By Harrison Stewart —  What a time to be a Batman Beyond fan. Just last week, we were treated to Sean Murphy and Dave Stewart’s brilliant, haunting vision of Neo Gotham in Batman: Beyond the White Knight. And before that, Batman: Urban Legends #7 served as a backdoor pilot for a new and exciting direction for the mainline comic. Suffice it to say the bar was high going into this first issue. But Batman Beyond - Neo Year #1 clears with flying colors, taking the franchise to thrilling new heights. 

Originally conceived as a more kid-friendly take on the caped crusader (laser weapons instead of guns, a high school protagonist, etc.), the Batman Beyond show evolved into one of the most mature, nuanced entries in Paul Dini and Bruce Timm’s already impressive DC Animated Universe. As with any work of fiction whose futuristic date has come and gone, there’s a delightfully anachronistic feel to this series that has proven difficult to recapture in subsequent offerings. Most have been content to retread plotlines from the show or simply pit the new Batman against the old one’s foes. Nostalgic though it may be, this property has been in a holding pattern for some time now, as unsure of its place in the world as its protagonist. 

Writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing break the mold entirely with a daring, if potentially risky move: kill Bruce Wayne. To be fair, this plot point has been done (and undone) before in Beyond. What seems to set this attempt apart is a commitment to the finality of death. Whereas before it was generally understood that Bruce would return eventually in some capacity, Kelly and Lanzing are far more interested in giving Terry McGinnis his due. He is Batman, but he’s never really been allowed to own the mantle, never been pushed from the nest and forced to fly solo. The training wheels are off and no one’s coming to save Terry if he falls this time. That loneliness, the determination of a single person against extraordinary odds, is quintessential Batman, opening the door for a Year One style examination of what makes this man tick. 

Perhaps even more enticing is the introduction of a startling new villain. The Living Gotham is an Artificial Intelligence with full access to anything digital: financials, personal records, police reports, cameras, the applications are virtually limitless. Oh, and it killed Bruce Wayne. But most terrifying of all, we have no idea what it wants. So far it seems to only toy with Terry, counterbalancing any good he may do with equal harm. Such a wickedly dystopian adversary is perfect for two reasons. First, it provides for an unsettling examination of privacy and control in an increasingly surveilled age. And second, it recommits to the show’s vision of giving us something new in the familiar, paying homage to what came before while still blazing a trail all its own. 

Tying all of this together seamlessly is the brilliant art of Max Dunbar with Sebastian Cheng colors. Much like the plot, the landscape is lovingly crafted as tribute and sequel to its source material. Nods and Easter eggs are sprinkled throughout, carefully placed soas to never be distracting or overwrought (the word “schway” only appears twice). Neo Gotham itself is wonderfully rendered and reminiscent of the mean, neon-drenched streets of Blade Runner or Akira. Dunbar and Cheng own the sci-fi roots, cleverly melding technological advancements with the seediness Gotham is known for. 

While I tend to reserve perfect scores, there was no part of this book I didn’t love. It just felt right, and I could hear the series voice actors in my head with each scene, a novel but welcome experience for me with Batman Beyond comics. Top to bottom, this is the sequel to the show I’ve always wanted, an enticing step forward that places the title comfortably on my sub list.

Overall: Batman Beyond: Neo Year #1 is essential reading for any fan of the show. 10/10

REVIEW: Batman Beyond - Neo Year #1

Batman Beyond - Neo Year #1
Writers: Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
Artist: Max Dunbar
Colorist: Sebastian Cheng
Letterer: Aditya Bidikar
Publisher: DC Comics
Neo-Gotham is alive and has killed Bruce Wayne. It's rejected Terry McGinnis as Batman and offered him the chance to escape. Terry turned it down-he is the city's protector, and he will uphold the legacy of Batman. Now Neo-Gotham will do everything in its power to destroy Terry, including creating brand-new villains to fight him. Terry's first year without Bruce Wayne begins...does he have a fighting chance? From the rising-star creative team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (Kang the Conqueror) and Max Dunbar (Batman: Urban Legends, Robin), a new future for Batman Beyond has begun!
Price: $3.99
Buy It Here: Digital

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Harrison manages a comic shop by day and writes comics by night. You can find more of his writing at @stewart_bros