"Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Three (2023 Mini-Series)" Comic Book Talkback (Spoilers)

[James Harvey]

The final adventure starts here! From the visionary team behind Batman: The Animated Series and the first two seasons of Batman: The Adventures Continue comes Batman's biggest adventure yet! Alan Burnett, Paul Dini, Jordan Gibson, Ty Templeton, Monica Kubina, and more, return for Batman: The Adventures Continue Season III! Discuss Batman: The Adventures Continue right here!

BATMAN: THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES - SEASON THREE #1


Preview pages available at The World's Finest

Written by: Paul Dini and Alan Burnett
Art by: Jordan Gibson

The Story: Alan Burnett and Paul Dini return once more to the world of Batman: The Animated Series! Someone is targeting the Muscle now that he's locked up in Blackgate Penitentiary. With his deep ties to the criminal underbelly of Gotham, the worst villains are calling for his head before he turns them over to the police! Batman will need to protect him, but can even the Dark Knight figure out where the next attack will come from?

Release Date: January 10, 2023
Format: Print, Digital
Price: $3.99

Welcome back one last time to Gotham City! Talk all about Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Three right here at The World's Finest!

Related Discussion:
-Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Two (2021 Mini-Series) Comic Book Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020 Mini-Series) Comic Book Talkback (Spoilers)
-Batman: The Adventures Continue The World's Finest Subsite (Spoilers)

Thread posted in Sept. 2023 due to early-mid 2023 forum outage.

 

[Yojimbo]

Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Three​

Issue 1: Muscle Out
Someone is targeting the Muscle now that he's locked up in Blackgate Penitentiary. With his deep ties to the criminal underbelly of Gotham, the worst villains are calling for his head before he turns them over to the police! Batman will need to protect him, but can even the Dark Knight figure out where the next attack will come from?

Issue 2: Old Flames
Bruce Wayne and Harley Quinn don't have much in common, except for Cassie Kendall. Beautiful and whip-smart, she nearly changed the course of Bruce's life when she was his high school sweetheart, and shortly thereafter became Harley's college fling. Now, after a long time away from Gotham, Cassie has returned and immediately has her sights set back on Bruce. But when Harley learns of Cassie's return, she is all too happy (and manic, and unpredictable) to reconnect with her old college girlfriend. As Bruce's and Harley's paths cross, it becomes clear that all is not as it seems with Cassie Kendall...


Issue 3: Crack-Up! Part One
The Joker's right-hand man, Straightman, isn't quite feeling himself lately. He keeps experiencing moments...flashbacks...of a life he doesn't remember. After a recent run-in with the Clown Prince and his stoic enforcer, Batman starts to unravel the man's past, but it lands him smack dab in the crosshairs of Amanda Waller and Task Force X!

 

[Yojimbo]

Issue 4: Crack-Up! Part Two
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.


Issue 5: Crack-Up! Part Three
The battle for Straightman's mind concludes as Batman clashes with the Joker and the Suicide Squad! Can the Dark Knight free Straightman from the clutches of the Joker or will he be lost forever to the Clown Prince of Crime?

 

[Yojimbo]

Issue 6: The Offer Part One
Crime is at an all-time low in Gotham City with all the major super-villains behind bars. With the city finally quiet, Batman's mission might finally be at an end. But when Ra's al Ghul and his daughter, Talia, show up with a proposition, Bruce is forced to determine what the future of Batman will be!


Issue 7: The Offer Part Two
The Court of Owls are back, and they've conscripted Man-Bat to join their fight against Batman! And while Batman faces off against the attacks of the Court, Bruce Wayne continues to be roped into Ra's al Ghul's mysterious scheme. Batman is besieged on all sides in this penultimate chapter!

 

[Yojimbo]

#2 Old Flames

I did like this spiritually hankered back to BTAS: the big bad wasn't one of the DC name villains but a new character made up for the story. And instead of Harley being with Ivy or Joker in the end, Dini and Burnett did a little something different here. She realized the past should stay buried and she's happy being on her own for a bit. And of course, Alfred had a great line telling Bruce it was fortunate the suit was in the trunk. But eye roll at the HBO Max plug. Was a little bummed out that Harvey did that to Bruce behind his back back in the day.

Curious how once again we have a Mask of the Phantasm nod. Last issue it was Sal Valestra's daughter. This issue was an Andrea mention. Wonder if it was just because it was Dini and Burnett or are they planning some kind of follow-up in the one of later issues of this season.

