Warning! Spoilers ahead for Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #1
DC Comics' new miniseries Batman Beyond: Neo-Year sees the Dark Knight of Tomorrow becoming a fugitive following the death of Bruce Wayne. Having been mentored by the original Batman as seen in the beloved animated series, Terry McGinnis is facing a major status quo shift now following Bruce's murder inside the Batcave itself. The city of Neo-Gotham has come alive with sinister intentions, forcing Terry to go on the run if he's to continue the legacy of Batman in the wake of losing his mentor/father.
Seen in a prelude featured in Batman: Urban Legends #7, the elderly Bruce Wayne was murdered when his pacemaker was intentionally overloaded by Ne0-Gotham itself, having gained sentience with malicious intent. Forced to blow up the Batcave and Wayne Manor so Bruce's resources couldn't be used against him, all Terry had by the prelude's end was his suit and the training he received from his secret biological father. Now, Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #1 begins Terry's new adventure in earnest from Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, and Max Dunbar.
In this first issue, Terry is completely on his own aside from his ultra-powerful batsuit, having sent his surviving family and friends away from Neo-Gotham so the living city can't use them as hostages or put them in danger to get to the future Batman. Furthermore, the new Dark Knight is forced to go old-school, using pen and paper rather than recording his case notes digitally which the city could access. However, the most challenging part is Batman's status as a fugitive with the evil city having turned the GCPD against Terry, putting the murder of Bruce Wayne at his feet along with several more crimes.
Losing Bruce combined with his fugitive status puts the future Batman in a major new space that's incredibly intriguing. Not only is Terry faced with the unique challenge of being his own Batman beyond the ideals of Bruce Wayne, but he's trying to do that while attempting to save a city that's actively working against him. Neo-Gotham has control over all of its own systems and infrastructures, including the authorities and the banks. The power it wields is the definition of unlimited while Batman is absolutely at square one, having none of the support or tools he had in the animated series.
While tragic, Terry McGinnis' new status quo without Bruce Wayne is genius. Working to save a city from itself with nothing but his suit is a dynamic way to begin a crusade that's wholly his own and truly "beyond". Given the sheer scope and power Neo-Gotham has and its disposal, it's going to be exciting to see what sort of plan Terry comes up with to take it down. While this first issue may see him struggling to keep his head above water, the future Batman swears more than once to Bruce's ghost that he'll endure, promising to keep the legacy alive as this new Batman Beyond miniseries continues.