Working relentlessly to answer Gestalt’s barrage of bat signals, Terry McGinnis is the only thing preventing Neo-Gotham from plunging into chaos. Unfortunately, the situation rapidly escalates from bad to worse as children begin to go missing beneath the city. If Batman ever wants to solve this mystery and save the children, he must traverse the shadows beneath Neo-Gotham with his new guide, Kyle the Catboi. Although the future’s Dark Knight may not know what horrors lurk in the Undergoth, one thing is for sure:
“…There’s death in the roots.”
DC Comics
Picking up shortly after the events of Batman Beyond: Neo Year, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing’s Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 sets the stage for their next soiree with the Batman of the Future. Although this issue spends a significant number of its pages establishing our hero’s new status quo, there is still a lot to love about this book. Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing present us with an evolved version of Terry McGinnis following the death of Bruce Wayne. This new iteration provides layers to the fan-favorite character that are both fun and a bit depressing. Additionally, Max Dunbar’s artwork with Sebastian Cheng’s colors perfectly captures the tone of the original series while pushing it into a new direction.
Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 suffers from one of the many necessary evils that plague a series’ first issue: the setup. This issue spends an exorbitant amount of time establishing the franchise’s new status quo following the events of the previous series. Kelly and Lanzing wisely use Dunbar’s dynamic artwork to provide an action sequence for the introduction’s exposition dump. Max Dunbar’s visuals with Sebastian Cheng’s letters do an excellent job of showing us Terry’s duress to reinforce the writer’s words. Unfortunately, there is so much information in the first half of this book that it’s easy to lose track of what’s important.
The easy answer would be to say that everything from the issue’s first lesson to the final panel is important. Unfortunately, trying to retain all the necessary details means you may also lose out on the narrative’s emotional beats. The phone call with Terry’s mother and their disconnectedness should make you feel something as a reader. Unfortunately, it comes off as just another checkbox to inform the reader of Terry’s isolation from his family. Thankfully, this missed moment is punctuated by an interesting visual of the word disconnected written backward. This is an interesting way of illustrating how their relationship has become backward and separated.
Even though Terry doesn’t have any time to pump the brakes for family, friends, or any sort of social interaction, Kelly and Lanzing do an excellent job illustrating his growth with the mantle. As Batman progresses further into the Undergoth with Kyle the Catboi, we witness how Terry’s detective prowess has grown. As Kyle threatens to have his entire pride pounce on our hero, Batman deduces that the catboi is not part of any pride as he is matted and catbois engage in social grooming. Although it’s not necessarily pleasant to visualize humanoid cats licking each other, it is entertaining to see Terry use his brain to outmaneuver Kyle. I am excited about whatever else Kelley and Lanzing have in store for Terry’s character growth.
“Children. all children and all from food-desert districts. The lower narrows, Breyfogle flats. Mignola Falls. They sneak out at night. They take money. And they never return.”
DC Comics
One of my favorite narrative elements of Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 is Kelly and Lanzing’s use of the three rules to tie the story together. It is neat to see how each of these rules play into one another and frame each sequence within the book. Although it is not clear who is stating these rules, they are clearly for Kyle. I am excited to learn what twists these will bring to the series.
Although I have mentioned Max Dunbar’s artwork previously, I would be remiss if I did not discuss it again. Max’s artwork with Sebastian Cheng’s colors perfectly captures the tone of the original series. Their work is dynamic and cinematic, constructing a visual feast for the eyes. The opening two-page spread of Batman lit up in Neo-Gotham with the bat signal is amazing. I also love how Cheng’s colors change the book’s tone as Batman travels into the Undergoth. It will be interesting to see how Batman Beyond’s color palette plays against that of the under goth.
Although it is a necessary evil, Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #1 suffers from so much setup. Unfortunately, trying to retain all the necessary details means you may also lose out on the narrative’s emotional beats as they become checklists for the status quo. As a result, the book struggles to make me feel something for the main character. Thankfully, Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing present us with an evolved version of Terry McGinnis that provides layers for the fan-favorite character. Additionally, Max Dunbar’s artwork with Sebastian Cheng’s colors perfectly captures the tone of the original series while pushing it into a new direction. Their action sequences are dynamic and provide a feast for the eyes.
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