Batman #93 brilliantly brings the plot threads of “Their Dark Designs” together in a way that makes sense and beautifully sets up the “Joker War” event. A penniless Batman now has to face the Joker, who knows all his secrets and has possession of his fortune. The Batman certainly has his work cut out for him. Read Full Review

Guillem March and Javier Fernandez do some astounding work with the art in this issue. The action is visceral and full of energy. The final pages and what they reveal are pitch perfect and the Harley/Punchline fight is brutal. A great looking issue from start to finish. Read Full Review

This issue represents the turning point to James Tynions Batman run thus far, and it appears to be our final barrier before we cross the bridge into Joker War. Read Full Review

I had fun with this issue, and while it wasn't quite as sharply written or fun as the last, it's a good conclusion that serves as a great segue into "The Joker War" you can't miss. Honestly, I was lukewarm on "The Joker War" for some time, but how things shift around in this issue I'm incredibly excited to see how Harley, Catwoman, and Batman can thwart the dastardly Joker. Read Full Review

Batman fans have been rewarded with an outstanding run with Their Dark Designs — an arc that was worth the buildup. Now let's see how The Joker War plays out. Read Full Review

As we rocket towards Joker War, James Tynion IV's run continues to build momentum and it becomes clear just how many hands Joker has everywhere in Gotham. Read Full Review

A very well-crafted, well-executed story reaches the prestige with just the right amount of surprise, suspense and anticipation for what comes next. Read Full Review

"Their Dark Designs" is an interesting arc. It's an entertaining read but the landing doesn't quite stick as it is revealed it directly ties into "Joker War" as opposed to being two stories running side by side. It takes what was an interesting new villain for Batman and turns him into a puppet, deflating the balloon. It's not bad and does the job of transition from the last run to the current but by issue's end, something felt a bit off. It no longer was the self-contained storyarc, it's just the beginning of something much longer. Read Full Review

Batman #93 turns an average storyline in "Their Dark Designs" into a strong prelude for the upcoming "Joker War" event. The revelation with how Joker and Punchline manipulated everything to prepare Gotham City for their plans elevated the entire story. James Tynion set things up to be even more intriguing as Batman, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn must now overcome all the odds they have been placed against going into "Joker War." This set-up creates greater excitement for the future of this series. Read Full Review

The Designer finally shows his hand and all the best laid plans of Bats and Cats may come to nothing. Read Full Review

I'm not going to riff on it too much, for there is still much to see about how these recent developments settle into Tynion's vision. Between Punchline slashing Harley's throat and Joker coming in clutch with the plan on a plan. I'm getting a whiplash that makes it hard to decide whether I like how this turned out. Read Full Review

This book seems like it's arrived a day early for the Joker War, and we are hanging with it until the real party starts.  Big things happen, but I still found myself looking at my watch, knowing it's all just set up for later.  The art was inconsistent (a two artist problem), and I'll file this in the okay bin.  I wasn't upset that I read it, but it's the first prelude to the Joker War that didn't have me more excited for it all by the end. Read Full Review

As a conclusion, Batman #93 acts as a highly unsatisfying ending to a rudderless arc. The story bounces all over the place and encourages fans to read a completely separate arc, if they want any sense of closure. Not even super strong art, or fun story ideas can save the comic from delivering what I found to be a great sense of disappointment. Read Full Review

Joker War has been looming for awhilenow, from previews to interviews to teasers. But the line between marketing and effective storytelling blurs too much for comfort in Batman #93 " while March and Fernandez deliver some compelling artwork, Tynion has spent six issues spinning his wheels as he reveals this entire arc has been just more stage dressing for 'The Joker War.' Given how in-your-face the upcoming event has been, this sort of reminder is both underwhelming and overkill. Read Full Review

The issue is simultaneously too much and not enough and ultimately lands as just an "ok" book overall. Read Full Review

Batman #93is a step up from the previous issues and overall I am happy to see an end to this story arc. That being said, the art and some aspects of the characters continue to hold it back from being a great Batman run. Read Full Review

Batman #93(Tynion IV, March, Fernandez) leaves readers with more questions than answers. Chief among them: Is "Joker War" here yet? Read Full Review

Some of the core ideas are great, but he either glosses right over them, or the execution is such a mess that I can't take it seriously. Maybe he should be more of an idea guy than the execution guy, because more often than not, I feel he fails in his execution. Read Full Review

The art is all over the place. It really has been over the course of Tynion's run. Hopefully this get fixed soon. This book just ups my anxiety with each passing issue and not in a good way. I hope they get it under control. Read Full Review

Prelude:
Absolutely loved the last issue and as we gear up for Joker War, I am so ready for what comes next.

The Good:
Love how Designer ties everything from the original meeting together with his overarching plan to the current events unfolding.

I'm enjoying the difference between Harley and Punchline.

March's art is great yet again.

The Bad:
Bit annoyed at the Designer twist.

Conclusion:
It's still a great issue, I just wish Designer had a bigger role to play then just being complete set-up for Joker.