#3 Crack-Up Part 1

Ok, here we go with a 3 parter. And once again, the theme of time pops up again here with Straightman and his past. Then off with a theater named after Gray Ghost himself, Joker alluding to #16 from season 1 with Ventriloquist and Scarface, name dropping Music Man and his Ya Got Trouble, My Friend song! and boy kind of a freaky sub layer of Straightman dressed up as a puppet for Joker. And we got Task Force X making a move for Straightman. We saw some of them as background cameos at Harley and Ivy's Christmas Party in #16 but now Deadshot, Captain Boomerang, and King Shark proper as well as the return of Muscle and debut of Katana. And of course, Waller returns.

Dunno why they trying to hype up a mystery, it's 100% obvious the mystery woman is Colonel Haslett and she has the same powers as Straightman.

So what put me off in this issue. Even if Batman had an idea of Straightman's power set, directly using Joker's acid flower on him seemed... wrong like below kicking Nora's corpse onto the floor wrong. Still got the rest of the Bat-Family on the sidelines seemed wrong. Sure, Barb had a quick cameo and it was funny she jabbed at Batman and Alfred's computer skills. And of course, the most underutilized in the entire series, Nightwing. And if I'm nitpicking, I was a little surprised King Shark and Katana got used rather than Mr. Wing and Tsukuri even though the former pair are classic members like Deadshot and Captain Boomerang. Strange being in the U.S. Army talking about his vision for a super cop utopia seemed really off base and out of character. Never in the DCAU was he involved in super soldiers. Don't think they ever broached his Monster Men roots until what Brave and The Bold or Timm's Strange Days short? Yes, he was in Cadmus but don't think that was his purvey. And sure, you can rationalize he was in the Army because he got pardoned and this recruitment drive is all just a secret Cadmus program. Strange's speech and throwing in an Afghanistan/Iraq War flashback just idk threw me off. And or course, further straying off into its own AU that Batman and Waller are frenemies already.

Since this is a 3 parter, that leaves 2 issues for the rest of this season. Wonder if it's some wrap up for everything or just a standalone as well and this was mostly an anthology of stories aside from stuff like Muscle returning with Task Force X.

#4 Crack-Up! Part Two

Wow, a Batman Beyond reference. There's already a prototype being tested. But hold the saxophone, it's part of WayneTech's joint project with the military? The military? Didn't Bruce swear off making weapons for the military after the fiasco with the Penguin and that Raven copter? It was nice later on to see that failsafe is already baked into the suit and that's how they defeated Gretchen. Searching Google with an image upload is getting pretty good. Case in point, the art in Strange's room is called "Butterfly's Kiss French Art Deco Flapper Woman." Nice bit named the Army base after Bill Finger. Hey, a Lucuis mention!

Eh, faked us out. It was rubber bullets. Bah.

Ah man, that mystery lady was Gretchen, not Haslett. Kinda of a Clayface and Stella Bateson situation.

Glad to see they fixed the spelling of the Taqueria Tiki for this issue. Nice call back to Secret Santa. But boy Captain Boomerang is kind of a pushover in this series. Was a little surprised Waller didn't just put a bomb in Ivy and force her to help the team since she did in the comics, too. Or maybe Waller can't because of Ivy's physiology.

Lot of screwy timeline stuff as usual that some you can head canon. Others lead to more questions. Joker acknowledges the events of The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne. So after Strange was arrested, he served his time and somehow ended up in the U.S. Army as a psychiatrist working on a super-soldier program? Ah, ok. Sure, I guess the white elephant in the room is this Project Samson could be Cadmus stuff and Waller hooked him up with the post. Wonder if the drugs they pumped into Finley were at all related to those failed attempts to perfect the Captain Nazi serum Spysmasher confiscated during WWII in Patriot Act. You could even look at the Psi-Ber Helmet as a pre-cursor to what they used on Doomsday except in the reverse to make him obsessed with killing Superman. The imagery was almost 1:1. Gretchen mentions an unpleasant history between Joker and Strange at Arkham. She mean Strange worked there before The Strange Secret or incarcerated there? Harley served her time with Task Force X before BTAC started given she alluded to them as work friends in Secret Santa so makes you wonder how long it was in existence and does it precede Cadmus? Gardez and Strange recruiting Finley was 5 years ago so they experimented on him for how long until Joker took over his mind? Why is Barb reading Dante's Inferno for school - she already graduated college by TNBA? You'd think she's studying computer science or police science for her grad school studies...

