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Batman Beyond (2016)

Batman Beyond (2016-) Vol. 4: Target: Batman

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Get ready for another nonstop, all-out, action-packed adventure in Neo-Gotham with Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond Vol. 4!

 Author Dan Jurgens (The Death of Superman) and artist Phil Hester continue the journey of Terry McGinnis as he keeps Gotham on the right track in Batman BeyondVol. 4. After the events of "The Long Payback" we find Batman with his mysterious new partner...but can this new partner be trusted? You never know when it comes to the corrupt city of Gotham. Follow Terry as he dives deeper into the secrets of the city and the true idenity of his new partner.

 Terry McGinnis' battle to keep Gotham safe continues in Batman Beyond Vol. 4! Collects Batman Beyond #20-24.

120 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2019

24 people are currently reading
141 people want to read

About the author

Dan Jurgens

2,240 books285 followers
Dan Jurgens is an American comic book writer and artist. He is known for his work on the DC comic book storyline "The Death of Superman" and for creating characters such as Doomsday, Hank Henshaw, and Booster Gold. Jurgens had a lengthy run on the Superman comic books including The Adventures of Superman, Superman vol. 2 and Action Comics. At Marvel, Jurgens worked on series such as Captain America, The Sensational Spider-Man and was the writer on Thor for six years. He also had a brief run as writer and artist on Solar for Valiant Comics in 1995.

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5 stars
45 (15%)
4 stars
89 (30%)
3 stars
122 (42%)
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30 (10%)
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3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
Profile Image for Chad.
10.4k reviews1,060 followers
February 13, 2019
This was OK, but it's a by the numbers Scarecrow story. I'd honestly rather see new villains than rehashes of old ones. It feels almost like an episode of the show. There's not much at all in the area of subplots other than the villain of the week.
Profile Image for Wing Kee.
2,091 reviews37 followers
January 10, 2019
2.5

A lot of stuff cramped into this arc making it dense but without depth and leaving a lot of wasted moments.

World: The art is solid, the sense of motion is good and the tone of the world is consistent. I see we've forgotten everything with Futures End LOL. The world building here is okay, there is the callback to the Creeper which makes me happy but the return of the Scarecrow was not done that well since the origin of the character is a stretch and not handled well. The stuff with adding Robin also makes me happy but once again the world building and the storytelling (more below) is not done the best way. I like what they are doing but it was not handled the best.

Story: The story is very basic. It's a classic Scarecrow tale and follows the beats to the letter here so nothing much in that regard is new. The way that Scarecrow's origin is handled was not done really well and the character really suffers for it. The stuff with Robin also had me excited cause we have not had a Robin for this Batman and it's a legacy that makes sense and Batman needs a Robin. How they handled it on the otherhand was a bit too loosy goosey and not focused enough. There are a lot of things that happen this arc and the Robin and Batman relationship does not really work and nothing is earned, this story needs to take time to deal with it properly. Then there's the Melanie and Dana story which was also handled rather poorly and, are we really doing this again? Lastly Melanie has been a great character since the show and with what happens here it was not handled well and it should have been a issue all it's own with consequences but it was rather, just like the Robin story a tossaway and it was wasted.

Characters: Terry is Terry in this arc and nothing much in terms of development. The rest of the cast had a lot of stuff and it was not always handled well. Robin and how it was handled and how he was portrayed and how the rest of the cast deals with it was a bit choppy and inconsistent leaving readers wanting more depth and better writing. The Melanie situation also was not handled well and the reveal was done poorly and wasted and should have been given more time. The Dana story is becoming redundant and doing this again only hurts her as a character and drives reader interest down. Scarecrow was not done well, it made little sense of how it happened and the circumstances and the argument for what happened didn't really get earned. Not the best character work.

I really wanted to like this but the character work for this book was really wasteful and not done well.

Onward to the next book!
Profile Image for Subham.
3,078 reviews101 followers
December 2, 2020
Batman is going on about saving people, has a kiss with Melanie and Dana sees it, so romantic triangle of love starts and all. But Batman is suddenly feared by everyone and people, Jokerz, and even the police especially Comissioner Gordon is after him, no one knows what happened exactly but slowly we learn that the Scarecrow is behind this. And her new backstory is quite intriguing and also questions Batman's methods which was good to see and like questions the psychological effects he has on the victims of his so called "Justice". Also it was fun to see Matt as Robin but his future as that hangs in the balance of what he did and it was fun seeing Terry vs Gotham and still coming out on top and all and Bruce had good moments as well! The art was the best part and flowed smoothly! Great read!
Profile Image for Chris Lemmerman.
Author 7 books123 followers
February 1, 2021
The entire city of Neo-Gotham suddenly hates Batman - and he didn't even do anything to deserve it! With his new Robin at his side, Terry must battle the citizens, the cops, and the Jokerz as everyone turns against him. And when the mastermind behind this new plot is revealed, how will it affect Bruce Wayne?

