“First Flight” – Conclusion
Artists: Sean Chen and Sean Parsons
Color Artist: Chris Sotomayor
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Review by Adam Ray
The dramatic conclusion. Batman Beyond #42 gave us precisely what we needed. We’re reminded from the offset just how fearsome Blight is. The original villain of the source material is a true threat and a literal ticking time-bomb. It’s an interesting and tense turn of events and, couple with the real feel of peril and the shock of how Blight wishes to do things, we end this story with a real bang.
I’ve been a consistent fan of the current run of Batman Beyond, and next to nothing will change that. All that said, moments of both plot and artwork left me somewhat frustrated. As a viewer of this comic, in it’s boundless action and intensity, it’s easy to glaze over details sometimes. Not so. Not for this reviewer. When you pick up this issue for yourself, take a good long look at pages 12 and 17. The shots of some running characters look a bit too similar. There’s a difference between recycling shots and cutting corners.
As a point on the plot, it’s easy to say that I was expecting this outcome. There were some moments, glimpses at a real shock or some tension, but the ending still felt a little “by the numbers.” It just left a little to be desired, me eager for a surprise comparable to the reveal of Batwoman’s identity.
Conclusion
I suppose the arc, from Batwoman’s secret to now, had one specific purpose. It was here to introduce a new character into the Batman Beyond pantheon. This recent run masterfully achieved that. If the storyline didn’t exactly stick the landing, I can still see a string of great stories to come with multiple bats bringing more layers of suspense to proceedings.
Images Courtesy of DC Entertainment