With the myriad of Batman or Batman-adjacent titles being published each month, few have gained public acclaim like Dan Watters’ and Hayden Sherman’s Batman: Dark Patterns. Our review at The Beat called it, “the perfect Batman book for people who have fallen out of love with the Dark Knight.” Dark Patterns became a critical hit with Sherman being nominated for three separate Eisners for their work on the series, as well as Absolute Wonder Woman.
Recently, however, the limited series was released as a trade paperback and eagle-eyed Reddit users were quick to accuse the back cover copy of being AI generated.
Beginning in late 2024 and running through 2025, Dark Patterns is set in the early days of Batman’s caped crusading. Dark Patterns tells four stories across 12 issues as Batman tries to convince the city of Gotham that he is a force for good.
Shortly after its release, Reddit user Oldboymatty posted a picture of their copy of the trade paperback with concerns over the back cover copy. “The factors that stand out to me are the overuse of adverbs, the almost laughable vagueness of the summary, and when it mentions that the story ‘reassures readers,’” Oldboymatty writes. “Acknowledging the reader seems pretty clunky given that only [the] reader would, ya know, read the story.”
This oddly-worded synopsis, or portions of it, can be found across the Amazon listing, the DC solicitations, and the DC website. One user on the original Reddit post, however, found that the description on the DC Universe Infinite platform sounds more natural. Reddit users were quick to reject the idea of AI generated marketing copy.
From a Reddit comment by KingKhanWhale:
Also a teacher, of undergrads. This is definitely AI. It’s a perfectly-written description of nearly 100% of all Batman stories and says nothing specific about the actual contents of that book, and without any excitement or urgency.
Just a random sampling off my shelf… Wonder Woman by Azzarello: ‘…the prodigal sun Apollo is making his move for his father Zeus’ vacant throne, and both vengeful gods and innocent humans are caught in the crossfire. And at the beating, bloody heart of that conflict? Wonder Woman…’
Daredevil, Cell Block D Epic: ‘…Matt runs wild behind bars in Ryker’s, determined to find out…’
Even when they’re vague they’re at least about the specific book. Immortal Hulk: ‘The Hulk is being hunted by the government, by the mysterious Shadow Base, even by the Avengers. But Bruce has even bigger problems. Something terrible has infected him…’
I could go on forever. This is AI, and it sucks.
From a Reddit comment by duskvstw3ak:
I would put big money on the line that it’s AI generated. ‘Skillfully steering clear”? ‘intentional focus reassures readers’?
Just a bunch of words and phrases that say almost nothing about the actual comic.
What a shame for what could be an easy win considering how good this series was.
From a Reddit comment by broganisms:
Most conversations about AI tend to focus on intellectual property theft and climate impact and labor issues, all of which are important and should be our top priorities when discussing the topic! But it means we tend to ignore the fact that AI is also just… very bad at writing.
Yes, this is almost certainly AI-produced text. But even if it wasn’t, multiple people had to fail for a synopsis this bad to make it out the door. It offers no insight into the actual comic or why readers should care. It’s a bunch of fluffy adjectives in a trench coat trying to create the illusion of meaning when there is none.
Like… ‘relatable mysteries?’ Are you kidding me??? The first arc is about a serial killer. A decent copywriter could have put together something better in 30 minutes.
Two months after the initial release, another Reddit user, Chairus_Awesomus, noticed a new printing of Batman: Dark Patterns with a different back cover entirely. This new back cover features blurb quotes and the more natural sounding synopsis found on DCUI.
Users speculate that the original copy could have been intended as a placeholder but it does appear across multiple sources. This reprint comes right on the cusp of the Eisner Awards, which has already had its share of AI-related controversy. Earlier in the year, the Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology was withdrawn from nomination following the discovery of AI usage by one contributor. This reprint could be an attempt by DC to distance this book from any suspension of AI so as to not jeopardize its shot at an Eisner.
The quick reprint of the book also supports Jim Lee’s 2025 proclamation that DC will not support AI generated material “not now, not ever.”
