BATMAN: THE ADVENTURES CONTINUE SEASON 3 #4 Review

Batman: The Adventures Continue Season 3 #4 is published by DC Comics and written by both Alan Burnett & Paul Dini. Artwork is by Ty Templeton, colours by Monica Kubina and letters Josh Reed. Cover artwork (left) is by Jorge Corona and Sarah Stern.

Batman: The Adventures Continue Season 3 #4 is available now, in print and on digital where all good comics books are sold.

Synopsis

The tragic story of Straightman continues in Crack-Up- part two! The Joker’s not-so-funny sidekick is hell-bent on revenge and has arrived at the doorstep of the dastardly doctor who mangled his mind- Hugo Strange. Meanwhile- Batman tangles with a mysterious foe who has a strange and unexpected tie to Straightman.

Review

Since its debut last year, I have admittedly struggled a little with the latest season of Batman: The Adventures Continue. This latest season hasn’t quite managed to hit the storytelling highs of the first two seasons. But what season 3 has done is introduce a more serialised nature to the Batman: The Animated Series format with the introduction of Task Force X.

This latest issue continues the “Crack Up!” storyline which was first introduced last month. Burnett and Dini setup new characters including the mysterious flying villain last scene blowing Batman out of a window. Then there’s the potentially villainous Straightman who, this month, finds himself stuck alongside Joker as the Clown Prince of Crime unfurls another mysterious plot to take over Gotham. With Hugo Strange also in the mix and Task Force X lurking on the periphery, Batman: The Adventures Continue is getting complex.

Fear not fearless reader were safe in the hands of Burnett and Dini. Part two seamlessly continues the story, grabbing all those dangling plot threads and thrusting them forwards before leaving us with a suitably tantalising cliffhanger. But still, something about the third season of Batman: The Adventures Continue feels a little tired.

With four issues of storytelling completed, the most interesting aspect of season 3 is Amanda Waller and our first interactions with a DCAU version of Task Force X. Burnett and Dini aren’t introducing them as a new concept, it’s clear this issue that Waller has history with Harley Quinn for instance. But the writers have chosen to skip over that period of time to instead focus on Waller recruiting new members and using the team for something potentially more nefarious.

It’s very interesting to see the BTAS style applied to more serialised storytelling. The TV serious would barely reach beyond a two-part storyline. So to see four issues with the Task Force X subplot feels somewhat revolutionary. Whilst Burnett and Dini are yet to signal if this direction of travel is settling up a later conflict,

The problem is really the titular hero. Batman currently feels secondary to the stories of Gotham City. He simply dips in and out as necessary to foil the bad guys plot. A little more focus on The Dark Knight, his mission and his emotional connection to Gotham would really help elevate the storytelling even more.

That being said, it’s hard to fault Batman: The Adventures Continue when the artwork of Ty Templeton is so exciting. The series continues the dark aesthetic of the TV series and it translates perfectly to the page under Templeton’s watchful eye. The mix of face-paced action and quieter character moments allow Templeton to keep the book at its most dynamic, even when the story feels somewhat flat.

Verdict

The third season of Batman: The Adventures Continue rolls on multiple plot threads in play. “Crack Up!” part-two nudges the Task Force X plot along nicely whilst also teeing up a confrontation between Batman, Joker and Hugo Strange. Though it doesn’t quite fully recapture the magic of the TV series, it’s great to see BTAS style storytelling continue.

⭐⭐⭐