Review of Batman Beyond: 10,000 Clowns

By: TFG1Mike

Batman Beyond was an amazing cartoon series. It has had several comic series. The current series Batman Beyond Unlimited combines three books. Batman, Superman, and Justice League Beyond. Here you will find my thoughts on the first 13 issues of the Batman Beyond Unlimited series. This storyline is all about 10,000 Clowns! THIS IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW!!!!!!

In 1999 The Timverse went into the future as the Batman of Tomorrow was revealed! The Tomorrow Knight was titled Batman Beyond, and advanced the DCAU 50 years from whenever now is. Yes Batman Beyond has several meh episodes, but the entire series was just awesome seeing what happened to Bruce Wayne, and going on New Adventures with Terry McGinnis. Even after the JLU Episode Epilogue, I wanted more Batman Beyond!!! As stated above there were several different Beyond comics series. One was the  DC animated universe tie-in, another was a 2010  Miniseries, and finally before the current incarnation we had the 2010 ongoing that only last 8 issues. This was  Batman Beyond in 2011. I have not read these previous titles. I may go back to the DCAU tie in, but I am happy with the current series’ events.

Writing: 

Adam Beechen does an amazing job writing the Beyond characters. It seems as if you are watching an episode of the cartoon… Only it’s a comicbook. The basic story without spoiling anything is that a flood of Jokerz are arriving in Gotham. Apparently Dana Tan (Terry’s longtime girlfriend) has a brother… which is something we never knew. Or at least I didn’t and I’m not sure if he is in the previous comic series. After reading 10,000 Clowns it seems to me that Dana and her brother Doug are very similar to Barbara and her brother James Jr. I could be reading into it though. I will say that I couldn’t put this trade down. The writing is superb. Beechen clearly knows the language and trends that were setup in the cartoon series. The characters are very similar as well, both in style and design. So with all these Jokerz getting organized under one mysterious figure, Batman has to team up with several other heroes to save the city. I love the fact that they mention the JLU is off planet, and Terry has to bring in his own backup. Plus who he brings in is just awesome!!!! It’s a Bat Family Reunion I’ll say that much. Any Bat Fan will love the writing done in this series.

Art:

Norm Breyfogle’s art is superb. It’s just like the cartoon series, and it pops off the page. The one thing that threw me for a loop was the design of the Batsuit in the above image. Apparently another one of the Batsuits enhancements is giving Terry a great Butt. my thought was after seeing this panel was, “Why’s his butt so spread out on the page?” Not there is anything wrong with that, just sayin I found it strange. The backgrounds are amazing, the locations are awesome. Again I have to say that Norm has basically enhanced what was in the cartoon series. Between the design of the Batmobile, the cave, and other things. These creators aren’t just creating NEW things, that we might not know. I will say that there are times when I’m not to thrilled with the design on Bruce Wayne, but that doesn’t take away my sheer enjoyment of seeing the art this way.

Final Thoughts:

If you have not yet gone Beyond, I suggest you do. Even though I’m currently getting the single issues, I can’t wait for the next trade of this title. It’s very awesome. 10,000 Clowns puts a whole new spin on the Joker and the Jokerz. Yes The Joker is not in here, but the way the figure in the shadows of the Jokerz is written, it feels as if The Joker is really there. If you are a fan of Batman Beyond pick up 10,000 Clowns… “Oh Yes, but think of the Fun!”

Final Rating