Steve Ray Archives XIV - Review: Batman Beyond #10


“Rise Of The Demon,” Part Five
Writing: Dan Jurgens
Art: Bernard Chang & Marcelo Maiolo
Review by Steve J. Ray

 Batman’s sons are in the fight of their lives. Can Bruce Wayne stop them from destroying each other? At the end of Batman Beyond #9 Damian Wayne was set to land the killing blow in Terry McGinnis, “Rise Of The Demon,” Part Five picks up the action from exactly where we left off.
I love the way that Dan Jurgens connects everything from this possible future, to the continuity of today. His Damian Wayne is definitely the same character created by Grant Morrison, and developed by a host of DC Comics’ finest writers and artists. Seeing this version of Damian harks back to his original persona, and also makes us, as readers, fear for the fate of the heroic Robin of today.
The murderous Boy Wonder, heir of Ra’s Al Ghul, may not be gone, after all.

Blood Brothers

As always, the art of Bernard Chang is gorgeous. Even though Terry is fully masked as Batman, the rage in his eyes is clearly apparent. The concern in the face of Bruce Wayne and the contempt in Damian’s stare are also powerful and beautifully delineated. The fact that Mr. Chang produces pencils and inks of this calibre, month after month and issue after issue is truly impressive. The marriage of his art with the color work from Marcelo Maiolo is just that, a perfect union of rhythm and hues.
The issue brings a lot to the table in terms of content, action and surprises. Damian Wayne – the man – is a force of nature; a leader, a warrior and the consummate martial artist. I read the issue truly fearful that this was a fight that Batman could not hope to win. Seeing Damian’s future and learning what could be the final fate of the original Ra’s Al Ghul, also made for great reading.
Terry’s struggles will only get harder, going forward. Every time Damian knocks him down, we are all left wondering whether it’s force of will, heroic spirit, or the A.I. in the Batman armor that is picking him back up.

Conclusion

“Rise Of The Demon,” Part Five is a total roller-coaster ride of an issue. The tension rides through every page and leads to a conclusion that definitely has me on tenterhooks for the next instalment. Four weeks can’t go by fast enough.
Images Courtesy Of DC Entertainment.
(This review was originally published on the Dark Knight News website on July 28th 2017)

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Thought Bubble 2024 convention & festival dates announced

Image
Article by Steve J. Ray Thought Bubble  is, without a doubt, the UK’s best entirely comic-based convention and art festival. I’ve been fortunate enough to attend the show for the last three years, and have been anxious to see what’s in store this year. Well, the wait is over, as the team behind the event has announced the Thought Bubble 2024 convention & festival dates. THOUGHT BUBBLE ANNOUNCES 2024 COMIC CONVENTION & FESTIVAL DATES ACCLAIMED COMIC ART CONVENTION AND FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE ACROSS YORKSHIRE THIS NOVEMBER THOUGHT BUBBLE FESTIVAL LEEDS & ACROSS YORKSHIRE 11 -17 NOVEMBER 2024 THOUGHT BUBBLE COMIC CONVENTION HARROGATE CONVENTION CENTRE 16 & 17 NOVEMBER 2024   https://www.thoughtbubblefestival.com “Thought Bubble is the place to be. This is the show where everyone feels and is treated like family” –  Dark Knight News “Thought Bubble is the most important comic convention around” –  Popverse Returning to the Harrogate Convention Centre,...
Read more

Mystic Muses: A D&D Podcast

Image
Article by Philip Clark An all queer cast. An all femme ensemble. A non-binary Dungeon Master. Throw in some quality story-telling and role playing too, this sounds like a whole lot of fun! If any of the previously mentioned things has piqued your interests, then I implore you to check out Mystic Muses. You can find this wonderfully crafted podcast where you can find all your other favourites including Spotify. There are currently four episodes out. Episode 0 is the prologue and character introductions, and I have to say it is very well put together! The intro to each episode is cleverly crafted, with the players and DM each sounding off a sentence to bring us into the game space. Speaking of bringing us into the game space, Adam, the talented DM sets the scene for the story very nicely. A descriptive, yet concise introduction to the environment gives both the players and audience a vibe of what we're in for. Then come the delicious character introductions that give vivid descripti...
Read more

Fantastic Universes Interview: Madison, Matthew and Macsen Lintz From 'The Walking Dead'

Image
Interview panel led by Steve J. Ray, with a gathering of Comic/TV Media Journalists. I've spoken to some amazing people over the last couple of years; writers, artists, costume designers, and actors from some of my favorite TV shows. It's no secret that I'm a huge comic-book fan, and one of the TV series that's based on and inspired by a comics title - but has gone on to be so much more - is The Walking Dead . At a recent Comic-Con in London, I had the great opportunity of leading a panel where some fellow journalists and I spoke with Madison, Matthew and Macsen Lintz, three siblings who played Sophia and both iterations of Henry on the show. The eldest, Madison Lintz (born 1999) played Sophia Peletier - Carol's daughter - in the first two seasons. She's also well known for playing Maddie Bosch in the Amazon series Bosch . She started acting at the age of six, filming commercials and voice-overs. Matthew (born 2001) took over the role of Henry from ...
Read more