Wednesday, November 16, 2011

"Batman Beyond" Super Post!

Batman Beyond is a spin-off of Batman: The Animated Series that was created to sell toys.  But despite that ignoble beginning, it went on to become a fan favorite thanks to its great writing and fresh new characters.  It was so beloved that the future it presents was given its own earth after the series 52 (whether that means the rest of the DCAU is on that earth remains to be seen) and its own miniseries in 2010, followed by an ongoing in 2011.  All this is basically to say that it's had nearly as much of an influence on canon as Batman: The Animated Series did, as you'll see below.

Terry McGinnis


Terry McGinnis first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Rebirth" (1999), as the new Batman, Bruce Wayne's replacement.  He later appeared in comics as a cameo in Countdown #21 (December 2007) on Earth-12, though his first full appearance was in Batman Beyond #1 (August 2010), the first of a six-issue miniseries; that same month, Terry McGinnis made his first appearance on New Earth, in a possible future presented by Batman #700.

Fun Fact: His costume first appeared in Superman/Batman #22 (August 2005), though the person wearing it was referred to as "Tim".

Mary and Matt McGinnis

Terry McGinnis's mother and brother, respectively.  They debuted in the Batman Beyond episode "Rebirth, Part 1" (1999) and made their first comics appearance in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #3 (October 2010).

Blight

Derek Powers first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Rebirth, part 1" (1999) as the CEO of Wayne-Powers, and secretly the supervillain Blight.  His first comics appearance was Batman Beyond #5 (May 2011).

Dana Tan


Now has her own page, which you can view here.

Inque

Inque was a saboteur working for Derek Powers who first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Black Out" (1999).  She was first mentioned Batman Beyond [miniseries] #1 (August 2010), but didn't make a full appearance until Batman Beyond #8 (August 2011).

Spellbinder


Spellbinder is another of those characters, like The Clock King, that first appeared in comics, but then a new version was created for an adaptation.  Spellbinder first appeared in Detective Comics #358 (December 1966) as Delbert Billings, a painter who used optical illusions and hypnosis to commit crimes.

This Spellbinder, however, is Ira Billings, a psychologist at Hamilton High.  He first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Spellbound" (1999) and made his comics debut in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #1 (August 2010).  

Paxton Powers

Paxton Powers, the son of Derek Powers, first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode, "Ascension" (1999).  His first appearance in the comics was Batman Beyond #5 (May 2011).

Armory


Armory first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode  "Armory" (1999) as one of Batman's enemies.  He first appeared in comics in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #2 (September 2010).

Jered Tate

Jered is a friend of Terry McGinnis and the son of Armory.  He first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Armory" (1999) and jumped to comics in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #2 (September 2010). You can see him tied up in the picture of Armory, above.

Maxine "Max" Gibson


Max Gibson first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode  "Hidden Agenda" (1999) as one of Terry McGinnis's friends.  She first appeared in comics in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #4 (November 2010).

Stalker

Stalker first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "Bloodsport" (1999).  He was first mentioned in comics in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #4 (November 2010).


Justice League Unlimited


Justice League Unlimited is a future counterpart of the Justice League of America that first appeared in the Batman Beyond episode "The Call, Part 1" (2000). They first appeared in comics in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #1 (August 2010), as a cameo* (each one appeared on a different monitor); their first full appearance was in Batman Beyond #1 (January 2011).  The team consists of an older Superman, Warhawk (the hawk-themed son of John Stewart), Barda, Micron* (a future counterpart of The Atom), Aquagirl, and Green Lantern (Kai-Ro).  In the animated series, Batman and Static are on the team as well. (Note: Superman and Barda are pre-existing characters; the rest are new.)
*Micron actually appears in person in the August 2010 issue


In addition to characters, Batman Beyond introduced the following concepts:

Hamilton Hill High School

In the show, Terry McGinnis and his friends go to Hamilton Hill High School, named after the former mayor of Gotham City.  Therefore, they do in the comic book as well. ComicVine says the school first appears in Batman Beyond [miniseries] #2 (September 2010), but the earliest I've been able to find is Batman Beyond [second miniseries] #4 (April 2011).

Commissioner Barbara Gordon

 Barbara Gordon was first shown as following in her father's footsteps in the Batman Beyond episode "Black Out" (January 1999).  This was later shown to be the case in comics as well, beginning with Batman #666 (July 2007), and continuing in the various Batman Beyond series.

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