Whether you are a fan of the neon-soaked streets of Neo-Gotham or the electrically charged atmosphere of Dakota City, Batman / Static: Beyond #2 is a crossover that feels both inevitable and exciting. Written by Evan Narcisse and Nikolas Draper-Ivey, this issue pushes the “Beyond” timeline into a fascinating collision between the high-tech legacy of Bruce Wayne and the revolutionary energy of Milestone Media’s finest.
The Race Against the “Q-Juice”
The story picks up with Terry McGinnis frantically searching for Melvin Kim, a student from his school who was exposed to “Q-Juice,” think of it as a volatile substance powering the new global Q-Grid. Q-Juice is actually the same substance that gave Static his powers, but as Virgil warns Terry, exposure is usually fatal or highly unpredictable.
While Terry scours Neo-Gotham, Melvin is undergoing a harrowing transformation. After washing up at a hospital as a John Doe, he discovers that touching any technology causes him (and the tech) intense pain. Driven by agony and a sense of betrayal, Melvin adopts the mantle of Shutdown. He begins a destructive trek across the coast, taking out Q-Grid sites in Hub, Fawcett, and Opal, eventually setting his sights on the heart of the grid: Dakota City.
Character Dynamics
The character work here is a bit of a mixed bag. Terry McGinnis is handled exceptionally well. Narcisse and Draper-Ivey capture that green-and-determined voice perfectly. You can feel his frustration as he balances the limitations of his suit’s power with his genuine concern for a classmate. He feels like the budding hero we know from the animated series, still learning the ropes but possessing the right heart.
On the flip side, Static (Virgil Hawkins) comes off as a bit stiff. He is clearly the veteran here, but he plays it so close to the chest that he comes off as a bit pompous. He spends much of the issue lecturing Terry or acting like he’s the coolest person in every room. Don’t get me wrong (Virgil is the coolest person in the room), but there are easier ways to show that without him sounding like he’s constantly looking down on “Batman Jr.”
Then there is Shutdown (Melvin). His design is fantastic; the masked figure look in a black cloak with a power-button-inspired logo that looks menacing against his red energy. However, his arc feels rushed. One minute, he’s a terrified kid in a hospital bed, the next he’s teleporting to cabins and then appearing in Dakota City in a full, polished villain costume. It’s a bit jarring; you’re left wondering how much time has passed or how a kid in that much pain managed to put together such a high-end look so quickly.
A Tale of Two Cities
The heart of the book lies in the ideological contrast between Neo-Gotham and Dakota City. We see Raquel Ervin (Rocket), now the Mayor of Dakota, giving a speech about self-reliance: “We do it ourselves, or it don’t get done.” Dakota is portrayed as a city that took the “freaks” the world rejected and built a future out of the very thing that changed them.
This contrasts sharply with the “Tech Brah” bullies at Terry’s school and the corporate greed of Derek Powers back in Gotham. The Q-Juice is a bridge between these worlds; affordable energy for the masses, but unfortunately, a deadly mutagen for those who get caught in the cracks. Shutdown is one of those citizens who gets dropped in cracks; he’s a physical manifestation of the collateral damage caused by this energy revolution.
The Visuals
Nikolas Draper-Ivey’s art is the undisputed star of the show. The book feels kinetic and alive. The way he renders energy, specifically the contrast between Static’s blue-white electricity and Shutdown’s jagged red power, is visually stunning. Wil Quintana’s colors help differentiate the locales beautifully; Neo-Gotham is all rainy greens and dark blues, while Dakota City feels warmer, yet still technologically advanced.
Wes Abbott’s lettering also deserves a shout-out. The sound effects feel integrated into the action rather than just slapped on top, and the distinct word balloons for digital transmissions versus human speech help keep the multi-character conversations easy to follow.
Final Thoughts
While the pacing of Shutdown’s transformation is a bit blink-and-you-miss-it, and Static could stand to take a chill pill, Batman/Static: Beyond #2 successfully weaves two very different corners of the DC/Milestone universe into a cohesive, socially relevant story about power, both the kind that lights up a city and the kind that changes a person forever.
KPB Comics’ Batman and Static Related:
‘Batman / Static: Beyond’ #2 Review: The Price of Q-Juice
While the pacing of Shutdown’s transformation is a bit blink-and-you-miss-it, and Static could stand to take a chill pill, Batman/Static: Beyond #2 successfully weaves two very different corners of the DC/Milestone universe into a cohesive, socially relevant story about power.
