If you’ve been following this digital series by Kyle Higgins and Thony Silas you know that this arc is coming to an end soon. This is the seventh part of an eight-part arc. I love how out of all of the comics that I wait impatiently for each month, this one is the only one that I read right away. Plus, I get to read it twice a month, which is a plus, so that was kind of like a pun. Maybe I’m reaching. Anyway, this issue is just as exciting as the ones prior. Batman is presumed dead. Commissioner Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson are trying to figure out what happened to him. Rewire gave him a pretty good beating not too long ago. Rewire is one of the baddest dudes that Batman has ever had to encounter, and in this issue he gets even stronger. If that weren’t enough, he’s also the former Mayor of Neo-Gotham’s son. Davis Dusk. Turns out that Davis wasn’t really a fan of his father’s obsession with the city so he’s basically decided to destroy everything. I just love villains with daddy issues. They really do make for a great read. Sometimes they get a little old, but it’s never a bad place to start. If it gets old, just expand on it.
Well I’m sure that it comes to no surprise, but Batman isn’t dead. He has a headache from hell, but his suit has some pretty fancy (and effective) new gadgets that are meant to prolong Terry’s life if he happens to find himself in a situation that isn’t quite ideal. Let’s just say that you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how he ends up living through that beating. Oh, and if you haven’t caught up to the current issue, you need to. I’m fighting the urge to spoil the whole thing for you.
Here’s where I get a little mushy. There is a really good scene in this issue where Dick and Terry have a heart to heart talk. There’s a little bit about responsibility and how to not let every aspect of your life be crushed under the weight of your passions and so forth. But I think I may have learned a little something by listening to these guys talk. Everybody who follows Batman Beyond at all knows that Terry and Bruce don’t always get along, but the one thing that Terry can learn from Bruce is that he doesn’t want to end up like him. And it may just take a firm slap in the face from Dick Grayson to remind him of that. Pay attention, Terry, this guy can teach you a thing or two about living in Bruce Wayne’s shadow. Moving on, Rewire has to be stopped and Batman is the only one who can stop him.
Kyle Higgins shows his strength in writing for the Batman mythology more so in this series than anything I’ve read from him. I liked Nightwing too, but I would read this for as long as he decides to write for it. He just knows this universe so well that you’re completely convinced that this is the way that this situation would really go. He has every character’s personalities so nailed down that you don’t even feel like you’re reading bi-weekly digital release.
Now I could talk about the art for at least as long as I could talk about the writing, but I know you must have places to be and things to do, so I’ll keep it brief. Thony Silas has found a way to make his art appear synonymous with these characters. I just wish that I could see his stuff more often.
If I haven’t convinced you to read this series, I apologize. But if you do decide to give it a shot, you will not be disappointed. I’ve been reading comics for a long time and this is as good as it gets, folks. The end of this arc is right around the corner and I couldn’t be more excited for it. I will hate to see it end, but I know it’s going to be great.
Score: 5/5
Writer: Kyle Higgins Artist: Thony Silas Publisher: DC Comics Price: $.99 Release Date: 11/2/13