His inclusion was a nice bonus

Batman Beyond Vol. 5: The Final Joke
DC Comics
Creators: Dan Jurgens, Brett Booth, Norm Rapmund, Cully Hamner, Marco Santucci, Evan “Doc Shaner, Andrew Dalhouse, Val Staples, Jordie Bellaire, Travis Lanham, Viktor Kalvachev
Release Date: July 2019

My history with “Batman Beyond” has been very bumpy.

I was curious when the concept for the new television show was announced in the later 1990s, and I tuned in for the series debut in January 1999. The opening scenes with an aging Batman were thrilling, and it was a nice nod to continuity that Neo Gotham still had a Police Commissioner Gordon in the future. But I wasn’t completely convinced by Terry McGinnis as the new Batman, and I wasn’t a fan of the techno-influenced music that ran throughout the show and its theme song.

I gave the next few episodes a try. Some of the villains were more interesting than the Jokerz gang from the premiere, and it was nice to see the Royal Flush Gang was still around; they’ve always been a favorite villain team for me. But there just wasn’t enough to hook me full-time on the show. I pronounced it “Not my Batman” and moved on.

I grew curious from time to time when I would read that the show was popular in various comic magazines or online. But I stayed away until after the show ended and it was controversially tied into the animated Justice League continuity. My reaction to that episode was mixed, but it prompted me to buy the entire series on DVD, although I still haven’t watched all of the episodes.

I also had very mixed reactions to the direct-to-video “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker” movie in 2000. It was fun to see the Joker back facing an aged Batman and his new protégé, but I did not care for how that film treated Tim Drake or how it mashed together his and Jason Todd’s origins and stories.

With all of that, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up an issue of the comics based on the concept. But I’ve again been curious a time or two. I’d heard interesting things about this arc, focusing as it does once again on the return of the Joker to Neo Gotham. And I know I’ve mentioned before that I am a fan of Dan Jurgens. So I decided to give this trade a try.

I was not disappointed. This was a solid story with some nice added bonuses. For one thing, we got the genuine, real deal Joker this time. We also have Terry’s younger brother, Matt, assuming the role of Robin. All of that I knew going into this trade. The best bonus of all, though, was the inclusion of the mayor of Bludhaven, Dick Grayson, in this story. That was a pleasant surprise.

One of my complaints about “Batman Beyond” on television was that I had always wondered what became of Dick. I believe he was name-dropped in the pilot episode when Commissioner Barbara Gordon fills Terry McGinnis in on her history with Batman. But what she said was vague. I don’t believe Dick ever appeared previously in either the show or one of the comics. He’s one of my favorite characters; I always wanted to know what became of him in this continuity.

There are still questions here regarding the former Nightwing and first Robin. For instance, there is no mention of a spouse, but Dick’s adult daughter, Elainna, also appears. Dick and his daughter are not relegated to mere cameos either. Both play pretty prominent roles in this tale. Enough so that I really do wonder if this is Dick’s first appearance in the world of Batman Beyond, if Jurgens has used him in a previous arc, or if some other creative team first dreamed this up, and this crew is simply building on what has gone before.

Someone please leave a comment if you know more about Dick’s role in Batman Beyond; I’d appreciate the info. But either way, this was a fun read, and this trade has made me seriously think about hunting down more of Jurgens’ run on the title.