And of course, Joker has the helmet by the end of the episode. Should be a fun finale – Bat-Family vs. Joker vs. Straightman vs. Task Force X. Pop in anytime, Nightwing.

#5 Crack-Up! Part Three

Idk... they have a hard time making exciting finales for their multi-parters. This just fell flat again. Joker gets his comeuppance. Wish it lasted a bit longer as Harley puts it, lol. Waller pins it on Strange. Good. She is the last person seen in possession of the helmet. Hmm. The super suit goes into Batcave storage. Mm-hmm. Holy foreshadowing, Batman. Finley's desire for payback at the end? Don't care.

References-wise, the Chuckie E. Cheese nod with Pizza Clown was amusing. As One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest with Joker's Nurse Ratched mention. Harley musing she should join the Bat-family had to be a wink at the HQ animated series. Was nice seeing the BTAS suits in the case in the background. Had to ask Twitter what Joker saying "it'll be like Labor Day with Dino and what's-his-name." was and Dini informed me it was the Lewis-Martin reunion at the Jerry Lewis Telethon Labor Day 1976.

Guess Nightwing was busy elsewhere in Gotham or was moonlighting in Bludhaven for a case. Another eye roll was Haslett getting shot again.

#6

As always with Part 1 of these arcs, Dini and Burnett have set up an interesting story. Where it does from there with this being the last set of issues, we'll see. No, I don't trust Ra's at all.

I didn't expect them to drop in an offscreen battle with Ra's. I thought it'd be just a nod to him draining Superman in The Demon Reborn and it wearing off once he lost the staff.

And there's another 'Ubu'? lol.

Another Man-Bat appearance was an eye roll.

So Catwoman wasn't ghosting Harley in Issue #2, she was captive of the Court of Owls this whole time for some reason? And how or does this connect to the Ra's story? Or is this even Hamilton Hill's sect that somehow survived the City Hall collapse or is this the "real" group that's been in hiding watching and waiting this whole time?

What if the Gaia Grain really is Ra's last attempt to save the Earth? Not what he pitched to Bruce as a limitless food source that can be grown anywhere but some crops are secretly designed to selectively sterilize the human race. He does talks about the human population reaching 8 billion. If he can't revitalize the planet, he can slow the growth rate of the human race to give Earth more time to recuperate. An endgame of population control instead of the usual global genocide.

And did Bruce and Talia... will this series end on Talia learning she's pregnant with lil Damian? And in an ironic way, Ra's finally has his worthy heir.

#7

A little bummed no real answers were given this issue and a little concerned the final issue will be jammed with reveals that obfuscates the pacing and action unless it was given an extra amount of pages.

Despite the progression of Harley and Ivy on BTAC, still was odd to see Ivy accept a task from Batman. Or Batman asking Ivy to analyze it.

Kind of a bummer that the decision was made that Kirk Langstrom keeps regressing and going back to being Man-Bat. And worse yet, crushing the marriage he has with Francine with more totality this time. But why didn't Batman tell her he knows Kirk was kidnapped...

Nice of Dini and Burnett to pepper in that Gordon is considering retirement. And of course, bringing up 'hey didn't Hamilton and the Talons all get wiped out when the old city hall collapsed?'

Ooh, that Ra's. Making an appeal based on the death of his parents and reason for being Batman.

Not sure what to make of Ivy's findings: it grows super fast, whoever made it was a miracle worker, and it has a strange, defensive sensation in reaction to her.

Heh heh, dug Catwoman and Talia's interaction. "They were."

Oh boy, an abandoned subway station built too close to the riverbed. There's totally gonna be a flood in the finale.

Ok, so based on the final panels, this is the same lead Talon from BTAC season 2. Huhn. Being frozen and having a building collapse on you isn't instant death. Re-death. Whatever. And the Talon has that cryptic line "The Owls' wingspan spears far beyond Gotham." As in the comics, there was that European branch. Or is that a plant. I mean at this point, I wouldn't put it past Ra's knowing of the Court because well he's so old and has accumulated knowledge of stuff, resurrecting the Talons with the Lazarus Pit and making them capture all the Gotham villains as part of his plan to nudge Bruce into retiring as Batman and succeeding him.

