With the Joker’s return, Neo-Gotham is in chaos!! As the Joker is crafting a new dangers out of nostalgia, Terry McGuiness is struggling to sort out his future with Ten (Mel) of the former Royal Flush Gang. Amongst it all, what is the Joker planning and can Batman and Robin Beyond stop him before his plans come to fruition?
Jurgens continues to make this arc a fun arc to read, despite it being a revisioning of the Return of the Joker animated movie. Despite this Jurgens makes the most of it by exploring concepts that haven’t been explored in a post rebirth imprint. Jurgens handles the state of Terry McGuiness and his relationship status with Dana and Ten in interesting ways that leave fans curious of his decision and choices. It leaves one to wonder how much of his relationships will conflict with his interest as Batman and how it will influence his mentorship of his brother Matt AKA Robin. It’s enjoyable to see Jurgens consistently explores Grayson’s disapproval of Bruce’s approval of a new Robin, pitting another kid in a world that is too harsh of environment for a Robin. It shows that Jurgens still maintains consistency of the voices of each of the characters, making the direction of the story exciting since it is unknown whether the results of this title will have similar results to what has come before (Batman Beyond 2.0) or forge a new direction that creates new situations for Batman Beyond.
There is a Joker a monologue that hilariously fits not just the scene but also reflects the thoughts of angry fans that anchor heavy on nostalgia which is cleverly handled by Jurgens and shows that he can still write really well.
The artwork by Brett Booth is perfect for this issue and fits to the aesthetics of Neo-Gotham and for the characters of Batman Beyond in general. Booth provides some solid panel layouts that make this issue stand out in style. Booths artwork matches the futuristic look that Batman Beyond associates itself to, giving it a very vibrant, and cyberpunk feel evocative of the original animated series. Some of my favorite illustrated scenes are the scenes with Terry and Mel as they take a break from all the chaos that ensues. The inks by Rapmund, coupled with the colors of Andrew Dalhouse makes this book shine, giving Booth’s pencils a nice energetic quality to it.
The third installment of The Final Joke arc is another great issue that provides some fun tidbits, fantastic art, and a good story that promises to push Batman Beyond into interesting directions. If you’re looking for a Bat Book that isn’t focused on Bruce Wayne and is willing to explore different beats, then this book is work picking up for the new comic Wednesday pull!
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