Batman: The Adventures Continue Season 2 #1

Batman: The Adventures Continue Season 2 #1

DC Comics 2021

Written by Alan Burnett & Paul Dini

Illustrated by Ty Templeton

Coloured by Monica Kubina

Gotham City is changing. After Mayor Hill is killed by a mysterious assailant, Batman finds himself tracking down an ancient order that's long been buried under the streets of Gotham: the Court of Owls. But what does this group have to gain from the death of Mayor Hill, and how can Deadman help the Dark Knight?

This is a great book and since it is based on the cartoon series it makes for a great all-ages title. I do like how it also ties into the current titles with the introduction of the Court of Owls and guest stars Deadman! There is something about this that is quite brilliantly done and that comes across in the way that it makes the reader feel. We see Batman’s kind of arrogance and even naivete in never having give credence to the Courts existence. Quite honestly I think I prefer this introduction of the Court of Owls to the one Snyder did and that’s saying something folks. Another aspect of this that I really like is that Bruce Wayne plays a large role in all this and seeing his connections, see Zatanna, are just as important as Batmans.

I think this is being told rather quite brilliantly. The story & plot development that we see through how the sequence of events unfold as well as how the reader i information is presented exquisitely. The character development that we see is phenomenal!, thanks to the dialogue, the character interaction and how they act and react to the situations and circumstances they encounter. The pacing is super and as it takes us through the pages revealing the story, the characters and history we are glued to the page all the while imagining this to be an animated feature.

I am loving the way that we see this being structure and how the layers within the story emerge, evolve and strengthen. These layers really add the depth, drama and complexity to what we see beautifully and with Boston’s arc and then both how Bruce and Batman operate as they both operate differently it really brings this natural and believable flow to the book. How we see everything working together to create the story’s ebb & flow as well how it moves the story forward is impeccably achieved.

First a huge shout out to Riley Rossmo for his absolutely amazing cover. That this feels like the cartoon series is a huge thing to me and that we get to see backgrounds as much as we do is utterly amazing. I am a big fan of how we see the detail work throughout the book here and it’s all done through the varying weights and techniques utilising linework. The composition within the panels bring us some gorgeous depth perception, sense of scale and that overall sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show such a strong, talented and magnificent eye for storytelling. The colour work is spectacular as well. Light sources changing how we see colours and the various hues and tones within them being utilised to create the shading, highlights and shadow work showcases a deft eye for how to use colour effectively.

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This may be one of the best books that DC is currently putting out and it’s the respect to history alongside the level and quality of work that is being produced. I don’t think folks expect too much from this, or the Batman Scooby-Doo title, and yet it has this incredibly strong writing and phenomenal interiors that really set it apart and make it one of the reading highlights each time it hits stands.