DC to Publish "Batman Beyond" Mini-Series

[Setzer]

"I'll kill you to death!" I think. I heard a friend quote that once, but I thought he was being deliberately absurd.

[JME2]

"I'll kill you to death!" I think. I heard a friend quote that once, but I thought he was being deliberately absurd.

Yes, that's the line.

[RogueIce]

"I'll kill you to death!" I think. I heard a friend quote that once, but I thought he was being deliberately absurd.

Yes, that's the line.

It is things like that which make me hope they don't turn Batman Beyond into a regular series.

[Vehrec]

"I'll kill you to death!" I think. I heard a friend quote that once, but I thought he was being deliberately absurd.

How does that sort of thing make it past the editors? Who even writes that? I know angry people can say stupid things, but this is a bit much.

Half of Batman Beyond's success was setting its story so far in the future that they were able to create their own villians and storyline without much of the baggage that weighs down the main DC and Marvel lines.

[Steve]

I think the idea of the quote was to show how utterly fucked in the head Prime was.

[JME2]

I think the idea of the quote was to show how utterly fucked in the head Prime was.

I suppose in a way, that actually makes...
Spoiler

...Time Trapper/Future-Prime's observation of -- and I'm not quoting verbatim -- "I can't believe I was ever this dumb" more amusing.

[FedRebel]

There was a comment she made to Terry that all but outright said she'd slept with Bruce at one point.

I think it'd be interesting if they did something to show that, if done properly it'd be a pretty good love tragedy

Their costumed persona's ultimately brought them together, and their costumed persona's ultimately tore them apart

[JME2]

There was a comment she made to Terry that all but outright said she'd slept with Bruce at one point.

I think it'd be interesting if they did something to show that, if done properly it'd be a pretty good love tragedy

Their costumed persona's ultimately brought them together, and their costumed persona's ultimately tore them apart

I always thought that the Bruce/Babs relationship also added to the bitterness Dick felt towards Bruce. It probably played an equal part in the dissolution of the DCAU Bat-Family and Dick and Bruce's failure to reconcile by the time of BB.

[Steve]

Well, we know from stuff like BTAS' "Batgirl Returns" and the DTV Mystery of the Batwoman that Babs was very interested in him, so I suspect she initiated the relationship and Bruce, being, ahem, "lonely", reciprocated. Of course that relationship probably went kablooey in spectacular fashion.

Heh, speaking of MotB, JME, if you or I ever do more JLU fanfic I think we should look into recruiting Batwoman into the League. Maybe I should even consider bringing her in if I ever continue "Second Chances".
Spoiler

Of course, we'd have to decide which one. I think Sonia's the most likely to take up the cowl again, but even with what likely happened to her father Kathy probably has the best financial resources.

[JME2]

Hmm.

Yeah, Kathy would be the best choice; and as a former lover of Bruce, imagine the dramatic fun one could have in interactions with the Bat...

[Steve]

Hmm.
Spoiler

Yeah, Kathy would be the best choice; and as a former lover of Bruce, imagine the dramatic fun one could have in interactions with the Bat...

*cough* Shouldn't you put that in spoiler tags?

[JME2]

Hmm.
Spoiler

Yeah, Kathy would be the best choice; and as a former lover of Bruce, imagine the dramatic fun one could have in interactions with the Bat...

*cough* Shouldn't you put that in spoiler tags?

I thought I had; whoops...

[Crom]

Was there ever an explanation of what happened to Dick in the BB continuity?

[Crazedwraith]

Not that I recall. He's implied to be still alive and still very bitter towards Bruce in Return of the Joker

[JME2]

Not that I recall. He's implied to be still alive and still very bitter towards Bruce in Return of the Joker

Aside from an oblique mention in another episode (I can't remember which one), yeah, that's all we know about Dick's status by the timeframe of Beyond.

[JME2]

I loved this show, it was AWESOME. I remember an episode where old Bruce goes to bail out Terry using his Gray Ghost costume, only to bust-out fully functional Bat-Power Armor

I remember that. That was the second Inque episode. The second I saw that armor in the beginning of the ep I wanted to see it in action. Also, it wasn't fully functional. Bruce did say that it put way too much of a strain on his heart. I would have liked to see him tweak the suit for Terry though, since it was supposed to be Bruce's replacement for the Beyond batsuit. Just imagine what that thing is capable of

Seeing old Bruce back in action was great, but another reason I loved that fight was the futuristic rendition of the old BTAS theme that was playing in the background. I love Shirley Walker's Batman theme and was delighted at its reappearance two seasons later in "Out of the Past".

[Trogdor]

They haven't filled all 50 or so Earths of the new Multiverse in IIRC, so maybe it can be one of them?

IIRC, one of the Earths that they have filled in was clearly supposed to be based on Batman Beyond (Earth-12, I think), so they might just set this there.

[JME2]

No, it's not a random thread necro. We have an update on the creative team and plot for the mini-series, at long last. Adam Beechan will be writing while Ryan Benjamin will be handling art chores. Beechan was interviewed by Newsarama earlier this week:

In June, the futuristic world of Batman Beyond hits the DC Universe in a six-issue mini-series by Adam Beechen and Ryan Benjamin.

Announced last year here on Newsarama by then-Executive Editor Dan DiDio, the Batman Beyond mini-series resulted from fan requests for DC to bring the TV show characters to comics. "We’ve heard the fans, we’ve heard everyone’s interest," DiDio said of the mini-series.

Set 50 years in the future in a Gotham City now called "Neo-Gotham," the Batman Beyond TV series began airing in 1999, uniting an old, disabled Bruce Wayne with a sassy juvenile delinquent named Terry McGinnis. With Bruce's constant training and help, Terry became a futuristic, high-tech version of the "Batman."

In this Batman Beyond comic, the future will be tied directly to the comic book past, as Terry's foe in the series is killing off old Batman allies and villains from Bruce Wayne's era. According to Beechen, the key to the series is the two-word title of the story arc, which will be revealed to readers at the end of the first issue. (Any guesses?)

Newsarama talked with the writer to find out more.

Adam Beechen: It came as a very pleasant surprise! Dan DiDio was out visiting in L.A. in December 2008 and mentioned the project to me as a possibility, suggesting I might come up with a pitch for Editor Ian Sattler. I did – the pitch was exactly two words, the title of the story arc. Ian loved it, I fleshed it out for six issues, and got the word it had been greenlit when I saw Dan again at the San Diego Comic Con last summer!

Nrama: Were you a fan of the show?

Beechen: Totally. I'm a sucker for stuff like that, reinventing and extending well-loved longtime properties in such a way that it gives diehard fans extra layers to the stuff they love, new fans an easy "in" to the mythology, and everyone new stories to enjoy. I thought the show was brilliant, and a lot of my favorite writers worked on it.

Nrama: It's pretty rare that a television show is developed showing a futuristic alternate version of a character from a comic book. Was this show as revolutionary as it seems? And why do you think it worked?

Beechen: It was definitely a unique and original approach to the Batman Universe, which I think fans really appreciated. I think it worked so well because, even though it was set in the future in a totally reimagined Neo-Gotham, it was recognizably "Batman" to anyone who had even the slightest knowledge of the character. Also, the costume was flat-out amazing!

Nrama: Will your mini-series explore the exact same Terry McGinnis we know from the series?

Beechen: Yup, same guy. Our story takes place after the animated series ends, so Terry's pretty experienced as Batman. But, as we'll see, he still has a lot to learn.

Nrama: Have you been researching the TV series? Is it kind of cool to be able to watch TV and call it work?

Beechen: I've been refreshing my memory on the TV series, and it's just as amazing as it was the first time around – It really holds up. Any "research" that can be done for one's job while one wears pajamas and eats nacho cheese chips with the television means you have a terrific job indeed.

Nrama: How does this series tie into current DC continuity? Or does it?

Beechen: It fits in, in that it directly references specific, important incidents from the Batman comic book continuity that never tied into the show previously. Also, just as the show told us what became of some of the characters from the comic continuity, this series will tell us a little more about some characters we never saw in the show.

Nrama: We saw Batman Beyond show up in the Superman/Batman comic around Issue #23. Is this tied to that appearance at all?

Beechen: Our story doesn't link to that Superman/Batman story directly – ours jumps off primarily from where the animated series left off.

Nrama: How does the Superman/Batman story that Paul Levitz is telling tie into this series?

Beechen: I haven't read Paul's story yet, but to my knowledge, they won't be linked. There's lots of different stories left to be told about the Batman Beyond characters, so I'm sure we have room for both Paul's story and this one.

Nrama: Will we see Terry's origin story as Batman Beyond?

