Batman/Static: Beyond is nearing its conclusion, but before the curtain drops, the creative team of Evan Narcisse and Miguel Mendoca delivers a hell of a smackdown. I’m not being facetious here; the issue opens with Virgil Hawkins and Terry McGinnis embroiled in battle against shady government forces, and then takes that battle to the back alleys of Neo-Gotham. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish, and what makes it great is the way that Mendoca displays said combat.
With Static, Mendoca doesn’t miss a chance to show off his electromagnetic abilities, as each taser punch and lightning bolt fills the page with golden light courtesy of Wil Quintana. Terry, on the other hand, moves fast and decisively, utilizing the Batarangs and other weapons in his suit to take out sources of light, then hit his foes fast and hard. It’s a great way to show how many lessons he’s learned as Batman and to correct the character imbalance that’s plagued the last two issues.
Once the action shifts to Neo-Gotham, Mendoca and Quintana don’t waste any time in showcasing that the city hasn’t lost its edge in the future. The neighborhood known as the Narrows is home to a group of Splicers, mutated animal/human hybrids that popped up in episodes of Batman Beyond, and they look truly animalistic here, whether it’s a massive man tiger or a humanoid eel crackling with electricity. In a sly bit of dialogue, said eel is named “Eli”.
DC
For all the action, it’s the character work that’s the strongest point, and Evan Narcisse excels in that. Both Terry and Virgil show that they look to solve problems beyond punching, with Terry helping out the Splicer community and Virgil finding parallels between the moment his life changed and everything that’s going on with new villain Shutdown. One of the best bits of dialogue comes when Virgil puts forth the idea that instead of locking Shutdown out, they should figure out what he wants.
That reasoning is unspooled in flashbacks, which gives Shutdown a truly tragic edge. It also explores his distaste for technology, which stems from a desire to truly connect with the world and by extension, his parents. Again, Narcisse is tapping into some strong themes here. Though technology can connect people, it can also allow them to put up walls, whether it’s through the image we project or the communities we cultivate. The most pointed line of dialogue concerns the Zeta Unit issued to Shutdown’s parents; his mother clearly isn’t comfortable with it while his father sees it as a tool to get ahead in work.
I’m still not sure how the intergalactic politics function in the main storyline, other than an excuse to keep the rest of the Justice League off-world. Perhaps there’s a connection to that and what’s going on with Virgil and Terry, but with one issue left Narcisse will have to jump through some hoops to make that connection work. Batman/Static: Beyond #5 builds on some very strong themes as it races to its final fight, and makes sure it’ll be a clash of ideals as well as fists.
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