by Tony Rhea, Reporter

When the light burns brightest, the shadows are all the deeper. While Gotham may be illuminated (literally), the darkness growing beneath will no longer be suppressed. Terry and Kyle face the inevitable conclusion of their adventure this week in Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #6!

Official Description:
THE FINAL ISSUE. The dark heart of the Garden is revealed. Donovan Lumos’s City of Light brings forth a terrible darkness. Neo-Gotham will fall. And the future of Batman will rise.

Creative Team:
Writers – Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing
Artist – Max Dunbar
Colors – Rain Beredo
Letters – Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

Terry rushes to help a desperate Gotham quickly being over-run by plants as Kyle faces his former mentor in one last bid to save John Constantine from making one more mistake. As Donovan Lumos abandons Gotham, Beam refuses to give up on the people of Gotham and Gestalt may just have the answer.

Kelly and Lanzing have really delivered in the last five issues, and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint. This story has been one about hope born in the darkness, and Terry and Kyle both perfectly embody this in their stories. Kyle and John’s relationship serves as a dark mirror to the relationship between Terry and Bruce. Both Bruce and John left messes for their protégés, and both Terry and Kyle are given unique opportunities to address these respective messes in creative ways that open both characters up for some interesting and wonderful story-telling opportunities down the road. I was truly impressed with the exchange between Kyle and John, and it was certainly an emotional read. With Neo-Gothic, Kelly and Lanzing have set the bar high for anyone who looks to tackle the world of Batman Beyond in the years to come.

Max Dunbar shines in this issue with fantastic imagery and beautiful panels. John Constantine’s final and tragic form is a grim reminder of the darkness that was always meant to await him in death. The imagery of Batman rising high into the sky above Gotham as a symbol of hope rising from the darkness is great. The final panel for John and Kyle is also fantastic and heartbreaking, and everything I didn’t know I wanted it to be. Dunbar is the perfect choice for visualizing the world of Batman Beyond, and this issue has some great examples of why that is.

I hope that we get to see more of Kyle going forward, as he is a fantastic addition to this universe. It remains to be seen whether or not he will continue to be by Terry’s side when Batman Beyond eventually returns, but I would think it to be a missed opportunity if he wasn’t. The entire creative team should be proud of the fantastic, tragic and touching story they have told in this series that has left me wanting more.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives Batman Beyond: Neo-Gothic #6 – 5 out of 5 tragic mentors!

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