Batman Beyond Me : Need to Know Your Back Story
Author : Evan Narcisse
Artist : Nikolas Draper-Ivey
Colourist : Wil Quintana
Rebooting the System: Issue #1 Recap
In Batman/Static: Beyond #1, we are thrown into a future that feels frighteningly fragile: a world where Terry McGinnis patrols Neo-Gotham as Batman Beyond. Virgil Hawkins, also known as Static, has become a pioneer of tomorrow, building the Q-Wave Energy Grid and helping prepare Earth to take its place in an interplanetary alliance. But this is not a story about ease or triumph; it is about the first crack in that shining foundation. Things seem to be running smoothly on the surface until a new villain shows up. Shadows creep into the power grids, and suddenly everything these heroes have worked so hard to build is at risk of unraveling.
With the fate of the planet hanging in the balance, Terry and Virgil must set aside their differences and find a way to protect a future that is supposed to be unstoppable but is now terrifyingly vulnerable.
Faulty Circuitry : Issue #2 Summary
After the opening issue’s cosmic grandeur, the second issue brought the story to the street level. Narcisse builds tension between an adult Static and teenage Batman Beyond with writing that displays a lack of trust between the two heroes.
While the two do not see eye to eye, they are both presented with a new threat that will force them to work together. All of the hard work that Virgil has done to make energy more affordable to the public is put into peril; how can the two future heroes coexist to set things right?
Fuel for the Faithful : Issue #2 Review
WARNING SPOILERS!
Sparks of Interest
Let me start this review by clearly stating that I have never read Batman Beyond or Static titles. I also missed out on the Batman Beyond television show, though it is certainly on my watchlist. I mention this because it is important for a non-biased opinion when reviewing comics; would someone who was a fan of the television show twenty-five years ago be able to pick up this comic and enjoy it? What I expected from the second issue and the one prior was to be brought up to speed on what Static and Batman Beyond have been doing, which would help catch me up to the series plot points.
After reading the first two issues, I can firmly say that you must understand the Batman Beyond and Static lore to get the most out of this six-issue run. Narcisse has crafted a story with references to the Batman Beyond animated series as well as Static Shock; therefore, you need to be in the know to understand elements of the story and its characters.
With that being said, Narcisse helps me as a new reader understand their motivations as characters in this story. Virgil Hawkins, also known as Static, is a grown man, husband, and father who is looking to use his knowledge to build a better future for humanity. He aims to make energy more affordable for everyone. This gives Static depth as a character, and Narcisse provides a long-term vision of what the hero wants to achieve.
In this second issue, we also see the detractors of Static’s vision and mentality; as with all great minds, he has tunnel vision. His Q-Grid creation requires Q-Juice, which ultimately created metahumans from the Big Bang. This is an interesting insight from Narcisse. Essentially, Static is playing with man’s oldest trope, playing with fire; he understands how dangerous the element he is working with is, but he also knows the benefits it can deliver to humanity.
Making You Shutdown
After two issues, I can safely say that Terry has been presented as the sidekick to Static, and Narcisse has written his character blandly thus far. Apart from a few action scenes where he is shown to be effective, Static’s talking down to Batman Beyond makes him the inferior character in this story to date. Also, Static in issue #2 consistently brings up the fact that Terry did not read the brief he sent him on the Q-Launch briefing, which reinforces Terry’s blasé teenager approach to things. Narcisse doubles down on his representation of Terry having a typical, bland teenager personality with his reply to being effectively told off by Static: "Why are all you old people such jerks?!" That is the best response that Terry McGinnis could muster.
The dialogue also reads very bloated, with a great deal of futuristic and lore-based jargon used; I am often found confused and have to re-read the dialogue to understand the story at hand. The dialogue also feels very wooden and generic at times. The only time I feel any emotion is when there is interaction between Batman Beyond and Static: it feels as though there is tension that is waiting to erupt.
The highest point of this issue is the introduction of a new villain named Shutdown. The character was created in the first issue when one of Terry’s fellow Hamilton Hill High students, Melvin Kim, was exposed to the Q-Juice. Narcisse does make the goal of this character very clear and easily understandable: he wants to shut down the whole Q-Grid because of what it has done to him, but also because of the harm it can do to the wider public. This offers a minor dilemma regarding how the reader should feel about the initiative of the so-called villain.
Shutdown is confronted by Static and his best friend Richie, who is known as Gear. Once again, Narcisse did not provide any context regarding the powers of Gear, but he is put down by the new villain quite easily. This lead me, as the reader, to believe that he is not that important or powerful a character in this story.
Batman Beyond shows up at the last second to try and save the day, but he only makes the situation worse. His arrival is met by an "Oh no..." from Static. Once again, Narcisse is portraying Terry as an unwanted ally to Virgil; only time will tell if their relationship strengthens enough to take down this new villain known as Shutdown.
The issue ends with Shutdown taking out the suit of Batman Beyond with energy-sapping powers, which are not fully explained by Narcisse. That was my interpretation of what his powers are, but not having a clear explanation as to how the abilities of Shutdown can rival those of Static and Batman Beyond is disappointing. This makes a crucial part of the story feel underdeveloped. Shutdown then takes out Static and shuts down the Q-Grid, cutting off power to all major cities in the United States and perhaps the world.
Energy Lacking Art
The artwork by Draper-Ivey is an acquired taste; it is very raw and energetic, but to me, it comes off as unfinished and rough. I can praise his work on single shots or action scenes where he is able to use the characters to occupy whole spaces, as he makes the heroes look grand, awesome, and full of power. His style is very akin to that of anime, which I am a huge fan of, and anime often does a great job of capturing big action scenes versus the scenes used to further the narrative.
This opening panel from Draper-Ivey of Batman Beyond swooping in is a perfect example. He uses the focus on Terry flying in with a blurred background of Neo-Gotham to build anticipation for what the next scene holds.
Where Draper-Ivey is lacking, in my opinion, is with the inconsistency of the art within the storytelling panels of the issue. At times, he is able to capture the emotional turmoil of characters, such as the scenes showing Melvin Kim turning into Shutdown. Then there are panels that look rough, unfinished, and poorly executed. One such example is the scene where Terry is doing detective work to understand where the infected Melvin Kim has gone from the hospital. This scene should have felt more important because we are getting closer to the heroes meeting the villain, yet we receive a rough sketch with bloated text.
Then there is the scene where the best friend of Static since high school is taken down by Shutdown; this again should have felt like a moment that tests the limits of our electric hero. However, the basic pencils and rough shading make it a throwaway panel that a reader might easily glaze over.
Conclusion & Rating
Two issues in, and as a reader, I am left confused by the transition from the first issue to the second. Narcisse kicked us off with a cosmic encounter featuring many side heroes and an evil alien race, where Earth was trying to join a galactic group. In the second issue, the story shifts to a totally street-level perspective where our heroes are being foiled by a teenage metahuman.
I have said it in this review already: this is a story to be enjoyed by core fans of Batman Beyond and Static. You will know the characters that are introduced and exited with no explanation, and you will understand the lore-loaded jargon that Narcisse includes in his dialogue.
With that being said, I think the narrative is being unnecessarily convoluted with too many side stories. At its core, this is a story about a proud man looking to make the world a better place after overcoming oppression, alongside an exploration of how the technologies of today shape our every move and make us feel isolated, especially for those in their formative teenage years.