Batman Beyond 2.0 #20 Review

Written by: Kyle Higgins
Art by: Tony Silas
Cover Price: $0.99
Release Date: May 10, 2014

New Threads

After the last issue of Batman Beyond 2.0, there was one thing I wanted to see.  Lord Batman Beyond.  I guess I rubbed a magic lamp because I got my wish.  At least I hope that was a lamp!  The suit looks awesome and it certainly does the job against the Jokerz.  Those Jokerz are a stubborn (stupid) bunch and still think they can take on the two Terrys.  That gives Kyle Higgins and Thony Silas a chance to flex their muscles with a lengthy fight scene.  Not only do we get to see the Suit in action, but Higgins uses a certain catch phrase to show the slight difference between the two characters.



After the fight is over, we get down to brass tacks.  Why is alternate Terry bad and involved with the Jokerz?  It's not cut and dry, but regular Terry seems to think it is.  He goes from point A to point H by using alternate Terry as proof that at his core, he is not a good guy.  The two do bond over a point that is the same in both time lines.  It's a meaningful and sad moment that brings them a little closer together.

If you are reading BB 2.0, then chances are you are also reading Justice League Beyond 2.0.  This is an event involving both books and last weeks JLB 2.0 ended with the promise of bringing the story closer together.  Higgins makes us wait until the very last page, but it does happen.  It's pretty obvious what's about to go down, but in case you were wondering, next issue is titled "Showdown".  I can't wait.

Overall this was a light, but satisfying issue.  Half of the book is taken up by the Jokerz fight and while I liked seeing Lord Batman in action, it went on for too long.  That was made more obvious immediately afterwards because of the great interaction between the Terrys.  I loved it and wanted more.  I hate to say it, but this chapter will probably play better in the collected work where the extended fight won't dominate the page count as much. As I mentioned, the ending was great, if not expected and sets up an epic battle next issue...I hope.

Thony Silas does another outstanding job.  The fight scene is great, but it's the work he does with the Terrys that I like best.  The emotion he creates helps the story so much.  While there isn't really a standout panel this week, everything is clean and easy to follow.  There's something to be said for that.

Bits and Pieces:

Batman Beyond 2.0 #20 may be long winded in the fight scene department, but it's dialogue and character moments are top notch.  We do get to see Lord Batman Beyond in action which is awesome and the cliffhanger sets up an epic battle to come.

7.5/10