“Divide, Conquer, and Kill” – Part Three
Artists: Rick Leonardi and Ande Parks
Color Artist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Review by Adam Ray
The focus shifts in Batman Beyond #33. Our hero has been dealing with fast twins for the past few issues and, all the while, a much darker threat has been brewing. In this issue, the other Bruce Wayne has been taking his act to new extremes. We see the lengths that False Face will go to, to keep up his illusion. The worst kind of enemy is an invisible one, one that so perfectly wormed their way into a place so personal. The Batcave has always been such a safe place, so when a villain perfectly works their way in, readers receive justifiable pause.
The more conflicts a character has to deal with, the worse things get, and that’s been what’s so effective about the recent run of Batman Beyond stories. Furthermore, these two threats have been distinct opposites. We’re used to the costumed supervillain of the likes of the twins, and comic books have frequently explored more psychological terror for our heroes, too. This series has covered both of these threats well in the past, but we never expect to deal with both in the same ongoing story.
Conclusion
I’m sure the problems seem all the more serious because of how heavy the threats are. The twins are too fast and have a complex agenda. False Face – a name from classic Batman TV – can be anywhere and anyone. The intensity of these situations is perfectly shown off by the dynamic artwork from Leonardi, Parks and Sotomayor. We do lose a little detail here and there, but honestly that doesn’t bother me too much. The action of a two-against-one fight with the suspense on a rooftop, match perfectly for this kind of story.
This issue is a welcome continuation of the unique story of one of DC’s most unique titles going right now. Things seem all the more difficult for our heroes by the end of Batman Beyond #33, and I cannot wait to see how it goes ahead.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment