Tynion's first arc has been an exciting ride so far, and Batman #92 shows the Batman at his best. Riddler stories are great for demonstrating Batman's prodigious intellect, and this issue is no exception. I am eager to see what Tynion and March have in store for the next issue. Read Full Review

Batman has been a non-stop thrill ride since this arc began. It has continued to grow in size and scope. We're in the middle of the crazy roller coaster ride now, hurtling down steep drops and plunging into the unknown and I could not be more excited. The horror elements are blending perfectly with the super hero aspects to make a real powerhouse comic. This is awesome. Read Full Review

This is a knock-down, drag-out fun time. The dialogue is richly layered and entertaining, the plot moves quickly, and the action is intense when it needs to be. This is about as fun as comics can get. Read Full Review

Guillem March delivers some gorgeous visuals throughout this issue. There is a beautiful blend of visceral action and glorious details throughout from the characters to the backgrounds. Read Full Review

The title hasn't missed a step, though, as we plunge right back into James Tynion IV's high-octane thriller. Read Full Review

While there are certainly a few continuity issues with this book as well as logic issues, this issue of Batman is extremely well done. It's a lot of fun and is really well done as far as storytelling goes. Batman is constantly overcoming his enemies while at the same time is being introduced to new obstacles and revelations that give the reader a sense of “what's gonna happen next?” and that's exactly what a book like this needs. Add some beautiful art to this already great issue and you've got yourself one hell of a comic book. Read Full Review

Batman #92 is a fantastic balance by providing a story that can be enjoyed on its own and tying into the bigger story-arc. It entertains with lots of action, some humor, and thrilling moments. Batman #92 leaves the fighting to others and focuses on the intelligence of Batman as he battles a nemesis. It's a nice change from previous issues. Tynion is nailing it on his run and this only makes the upcoming "The Joker War" even more anticipated. Read Full Review

Batman #92 (Tynion, March) is dominantly a groundwork issue setting up later development but does feature some of the most fleshed out Punchline development to date. Read Full Review

Batman #92 continues the build up of Batman versus The Designer by pitting the detective against the Riddler. We also get Harley Quinn and Catwoman meeting Punchline face to face. A great continuation of the story after a long wait, with amazing art to top everything off. All arond a fantastic issue. Read Full Review

Overall, though, this is a good story -- or rather, a good chapter in a larger story (comics having long ago abandoned the idea of telling a single story in a single issue). "Their Dark Designs" has the benefit of an interesting plot device propelling it; let's see if Tynion can bring it over the finish line with the wheels still on the axles. Read Full Review

This is gearing up back to where things were. Seeing a bit of these dark designs come to the surface to give an idea of what's going on. The wildcard here is the Joker as always. I am counting on him to crash the proverbial plane and thrive in the ensuing chaos after. Read Full Review

Even though this issue isn't as exciting as I had hoped it would be, Tynion and crew still were able to deliver an entertaining story that really gets readers back into the flow of Batman and now we know for sure we should be super excited to jump into the next issue based off of the events in this one and the amazing final page. Read Full Review

The big picture story lost some steam because of the shutdown, but this individual issue is a lot of classic fun with Batman versus the Riddler! Read Full Review

If youve been enjoying James Tynions run on Batman thus far, this is a refreshing return to the hyperactive fun hes been consistently delivering since taking on the title. Read Full Review

In terms of cliffhangers; Batman #92 doesnt disappoint. It goes all out, tying into the larger arc whilst also acting as a returning point for fans who have been missing the adventures of the caped crusader. It mostly just about works as a standalone issue, minus a few panels, succeeding in keeping fans coming back for more. Read Full Review

Batman #92 is easily the best issue of "Their Dark Designs" storyline thus far. James Tynion did a great job writing the battle of the minds between Batman and Riddler, and how that ended up setting the stage for the final showdown with the Designer. Further elevating this issue was the first big meeting between Harley Quinn and Punchline. That meeting builds further anticipation for all the plans that Tynion has in store for Batman fans in the near future. Read Full Review

Meanwhile, Catwoman and Harley Quinn battle zombie cops in the sewers, Harley meets the Joker's new squeeze Punchline, and Selina does some negotiating with the Underbroker. Between Catwoman and Batman, our heroes score victories on multiple fronts, but heading into the next issue the man behind all chaos, the Designer, still awaits. Read Full Review

Surprisingly accessible at a late point in the story, and the Harley-Punchline meeting works. But devoted readers looking for more tension to build to that promised explosive climax will feel let down. Read Full Review

