Pure comic magic, plain and simple.
I'm going to go into major spoiler territory this time so I'm going to save you some time if you don't want to hear my impressions and just tell you that YOU MUST buy this issue if you are a batfan at all. It is the perfect jumping on point for any who haven't given the previous Batman Beyond title a try and this issue is like unicorns raining from the sky, pure comic magic.
On with the review.
The Good
Batman Beyond 2.0 takes place over a year after the 10,000 Clowns story that took place in the previous Batman Beyond series that debuted back in 2011. A ton has changed in the Beyond universe in a year and some of these changes got me squealing like the little boy who got his first taste of the Beyond universe back in 1999.
The beginning of the issue is used to introduce an old setting back into the Beyond Universe. I never noticed this setting's absence from the Beyond universe yet, after seeing it represented here, I feel kind of stupid not thinking of this myself but, I tip my hat to Higgins for reintroducing the Arkham Institute for the Criminally Insane back into the Batman Universe. We're introduced to Doctor Bennet who has some very Hugo Stange-esque things to say regarding his philosophy in treating patients hmmmmmmm...
The mayor goes into cardiac arrest as he shows off Arkham to a reporter but, if you pay attention, you see some familiar faces behind the glass cell doors present in the announcement area of Arkham. You see Ghoul and Wolf from Return of the Joker shouting, "Big man's down", with other inmates. It was a nice tribute to one of my favorite movies that may not just be an Easter egg later down the line.
The next part of the issue shows off some kick butt action sequences of Batman fighting and then curing some Man-bats while going back and forth over the radio in a familiar manner. Commissioner Gordon arrives on the scene of the cardiac arrest and examines the dead mayor's body with the GCPD's mortician David. David expresses that they should get Batman to look into the mayor's death. Barbara says nothing which leaves the reader with the impression that she currently isn't the biggest batfan at the moment with a rather snide conversation with the same voice that was giving Terry a play-by-play during the Man-bat fight. Higgins sprinkles some mysteries that hint at character relationships extremely well that is reminiscent of how character relationships were handled on the Batman Beyond television show. The next act of the comic is a perfect example of this.
Terry is awakened from a nap in the Neo-Gotham University Park by his classmate Ryan. Just afterwards, Dana spots Terry and walks over to him. She seems apologetic towards Terry while, Terry responds bitterly quoting Nightwing's famous line from the New Batman Adventures episode Old Wounds saying, "things change". Terry then glimpses at the outdoor campus T.V. screen to see the mayor's death in Arkham and rushes off to suit up. The pacing and flow of the interactions Terry has with the supporting cast is nearly identical to the show. Terry talks with Dana only for a few moments right before calamity strikes and he's forced to leave his conversation for another time. Kyle Higgins is a fan of the original television series and that fact remains apparent by him following the show's pacing down to the second!
The voice on the other end of Terry's mic tells him that Barbara is waiting for him at Arkham. Terry tells the voice that he thought Neo-Gotham was on the right track and the voice replies with that famous line from Old Wounds stating, "Things Change". It's rather fitting that the voice was quoting Dick Grayson since it's revealed on the final page that the person on the other side of the mic is in fact the Gray Son of Gotham himself Dick Grayson! Just like any great Batman Beyond episode, it leaves you with a billion more questions with every answer you get.
In a single stroke of genius, Higgins took a character that fans have been clamoring for who was only referenced in the old show and turned him into a full fledged character in the comic. I assumed that Terry was talking to Bruce the whole time so, when I found out it was Grayson, I reread the whole comic to reassess the reactions that some of the characters had to the voice since it wasn't Bruce.
The Bad
The issue was perfect. This issue could easily be made into a season premiere for a new Batman Beyond episode easily. I have no complaints.
The Bottom Line
Batman Beyond 2.0 does everything a Batman Beyond story should. It reintroduces the concept of Batman in a new and exciting way by doing things that haven't been done before while bringing what was in the past, into the future, repackaged. This was a flawless first outing into the Beyond Universe for Kyle Higgins and I eagerly await the next issue not to find more answers but, to find more questions. Paul Dini's baby is in good hands.
My Rating:
Fulfilled childhood / 10