{"id":19603,"date":"2019-01-26T09:00:29","date_gmt":"2019-01-26T09:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/?p=19603"},"modified":"2019-01-25T17:44:06","modified_gmt":"2019-01-25T17:44:06","slug":"batman-beyond-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/2019\/01\/26\/batman-beyond-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Batman Beyond"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"
\nBy Hilary J. Bader<\/strong>, Rich Burchett<\/strong>, Joe Staton<\/strong> & Terry Beatty<\/strong> (DC comics)
\nISBN: 978-1-56389-604-0<\/p>\n

This March sees the 80th<\/sup> anniversary of the Bat-Man’s debut. I expect there to be some fuss about the event. I shall certainly be indulging myself in a few fond looks back. Here’s a taste of the amazing influence the Caped Crusader has exerted over the decades, and a book long overdue for a new edition and some digital exposure\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

The Batman Animated<\/strong> TV series masterminded by Bruce Timm & Paul Dini in the 1990s revolutionised the Dark Knight and also led to some of the absolute best comicbook adventures in his entire publishing history with the tie-in monthly printed series.<\/p>\n

With his small screen credentials firmly re-established, follow-up series began (and are still coming), even ultimately feeding back into and enriching the overarching DCU continuity.<\/p>\n

Following those award-winning episodes, in 1999 came a new incarnation set a generation into the future, featuring Bruce Wayne<\/em> in the twilight of his life while a new teenaged hero picked up the eerily-scalloped mantle. In Britain the series was uninspirationally re-titled Batman of the Future<\/strong> but for most of the extremely-impressed-despite-themselves cognoscenti and awe-struck kids everywhere it was Batman Beyond!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once again, the show was augmented by a cool kids’ comicbook and this collection collects the first 6-issue miniseries in a hip and trendy, immensely entertaining package suitable for fans and aficionados of all ages. Although not necessary to the reader’s enjoyment, a passing familiarity with the TV episodes will enhance the overall experience\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

All stories are written by Hilary J. Bader and the book opens with a 2-art adaptation of the pilot episode, illustrated by Rick Burchett & Terry Beatty. ‘Not on My Watch!’<\/em> offers brief glimpses of the last days of Batman’s crusade against crime before age, infirmity and injury slow him down to the point of compromising his principles and endangering the citizens he’s sworn to protect…<\/p>\n

Years later, Gotham City in the mid-21st<\/sup> century (notionally accepted as 2039 CE – 100 years after the comicbook debut of Batman in Detective Comics<\/strong> #27) is a dystopian urban jungle where angry, rebellious school-kid Terry McGinnis<\/em> strikes a blow against pernicious street-punks The Jokerz<\/em> and is chased out of the metropolis to the gates of a ramshackle mansion.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, his research-scientist father has discovered a little too much about the company he works for\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Wayne-Powers used to be a decent place to work before old man Wayne became a recluse. Now Derek Powers<\/em> runs the show and is ruthless enough to do anything to increase his profits\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Outside town, Terry is saved from a potentially fatal encounter with the Jokerz by a burly old man who then collapses. Helping the aged Bruce Wayne inside the mansion, Terry discovers the long-neglected Batcave before being chased away by the surly Wayne. He really doesn’t care\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 until he gets home to find his father has been murdered.<\/p>\n

A storm of mixed emotions, McGinnis returns to Wayne Manor\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Concluding chapter ‘I Am Batman’<\/em> sees him attempt to force Wayne to act before giving up in frustration and simply stealing the hero’s greatest weapon; a cybernetic bat-suit that enhances strength, speed, durability and perception. Alone, untrained and unaided, the new Batman sets to exact justice and take revenge\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In the ensuing clash with Powers, the unscrupulous entrepreneur is mutated into a radioactive monster named Blight<\/em> before Wayne and Terry reach a tenuous truce and working understanding. For the moment, Terry will continue to clean up the Dark Knight’s city as a probationary, apprentice hero\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

With issue #3 Bader, Burchett & Beatty crafted original stories in the newly established future Gotham, commencing with ‘Never Mix, Never Worry’<\/em> wherein Blight returns to steal a selection of man-made radioactive elements which can only be used to cause harm\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or can they?<\/p>\n

Joe Staton assumed the pencilling role with #4 as a schoolboy nerd frees a devil from limbo and old man Wayne introduces cocksure Terry to parapsychologist Jason Blood<\/em> and his eldritch alter ego Etrigan the Demon<\/em> in spooky shocker ‘Magic Is Everywhere’<\/em>: a sentiment repeated when a school-trip to the museum unleashes ancient lovers who feed on life energy in the delightfully comical tragedy of ‘Mummy, Oh! and Juliet’<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

This captivating compendium of action and adventure ends with another compelling and edgy thriller as Terry stumbles into a return bout with a shape-shifting super-thief in ‘Permanent Inque Stains’<\/em>, only to find that there are far worse crimes and far more evil villains haunting his city\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

Fun, thrilling and surprisingly moving, these tales remain magnificent examples of thrilling comics that appeal to young and old alike. Stick ’em on the same shelf as Tintin<\/strong>, Asterix<\/strong> and Carl Barks’ Uncle Scrooge<\/strong> tales and you can’t go wrong\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6<\/p>\n

In 2000 Titan Books released a British edition re-titled Batman of the Future<\/strong> (to comply with the renamed UK TV series) and this version is a little easier to locate by those eager to enjoy the stories rather than own an artefact.
\n\u00c2\u00a9 1999 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Hilary J. Bader, Rich Burchett, Joe Staton & Terry Beatty (DC comics) ISBN: 978-1-56389-604-0 This March sees the 80th anniversary of the Bat-Man’s debut. I expect there to be some fuss about the event. I shall certainly be indulging myself in a few fond looks back. Here’s a taste of the amazing influence the … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Batman Beyond”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[80,10,76,97],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19603","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adaptations","category-batman","category-dc-superhero","category-kids-all-ages"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4AFj-56b","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19603\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.comicsreview.co.uk\/nowreadthis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}