Outside of a few positives, most notably the Riddler's riddles, the issue isn't interesting. The Designer is meant to be a terrifying force but the stakes don't seem that high. Deathstroke being played as a pawn and distraction as the series as gone on is also incredibly disappointing. Every aspect of the story that had me intrigued for more has been pushed aside for more Joker and more Designer. I have no doubt this issue will sell well because it is still a Batman book, however, I don't think it is worth picking up. Read Full Review

While Batman #92 has a lot of slam-bang fun, it's still structurally a mess. There are too many things happening, and it's taking too long to get anywhere. This comic is both too fast-paced and padded at the same time. Not even amazing art by March could hide the issue's weaknesses. Read Full Review

I'm sure there are some folks out there that will love this book and despite flat writing and art, I'm sure Punchline has just become someone's favorite character. But this is an issue that was so poorly put together that it negatively affects the reading experience. It's certainly not of the quality expected from one of DC's flagship titles, and that poor execution makes it clear how much this arc is just treading water getting to a big reveal. Read Full Review

The bottom line is this: while the amount of time fans have had to wait for the issue thanks to the coronavirus pandemic make things feel a bit more special in the immediate term, the issue is only average at best. Read Full Review

Batman #92 isn't the best in "Their Dark Designs" . It might be due to the hype involving Joker's newest partner. Punchline has been the reason copies of Batman #89, Year of the Villain Hell Arisen #3, Joker 80th anniversary and this issue has sold out and is hard to come by. So does the hyped encounter in this issue live up to the speculations? Read Full Review

Batman #92 is fine. It's not terrible, but it's far from satisfying. I feel like the core concept of what Tynion has dreamed up has some value, but the execution fails to live up to that potential by a good margin. At the end of the day, Tynion's craft just isn't strong enough to let Batman pack the punch that it needs to, and a mediocre Batman is never a good thing. Read Full Review

Hopefully this book turns around, but I found it to be a difficult and trying book to get into. Read Full Review

This whole story arc has been fantastic! It continues with this one

Don't get the criticism. This storyline has it all: thrills, action, twists and comedy.

Finally, Tynion's run is starting to pick up. Hopefully it will keep the momentum going.

I really do love Tynion on Batman. He nails the character interactions (Bats and Slade especially).

And I am really digging Guillem March's art style!

This series is getting better and better.

I really liked this issue for all the Riddler parts. The stuff with Harley and Catwoman was not quite so interesting. For all the build up, Punchline is a bore. But man, the Riddler stuff was fun.

I've enjoyed this story. Tynion's outdone himself with it. It's even better than anything he wrote during his Detective Comics run a couple of years back. I see this as a future collector's gem, as it features the debut of the new Joker groupie Punchline. What is that clown's appeal to sexy psychotic women? Seriously though, I feel this is a great beginning to a new run for Tynion. Especially since he didn't get to show much talent for stories with many classic villains before.
It's good to see the Riddler in a question mark-covered costume reminiscent of his much-missed classic costume. I've never been a fan of his new 52 look (Especially those God-Awful sideburns). When he gets back in shape maybe he'll consider keeping this new look, but bring back the mask.
The true irony is having problems like this right and left, we don't really see how much impact Alfred's loss has on Bruce Wayne, as he hasn't had much time out of the cape and kowl lately. In truth, it's what I expected. This kind of trauma occasionally causes a superhero to withdraw from his personal life and become consumed by his costumed one. Are we seeing that with Batman? It sure is interesting. That I do know for sure. more

Tynion knows what he is doing, he knows where he goes, maybe his era began with some doubts but this issue is the proof that story goes from less to more. Each panel counts and when you read this issue you really feel this is a Batman story. March's art is 10/10 and the colors are just beautiful.

I have been looking forward to this issue for quite a while, and it does not disappoint! The story begins to ramp up with Tynion showing us more of the Designer's plan. The artwork is solid. For those waiting to see more of punchline, we get more of her here, and she finally gets to meet Harley Quinn. One thing I really enjoyed about this issue was the dialogue from all the characters, especially some of the exchanges between Batman and Deathstroke. This issue is exciting and ends on a cliffhanger, and I am sure many fans will be even more excited for the next issue. 8.5/10 and I am happy to be excited about the Batman title once again. In my opinion, this is definitely much more exciting and feels more 'Batman' than King's run.

"You're kidding me. A Bat-Train ?"
- DEADSTROKE

Oh Riddler, honey, stop this, you’re embarrassing yourself.

