Written by: Derek Fridolfs & Dustin Nguyen
Pencilled by: Dustin Nguyen
Inked by: Derek Fridolfs
Colored by: Randy Mayor
Lettering by: Saida Temofonte

Published by: DC
Cover Price: $0.99

Note : This review is for the digital version of the comic available from DC Comics on Comixology

Batman Beyond was just about the first comic I read when I was starting getting back into comics last year. Grey had asked me to review issue 2 of the ongoing, and for the hell of it, I picked up the mini-series from 2009. I loved the Batman Beyond cartoon when it aired, but hadn’t really even thought of the series in the years since. I vaguely knew that the character had shown up a few times here and there in DC books, but was surprised to see he has his own book again…and that it was so damn good!

I was pretty let down when DC canceled Batman Beyond temporarily just before DC Relaunch. Still not exactly what the point of that was, but I was glad when they announced it would be coming back as a digital-first release, along with Justice League Beyond.

Summary (contains spoilers): The issue starts with a news commentator talking about Splicers, a underground cultural phenomenom of people splicing their genetics with animals. In Neo-Gotham, a group of Slicers and Jokerz are about to have an all out gang war over the control of splicing technology.

The Justice League drops in, with Batman, Green Lantern, Warhawk, and Barda looking to stop this before it gets out of hand:

I am a sucker for superhero banter, and I really loved that line about the Zoo and Circus being in town.

The rest of the issue is basically superhero action with the heroes working together to take out both gangs. Some really cool moments showing how the team works together, and even some fun characterization slipped in like Terry talking about “his dog” Ace. It doesn’t take long for the heroes to stop both gangs, but Terry gets a call from Bruce Wayne saying that “He’s needed elsewhere.”

Review: I am real curious about that ending, are the two series going to flow back and forth, or is this just a one time thing? I would have no real problem either way, I am just curious how it will work.

This comic really had the feel of the Batman Beyond cartoon, which is definitely what I was hoping for. The action and teamwork with the Justice League was great. I especially liked the dialouge. Again it felt like I could be watching an episode of the cartoon.

Granted, I would have liked to see more of Terry’s supporting cast, but hopefully we will get more of that in the Batman Beyond segments. Adam Beechen has really helped bring the supporting cast to the forefront of the series, with great solo focus issues on Bruce Wayne, Inque, and Max.

I think this is because of my love for Abnett and Lanning, but I always love when one of the co-writers inks a book. That is just a weird quirk of mine.

Speaking of the art, my only real complaint with this comic (and it’s a big one) is that I thought the art was inconsistent at times. Look at the two pages I posted above. The standoff between the Splicers and Jokerz looked great…so much detail, all the characters had a lot of life to them.

Then the very next page, when the Justice League arrives, they just seem very lackluster. Seemed like a strange way to introduce the heroes, in my opinion.  Yeah, villains usually are more visually appealing than the hero, but when the heroes first show up, they should stand out and not look like a quick sketch.

I also thought it was a cruel bait and switch to have Superman, Micron, and Aquagirl on the cover, but not in the book. I always liked Aquagirl, especially since she was voiced by Jodi Benson (The Little Mermaid).

And (this is just petty), Konstriction?  Really?  What is this Mortal Kombat where everything needs to start with a K.  Worst title ever!

Honestly, I’m just glad that the Beyond Universe is back. At 99 cents this book was a real steal, and even if you only have a mild interest in the Beyond universe, it’s worth checking out. Fun superhero action, a great team book (which DC desperately needs more of), and you only have to wait a week to see more of these characters. If this was Marvel, that would cost you 4 bucks an issue.

Final Score: 7.5 – A really strong start to DC’s digital-first Beyond experiment. I did think the art was inconsistent at times, but I can’t wait to see more of these great series.
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Camping Time

I was really looking forward to seeing the city guys have to camp, and it didn’t disappoint. Most of them were very uncomfortable with their overnight living conditions. Now, I’m no fan of camping – and plucking feathers out of a chicken is definitely not something I could do – but knowing that Paige loves it, the guys needed to put in at least some effort. And Shaun the New Yorker? Well that guy just needs to go home. He hates everything about the country and he hates everything Paige likes! What is he even doing there?

Dustin won some alone time with Paige by arranging some rocks into the shape of a heart, and while they hung out in her tent he sang a song he’d written about her. I’m sure he’s lovely and all, but he doesn’t seem even remotely right for Paige. Also, his music is a little too cheesy 90s pop star for my taste.

Drunk Drama

Back at the house,  Andy continued to take a lot of heat from the guys for being a drunk and hot mess. It seems as though most of the country guys know Andy has a problem, but they also get that it’s not really any of their business and they’re not in a place to intervene or give him a hard time about it. But the city guys? It’s almost all they talk about. The worst was when one of them (I think it was Shaun, which is  not surprising it was Joey, so he’s in my bad books now) said “Raise your hand if you like Andy.” Oh my god, are you a twelve year-old girl? Jeremiah continued to solidify his position as my favorite when he spoke up and told the guys to stop acting like they’re in high school.