Target: Batman feels shorter than it is - coming in at five issues, it's a decent length but it flies by when you're reading it. And it's not for lack of dialogue or action scenes, it's just pretty compelling, is all. While most of the story is concerned with the threat affecting Batman, there's plenty of space for Dana, Melanie, and Matt to get their own plots going too (although I do miss Max). I did peg some of how the story was going to unfold fairly early on since there's a new development that everyone seems to act as if has been there the whole time when it obviously hasn't, but there are still some unexpected twists and turns as the plot progresses to keep you guessing.

The artwork in this volume is predominantly Will Conrad, whose work I really enjoy. It does often feel a little static, more pin-up than comic page, but it always looks wonderful, and his figures are always really well rendered. Marco Castiello pencils the first issue of the book, although I thought it was Mike McKone at first since they draw very similar faces.

Target: Batman hits the mark, and then some. Look, sometimes the low-hanging fruit is the best.
Profile Image for Jacinta Carter.
885 reviews27 followers
June 13, 2019
The artwork in this graphic novel was great, but the story became repetitive very quickly. It started with the idea that people were seeing Batman as a monster instead of a hero, and then it just kept going with that without adding anything new to the story.
420 reviews2 followers
October 27, 2025
A new Scarecrow has turned the citizens of Neo-Gotham against Terry! Enter: Robin Beyond! I bet that fans of the original BB show hated the big crazy eyes he's got here. Shout-out to Viktor Kalvachev for some great cover art!
Profile Image for Jason  O'Hagan.
184 reviews3 followers
January 19, 2023
matt as robin is just pissing me off, terry’s batman didn’t really need a robin
Profile Image for Linda.
665 reviews35 followers
April 21, 2020
Actual Rating: 2.5 stars

A bit too cookie-cutter and predictable in terms of plot and direction. A simplistic storyline with a villain you could unmask on the first page; there wasn't anything new or exciting to this story. The only enjoyable aspect of the story was Matt as Robin. His happiness from being Robin was so wholesome and pure you couldn't help but root for him.
Profile Image for Michael Kikle.
135 reviews12 followers
December 27, 2019
Batman Beyond: Rebirth (and the Rebirth era of DC comics, overall) began in high standing, with exceptional storytelling, but has slowly devolved into boring, filler-type stories, for a while now. I love and adore the first Rebirth volume of Batman Beyond. There aren’t many great Batman Beyond comics, as it is, but that first book was iconic to any fan of Beyond. But the following second and third volumes were really lackluster, and as disappointing as they could possibly come.

Last night, I noticed that the digital books for the fourth and fifth volume were only $5, so I grabbed both, since I’ve been hoping they’d turn-out well. I’ve got to say that this fourth volume was REALLY solid, and really fun to read.

My biggest criticism with this book is that it isn’t an extremely important story to the Batman Beyond universe, but the fun I had was undeniable. I remember groaning at the idea of Matt becoming Robin, in the previous volume, but I actually love his costume, here. I’m hoping we’ll get an interesting take with Terry and Matt working together. There are great tales that could be told, with that.

The art looked great the entire book, and it was very colorful. The “new” villain was mostly decent. I wouldn’t say that’s what sold me on the book, but the adventure was more of my own type of taste. I thought it was executed pretty well.

Any Batman Beyond: Rebirth fan probably felt happy that this was finally a good volume. I’d even say you don’t need to read any previous volumes to understand what’s happening in this one.
5,870 reviews146 followers
June 1, 2020
Batman Beyond: Target: Batman picks up where the previous volume left off, collecting the next five issues (Batman Beyond #20–24) of the 2016 on-going series and collects one story: "Target: Batman".

"Target: Batman" is a four-issue storyline with a conclusion (Batman Beyond #20–24) has Terry McGinnis as Batman taking on Adalyn Stern as the new Scarecrow. Adalyn Stern is a sweet, innocent girl who had witnessed the day Batman beat her father to a pulp. She has carried those feelings of fear and resentment with her ever since. As a means of revenge, Adalyn donned the mantle of the Scarecrow and devised a plan to turn all of Neo-Gotham against Terry McGinnis.

