Writers: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Art: Max Dunbar and Sebastian Cheng (colorist)
Publisher: DC comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: September 26th, 2023
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THE DISPATCH
The story continues in Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #3. As we saw at the end of the last issue, it looks like the Court of Owls has returned. It is interesting to see the court incorporated into the Beyond universe because they were never part of Batman Beyond before, since they made their comics debut long after the show had ended. This issue also shows us Terry having continuing doubts about the ethics of his late mentor, and it parallels this with showing Kyle the Catboi’s mentor, and his hesitancy with trusting people. It also shows us a reimagined version of the Court of Owls and the threat that they present to Neo-Gotham.
It seems to present this version of the Court of Owls as otherworldly creatures with powers that really give Batman a run for his money. And yet, despite this threat, the Batman of the future is able to endure, showing Terry has learned much from Bruce Wayne, and that Bruce’s character rubbed off on him as well. The downside is that while this is a lot of exposition, they don’t really show very much of what they are talking about. Hopefully more details or potential flashbacks will be revealed in the coming issues.
ART
The art in Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #3 presents a very eerie vibe in general, consistent with the Court of Owls as a collective. There is still an element of mystery, as we don’t really know what types of powers this version of the Court has and they seem very powerful. There are great panels featuring the Court’s warped version of Batman and Terry’s fight with him, as well as a brief flashback of Kyle’s mentor, and Kyle and Terry fleeing from an explosion.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #3 is intriguing and re-introduces us to the Court of Owls, establishing them in the world of Batman Beyond. It also expands upon Kyle’s backstory and gives us more insight into this new character, even connecting him with older DC characters. There isn’t much focus on other characters besides Batman and Kyle in this issue, but they still establish the connection between Beam and Terry, and may show her helping Terry in future issues of this series.