Terry and the Metal Men try to minimize the destruction in Gotham in the wake of Rebel’s attack! Check out our review to see how they do!
I have really taken a liking to Batman Beyond, in all its different media incarnations. It’s a fresh approach to a character that has endured for the better part of a century. Bringing in the Metal Men at the end of the previous chapter, as well as an appearance by an old and grizzled Dick Grayson, made me eager to check out the next installment.
Batman and the Metal Men race to limit the collateral damage wrought by our villain, Rebel, when she had control of… the Metal Men. In summation, this issue is about the Metal Men trying to minimize the damage that they caused.
Positives
Beechen does a fantastic job writing the dialogue of our heroes. The snarky quips that the Metal Men exchange with each other are entertaining. Some of the lines come across as cheesy, but this is cheese that one can really enjoy. Think of fresh, sharp Vermont cheddar instead of the stuff from a spray can. There are similar moments throughout the story that brought a full on smile to my face.
I found Adam Archer’s pencils are more impressive with this go around. Given the nature of the Metal Men, he’s allowed to cut loose and create some fascinating visuals. By no means is it perfect, but considering that his pencils have been nothing more than serviceable thus far, his experimentation in this issue was a big plus.
Negatives
While Beechen does a great job with the dialogue here, he does very little to progress the story. As mentioned previously, this is an issue about limiting the amount of damage done to Gotham City. For those that have complained about the lack of damage control in Man of Steel, this issue serves as a good example of why there wasn’t much of a focus on it in that film–because it’s boring to look at.
There simply isn’t a lot going on here, which is disappointing given the setup of the previous issue. Part of the problem is that the script lacks focus, unsure of what is the main plot point. Instead of a main plot with a secondary storyline threaded throughout, we are given half of an issue dedicated to Terry and the Metal Men, and then a throwaway page to the Gotham Police. The remainder of the issue is dedicated to Max arguing with Rebel over the merits of her planned revolution. The dialogue here just falls flat and doesn’t ring true to me at all here.
I still think the colors should be brighter and embrace the bold tone of the television show, but given the story problems, it’s just an afterthought.
Verdict 
(3/5)
Despite its problems, the strong dialogue between characters not named Rebel or Max was entertaining enough push this issue to a higher grade than it might have deserved. The pacing of this this issue gives the impression that Beechen is writing more for the print edition than the digital format. While it may ultimately read better once collected in print, the plot presented here does not stand out or grab the reader as previous issues have.