 

[Fone Bone]

Batman: The Adventures Continue: Season Three No. 1 "Muscle Out"

It's just not the same.

I don't think Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, or even BRUCE TIMM actually understand why I loved and valued the DCAU. Clearly this issue with its violence and cursing believes fans responded to Batman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited because of its adult themes. For me, it was the opposite. It was its kid-oriented nature that made it a breath of fresh air compared to the grim and unfun superhero comics both of the era and today. If Dini and Burnett heard from fans they wanted the franchise more unpleasant and inappropriate, they were getting bad feedback. But I have a sneaking suspicion no fan of that franchise actually asked for that and they did this on their own.

The comic has its charms for being DCAU adjacent. Just like Batman And Harley Quinn and Justice League Vs. The Fatal Five did. But it's just not the same, just like them.

I appreciated the tribute to Kevin Conroy at the end. But my grief over his loss is also quite frankly due to my anger at Warner Bros and DC wasting his talents by using him rarely, and when they DID use him, rarely using him in great projects. DC believed Kevin should be saved for special projects which is stupid and inane. Every project Kevin did was special for his participation. Newsflash, DC: It is absolutely all right to make as many projects as possible as high quality as possible. And DC sitting on their hands by both not using Kevin, and not creating DCAU projects that fit comfortably into that beloved Universe said they were taking him for granted and not caring that he was a real person with a real lifespan. The tribute is nice. But the better tribute would have been hiring him often and giving him great scripts always.

The continuity with Waller is messed up and Lock-Up was always a terrible character, so there is no geek moment for seeing him. I prefer the version of Black Mask we saw in the brief Batman Adventures run printed around the time JLU was airing. THOSE were some fun Batman Comics in the DCAU spirit.

I'm not happy with this. At all. **.

Batman: The Adventures Continue: Season Three No. 2 "Old Flames"

I've gotten legit lukewarm on this title, but I liked the issue.

Mostly because it wasn't over the top, and because it dealt with character stuff. I think the moment I dug best was Harley saying that Batman looked like he wanted to slug Two-Face. One of the most interesting facets Paul Dini gave Harley Quinn is the idea that since she's a psychologist, she can get a good read on people and size them up well. Sadly, this invention happened later on in the comics, and was never explored on Batman: The Animated itself (or the rest of the DCAU after it). It was nice to see it in this comic, although let's get real, we probably should have seen it in the movie Batman And Harley Quinn too. Another reason to be underwhelmed by that flick in hindsight.

I liked this month. Celebrate the victories when you get them. ***1/2.

Batman: The Adventures Continue: Season Three: No 3 "Crack-Up! Part One"

Still not doing it for me. At all.

I did like the bit where Straightman woke up from his nightmare, punched the Joker, and the Joker calmed him down and didn't take it personally. I don't like it TOO much because I think another shoe will probably drop before all this is done, but it was mildly cool to see a Joker scene unlike other Joker scenes.

Still, meh. **1/2.

 

[Frontier]

This was a fun issue. I'm interested to see the reveal of what Ra's is really plotting and how it ties to the Court of Owls, and the Court feels much more effective here than they did in season 2 (even got winged variants)!

I'm about tired of Harley continually popping up in this book, but it's nice to see Ivy not be a damsel in distress and relevant to the plot.

Finally some good Catwoman content! From that kiss, to the princess carry, to propositioning shower sex...good stuff! Also she finally meets Talia, which is surreal.

Poor Kirk. Became a Man-Bat addict and Francine is leaving him while he's being held captive.

 

[M.O.D.O.K.]

"Muscle Out"

I really liked this issue. It's a (mostly) self-contained story that acts as a sequel to Season 2's "The Muscle", where the hitman/mob goon is put away at Stonegate, but because he's too much of a liability and the possibility of him turning in his employers for leniency, Gotham's underworld puts a hit on him. However, not everything as it seems. Although it's a (mostly) self-contained story, I felt it had the right amount of action and story, with some good twists and turns. Nothing felt too rushed or too slow.

Although the focus is more on The Muscle, I didn't feel like we knew a lot about him beyond his name, his face, and his religion. On one hand, it seems like a missed opportunity, especially since it didn't delve in his faith as much as it seemed it would be. And on the surface, it didn't seem to develop him much since he's still looking out for himself the entire time. On the other hand, I liked that it wasn't a full redemption either. He does grow in being open to work with Batman and saving his life, but even then his self-interest is intertwined a bit. It felt a bit more natural and realistic. And considering how the issue ends, I have a feeling we'll see more of him in the future. I also liked the mob bosses, particularly Black Mask (who actually seems like the most reasonable one of the bunch, for a change), and Esther Valestra, who has a nice connection to Batman: Mask of the Phantasm. She was amusingly bloodthirsty. And of course, we get a funny "it's da bat" line from the goons in the Arkham games, two of them pinned by Paul Dini himself.

Jordan Gibson also does another phenomenal job with this issue. He masterfully combines the sleek TNBA designs with the atmosphere and mood of B:TAS. It's fitting that he was brought in to work on the sequel to Muscle's debut, but it's also a shame that this is the last of him in the book. His work will be missed.

As far as problems go: As unexpected and cool as it was to see Lock-Up as the true chief antagonist, his motivation is pretty murky. He remarks that he enjoys killing scumbags like Muscle, but then he's working as a mob enforcer himself. Batman pointing out the hypocrisy doesn't make that better. He could've thrown a line about earning money that he needed while doing something he liked, but they never get there. And, this is more of a personal quibble than a genuine complaint, but I'm kind of that annoyed that apparently Task Force X and Amanda Waller might take a bigger role this season. The team has been all over the place, so unless they do something interesting with them, I'm not super excited for it.

Still, a strong first issue. I hope the rest of the season maintains the quality.

"Old Flames"

So, I think this issue is a bit of a step-down from the strong premiere, much like how the Huntress story was a weak follow-up to the Court of Owls two-parter back in Season 2. I liked this story better than that, though.

My biggest drawback is definitely the art. It's a downgrade from the previous issue's efforts. It looks rough, overly cartoony, and not too in-model to the TNBA-ish look that's been established. I feel bad since Kevin Altieri is a B:TAS vet, but it just wasn't for me. I do think the stronger shading and "gloss" from the pages make it preferable to Rick Burchett's. And there are some fun facial expressions.

The story itself is okay. It tries to evoke the Harley-led episodes of B:TAS like "Harley's Holiday" and "Harlequinade", but the humor wasn't as strong. Those annoying HBO Max references strike again. I think the most amusing part was Batman trying not to react anytime a joke at Bruce's expense was made and Gordon essentially dumping Harley on Batman. Two-Face has some of the best facial expressions. Too bad I wasn't a fan of how he was used in the story. It felt like it undermined his established character in B:TAS. I also rolled my eyes at the Alfred claiming that Cassie could've been Bruce's true love before Andrea. It felt like it was trying too hard to cram her in established backstory.

I enjoyed how Harley was used in this issue. Although she teams up with Batman, she's not really heroic. She kills people and acts badly at times. Even the reason she and Ivy "took a break" felt like something from Dini's older work with the duo, back when their relationship had some edge. The story is predictable. The cover literally gives away the final panel, but it can still be fun to see things unfold. So I have my issues, but it was a harmless story overall. I'm looking forward to the Straightman arc a bit more.

"Crack-Up", Part One

Ever since Batman mentioned Straightman's story back in the Red Hood story arc during season 1, I always thought it was fairly interesting for one of Joker's goons. So, it was a pleasant surprise that it's getting expanded upon. I didn't think it would be worth doing a three-parter on it, but they introduced enough plot threads to keep the next two issues fresh. I'm especially excited that Hugo Strange has a role in Straightman's origin, since I always thought he was one of the rare misses when it came to villain portrayals in Batman: The Animated Series. Joker of course has a big role, but the comic has avoided overusing him, so it's not as annoying and it balances things out between him, Straightman, and Task Force X.

I'm admittedly not that thrilled about the Suicide Squad's involvement, but I suppose it helps raise the stakes enough to justify a larger story. The line-up is pretty cliche and movie-influenced. Katana at least makes her DCAU debut. The Muscle is fine since it builds off from his appearance a couple of issues ago. In fact, there's a lot of callbacks to this series' continuity, from Joker actually being in Arkham still from the end of the Mayor Mayhem story to the mention of the Ventriloquist's reform, and even King Shark, Captain Boomerang, and Deadshot already being Harley Quinn's work friends from her Christmas party. Though I wonder if Harley is truly in parole, considering the events of the previous issue.

I thought Batman complaining that Tim's at a debate club meeting was cute, especially since he usually admonishes him for skipping school work to fight crime. I also liked Barbara performing her Oracle role, even if she isn't using that codename. Surprise, surprise, Dick is nowhere to be seen.

It's cool to see Ty Templeton back in the game and recovering from his therapy. I like the consistency of his designs and overall art work, even if the characters can sometimes look too blocky and simple. I do like the freaky visuals of Straightman waking up from his flashback right after meeting Hugo Strange.

"Crack-Up", Part Two

This is a fine issue. It mostly focuses on resolving the mystery of the hooded assailant who's been stalking Straightman and attacked Batman in the previous issue, as well as setting up the final battle between the Bat-Family, Joker, Straightman, Task Force X, and the military. Considering how the opening sequence with Harley at the bar didn't really have any follow up at all beyond the continuity references, it made me realize there's too many factions and the Squad can definitely be trimmed to remove some bloat.

Speaking of beyond references, the stalker ended up using a prototype to the Bat-Suit in Batman Beyond. It's a neat reference and I guess she really was more of a Batwoman than we thought. The reveal that she was Hugo Strange's assistant was a neat surprise, especially since she's been in the background, but present throughout the story arc. Another thing I also liked about the reveal is that it slightly retcons Joker's hijacking of the super soldier procedure. I know he's smart, but a neuro-surgeon? The flashback presented here makes more sense. Also, I highly doubt the super-soldiers are actually dead. Maybe they'll resurface next issue as the DCAU version of Hugo Strange's Monster Men?

My other complaint with this story is that there's not a lot of focus on Batman and Straightman. The former is understandable since he's more of a reactive character, but the latter is disappointing since the story revolves around him so much. I also wish his character design was more expressive, especially considering he's going through a severe mental breakdown.

"Crack-Up", Part Three

This issue probably had the best conclusion out of the three-part arcs we've been getting so far. It's not without its problems, but I had fun with it.

It was pretty cool that Straightman was the one who broke out of Joker's control to defeat him by the end. It felt rewarding that a character passed around as a dummy got to have the last laugh at him. I'm glad he's free, but unfortunately he seems to be planning revenge against Joker, which might bring him back into conflict against Batman. He also had some chilling scenes when he's casually roasting rats for food and telling jokes, and then at the hospital at the end. I almost didn't notice Joker in the clouds. Kudos to Ty Templeton and Monica Kubina for that creepy detail.

I was also impressed with the other villains. Joker was fun here and I appreciated that he went full-on general for the issue. It felt like classic B:TAS Joker. I also liked Strange's obsession with psychoanalyzing everyone. I was surprised Amanda Waller pinned everything on him. Even though he deserves it, I thought it would lead to him joining Cadmus like in JLU. I was also impressed that Waller didn't blow up the Suicide Squad's brains when Joker took hold of them. I think a modern Waller would be that wasteful and blood-thirsty.

My biggest issue with this entire arc is the Squad. They didn't feel essential to the story beyond being obstacles and that's it. I rolled my eyes at Joker just taking them over so easily. Harley also felt only slightly more useful in giving intel to Batman and Waller and then taking out Katana. King Shark could've conveyed that info to them and Robin or Batgirl could've gotten Katana. Or really, the Squad could've been removed without compromising most of the interesting parts of this story. The final montage also felt really rushed.

I was surprised we saw the proto-Beyond suit in full, but it looked neat, especially when displayed next to the other suits. Is this the first time they've displayed the classic purple-gloves suit in this series?

"The Offer", Part One

Saving Ra's al Ghul for the final arc of this series was a wise move. His presence and organization already give the comic a different flavor compared to everything we've seen. Ty Templeton did a great job with the fancy lair and beach environments, especially with how they contrast with the dark, grimy, and rainy Gotham scenes between the woman and her mysterious pursuers. It was pretty cool to see Bullock and Montoya again. Talia and Ubu look classic as always (who is the other goon with Ubu?) and It's interesting how Ra's got a redesign to reflect his old age rather than just graying out his hair like in the cover.

The Max reference is kind of corny, but at this point, it feels more tongue-in-cheek, so it's harder to get mad about it.

