Carrying on Batman Beyond.

Today, I'm writing about some comics that have continued a great animated saga that originated in the Timm-verse.  Batman Beyond.  Batman Beyond came from Warner Bros. pulling Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and their gang away from BTAS to do something futuristic.  It had a great run, and chilling animated movie before getting mixed into the Justice League Unlimited series.  What I'm writing about is the comics that emerged a few years ago.  This first one was called "10,000 Clowns", and was created by Adam Beechen and Norm Breyfogle.

This series begins while Terry McGinnis is beginning college.  The lead story is about an international rally of "Jokerz" occurring in New Gotham.  Prior people see in Batman Beyond, fans have grown familiar with Joker's cult following through the street gangs, but who would've thought that this obsession would reach this far.  Then there are stories that tie into this.  We learn much more about Dana's homelife (she's Terry's high school girlfriend).  A grandson of the notorious Joe Chill

emerges having a role in Terry's past and now trying to do some good in the world.  Lastly, we learn about what years of superheroin has done to Bruce Wayne's health.

The descendent of Joe Chill has an interesting backstory and he will later be a great help to Batman, but it's not my favorite of the story components.  I like see some strong emotion in a story, and we get this in Dana's family.  Dana was one of the starring characters in everything Batman Beyond before this, but I don't think her family was ever shown.  Something happens at home for her causing great tension and causes her to withdraw from Terry's life.  It's in the darkest hours and most action chaotic times that Dick Grayson comes to Terry's aid and Bruce Wayne comes to the rescue of Dana's family.

It was all very touching, and the scale of the story reminded me of "Return of the Joker".  This starts bringing Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson back into the fold as members of the Batfamily.  There's a scene that hints at classic DC characters who will be in stories to come.  There's even a longtime Bill Finger character who suddenly pops up in the futuristic landscape, helps, and then disappears just as mysteriously (yet to be seen again).

Kyle Higgins will eventually take up the lore with Batman Beyond 2.0, and I love both writers' continuations of what Finger, Dini, Timm, and others had set before them.