Batman Beyond has been unique in that it takes an even higher tech working against Terry and Bruce. Yes, “our” time Batman has had some incredible technology to overcome, but imagine this taking place pretty far in the future. It’s something few of us can imagine.

Fortunately, Dan Jurgens is the writer on the comic, and he’s able to imagine things far beyond what we have read in the past. Give him a villain called False Face and, well, you just can’t be sure of anything that’s happening!

BATMAN BEYOND #33

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Penciller: Rick Leonardi
Published by: DC
Cover price: $3.99
Release Date: June 26, 2019

SOLICITATION: “Lost Daze” part three! Defeated at the hands of the Splitt, Batman radios for help. But Bruce Wayne doesn’t seem to have the same knowledge and experience Terry has relied on over the years from his mentor. Meanwhile, Melanie Walker tries to get to the bottom of everyone’s strange behavior by breaking into Arkham Asylum. Will she make a shocking discovery that will help Terry the way Bruce seems unable to?

HAS BRUCE REALLY LOST IT?

In this third part of the story, we see Bruce Wayne taking the night off to gamble in a casino. He attracts a young female companion, then announces he’s going to take her to where he keeps all his many cars. That place is, of course, the Batcave.

He voice commands the Beyond team out of the Batcave, but things don’t quite go according to plan.

When Terry catches up with Bruce at the casino, the two struggle and fall off the top of the building. Yikes!

The fascinating twist that Mr. Jurgens has added to False Face is that he’s much more than someone who can hide behind great masks. In this comic, False Face not only appears like the person, he takes their knowledge away from the individual.

When Melanie gets to Arkham, she finds someone who is completely bound and gagged there. When the people there manage to remove the bandages and all around him, it turns out to be… Bruce Wayne. There’s a HUGE clue in that reveal, something that we learn at the very end of this issue.

Jurgens has always been a master storyteller, be it either with scripting or art. He made Superman a terrific comic for years, and he’s doing the same thing with Batman Beyond. I never know what’s coming next, and I love that in a book, particularly one in the Batman universe.

He also has added several new characters to the mix such as Melanie, and that gives him some freedom when it comes to how they behave. However, he still makes familiar folks like Terry and Bruce consistent with their previous appearances, except when they’re not. And when they’re not, look out!

The pacing is strong and moves forward quickly. The plot is revealed just at the right moments, and we don’t know what’s up until Jurgens uncovers what’s taking place. And he does that excellently.

False Face deserves to be in the Batman Rogue’s Gallery for sure!

ART THAT GOES ‘BEYOND’

I always say that I often wish Jurgens could do both the writing and the art, but that takes more time than he can likely do in each issue. In this issue, it’s Leonardi delivering the wonderful artwork that propels us through the issue.

There are so many things Leonardi does well, including facial expressions and appearances, which is critical when a shape shifter is involved. He also makes the action sequences flow superbly, and I honestly couldn’t figure out what was happening until that last page! Now I have to wait until the next issue! ARGH!

BOTTOM LINE: Keep Your Eye on the False Faces

Batman Beyond is one of my favorite comics each month, delivering strong storytelling in both script and art. I used to think that the animated series was all I would enjoy, but the comic is making me love the continuation of Terry’s and Bruce’s adventures!

Jurgens does make each issue read as if it were someone’s first, so you can figure out pretty easily what’s happening even though this is the third chapter. I once again highly recommend this series if you have never read it before or if you quit the comic as you thought it could never match the show, like I did! Highly recommended!