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.
Gage also makes a wise choice to highlight a couple of the less popular characters. Mr. Miracle and Kai-Ro get overdue moments of recognition, but it’s Aquagirl who really comes out of this issue best. Mareena’s reaction to the issue’s events lay track for future stories and help to define who she is and why she’s a hero.
The resolution of Jax-Ur’s threat would have been enough, but the best of this story is saved for the denouement. Indeed, we effectively get three excellent endings to this tale, each of which makes me very interested to see where things go from here.
Iban Coello’s work is as lovely as ever. His art excels in subtly directing the eye and his characters all possess a satisfying weight. There’s also an increased dynamism that’s been missing from previous installments. While Coello still likes to freeze frame the most iconic moments of a battle, he’s introduced a stronger sense of flow that gives the story a more convincing illusion of time.
There are occasional problems with faces, with the lines on Jax-Ur and Kal-El’s aged faces competing with their expressions at times. Overall though, I’m a big fan of Coello’s dramatic compositions and of the excellent teamwork between he and Tom Mason.
Meanwhile, over in Gotham, Batman and Rewire are each preparing their master strokes. The mysteries of Rewire’s past have all come to light by now, so it would seem that all that’s left is to take him down. However, an interesting tick in the Batsuit’s programming opens the door to some last-minute personal issues.
Higgins’ script is as sprawling and dramatic as any entry in the animated series. Unfortunately, for all its grandeur, the script doesn’t come together as tightly as one might hope. It’s clear what Higgins was going for thematically, which is good, but it’s something you register in your head rather than your heart.
Thankfully the dialogue is rock solid. Higgins still has Terry’s voice down cold, and Dick and Barbara talk with the gentle magnetism of a complicated history almost put to rest. Special praise goes to Rewire, who really comes into his own as a villain this issue, mixing brutal seriousness with instinctual humor. Though there’s a certain juvenile lightness to his character, the sense of danger surrounding Rewire is undeniable.
Usually comics are better suited to strategic victories than animation. While this issue eventually accedes to this principle, the action is intense, giving the show that spawned it a decent run for its money. Higgins’ script does a fine job of recreating the feel of the original Batman Beyond and it’s brought to beautiful life by Thony Silas and Andrew Elder. Terry’s body language as he dodges bolts of lightning speaks to the danger he’s in and Rewire moves with a frightening lack of control, equally dynamic and awkward, but always interesting.
Silas continues to pack his pages with an impressive number of panels and yet they remain clear and easy to read. No matter how small the panels become they retain a strong level of detail and care. It’s really remarkable that he’s been able to keep up with this comic, but he shows no signs of fatigue.
The style remains a wonderful response to Bruce Timm’s; expressions are great in nearly every panel; and, while there are occasional exaggerations, the anatomy rarely looks off, despite the large number of unusual poses that Silas is called upon to render.
The Conclusion: Though both stories feel a little rushed in places, they each make for a satisfying ending.
Gage’s JLB story is simply great, providing a smart, entertaining conclusion to the tale and instilling in me a need to have read the next chapter yesterday. This chapter deepens the characters, introduces new plotlines, and fully lives up to the promise of a Phantom Zone brawl. Iban Coello’s work is only improving and draws the reader in easily.
Batman Beyond also does a fine job of tying up loose ends, if a slightly less even one. Rewire and Terry both get what they deserve, if not without a moment of melancholy. Higgins’ skill and love for the source material cannot be contained and we get a great conclusion to the opening story. Thony Silas gives us another gorgeous installment that reminds me how lucky we are to have him on this project.
Batman Beyond Universe continues to be not one but two of the strongest comics on my pull list. If you loved the DCAU, know that its legacy lives on and that you should be buying it.
Grade:
Justice League Beyond: B+
Batman Beyond: B
Some Thoughts
- I often feel that I’m overly superficial in how I think about the way artists represent their characters. Even so, having seen how this story played out, I have to wonder if my opinion that Rewire looked kind of like an evil Terry was actually a conscious choice.
- Bruce’s actions seem kind of hopelessly reckless. Like, what if Terry hadn’t shown up? Why didn’t he send this information to Barbara?