Ok. Ok. Call me easily impressed but gosh darn did this ending really impressed and suprised me. To begin I have...thoughts on the last issue. Thoughts that have mellowed but are still there. I was however excited to see just who the designer was. Why was he deserving of all this hype? Why he was even still alive. Tynion not only failed to answer my question but instead told me that my questions didnt even matter with the bombshell reveal that the designer has always been dead both dead and the Joker. Ok. Then he tells me that the A plot is actually the B plot and vice versa. Oh. Now Joker also has all of Batmans money and is planning on destroying him after already destroying his relationship with Catwoman. This was a Catwoman story arc more or less in everything but POV and I was shocked. Tynion successfully subverted my expectations, set up his next story and fulfilled all remaining plot threads with this one. Masterfully I might add. I still need more characterization from punchline, whom I only care about the possibilities and downfall of the spiteful Zillenial. This book went from a palette cleanser in between runs, to the most excited I've been in the possibilites of Batman in FOREVER! more

You ask for answers, well, this is your issue. Everything sets up for "Joker War" and I could not be more excited because after all, this feels like a good developed story. A great climax. Not a fan of the mix art.

It looks like my theory about the Designer was head on. The poor guy got in over his head with the Joker, never got his career off the ground and would never have been heard of by Batman had he not provided such an excellent distraction from Joker's real plan. Joker is obsessed with his own perverted amusement through suffering most of the time, but this time it seems his goal is to outwit Batman. Sometimes I think we forget he's a lot more clever than he shows. And that's how he likes it. He finds it funny proving he was underestimated, so this caper must tickle his funnybone harder than anything since killing Jason Todd.
In regards to Punchline, she seems to be receiving mixed reactions. If I can say anything about what I've seen so far, Her future will mostly be as an adversary for Harley, because no matter what side she claims to be on, she'll always be obsessed with her precious "Mr. J." Probably her main use to the Joker, making her "Dim-witted groupie unaware she's just a pawn he cares nothing about #2."
I order all my books on a monthly basis, and I only just received this issue a few days ago. And it looks like I'll have to wait another full month to see the conclusion. Maybe longer considering how slow the postal service is these days. Poor me, huh? more

" Every day, he's out there changing the world. Making them see the clowns they really are. Showing them they should laugh at death and tear down society. You could have been running this horror carnival at his side. But now you're going to get caved by your replacement. "
- PUNCHINE

This issue of batman features the penultimate chapter of the 'Dark Designs' storyline and it was quite an enjoyable issue. Firstly, I read this issue twice to fully appreciate the scale and nuance that Tynion brings to his Batman story, and there is plenty. Arriving at this point of his first 'Batman' story arc, he has added a number of characters, gadgets, tricks, and tropes to make this run feel as if it were truly his own and is something I really enjoy.

Tynion utilizes all the characters well to add a sense of weight to his storyline. Batman's world is really falling apart here, setting up the chaos we are sure to experience in the upcoming 'Joker War' story arc. There is an exciting battle between Punchline and Harley Quinn which will leave fans excited for more. We get to see Tynion play with the underbroker more, to get a sense of the character and their place in the Gotham mythos. The issue features great moments with Batman and the Designer which take unexpected turns. The artwork by Guillerm March is fantastic and he brings an interesting quality to the joker, preserving his elegant clownlike manner while also managing to capture his e sadistic and twisted nature, even through a phone call. Overall, this issue was great and has me very excited for the Joker War. 8.5/10 more

Although there were some not so good parts it had some really good thoughts and ideas and actually had some twists that I enjoyed. There were some minor confusing parts but overall it has me ready for joker war.

My only comment is that it's easy to have a villain boast he has a criminal plan that's magnitudes of genius and complexity than anybody else has ever conceived and then never show the plan's actual machinations.

After King's disastrous Batman arc, leaving more loose ties and unresolved plot points I can possibly name, DC decided to play safe for once and give fans a more... conventional story, one that wouldn't try to reinvent and deconstruct avery aspect of what it means to be Batman, one that wouldn't feature more filler than actual plot, and one that certainly would not smell its own farts pretending to be deeper and more intelligent than it really is. You know, exactly like a certain controversial game everyone hates and mocks, released few days ago.

Tynion crafted a big mystery that instantly captured our imaginations. It was big, it was convoluted, and and it was made with a plan in mind. It wasn't yet another War of Jokes and Riddles, promising a huge event and then turning out to be a shallow, pointless shell. No, the stakes were seemingly real and you never knew where the plot leads really. It lead here.

Depending on whether or not you've been a fan of Tynion's arc so far, this issue will either satisfy you with several important revelations and answers to questions you may have had, or it's going to convince you it was all just a marketing apéritif leading to the main event, Joker War. That I'll leave to your personal interpretation. To me the comic was definitely good, finally providing a ton of long awaited explanations and also setting up few new twists to be explored in the foreseeable future. Was it outstanding, though? Nah, I wouldn't say so. Not when it comes to uneven art drawn by several artists, not when it comes to storytelling. It's an example of a good, solid book, but as the grand finale, conclusion of an arc, especially in Batman series, I guess I expected a bit more. more

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ComicLover1001 - Jun 25, 2020

Say what you want about King but his stuff on Batman was decent until #54. This is just mediocre in every possible way-no substance with an incredibly obvious twist as well as ruining a great possible villain (aka The Designer). Only reason Tynions name has even been brought up to write in the main Bat Title is because of his affiliation with Scott Snyder.

