh MeTuL might be stupid but Batman and Superman punching pigeons with eyes in their stomachs is legit hilarious), some was not, but HQ #1 referenced some dumb thing called The Joker War and another dumb thing called City of Bane and I'm telling you man, this is why no one reads DC because these titles, they might as well be the names of Slipknot albums, but y'know through the magic of the internet I scanned through some of the Bat-stories in question and this one, Their Dark Designs, was not bad.
And yes, that's how long it took me to set up this review. I'm soooorry. But like, you're on Goodreads reading DC comics reviews, so look my dude, you're doing this to yourself.
Anyway.
Their Dark Designs does a sort of charming thing and bases itself around a team-up of the four main Bat-villains from the old 1966 TV show (Joker, Penguin, Riddler, and Catwoman). It doesn't reference the old show directly, but it also doesn't not- not, if you know what I mean. It's still kind of a grimdark modern Batman story, but not too much, and each of the villains gets a splashy scene or two and the art is decent -- it has some feeling and isn't just a rushjob Jim Lee clone. There's some stuff about who in the current Bat-family is alive or dead, and it's important but not enough that you can't just go with the flow and get the gist. It's probably the best monthly Bat-story I've read since I stopped reading Batcomics.
Whatever that means.
March 30, 2021
James Tynion IV takes over the main Batman series from Tom King and it's whiplash inducing. No long, dark knights of the soul. No fetch quests into dreamscapes. No issues wrapped around a single conversation. Instead, we get a pretty straightforward "something's up in Gotham" mystery that Batman's bound to solve.
I can't say I disliked Tom King's Batman run, I just grew tired of it. But at least it felt fresh. Their Dark Designs feels like a tale that's been told several dozen times before. Five assassins show up in Gotham at the behest of a new (old) super-villain, The Designer. But is it really The Designer who's leading this charge? ()
Even if it doesn't feel fresh, Their Dark Designs is at least amusing and action-packed. Plenty of twists and turns, only about 75% you'll be able to follow. I appreciated that some elements of King's run carried over. The Cat and the Bat are still a lovely little item. Gotham is in a rebuilding period after Bane both ruined the city and took out the garbage on time. And Batman's voiceover is directed to Alfred, so clearly he's still dealing with that loss. I think I would have liked a deeper look at that, or just more introspection in general. Their Dark Designs is surface-level Batman.
I can't say I disliked Tom King's Batman run, I just grew tired of it. But at least it felt fresh. Their Dark Designs feels like a tale that's been told several dozen times before. Five assassins show up in Gotham at the behest of a new (old) super-villain, The Designer. But is it really The Designer who's leading this charge? ()
Even if it doesn't feel fresh, Their Dark Designs is at least amusing and action-packed. Plenty of twists and turns, only about 75% you'll be able to follow. I appreciated that some elements of King's run carried over. The Cat and the Bat are still a lovely little item. Gotham is in a rebuilding period after Bane both ruined the city and took out the garbage on time. And Batman's voiceover is directed to Alfred, so clearly he's still dealing with that loss. I think I would have liked a deeper look at that, or just more introspection in general. Their Dark Designs is surface-level Batman.
October 3, 2024
Storia bella, disegni magnifici! :D
June 18, 2023
An inconsistently written tale that is two stars but the artwork puts it up to three stars. Arguably too many characters in the latter half of the tale.
MY GRADE: C plus.
MY GRADE: C plus.
June 20, 2021
A good Batman book. Maybe we can retire the Joker for a few years though?
January 3, 2021
I adored Tynion’s Detective Comics, so I was so excited to see what he’d do with the Batman title here. Overall, this was such a fun and exciting book with amazing art. The cast is surprisingly big for a Batman story, imo, but I love big casts, so this was a win for me. The plot got a little convoluted, but I forgive that because it was such a fun read. This doesn’t wrap up at all though by the end; it really just feels like Joker War Part 1. I’m intrigued to see where Tynion takes this next, and the Joker’s new girlfriend, Punchline, seems like a fun addition. 4.5/5 stars.
July 4, 2020
3.5 stars. Better than I thought it was going to be, honestly. I've been pretty vocal in the past about how much I dislike Tynion, but there was some decent stuff here. We'll see if Punchline has legs as a character! Looking forward to see what he does with Joker War next month...
July 31, 2021
Aunque no todos los volúmenes fueron impresionantes, hubo grandes momentos en el run de Tom King y me dio un Batman vulnerable que siempre es un deleite ver. Después de ese run, no tenía muchas ganas de continuar con el personaje pero tiene varios años que he leído los runs de Batman y el run de Tynion IV en Detective Comics de rebirth me había gustado mucho, y quise darle una oportunidad.
Este es un arco largo de diez números, que da muchas vueltas y trata de estirar la historia hasta más no poder para completar esa longitud. Introduce a un villano, El Diseñador, que es bastante genérico en realidad, sólo se encarga de generar planes maestros; se alía con algunos villanos de Gotham para crear el plan maestro que Batman no va a ver venir. Y ahí es donde me perdió completamente. En algunas escenas nos describe otra vez a un Batman, invencible y poderoso. Está sufriendo la muerte de Alfred y lo reemplaza de cierta manera con Lucius Fox. En este tomo saca muchos bati gadgets que funcionan casi como un deus ex machina. Y aquí viene, sumando todo eso, el plan maestro del gran diseñador y de los villanos unidos debería de ser una fregonería, algo realmente impresionante, algo que no veas venir. Pero no lo es. Tynion utiliza muchos recursos, y muchos villanos que ya hemos visto en otros tomos y otras historias. Nada nuevo. Utilizar mercenarios para distraer a Batman. Tomar la política de Gotham. Tomar el dinero de Wayne y quitarle todo a Batman. Hasta lo vimos en la tercera película de Nolan y con resultados más sorpresivos que aquí.
Al final del tomo te das cuenta que todo fue un montaje para el siguiente arco que es joker war.
No me gustó nada, se me hizo muy largo y hubo varios momentos en los que pensé si continuar o saltarme algunas páginas.
Este es un arco largo de diez números, que da muchas vueltas y trata de estirar la historia hasta más no poder para completar esa longitud. Introduce a un villano, El Diseñador, que es bastante genérico en realidad, sólo se encarga de generar planes maestros; se alía con algunos villanos de Gotham para crear el plan maestro que Batman no va a ver venir. Y ahí es donde me perdió completamente. En algunas escenas nos describe otra vez a un Batman, invencible y poderoso. Está sufriendo la muerte de Alfred y lo reemplaza de cierta manera con Lucius Fox. En este tomo saca muchos bati gadgets que funcionan casi como un deus ex machina. Y aquí viene, sumando todo eso, el plan maestro del gran diseñador y de los villanos unidos debería de ser una fregonería, algo realmente impresionante, algo que no veas venir. Pero no lo es. Tynion utiliza muchos recursos, y muchos villanos que ya hemos visto en otros tomos y otras historias. Nada nuevo. Utilizar mercenarios para distraer a Batman. Tomar la política de Gotham. Tomar el dinero de Wayne y quitarle todo a Batman. Hasta lo vimos en la tercera película de Nolan y con resultados más sorpresivos que aquí.
Al final del tomo te das cuenta que todo fue un montaje para el siguiente arco que es joker war.
No me gustó nada, se me hizo muy largo y hubo varios momentos en los que pensé si continuar o saltarme algunas páginas.
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