%2B-%2BPage%2B1.jpg)
Art by: Thony SilasCover Price: $0.99
Release Date: September 6, 2014
I'm All In
The best thing about a weekly book is...it comes out weekly. I blew your mind there, didn't I? Well, after the awesome Mark of the Phantasm arc, Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel come right back kicking and screaming. No time to catch your breath in Batman Beyond 2.0 land, that's for sure. This issue starts the new "All In" arc and it's about reunions, both good, bad and awesome.
Starting a new arc is so much fun. Figuring out the themes and seeing who is involved is like opening a present and this issue is Christmas Morning. Higgins and Siegel start things off in the Justice Lords Timeline so fan know what I'm talking about. It's been a while since we last say Terry there and things have changed. Lord Batman statues are being repaired and put back up and there is a new Batman in town and yes, he goes by the name of "T". Awesome. I love everything Higgins did with "T" in the Justice Lords arc and hoped we see him again. We also get to see Dick Grayson in a better role than Lord Superman's lackey.
It's quickly clear that Terry has been visiting the JL Timeline to help out with the Batman training, but that's just the tip of the iceberg. Again, fans of the book will know another huge reason Terry would visit the Timeline and while it makes sense, I fear that it's not a healthy thing for Terry to do. Plus, I think it might bite him in the ass before it's all over.
Of course every story needs a villain and Higgins and Siegel look like their getting some ringers for the roster. Mark of the Phantasm ended with a cliffhanger showing Ghoul making a deal with Davis Dusk and while Rewire seems reluctant here, Ghoul has a backup plan. It's a character that will have fans of the animated series shaking with excitement and fear and I can only hope this is the beginning of some Iniquity Collective action. Someone get Stalker on the line, stat!
I really enjoyed this issue. Like I said earlier, I love jumping into a new arc and Higgins and Siegel know what their doing. Each page turn is another great moment and they all build up to an awesome beginning to a story I can't wait to learn more about.
Thony Silas is back on art and I'm a happy man. No insult to Phil Hester and Craig Rousseau, but Silas is the artist I think of when I think of this book. His clean, animated, cartoony style on display this week shows why.
Bits and Pieces:
Batman Beyond 2.0 #32 is another great start to the newest must read arc. Kyle Higgins and Alec Siegel throw nonstop reveals and twists at the reader and Thony Silas is back where he belongs. I can't wait for next week.
9.3/10
First, just pointing out that its gotten to the point that every 2.0 arc is a must read. Higgins has consistently put out quality stories and built new layers upon the Batman Beyond franchise.
ReplyDeleteSecond, this was a great start to a new arc and while I was happy to see Inque again, her presence made me think about lingering plot threads. Does anyone remember back in Batman Beyond vol. 4 issue 8 when Inque's full origin was revealed and how her daughter Deanna was shown being sick because she had inherited Inque's mutation? Or how Inque needed steady doses of mutagen in order to keep her human form? Is any of this going to be resolved? I know in the Beyond timeline this stuff happened roughly over a year ago so things may have changed.
Also, more of Terry's villains seem to be getting upgraded or more powerful as time goes on. Shriek got an upgrade during the Bat Men arc, Ghoul figured out how to modify the original Joker toxin, and now Inque is getting a power boost. This is awesome because it shows that Terry is going to have to evolve as well in order to continue being effective against organized and metahuman crime. This might lead back to an uneasy alliance with Bruce, as Bruce has resources and access to things that Dick may not have.
Oh and since you made a reference to the Iniquity Collective, when are we going to see Stalker again and when is Parasite Beyond going to be introduced? Stalker was a boss simply because he was like the DCAU's take on Kraven and we don't know much about the new Parasite outside of what was seen on JLU's Epilogue.
I do have a feeling that Deanna will be involved. "All In" really suggests to me that Stalker and Parasite Beyond are showing up soon and that the alliance with Bruce will happen as well. I can't wait...best book out right now IMO.
ReplyDeleteEven if it's a kind of small detail (but perhaps only now) I really liked how Terry's suit actually incorporated stuff from the Lord's counterpart. And I like how Bruce doesn't agree with it and he's probably right. The wings, to my knowledge, can't retract and are always permanently out and could be a problem later on. Plus we see that in 'Epilogue' Terry has the original wings again so....
ReplyDeleteI liked the suit a lot and I didn't even notice at the end...nice call! I guess even if he hates Bruce, he still listens to him
Delete