Dan Jurgens has penciled the entire trade paperback. For the most part, it was written moderately well. Jurgens has reintroduced the Scarecrow into the Batman Beyond universe with the secondary antagonist being the Jokerz gang, which seems par for the course. As a Robin aficionado, I quite enjoyed Matt McGinnis in the role and the brotherly dynamic between them.

With the exception of one issue Batman Beyond #20, which was penciled by Marco Castiello. The entire trade paperback was penciled by Will Conrad. Since he was the main penciler, the artistic flow of the trade paperback flowed exceptionally well. For the most part, I quite enjoy his penciling style.

All in all, Batman Beyond: Target: Batman is a mediocre continuation to what would hopefully be a wonderful series.
Profile Image for Lindsey.
846 reviews16 followers
April 27, 2019
There could have been some really good plot stuff in this volume, but everything felt rushed, unearned, and even disingenuous to the characters.

The story primarily is the Scarecrow has turned the citizens of Gotham against Batman. In a story like this, the audience at the very least should have been on Terry's side, but I can't say that I was. He was terrible to Matt, he cheated on his girlfriend, and he isn't being fair to Melanie.

But why do we keep rehashing old storylines? We already did the Dana-Melanie-Terry love triangle thing back in the show. Why is there a new Scarecrow? I much prefer Terry having his own villains than getting Bruce’s leftovers.

And can we talk about Matt as Robin? Matt doesn't really have enough character. His entry into the Bat life was rushed to the point of ridiculousness. Why does he want to be Robin? What skills does he possess to make him not a liability? He seems to be in it for the kicks and the highs, and it did not end well for the last Robin who started out that way.

Both of the plots could have been okay, maybe even good, if they had been developed better and given the proper time. Maybe reorder a few story points. Like have Dana threaten to leave Terry if he doesn't give up the Bat life, then while he is feeling insecure about his relationship have Melanie show up.
Profile Image for Krzysztof Grabowski.
1,877 reviews7 followers
December 16, 2024
Batman Beyond zatacza małe kręgi wokół spuścizny oryginalnego Batmana, bowiem ponownie zahacza o postać z przeszłości, tutaj tylko odpowiednio zmodyfikowaną. I daje to radę, zwłaszcza że miejscami bywa niepokojące.

Terry przeżywa swoje rozterki sercowe, kiedy jego brat coraz mocniej wkręca się w bycie Robinem, ale zanim ruszy do akcji, tak będzie musiał przejść jakikolwiek trening (oczywiście, że prawie żaden, bo prawie od razu trzeba wskakiwać w akcję). Jednocześnie ktoś sprawia, że mieszkańcy miasta, a potem też sojusznicy tej odsłony Gacka zaczynają widzieć w nim potworne stworzenie, które trzeba natychmiast zatłuc.

W czasie gry po mieście przetacza się fala przemocy, ktoś knuje za kurtyny, nie cofając się nawet przed wykorzystaniem dzieci w tym szaleństwie. Całość do tego wygląda całkiem przystępnie, co daje w efekcie pozycję wartą uwagi. Niemniej w szerszej perspektywie historia nie jest jakość odkrywcza i raczej wolałbym coś nowego, niżeli przetworzone motywy, ale na szczęście to co jest - złe nie jest.
Profile Image for Alex E.
1,721 reviews12 followers
May 11, 2022
One trope that future versions of superheroes fall into is the one where they bring in a new version of an old character or villain. That is in full effect here as we meet the new future scarecrow. The twist being that the fear gas is now able to be weaponized in such a way to target a specific person. In this case, Batman. The whole city turns against him, and it's up to him and the new Robin to calm things down and take out the scarecrow.

This series feels very much like a continuation of the cartoon. It still has that whimsey to it and fun dynamic that the show was known for. However, I cant help but think that the book could be so much more. It could be a more serious look at this future Batman and his relationship with Bruce Wayne. However, it is fun because that's all its really supposed to be.

The art is really solid in this volume, and the backdrops of the city look great. One area the book excels in is the art, and this volume is no exception.

Recommended for fans of the show.
Profile Image for Josh Angel.
482 reviews30 followers
July 1, 2019
Another fun volume of Batman Beyond, this time with no "filler" issue, only the main story arc. This time around, Wayne is rather aggressively pushing Terry's brother into service as Robin, and it works pretty well. We see a future version of the Scarecrow, with the new incarnation featuring ties to Batmans past (the original Batman).

Terry is still ineptly juggling women, and I can't say he's really coming off as being the most honorable of men. Guess the old Bruce Wayne playboy persona has rubbed off on him a bit.

