The Batman - Part II’s release date feels like it may never come, with Robert Pattinson's gritty take on Batman making his live-action portrayal one that fans have flocked to as they eagerly await their next chance to see this iteration of the Dark Knight back on the silver screen. In the meantime, the wait for The Batman’s sequel doesn’t have to be so excruciating, as DC Comics currently has the perfect comic story to tide fans over until The Batman - Part II’s much-anticipated premiere.

Hitting theaters in 2022, The Batman told a darker and more mature Batman story that focused on a very Zodiac-esque Riddler, a new iteration of Catwoman, a mob-tied Penguin, and more, while highlighting the eternal struggles of a vengeful orphan who refuses to let the superstitious and cowardly lot of his city run free.

In 2025, Batman: Dark Patterns kicked off a gritty and grounded comic story by putting Batman on the case of a terrifying villain named The Wound Man, with the series incorporating a lot of what made The Batman work so well as a film while holding fans over by giving them something to look forward to until The Batman - Part II is finally released.

Batman: Dark Patterns Tells a Violent and Gritty Story That Introduces a Sadistic New Foe

Batman: Dark Patterns - 2025 (Dan Watters and Hayden Sherman)

Presenting four self-contained stories set at the beginning of Batman’s career, Dark Patterns just concluded its first arc titled “We Are Wounded” where Batman dealt with the gruesome villain named The Wound Man — a sadistic foe who self-injures by shoving nails into his body to feel something. Giving off similar vibes as The Batman’s more adult-oriented film world, Dark Patterns was released well after The Batman and has been noted by writer Dan Watters as a major inspiration for his book, with the heavy emphasis on Batman’s detective skills lining up with what The Batman - Part II will assumedly offer.

But what makes Batman: Dark Patterns so enthralling to experience, at least thus far in its opening arc, is that it leans heavily into the pulp noir crime/thriller genre, with the book offering grotesque visuals, uncomfortable themes, unexpected twists, and an overall dark narrative full of violence, murder, and mystery — all necessary elements that make for great Batman reading. Furthermore, the main villain of this initial three-chapter tale, The Wound Man, is an original Batman rogue, with his penchant for self-inflicted pain via nails and other pointy objects adding an incredibly disturbing layer of R-rated goodness to the proceedings.

Batman: Dark Patterns Is the Perfect Stopgap Until The Batman Part II Arrives in Theaters

The Batman Part II Will Be Released On October 1, 2027

Unfortunately for fans, The Batman - Part II has been delayed multiple times since its 2022 announcement and is now slated for 2027, with director Matt Reeves and star Robert Pattinson promising the film will be well worth the wait, especially considering how the recently announced Clayface spinoff and potential The Penguin season two will work to expand this live-action universe even further. With Batman: Dark Patterns having just begun its run, fans should expect to be dragged even deeper into Gotham’s darkness, with this series being a must-read for anyone looking to bide time until Batman’s next big screen appearance.

Batman: Dark Patterns is available from DC Comics.