Batman Beyond #8 “City of Yesterday Part One”
Written by: Dan Jurgens
Art by: Bernard Chang
Colors by: Marcelo Maiolo
Cat’s TidBits: Matt McGinnis has gone missing in search of something that could be the answer to the problems in Metropolis, but the real issue is the survival of the people that fled their cities to Neo-Gotham. Brother Eye really did a damage to the world and now Batman has to deal with the consequences of it.
I’m not sure if I would call this teasing or the sole fact that I feel this story is dragging us to nowhere. Obviously, we know that Tim Drake is struggling to be the Batman that people expect him to be, but in this issue he seems to find his ground by standing up to Mayor Fox. So, what exactly is happening in this issue? Matt McGinnis took Green Lantern’s ring and is heading to Metropolis for some sort of reason that we’re not entirely sure about.
Honestly, Jurgens is all over the place with this story. Brother Eye wasn’t the best villain out there, but he destroyed many cities and now we’re stuck with where these people who did survive that should go. Neo-Gotham is taking course by utilizing all their resources, but it’s not enough to house these people. If Matt is heading to Metropolis, he must have a reason on why he’s searching for the Watchtower as shown in the seen. Could there still be some Justice League members alive?
I mentioned in previous reviews that there was no dialogue and it was more action-packed scenes, but now we’re getting almost nothing. In the beginning, we have one scene where Batman attempts to fight off Rewire, but lets him go in search of Matt. At least we get a flashback of what happened to our Justice League members when they were affected by Brother Eye, as you can see below.
Unfortunately, we still have to wait until next issue to see if we’re going to get some sort of story from Jurgens, because right now it’s a sinking ship. We’re having to piece things together that don’t really make sense. The storyline that we’re concentrating at the moment is the issue with the people coming to Neo-Gotham to survive, but how can people survive if they can’t even be let inside? Batman is going to have to find out a way to solve that problem, so I’m assuming we’re going to push Matt to the side for a while.
The Good: I feel like I’m being picky about everything, but the dialogue is picking up.
The Bad: The writing? There is NO story. I am struggling to find something to talk about, because right now I have nothing.
Recommended If:
- You actually enjoy Jurgens’ writing.
- Neo-Gotham interests you.
Overall: I keep repeating to myself that this story has potential, but right now it’s not doing so well. Jurgens is trying to find the balance between the dialogue and finding a voice, but I’m sure it will get there. Right now, Batman is going to have to find out how to save these people, but I am honestly really curious what the story behind Matt is and Green Lantern’s ring.
Score: 4.5/10