The ending reveal with Catwoman and the Talons was intriguing. What history does she have with them? Did they try to turn her into a Talon? Is Mayor Hill back? Is Ra's involved with the Court of Owls? I'm kind of annoyed that they're shoving Harley and Ivy here. Honestly, I would've preferred they kept them from the previous story to make this more of a Gotham City Sirens bit, which Paul Dini also wrote.

"The Offer", Part Two

I really enjoyed this issue. Honestly, I haven't been the biggest fan of the multi-part story arcs in this series, but this one feels tightly paced and interesting the whole time. I guess it helps that the premise feels big enough to warrant the extra length, while stuff like the Mayor Mayhem or Straightman stories could've been told in two issues.

The art transition throughout the issue was noticeable, but mostly seamless. Jacob Edgar is doing a good job fitting in the style, with a noticeable softer side. I particularly liked how he drew Poison Ivy and Talia.

The most interesting aspect is how they incorporated a lot of female B:TAS characters in the story. Although I miss Poison Ivy being a villain in these stories, I was happy that she had a substantial role and wasn't just a prop to incite Harley Quinn stories. Harley was just comic relief for once. Francine Langstrom is understandably angry at her situation and decides to just leave Gotham. Chalk another friendly female supporting character who ends up hating Batman, just like Leslie Thompkins. Catwoman and Talia have the meatiest roles and I really like their dynamic. There is some needling between them,, but they don't get angry at each other over Bruce or something cheesy like that. They never met in the DCAU, so it's quite the innovation.

The Court of Owls feels more menacing than ever, and it helps that these new Talons don't feel as feeble as before. Yeah, I'm thinking Ra's al Ghul has taken over the Owls, since the Talons imprisoning Catwoman and Man-Bat fits too nicely with Ra's proposing that crime in Gotham is over. I swear the Head Talon's costume looks A LOT like the demon battle armor that Ra's wore in that Kenner action figure. At the same time, that design was part of the concept art for the Talon figures before the figure line was cancelled, and it shows up in Vernon Vreeland's flashback back in Season 2, so probably just a coincidence. Maybe the grain was enhanced by whatever Hamilton Hill Sr. used to make himself younger. Or perhaps it's all just Lazarus Pit again. I was surprised Gordon knew the truth about Hill since it was supposed to be a secret from the public. I guess Batman had to trust someone with that, and Gordon probably kept it to maintain Hill's good name, even if he doesn't deserve it.

My only issue is more of a personal taste, but I didn't like the reveal that Kirk Langstrom is now an addict to the Man-Bat formula. Yeah, I know the Talons probably forced it on him for this story, but Francine's dialogue implies he's done it before. It kind of reeks of Dini and Burnett finding contrived ways to reuse villains that weren't meant to be recurring. It strikes me as overly cynical, especially when this series had the Ventriloquist reform again. What if he just relapses again and it undoes that ending?

 

[Yojimbo]

Batman: The Adventures Continue - Season Three

Issue 8: The Offer Part Three

​

Written by Alan Burnett and Paul Dini
Art and cover by Ty Templeton
Inked by Jacob Edgar
Colors by Monica Kubina
Letters by Josh Reed
Variant cover by Keron Grant
Variant cover by Gustavo Duarte
1:25 variant cover by Hayden Sherman

Release Date: October 3, 2023

Over the last three seasons, the minds behind the version of Gotham that defined a generation have brought you a continuation of their masterwork–and now that continuation comes to an end. Ra’s al Ghul’s mysterious plot has now been fully revealed, but will Batman be able to stop it in time? Or has the Dark Knight’s luck finally run out? Find out in this series finale over 30 years in the making!

 

[Frontier]

This was a pretty solid conclusion .

The claws finally come out between Selina and Talia, though only briefly .

It's weird to have another redhead in Batman's ear .

Poor Kirk. At least he came through in the end, but I'm not sure what's left for him after this .

It was nice to see cameos from all the villains and characters who had shown up in the past few seasons, especially this one, all locked up and then teaming-up to take down the Talons. I love a good Bat-Villain team-up .

I don't even want to imagine PenguinxEsther .

I could totally be mis-remembering, but didn't a past Batman Adventures plot involve Ra's trying to take out all the villains for Batman's sake? The sterility plot is new .

Oh look, Ra's is permanently dead. Except we know he's not .