FinanceGuy15 - Jun 25, 2020

I'll leave a reality-check for you buddy. There won't be any twists in Joker War that a 5-year old can't see.

Liem Duong - Jun 25, 2020

Well this one had a good chunk of twists that I was half-expecting, but not the way I expected it to happen. If this is the precedent we will be seeing from Tynion, then Joker War is something I will be looking forward too.

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This was a good issue, and to be forewarned, this is an issue that will make people extremely excited or let down, depending on what you were expecting from Dark Designs.

First off, the art is awesome like always. I know some people don't like March's art, but it is perfect for a Batman story like this. Inks, colors, composition, layouts are were superb as well.

Now onto the meat. Without spoilers of this issue, Dark Designs is a prequel transitioning straight into Joker War. Alot of people will be mad about a story like this which picked up alot of steam being just a mere prequel, despite it was always hinted at, especially with introductions such as the Designer. There is a big reveal on the Designer, and it was very surprising, but also anti-climatic, but does come full circle on why Dark Designs was structured the way it was. TBH, I wanted more from the Designer, and was quite underwhelmed when discovering what really was going on.

That being said, this comic issue is packed full of revelations and answers alot of questions that were up in the air since the beginning of this arc. It starts coming around full circle why certain actions were performed by certain characters, the deal the Designer and the Evil Four made, each villain's motivations and goals, why Punchline came into the story, who paid Deathstroke, why Joker is sitting at some random bar, all of that gets explained, and leaves the reader for a very high stakes arc coming in with Joker War.

Tynion, although shifting the story in an unexpected and somewhat underwhelming fashion, it is done with masterful technique, showing just how far Tynion has improved as a writer and story teller. We also have a nice hook at the end to finish off this first arc from Tynion.

All in All, I really did like this book and run by Tynion and looking forward to what the final issue of Dark Designs surprises me with. more

Not sure how that skeleton is being animated, but at least this issue has a one-two punch at by the end.

Punchline was the worst part of this.

Predictable and underwhelming.

Cool that Harley got muted but the preview art for that page came out months ago.

I was really hoping for a twist with the Designer reveal, but stupid corpse twist and catwoman bank account switcharoo instead.

Confirmed that Bruce Wayne does not pay taxes lol.

Eh, nice fun reveal I guess, but I feel like it was just a waste of a character. Maybe should have seen this coming since Designer is rarely mentioned in the solicits of future issues. I don't like Punchline so far, she doesn't seem like a likable character at all like Harley. This also seems to be undoing the Catwoman/Batman dynamic set up in King's run, which was one of the few things I really enjoyed about that run.

Note to self: replicate study for the office. I don't know, this is fine. I don't think it's great or anything. Moderately appealing, at best. I guess that would excite *someone* for Joker War.

This was fine. An okay issue, maybe not the best final issue of Their Dark Designs, but not bad either.

DC needs to stop double-shipping for the sake of quality and delivering a sense of commitment to readers.
This particular issue suffers from a recurring problem throughout Tynion's time on the title- A lot of hype with minimal substance and logic behind it.

The only highlights of this issue was the fact that Bruce Wayne is a tax-evader.
A fact that makes no sense given the extremely trivial information provided in the issue.
Off-shore accounts, really? Did Tynion just pick the first thing that Google came out with when it comes to Tax-Offences for high net-worth individuals?

Also, the big "reveal" was incredibly underwhelming and predictable.
An 8 issue arc that only acts as a set-up for Joker War.
Mediocre at best unless you want mindless action with decent art.

I really don't get this issue. It's supposed to show Bats is smart, but the plot can only happen if Batman is stupid.

The Planner or whatever his name is actually an animated corpse that can actually fence with Batman? The Joker has really seen an upgrade in his skill set. Yes, the Planner or the Archvillain or wahtever his name is was actually killed by the Joker and his corpse is being controlled by the Crown Prince of Crime.

Batman figures that out but actually just doesn't destroy the corpse while fighting it. Moron.

Oh, Catwoman puts her plan to steal Bruce Wayne's fortune into place to prevent the Archvillain from doing that, but guess what - the Joker is one step ahead and actually needs Catwoman's bank account info to steal Bruce's fortune. Oppsie.

So Catwoman trying to save Bruce's fortune causes it to be lost. That's actually the definition of irony.

All this happens because people acted dumb. Instead of securing Bruce's bucks, Catwoman steals it? Instead of just destroying a corpse, Batman engages in a fencing match and hero/villain monologue?

Also, the villain costumers are ugly. I just don't get this. Also, after King spent years building up Bat and Cat, Tynion has taken a few months to destroy the relationship. I like Bat/Cat and I hate it when new writers destroy all the work of previous writers. It destroys the sense of a story progressing and it makes stories just the playground of one writer and not the work of many over years.

Don't like this arc. Can't wait for it all to be undone in the upcoming event when Alfred returns.

Or I could be wrong. more