Everything old is new again.

Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Ryan Sook
Colors: Jeremy Lawson & Tony Avina
Letterer: Travis Lanham
Editor: Jim Chadwick
Assistant Editor: Susie Esparza
Covers: Carlos D’Anda
Publisher: DC Comics
$2.99

This issue of Batman Beyond feels like a throwback issue, with Terry back in the suit after his abduction and mind washing via Spellbinder. Terry’s getting back into the groove of being Batman and trying to set up something of a normal life for himself and his little brother Matt. While getting back into the swing of things on the crime fighting side is easy, dealing with his messy personal life is proving harder than he thought, and that’s not helped by the rise of the Jokerz: nihilist street punks who worship at the altar of the Joker.

The storyline of this book is familiar to anyone who watched Batman Beyond, particularly if you watched the movies that were connected to it. However, it has enough of a twist that it’s not a complete rehash of familiar territory. Ryan Sook’s artwork is interesting: there’s a grittiness to it that makes Neo Gotham feel lived in and worn out. It also makes the Jokerz even more jarring, their over the top looks and makeup garish and terrifying especially in the light of day.

Overall this is a solid, if predictable, book especially for those of us steeped in the Batman Beyond lore. 3 out of 5 Batarangs.