by Tony Rhea, Reporter
The dark is frightening, and the only way out is through. Terry and Kyle continue their trek through the dark beneath Gotham in Batman Beyond #4!
Official Description: Beyond the darkness, a brightness always shines. Hope is at the end of the tunnel, but how much of it is real? Terry McGinnis comes face-to-face with his past, reliving moments of his pain and history. When the Batman Beneath takes from him the only people he’s ever loved, Batman Beyond is forced to confront those dark moments all over again. But he won’t do it alone. Kyle the Catboi has to face the root of his sorcery, the master magician John Constantine, but so much time has passed since they’ve last seen each other. The truth will be revealed on this long, strange trip!
Writer: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Artist: Max Dunbar
Colors: Rain Beredo
Letters: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Terry faces a dark reflection of his past, diving through memories and seeing his brother Matt, Dana and Bruce Wayne. Getting through that brings him into Kyle’s memories, where the truth about Kyle’s origin is revealed before they come face-to-face with the threat in front of them.
Kelly and Lanzing deliver a dark story not only dealing with Terry and his insecurities, but additionally and more importantly, Kyle’s origin, which is a mirror of Terry’s own. While Terry is cursed figuratively by the sins of Bruce, Kyle is literally cursed by the sins of John Constantine. It’s a fantastic way to tie these two characters together, and gives some great dimension to Kyle. I’m finding myself hoping that we get some more time with Kyle in future comics. The growing bond and connection between Kyle and Terry is one of the things that makes this comic special.
The art in the issue is a great compliment to the story, and I love the introduction of what I’ve dubbed “Catman Beyond” (not Kyle, but you’ll get it when you see it). There’s a fantastic page that utilizes the DCAU versions of the characters that plays well against the dark message behind it. The pages detailing Constantine’s relationship with Kyle are very impressive, and there are some fantastic panels contained within it. Dunbar’s Batman Beneath is equal parts terrifying and cool. His work with Terry’s new suit is also fantastic, making it the best iteration of the Batman Beyond suit yet.
This comic’s story is dark, but not without a light of hope. It’s giving us some great new interpretations of DC characters that allow it to stand out from the crowd, and it would be a shame if you didn’t check it out.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Batman Beyond #4 5 out of 5 bat cats!
