Batman Beyond: Neo Year #5 Review

 

 

Written by: Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing
Art by: Max Dunbar
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by: Aditya Bidikar
Cover art by: Max Dunbar, Sebastian Cheng
Cover price: $3.99
goog_344042331Release date: August 2, 2022

Batman Beyond: Neo Year #5 reveals the secret mechanism the Gotham AI uses to control...everything. Meanwhile, Terry enlists criminal help to find a solution and take the fight back to Lumos.

Is It Good?

Batman Beyond: Neo Year #5 is not bad. For a penultimate issue, it's very dialog/narration heavy, and there's not a bit of action to be found, but the stakes are clarified, the mystery of Gotham's control is demystified, and the hero's goal going into the finale is made clear. Despite the lack of action, this is one of the better issues in the run.

When last we left Terry, he defeated Sword of Gotham "possessing" the body of Officer Booma. Realizing that Sword can be anyone, anywhere, at any time, Terry takes Boom to the only place he can - the still-defended Batcave - where he finds Gestalt looking over the systems in his/its/their new hiding place. Gestalt uses its advanced tech to assist Terry in uncovering how Booma was possessed and what to do about it.

In the last review, we pointed out how Agent-Smith-from-The-Matrix-like Booma's possession appeared. Thankfully, this issue reveals that Terry isn't actually in a simulation, but there are enough similarities to conclude the inspiration is fully present. You could make the case that Terry and Gotham are in a physical Matrix rather than a virtual one, but there's enough distinctiveness in the "how" of it to make the story feel somewhat fresh.

The explanation of the possession makes sense, the implications of the possession clarify how the Gotham AI is able to infiltrate all levels of the city, and Terry's challenge feels impossibly huge, as all hero's challenges should.

Regarding the art, it's good. There's not much room to show off since this is a small issue centered almost entirely around Terry talking with Gestalt, but there's enough visual interest in Getalt's snakelike design to hold a reader's attention. Also, Bidikar's lettering for Gestalt's weird speech adds an unexpected bit of pop to a dark and dreary Batcave.

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About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.

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Bits and Pieces:

Batman Beyond: Neo Year #5 is one of the better issues in the series, just in time for the finale next month. All the mysteries are resolved, the stakes are raised, and the forthcoming battle appears promising.

8.5/10