Beechen: We'll blurb the origin in the first issue, but we won't flash back to show it – we have too much story to tell! But readers should be able, with a minimum of back-story, to jump right in and figure out what's going on.

Nrama: We've been told that Terry will be fighting someone who's killing off old villains and allies of Bruce Wayne when he was Batman. Can you give us the details on that?

Beechen: Ooh, no, can't give you all the details on that, sorry. Suffice to say that something from Batman's Bruce Wayne-era past resurfaces in a very different and challenging way for Terry to confront. Actually, make that two things, at least one of them very deadly. And that when Bruce decides to take the Batman Beyond concept even further beyond, it really tests the relationship he has with Terry.

Nrama: What is the "Neo" Gotham City of the future like in Batman Beyond?

Beechen: It's even darker, if that's possible, albeit in a more futuristic, less outwardly grimy, way. And all the familiar futuristic stuff from the animated series will be here, if not more.

Nrama: What's your favorite thing about writing this series? Is it the Terry/Bruce relationship?

Beechen: I love the Bruce/Terry relationship. Cranky old guy/young whippersnapper repartee is always fun. But the best part, honestly, is to take part, in some small way, in the animated series I enjoyed so much but never had the chance to write for.

Nrama: What's the biggest challenge in writing the mini?

Beechen: Trying to get the voices right. That's always a challenge, no matter what story you're writing, but here it's an especially tricky balance because you have to get the voices right in a way that makes sense for both the comic book characters and the animated series characters.

Nrama: What do you think artist Ryan Benjamin will bring to the series?

Beechen: Energy, energy, energy! That's the first thing I think of when I think of Ryan's work. He'll really go to town with all the futuristic stuff and develop the atmosphere so it's almost its own character in the book. And I think it goes without saying that his action sequences will be fantastic. Ryan understands the grace of superheroic figures, and I can't wait to see his Batman swooping over Neo-Gotham. It'll make for some amazing visuals.

Nrama: What's the tone of the series going to be? The same as the TV series? Or will it have more of a comic book feel to it?

Beechen: The tone's pretty dark, probably closer to that of the comics than the animated series, but hopefully it'll feel right to fans of both!

Nrama: Anything else you want to tell fans about the Batman Beyond mini-series?

Beechen: Yeah, I wish I was going to be sitting with a bunch of readers when they hit the last page of the first issue and learn the title of the story arc. I really wish I could see their faces at that moment!

Oh, and Cassandra Cain won't be appearing, so haters can relax.

So, the mini-series will be set in the continuity of the show, albeit after...interesting...and we'll finally get to see what happened to the rest of the Gotham Rogues to boot. Beechan bashing aside (and I'm just as critical about what happened to Cassandra Cain), I'll be curious to see Beechan's take on Neo-Gotham.

[Ritterin Sophia]

I don't ever remember hearing it called Neo-Gotham...

[JME2]

I don't ever remember hearing it called Neo-Gotham...

Waller called it that in JLU's "Epilogue" and I think there were a few other mentions in the main series.

[Steve]

Grrr.... I hate this "Neo-whatever" crap.

[Batman]

I'm reasonably sure it's 'new' Gotham and anyway that goes back to the post Cataclysm/NML comics so it's not like the term is an invention of BB.

[JME2]

Again, not to play thread necromancy, but the first issue is out and it seemed to make more sense to post it here rather than open a new threat.

Overall, I liked it. Beechan -- who I normally dislike for his role in Cassandra Cain debacle -- managed to nail Bruce and Terry's voices and the feel of future Gotham. I would have preferred a more Timm-like artist, but Ryan Benjamin's art blends Timm with Scott McDaniel (another Batman favorite of mine). I like that the old Rogues are factoring into this. It was the right move to have Terry develop his own Rogues gallery in the show, but you couldn't help but wonder what happened to the old Arkham inmates, though...
Spoiler

...if Hush is indeed the culprit, I'm not sure how I feel about Tommy Elliot being brought into future Gotham. 5 issues to go, though, so there may be a twist.

[Steve]

Spoiler

...if Hush is indeed the culprit, I'm not sure how I feel about Tommy Elliot being brought into future Gotham. 5 issues to go, though, so there may be a twist.

Spoiler

Could still be Two-Face. He was closely involved with the intro of Elliot into the Rogue Gallery, after all. And I doubt he was name-dropped for nothing.

[JME2]

Good point.