Batman Beyond Vol. 1: Escaping the Grave (Rebirth)

by Bernard Chang and Dan Jurgens

[Quirky Cat]

First things first; I am and was a huge fan of the Batman Beyond TV series, so naturally this created an extra level of fondness for me when reading this volume. Side note: If you haven’t watched the series, please do! It’s fantastic and worth the time!
Back from the dead (or rather, presumed dead?) Terry McGinnis is back in Gotham and trying to stop the Jokerz on their latest venture. Past Batman Beyond graphic novelizations have been slightly hit or miss, but this one was spot on; the tone of it is exactly what I was expecting/hoping for; though it is also reminiscent of Snyder’s Batman (new 52) series. I’ll take that blend though, as it works pretty well.



Terry McGinnis was presumed dead, thanks to the events in Future’s End. Bruce Wayne was also believed to have lost his life around this time. Terry escaped his prison and came back to Gotham to once again help save the day. This time around though, he doesn’t have Bruce to back him up or guide him. Thankfully he does have his little brother, and Max. Both of whom are now in on his big secret (something I’ve been hoping to have happen for absolutely ages! Max is the perfect person in the chair for Terry).
The Jokerz have a new leader; Terminal (AKA Carter Wilson to those that went to high school with him), he’s got a grand scheme that even the Jokerz can’t resist getting behind: bring the Joker back to life. Doing so requires a lot of resources however, so the Jokerz take over a few blocks of the city and start hauling in as much loot as they can manage. I have to admit, having the Joker brought back to life in the Batman Beyond continuity sounds pretty scary. I’m not sure Terry would be up to the task (especially without Bruce to guide him).
There were a few fake outs and plot twists in this volume (for the sake of not giving out too man spoilers, I won’t say what or how), which felt perfectly in line with a Batman series. In this sense Escaping the Grave does lean more in that direction than towards Batman Beyond. It’s still an interesting read, and one that I will be continuing with.



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