Summary: The mystery of who Clark Kent is deepens as Superman takes him to his hidden fortress to probe his mind. 

Plot: Dan Jurgens is doing his best to give us a modern take of the fun that was the Silver Age Superman, and he's doing it pretty well. I've said it before the idea of Superman and Clark Kent meeting in public together in order to dispel the idea that they are one in the same has been done before; in fact it's a staple of Superman at this point. It's been done in various ways from robot Clark Kents and Supermen to shape shifters and even a Superman from the future but never with what appears to be a normal human with memories of a normal past that are similar to what we as the readers know to be "true" only without ever being Superman. The incredulity of the public in buying into this Clark's story is easy to understand as, like the Superman in this issue, we know his story goes against everything we've come to know as true. We know it can't be true because 75 years of Superman say so, and because of the cyclical progression of comic story telling we know that the "real" Clark will eventually come back and that this mystery is just the plot contrivance to bring about the secret identity. And although that mystery plot is wearing a little thin, Dan's ability to make us empathize with the angry mob does make me smile. We're used to seeing the public's doubt in heroes as something of a tragedy because we intrinsically know that the hero is good beyond a doubt, which creates an "Us Vs. Them" conflict that is easy to buy into but that's turned on it's head here because we don't have that insight into this Clark and thus can more readily buy into the public's sentiment. It's a smart plot trick, and it really makes me look at all those older comics like Spider-Man and Batman in a new light as it lets you understand how you could see him as a menace if you were truly on the outside looking in. It's not a super earth shaking revelation and it's not going to change comics forever but it did make me smile. And as a revamp of a Silver Age plot I think that's about as good as you can expect.

Art: While Zircher's art is pretty good(I really like his use of perspective in creating larger than life moments in a quiet way) the real talent here is Ulises Arreola and his amazing coloring. He has a great handle on how to use the really strong, bright, primary colors that epitomize the look of Superman's world without letting it feel too flat and unrealistic by breaking it up with complimentary soft pastels. There's a tendency to go cartoonish when handling these bold colors but Arreola finds a way to use them and remain realistic without needing to make them murky. It's a fun look that really calls back to the feeling of those great Sunday morning comic strips, like Flash Gordon, while still feeling sharp and modern.

Summary: Thought to be killed during the Brainiac War, Terry is back in Gotham trying to put back the pieces of his life but he may not be the only one making a comeback as the deadliest foe of Batman may be on the mend as well.

Plot: Dan Jurgens brings readers back to Neo-Gotham with this back to basics issue that both recaps the origin of Terry McGuinnes and the elements that have become the hallmarks of the series(namely the Jokerz). For a new reader this may be compelling enough, but for those who have enjoyed the character from the start it comes off as a little ham-handed, with dialog that serves the new reader but would never be uttered by those actually in the story( "We lost dad years ago and mom died in the war." says Terry to his brother Matt at one point). It's frustrating that such ground level world building takes the front seat to strong characterization which was always my favorite element of Batman Beyond. On top of that we once again get another Joker story where one of the strengths of Batman Beyond was its ability to create fun new villains.

Art: The one saving grace of this book is the art. Sook's art work makes for a fast read with its slick, high speed action and energetic feel but where as some would sacrifice detail to achieve these ends Sook's work is full of it; tense hands with well defined bone work, the lines of the faces under the Joker make up and the craggy face of the elderly Bruce Wayne all stand out in vivid detail. On top of that Travis Lanham's work in the coloring of the flashbacks is some of the best I've seen, the muted colors set it apart from the present day and the edges are all blurred in black while the centers have a nearly phosphorescent glow like an old black and white movie.

Conclusion: For the uninitiated Jurgen's reintroduction to the world of Batman Beyond may be compelling enough but for the long time fans there is little here that hasn't been seen before other than some truly fantastic art.

Grade: 5/10(Plot:1, Art:4)