Another solid continuation of the storyline started in Batman Beyond Rebirth, and Dan Jurgens is pulling this off very nicely, with a consistent voice for the characters as well as consistent quality. The art is very detailed, sleek, and easy on the eyes, although perhaps not the best actions scenes. I'm looking forward to volume 5.
Profile Image for Adam Graham.
Author 63 books69 followers
April 13, 2019
Everybody hates Batman for seemingly no reason. Well, Terry McGuinness' girlfriend hates him for a reason because after coming onto her real strong in the third volume, she sees him making out with a blonde who he met back in the TV series, but everyone else hates Batman and has determined that Batman must die. Of course, the real reason is Supervillain.

The problems with this book are multiple. The Matt as the new Robin storyline is being shoved forward by Jurgens even if it means having Bruce send out an unprepared and undisciplined to fight crime. It's like this almost fan fictiony that the writer wants to happen and he's going to make it happen even if he has to violate every character and can't make the readers care about it.

At the same time, the storyline is once again Batman at the center of a story where it's all about people targeting him and as a result of something Bruce did and we of course get something lecturing Bruce about how he's responsible for all of this because...Batman Beyond, I guess.

Some of this can be fine, particularly if it's well done, but at some point, Batman's got to put on his cape and fight a battle where he's not the main target, and where the villain isn't just acting up because of Terry or Bruce's past actions. At this point, I'm giving up on Dan Jurgens figuring this out.
305 reviews1 follower
December 10, 2022
The debut of Scarecrow Beyond. Matt officially takes on the mantle of Robin. Jack Ryder/The Creeper returns. Melanie/Ten joins the Batfamily fold. There’s a lot to love here.

The plot is simple: suddenly everyone in Gotham sees Batman as a monster and wants to kill him, even his closest allies. It’s all the machinations of the Scarecrow, but this new queen of fear is actually no more than a terrified little girl herself and Bruce sees the consequences if his crusade as Batman once again.

One of the best Beyond comics stories yet.
Profile Image for J.R..
Author 4 books7 followers
January 29, 2019
Not much about this made sense. The two stars are basically for the art and that Jack Ryder has a good story arc here.

Some thoughts...
1) How long does a Batman who can fly have to stand around letting people punch him?
2) If everyone is only programmed to fight/kill Batman, why does Robin also get attacked? This is Robin's debut by the way, so its not like the new Scarecrow could have programmed him into the system.
Profile Image for Sylvester.
1,355 reviews33 followers
January 2, 2020
This is a much better volume than I had expected, mainly because DANA IS FINALLY FADING INTO THE BACKGROUND. The story itself was rather predictable as a new Scarecrow is controlling the Neo Gotham citizens into killing Batman, there was really no mystery to it but I am glad to see the new Melanie getting some action too.
16 reviews1 follower
January 9, 2022
Good read, great visuals.

I love the references to the Batman & Catwoman romances anytime they bring in Melanie.

I do realize the story wasn’t very developed and that can be improved upon. A lot of sub plots just introduced & dropped in this volume.

Hoping they’ll be developed more in the later volumes !
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Timothy Pitkin.
1,999 reviews8 followers
September 16, 2023
I do like it when Batman Beyond provides a twist on classic Batman villains while Scarecrow aside from the identity is not to much different from the original but I do like this Scarecrow is a bit more subtly and the design is pretty cool. It is odd seeing the Creeper come back but still a nice story.
Profile Image for Jess.
487 reviews3 followers
September 26, 2024
It took until almost two years into the run but Dan Jurgens has finally gotten to the point where the book is running on all the cylinders. Not crossovers. No cleaning up other people's messes. The book develops its own reason for being and has a pretty cool story to tell. So yeah, I recommend it.
4 reviews
September 25, 2020
After the events of The Long Payback we find Batman with his mysterious new partner.but can this new ALLY be trusted? You never know when it comes to the corrupt city of Gotham. Follow Terry as he dives deeper into the secrets of the city and the true identity of his new partner.
Profile Image for Alexander Sherman.
66 reviews
May 30, 2021
This one was great! Definitely dived deep into old Gotham and Neo. The exploration of old characters in new situations was incredibly refreshing. How the idea of the bat family changed was pretty great too
Profile Image for Rachel.
379 reviews6 followers
March 1, 2022
I'm usually the first to cheer Robins but man, bench the kid and give me more Melanie. Terry gets zero character development once again because he's busying running from the same villain for five issues doing f-all to help himself. Booooring.
Profile Image for Daniel Butcher.
2,949 reviews2 followers
February 10, 2019
High 3.5 for me.

I really liked how they examined fear as a weapon and it's doublesided nature of both helping and harming Batman's image.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews

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