Batman Beyond Universe #4 – Review

By: Christos Gage & Kyle Higgins (writers), Iban Coello & Thony Silas (artists), Tom Mason & Andrew Elder (colorists)

The Story: Superman is trapped in the Phantom Zone without his powers and surrounded by the worst killers and criminals Krypton has ever seen. Meanwhile, Batman has his hands full with a living lightning rod and the world’s most passive aggressive mentor.

The Review: This fourth installment of Batman Beyond Universe’s print run closes the first chapter of both of its stories, but in each case there are plenty of dangling threads to draw you back next month.

First Superman concludes his battle with Jax-Ur in the Phantom Zone. The pacing in this story is odd, as we’re kind of just resolving the climax that hit at the end of last issue when we enter. There’s not a lot of time to deal with this and, as it so often is, the answer comes quickly. The result makes our heroes look very capable but lacks a certain narrative punch. Thank goodness, then, that there’s still the matter of Superman being trapped in the Phantom Zone.

Despite the sound beating that Kal has been handing Jax-Ur, this thread quickly escalates, providing the fun, satisfying final clash that the issue needed. Christos Gage’s script is a little academic at times, his characters abnormally well spoken in the midst of combat and their quips sometimes feeling stiff, but I, for one, am grateful for the intelligent and nuanced way that he handles the fight’s resolution. It was a risky choice but one that pays off. While Gage makes sure to offer us the action we demand, the struggle is eventually decided by the individual drives and desires of each of the characters.

Batman Beyond Universe #1 – Review

by: Kyle Higgins (writer), Christos Gage (writer), Thony Silas (art), Iban Coello (art),

The Story:  Could your cell phone electrocute you to death? Tune in in twenty-seven years to find out! And we’ll get the weather from Aquagirl and find out why Superman is spontaneously shooting people.

The Review: Kyle Higgins has been very, very open about his love for Batman Beyond and judging by this issue it simply cannot be contained.  Other recent attempts to translate Batman Beyond to comics have generally failed to capture the tone of the beloved television show. But where many before him have failed, Higgins really succeeds.

I’m not sure but it seems likely that Higgins either watched a good deal of Batman Beyond in the process of writing this issue, or simply has the series memorized; both are strong possibilities. Whatever his method, he has a strong grasp on Terry’s voice. In truth, this is sometimes a slight detriment as Higgins’ script reveals how generic Terry can sound without Will Friedle voicing him. However I can’t blame him for so accurately replicating the series and, thankfully, many lines are good enough to summon Friedle’s iconic voice to mind. I can practically see one of the suit’s eyes widen when terry quips back, “Oh come on, it’s college. Aren’t I supposed to pull all-nighters?”

Commissioner Gordon, Ghoul, and even the news anchor all feel authentic to the show, but it’s not all fodder for nostalgia. Higgins writes an interesting plot that makes use of the Neo Gotham setting without obsessing over it. It’s still Batman Beyond but Terry’s clearly come a long way in terms of his detective work, which, given the shift in medium, seems a wise choice.