Is it much better than Tom King yes but I think I'm just coming to the realization that I dont find Batman comics that good. Batman's just always too prepared or makes dumb simple mistakes depending on who writes him. We all know he will figure something out for the designer and although most super hero books work out this way its just more obvious in batman books. It just never feels like a daredevil where his backs against the wall and you wonder how they will get him out. Also the riddler and his scheme was just so on the nose it was pretty cringe.

Ok. So...the big takeaway is that this is the first Punchline major-role in any story and if this wasn't the most underwhelming intro to a character I've seen in sometime. Her couple of lines serve to only show us that she is not Joker's girlfriend, just a partner...maybe, and she is real edgy. That's how she comes across. Idk her role was so minor she might turn out to be a fun character, I just see nothing interesting yet. Speaking of that the Batman plot is just Bruce effortless solving a Riddler puzzle. I was expecting more giving than the setup than just a puzzle Batman can easily trounce through. I was hoping for less effortless from Batman in Tynions run. The ending is the most interesting thing. I have been waiting to see what the designer is made of, now we get to find out. more

It's always tough to return to something unfinished after a longer break. Try to start reading a chapter in any book, put it down for a month and then figure out where exactly you've left and proceed like nothing happened. And now, granted, it's my fault I did not revisit previous issues to get up to speed on the series' events, but I honestly don't think remembering thee exact context of everything would change my rating much. I remember the general layout of the plot and thus had no problems understanding who's where and what they're doing... but I can't say what they're doing is super engaging. It's all okay, with few scenes making me invested (Penguin and Bullock conversation especially, but exchanges between Bats and Deathstroke were fun to read as well), yet th comic for the most part left me indifferent. I remember the highlights, like Punchline's introductory sick burn of Selina and Harley, as well as the very last page with a huge cliffhanger, but overall I can't say the comic exceeded my expectations. Out with the Jim Carrey-like abomination of Riddler, he's neither funny, smart nor threatening. Give me more substance and interaction between characters that matter. more

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Quinn - Jun 10, 2020

Looks like were on the same page. Punchline? What's interesting about her? She kills because she likes it? So what? The Joker has been overused so much that he has lost all effect. I've loved me some Joker stories in the past, I now just want him to go away for a long time until a writer comes up with something as clever as "The Laughing Fish" story. If that takes a few years, so be it. Or I could be wrong.

Nihilist - Jun 11, 2020

I'm pretty hyped for Punchline, to be honest. She certainly has potential to become a memorable long lasting villain, which doesn't happen that often these days. For once we don't have yet another recycled character, and finally she doesn't have a connection to Bats. Karma was a good addition to the lore two or so years ago, but how many stories could be told with him, if he always have to directly connect to Bruce? Ultimately, I completely agree with you on how overused Joker (and Harley) are.

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Honestly, a pretty lackluster introduction to Punchline.

I can't say I was excited about this issue. For one thing, due to the COVID-19 outbreak, it's been so long since the last issue, I've kind of lost my place in the story. No one's fault. Who could have predicted this?

But Punchline is not actually an interesting sidekick. She just likes killing people. Harley Quinn started out as a cartoon character, so the voice actress brought real pathos and emotion to the story of her.

Punchlike just strikes me as a cynical attempt to catch lightning in a bottle a second time. Her "origin" is in the Joker 80th anniversary issue and she apparently is just some college chick who wants to be a killer and auditioned for the Joker. Whatever. Doesn't work for me.

So having Harley and Punchline fight does nothing for me. Having Batman fight the Riddler did nothing for me. I did like how Batman called on Riddler to stick the "rules" of the Riddler's game, but we don't actually see Batman sweat, so there's no tension, no sense of "boy, I better solve these riddles or people will die."

Also, Slade knows who Batman is? I don't like that. I don't as a rule like villains knowing heroes' secret identities. If forces all kinds of twists to justify having the villain not do anything with that fact.

So we finally get to the main villain on the last page. He is in his dumb costume and has a picture of Alfred and another one of the Waynes with young Bruce on the table next to him. So this shows that another villain knows who Batman is. Hey writers, either get rid of secret identities or due justice to the tropes about them. None of this well everyone knows, but no one does anything about it stuff. All right?

So the action wasn't exciting and we still don't know the real villain's ultimate identity or goals. Not great. (Also, again the virus delay also really took steam out, but like I said, no one's fault. But it does have an impact in how I view the story. Just want to put that out there.)

So nice art, but all in all, not a great issue.

Or I could be wrong. more