Batman Beyond Neo Gothic #1: Going Deep

Terry McGinnis is back. Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic #1 is the latest entry in the ongoing story of Bruce Wayne’s successor. This series follows directly due to the previous mini-series, Batman Beyond Neo Year. But instead of staying above in the bright lights, Terry’s latest mission takes him down below into the dark.

Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic #1 opens with children rushing into a cave full of plants and fruit as a chatbot looks on. As the children enjoy the fruit, the plants attack them, and the catboi stares in horror. Meanwhile, in Neo Gotham, Batman, and former detective Beam Boonma are hard at work trying to keep crime down in the wake of the Living Gotham’s defeat. The nonstop work is wearing on Terry, who is seen in a difficult conversation between him and his mother. But he continues to work, and during his investigation, he discovers several children have gone missing. He traces them to Gotham Deep, the old city Neo Gotham built atop. Journeying to the ancient city, Terry finds that same catboi, named Kyle, to act as a guide and take him to where the children were last seen.

Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic #1 is a reasonably approachable first issue to the latest chapter in Terry McGinnis’ ongoing story. The issue offers little backstory about Terry’s current situation beyond a few hints. And there’s very little information about Neo Gotham in the wake of Batman Beyond Neo Year. Fortunately, this series seems to be headed in a different direction. So while some early dialogue might spark unresolved curiosity, these details aren’t necessary.

Neo Gotham being built atop what’s now called Gotham Deep is a recognizable idea in futuristic fiction. That doesn’t make the environment any less engaging. There is a criminal element here, typical for the setting, but the undercity seems largely abandoned–at least so far as we see. The suggestion that so few people can live in Gotham Deep creates a more profound sense of danger.

There is narration throughout the issue in a three-lesson form (lesson the first, etc.). The first lesson concerns the inevitability of death. It creates a sense of foreboding as well. In a very Chekhov’s Gun type scenario, any time narration muses heavily on the subject of death from the very start of the issue, it’s a near certainty that a main character will face death by the end of that issue.

Dunbar gets to take the visual aesthetic in a new direction in Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic #1 by leaving the futuristic look of Neo-Gotham behind when Terry journeys down to Gotham Deep. It’s a rundown, boarded-up, dilapidated environment, and Dunbar makes it look suitably bleak. The initial look at Gotham Deep is an impressive two-page spread. Terry stands in the foreground, staring at an expanse of buildings, roads, and bridges. Neo Gotham is just barely visible on the top of the page. Dunbar conveys a massive sense of scale with this initial look at Gotham Deep, and it’s in our mind as the rest of the issue is tighter on Terry.

The colors in Batman Beyond Neo-Gothic #1 are just as bleak as the art. Where the previous issue was awash in light neon and pastel, highlighting the futuristic aspect of Neo Gotham, this issue leaves that behind roughly halfway through in favor of browns and grays consistent with an older, rundown city.

The issue’s lettering is expressive, with different fonts sometimes used in dialogue for emphasis and a variety of colors to go along with the sound effects. In a fight, one of the sound effects appears almost wrapped around Terry’s arm as he punches through it. And in maybe the most amusing choice Otsmane-Elhaou makes, when Terry tells his catboi escort Kyle his name, Kyle repeats it in pink-colored dialogue with tiny pink swirls at the bottom of the dialogue bubble. If text can be cute, it is here.