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

The first solo date of the episode went to Joey, the Jersey guy. Joey’s a good looking guy (the forehead shaving is weird, though), but I don’t know what a personal trainer from New Jersey could possibly have in common with Paige. The date they went on? Basically my dream date. (OK fine, my actual dream date is New York in the fall, walking around all the places they go in You’ve Got Mail and then being handed a bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils in Riverside Park, which I will later put in a vase/vase.)

But a bike ride and then a picnic in a cotton field is also good. I had no idea cotton fields were so pretty, but it was very picturesque and romantic. Now, I’m a city girl. I live in a very small city, but it’s a city nonetheless and I grew up in the downtown core. And I like to ride bikes. I have ridden my bike to the park with a picnic in the basket. This is something I do. Joey, however, found the whole thing quite rustic. Anyway, it seemed like Paige really liked him.

A Romantic Combine-ation

The next date went to Jeremiah, my favorite. Well, he was my favorite until we discovered that he needs to be reminded to put on deodorant and brush his teeth before a date. Buddy! Personal hygiene is important for farmers too!

Jeremiah is very quiet, but very sweet. It was hard to tell how strong of a connection he and Paige had. I really like Jeremiah, but I’m not sure he’s exactly right for Paige – is it possible that he’s too country? We’ll have to wait and see.

When Jeremiah got back from his date, the guys gave him a lot of crap for taking Paige on a tractor. Sure, yes, it was not the most romantic thing. But they had a picnic or something too, didn’t they? Besides, don’t the producers have a hand in planning the dates? I don’t think that would have been entirely Jeremiah’s call, and on top of that the guy had a point when he said he needs to figure out if Paige is OK with his lifestyle. The city guys were WAY too hard on him, and I hated how they just stood around pontificating about their thoughts on his date. Shut up and mind your own business! I know they don’t have a lot to do in that house, but as my mom suggested, perhaps they should find a deck of cards. Then they won’t sit around talking all day long.

Speaking of guys who were hard on Jeremiah, what’s up with Todd? He was quickly becoming one of my favorite city guys, and then he had to go bashing poor Jeremiah. It was so rude! I get it, it’s funny to make tractor jokes. But Jeremiah got the date, so there must be something about him that Paige likes.

Heading Home

Paige sent one city guy and one country guy home this week. Marcello, the race car driver actor/model who just couldn’t believe that Paige wasn’t into him, and Chance, the rom-com loving bull rider who struck me as a little too young for Paige.

If you haven’t yet, be sure to check out the interview I did with Paige last week. Before we chatted, I was told by someone from CMT that she is absolutely in love, so I can’t wait to see how the rest of the season plays out. (And as always, no spoilers please!) What are your thoughts on the episode? Was the combine a bad idea? Do you like any of the city guys? Tell me in the comments!

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So then DC announced on the Source today just what would be happening, and while it’s not going to be enough to get me reading Hawkman, it is enough to keep me from dropping Grifter.

Grifter will be co-written by Frank Tieri (Gotham Underground, Weapon X, Batman and the Outsiders, Marvel vs. Capcom 3), with Scott Clark sticking around to do the art (apparently CAFU isn’t the artist there anymore?). I’m actually happy to see this, as Frank Tieri is an entertaining writer and an all around nice guy (I met him at C2E2 last year). He deserves the work.

Savage Hawkman, on the other hand, will be picking up co-writer Mark Poulton (Avengelyne) and artist Joe Bennett (who is currently on Deathstroke and being relieved by Liefeld…also, he did Justice League Generation Lost, Teen Titans, Hawkman, and all sorts of awesome things for DC over the years).

Check out the covers for the upcoming series, and feel free to chime in!

And hey, if you really like it and are on twitter? Let us all know with #needsmoreLiefeld
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We are sure to see more on this playset at Toy Fair next weekend!

credit: IGN
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When the Halo series of video games recently celebrated its tenth anniversary, McFarlane Toys knew it was the perfect time to introduce a new series of action figures based on the classic Halo games that came before Halo: Reach. Our first commemorative series, Halo: Anniversary Series 1, debuted last October. But with so many great games to cover, one series wasn’t nearly enough. So the celebration continues this March with Halo: Anniversary Series 2!

Anniversary 2 brings an all-new version of Master Chief, fan-favorite Captain Keyes, a classic multiplayer Spartan from Halo 2, a new ODST to fill out your squad, and the long-awaited figure debut of the Forerunner constructs Guilty 343 Spark and a Sentinel. Plus, like the first Anniversary series, this series also includes a unique build-a-”figure” item. Collect all five figures, and assemble the included pieces to create a 3D version of the UNSC logo! Still not enough? In addition to the five individual figures, Anniversary 2 also offers an all-new 3-pack: the heroic “Red Team” Spartans from Halo Wars. <\i>

These are due in stores in March.

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