TITLE: Batman Beyond issue #1
YEAR: August 2015
COMPANY: DC Comics
Written by Dan Jurgens
Artist: Bernard Chang
Colored by Marcelo Maiolo
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Edited by Dan Didio & David Pina
Batman created by Bob Kane
Back in 1999, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini and Alan Burnett developed a new Batman animates series but this one taking place in the future.
The series known as “Batman Beyond” would go on for 52 episodes through 2001 and would feature a darker storyline compared to other children’s animated series and would feature a teenage protagonist.
The animated series revolved around Batman now in his late ’50s or early ’60s still fighting crime but after suffering a heart attack, and nearly being beaten to death, Bruce Wayne decides he can no longer continue as Batman.
All the people around him are dead and his former partners are older and has had some falling out with a few of them. The Batman of the future has also severed ties with Superman and Justice League.
But all changes when a teenager named Terry McGinnis who is being bullied by a group known as the Jokerz start chasing him. As Terry tries to escape, he ends up at the Wayne Manor and Bruce assists him and fighting the Jokerz.
Unfortunately, it’s too much for Bruce’s heart and Terry helps him back into the manor. And while exploring the place, he finds the Batcave and discovers Bruce’s secrets. Bruce is not too happy that his secrets are known by Terry and he kicks him out.
When Terry returns home, he finds that his father has been murdered by the Jokerz as revenge. And without going into the full story, let’s just say that as crime and corruption is running rampant in Gotham, the city needs a new Batman and sure enough, Bruce offers Terry a chance to be the new Batman, while he will be his mentor. Meanwhile, Terry would be Bruce’s chauffeur in order to make money to take care of his family, since his father is no longer around to take care of the family.
For the comic books, “Batman Beyond” featuring Terry McGinnis would be released in 1999 and a 24-issue would be released from 1999 to 2001.
In 2015-2016, a fifth volume taking place after “The New 52: Futures End” would be created. In this comic, Terry McGinnis has died trying to go back in the past, five years prior and sacrifices his life to save the world and Tim Drake. In honor of Terry’s sacrifice, Tim who was once known as Red Robin, now takes on Terry’s suit and becomes the new Batman and destroy’s Brother Eye’s satellite in hopes to end the chaos of the past.
In this first issue, Tim Drake goes 35 years into the future and realizes, he didn’t prevent the rise of the machines and this new world, most of every major city has been destroyed and only Gotham exists. With the help of a computerized Alfred, he goes to visit Nora Boxer, a resistance fighter against Brother’s Eye and also Terry’s little brother Matt.
As Batman heads to New York to find it destroyed, what he doesn’t expect is to fight with an evil Superman (with his bottom torso missing and now on top of machines).
The series sets up a storyline about Batman trying to build a new team of Resistance Fighters to take on the machines (sound familiar?).
Overall, an OK first issue with an interesting concept of Tim Drake in the future and now becoming the new Batman. Of course, these loose ends would need to be fixed as DC Comics would unveil the return of Terry McGinnis for the current “Batman Beyond” release for DC Comics Universe Rebirth.