Connect with us
Batman Beyond #13 Review

Comic Books

Batman Beyond #13 Review

With three villains new and old on the loose, it won’t be easy for Batman to help Neo-Gotham when she needs him most.

[amazon_link asins=’B074KNQJC3′ template=’AiPTProductAd’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’c236adbb-b8ee-11e7-a693-b53511568817′]

Illustrator Bernard Chang puts on his writer’s hat for a new story arc that takes us back to Terry’s initial return to the Batsuit during the period of Neo-Gotham’s recovery from Brother Eye’s attack.

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

DC synopsis

“GOTHAM GAMES” part one! Set in the time just after Terry McGinnis returned to his Batman role, this non-stop, all-out action issue pits him against a gauntlet of villains. While Gotham struggles to put society back in order, someone has taken over the city’s defense system, turning it against its citizens. Unable to fly, Batman’s forced to battle an array of old and new villains at ground level. Don’t miss this story written and illustrated by Bernard Chang!

What’s the skinny?

Terry once again finds himself walking the fine line of balancing his personal life with the role of Batman. Max and Matt are participating in The Gotham Games, a unification effort for the city of Neo-Gotham that’s slowly recovering from Brother Eye’s recent attack. Terry is desperate to attend and show his support, but unfortunately for him there’s an aerial defense system left over from the attacks that’s been compromised and is preventing much needed supplies from being flown in.

Bruce Wayne designed the aerial defense system and as a failsafe included three manual shutoff points located around the different levels Neo-Gotham. Shutting off three computer consoles should be an easy job for Batman but acquiring physical access to the manual shutoffs proves to be the real challenge. Three villains new and old await Terry at each location and they’re not very interested in talking.

What’s the catch?

Beyond the initial inclusion of the Gotham Games as a plot point and to illustrate the difficulty of being a super hero with a personal life, I didn’t see why Max and Matt were present in this issue. The panels involving them were well drawn but watching bits and pieces of a youth basketball game felt out of place in the larger story.

Is it good?

As usual Chang does a fantastic job in the art department. I particularly enjoyed the way The Hacker and Shriek’s powers where drawn — for instance, Shriek’s sound based powers were always shown with a rippling wave effect that really added to how powerful I perceived him to be. It was almost like watching a fighter jet breaking the sound barrier. The Hacker’s use of his powers were always accompanied by a lattice work of lines and symbols that complemented his math/science/computer based abilities wonderfully.

[amazon_link asins=’B074KNQJC3′ template=’BottomAdAIPT’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’ca7c72d4-b8ee-11e7-b437-e76efda053ee’]

You see a two page spread in almost every comic, big deal right? Well Chang used the panels in a way to give us three separate events happening across three sections on one two page spread. I can’t recall the last time I saw someone do this so well in a way that made the flow of the story feel so natural in this format.

This is my first experience with a comic that has Bernard Chang in the writer’s chair. It’s always exciting to see someone you admire take on a new challenge. I have to imagine Chang’s familiarity with the character helped him here, as he wasn’t afraid to begin an arc with numerous balls in the air. While the dialogue for Batman felt a bit stiff at times, the characters more than made up for it. Three villains, one of which is brand new and everyone was tossed a brief origin story. While the overarching story is fairly simple, it’s a great start and I’m excited to see where Chang goes with his new character.

Batman Beyond #13 Review
Batman Beyond #13
Is it good?
While the overarching story is fairly simple, it's a great start and I'm excited to see where Chang goes with his new character.
A brand new character!
As per usual Chang knocks it out of the park in the art department
Unique page and panel layout. Big fan of the format used here
Batman's dialogue was a bit stiff
Less children's basketball, more new villains please
7.5
Good

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

Full June 2024 DC Comics solicitations: Gotham by Gaslight sequel and more Full June 2024 DC Comics solicitations: Gotham by Gaslight sequel and more

Full June 2024 DC Comics solicitations: Gotham by Gaslight sequel and more

Comic Books

Marvel reveals new X-Men era titles, art, and more, launching July 2024 Marvel reveals new X-Men era titles, art, and more, launching July 2024

Marvel reveals new X-Men era titles, art, and more, launching July 2024

Comic Books

Marvel set to launch new line of X-Men with 9 series Marvel set to launch new line of X-Men with 9 series

Marvel set to launch new line of X-Men with 9 series

Comic Books

Skybound First look: Transformers #7 Skybound First look: Transformers #7

Skybound First look: Transformers #7

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup