Batman Beyond #28 Review

Joker Beyond

Written By: Dan Jurgens

Art By: Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Andrew Dalhouse, Travis Lanham

Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: January 30, 2019

Thirty-Five years from now Batman is facing off with the Joker, but not the Joker as you know him.  No, he's gone and decided that if Batman can upgrade, so can he.  What this means......... Well, he's taken control of a cyborg and has a screen on his chest so that he can see the destruction and also taunt Terry McGinnis at the same time.  So yeah, nothing really special there.  Really though, it seems that in his old age, the Joker wants to relive his greatest hits;  destroy Gotham, shoot Barbara Gordon and for the coup de grace......... Kill another Robin.  Oh, poor Matt has some bruises coming....... if he's lucky that is.  Let's jump into this issue of Batman Beyond and see if this arc has picked up at all.

While I'd like to tell you that the Joker doing all the things that we've seen him do before, but in the future has become more interesting this issue......... you know, since he has a cyborg now....... I just can't and this issue again just becomes another big ass fight scene that pits our hero against someone (something?) that can kick his ass.  It's not only Batman's ass on the line this time though, we also have Matt McGinnis in the early stages of his Robin Beyond career that creates a bit of drama with the idea of Bruce putting another child in danger, which doesn't sit well with an aged Dick Grayson.  

Really though, there's not much to this issue besides for the Joker's dialog coming off strange like it's someone doing a poor job at impersonating the Joker and the idea that old Bruce has done it again, in putting a young sidekick in danger, but at this point it's the whole "been there, done that" feeling going on here and I can't say that I'm enjoying it at all.

The one big positive is the art since I love this art team, but even that at points comes off weird as you're trying to follow the fight and the dynamic panels that Brett Booth does and usually nails...... comes off a little jarring and I found myself losing some of what was going on in the fight between Batman and the Joker.  All in all, the story is boring and I really expected more from it.

Bits and Pieces:

The Joker coming back continues to be something that I know should be cool, but is still just not hitting in my mind.  We get the usual Batman Beyond fight scene this issue......... you know, the majority of the pages and even that comes off bland to me.  I just really hope that this can all wrap up to be something special because right now, it's just really underwhelming.

5/10