Thinking on it Batgirl barely did anything this season. Did Dick even show up? I guess we needed more Harley .

 

[Yojimbo]

Hate to say it but another flat, rushed ending. At least it's over.

Pat on the back for my sterility theory.

Ok, yeah, figures Ra's assumed control of the Talons some time after the 2 part arc in Season II and was behind catching all the villains as part of his master plan. Neat seeing all the villains, some had big roles in the comic, some had minor cameos like Kite Man at Ivy and Harl's Christmas party. And also a sole 1st appearance in BTAC of Calendar Girl. And so with them all free, cannon fodder for the villains to utterly destroy them that they normally wouldn't be able to do on an episode of BTAS in the 90s, lol.

The three things I loved about this issue. 1 was the comic timing of Ivy telling Batman about the grain mutating and Harley doing a spit take. 2, great callback with Ivy alluding to "House and Garden" and her own sterility. It was pretty great seeing Talia go against Ra's and really laying it into him that this plan wasn't for the world's benefit, it was for his on his terms. And it was nice to see Batman and Robin having a heart-to-heart moment in the Batmobile at the end.

The "wait, wut?" moments: Batman suddenly has a red batarang for explosions, Kirk became a junkie for his serum, and mid-battle telling Robin to race back to the surface, through the same area they took the whole issue traversing and part of last, and call up Commissioner Gordon. Okkk....

The bad: Old Ra's somehow gets in a sucker punch with his sword guard then instead of continuing to fight or finishing off Batman, out of nowhere hears the Lazarus Pit talking to him and walks into it, ending the fight as quickly as it started.

In my head I was thinking, oh, this is the Near-Apocalypse of '09. Robin probably called this event that and conflated the events. After all, Ra's body is further wrecked and the Lazarus Pit can't heal him anymore. Talia helps Batman stop Ra's. It all feels set up like this could be what leads to him using the machine to take over Talia's body. BUT then oh wait, the world isn't wrecked by the plan and in need of rebuilding. This isn't the Near-Apocalypse. Shrug.

I could totally be mis-remembering, but didn't a past Batman Adventures plot involve Ra's trying to take out all the villains for Batman's sake?

I thought that, too, but couldn't find the issue. But funnily enough, in #17, Ra's was going to use a flood to wipe out 90% of the population. He's stuck on 90% for some reason, lol.

Did Dick even show up?

Nope. Last seen defeating Mr. Wing at the end of Season II.

 

[Frontier]

I do kind of feel bad for Ubu. Things never end well for him .

 

[M.O.D.O.K.]

This was probably the best ending they've given to their three-parters, but it's not without its issues. It's somewhat rushed, of course, but there's something else that bugged me too, which I'll get to later.

The reveal that Ra's al Ghul is the mastermind that's controlling the Court of Owls' Talons isn't too surprising (though I was sure he was the head Talon). It's not the first time these factions have been linked and they even acknowledged the similarities between Hamilton Hill's new lease on life and the Lazarus Pit. The role of the Gaia Grain felt like classic Ra's and I appreciated that Poison Ivy made the connection. Ra's has a gory send-off that seems like it could lead to his body swap with Talia. Or not. But Gotham's villains would certainly consider this event a Near Apocalypse.

Speaking of, using the imprisoned villains like that was a neat way to make the issue more of a send-off to the series as a whole. While some are just static cameos (Kite Man, Calendar Girl, Clock King, Straightman, Roxy Rocket), most of the villains that have been featured in the comic get some dialogue and fight scenes. The highlights for me where Penguin and Esther Valestra, Killer Croc and Clayface, and Scarecrow. It made me wish the last villain had a more prominent story. Langstrom also helped by turning into Man-Bat, but he otherwise was pretty useless. It's not like they were setting up a more heroic Man-Bat or anything, so that whole part left me confused.

One aspect I enjoyed in this arc was Catwoman and Talia's interactions. Again, the comic explores something new to the DCAU and I liked that even while they're bickering, it's not over Batman. Robin has some amusing bits making fun of them, and even he gets humbled by the end.

My biggest issue is the final note the comic ends on, where Robin points out Ra's tried to persuade Batman by using his lack of family against them. Batman rightfully points out he has a family and he didn't want to ruin his relationship with them. Yet, we only saw Barbara briefly in this arc and Dick has been absent this entire season. I feel this story warranted a full Bat-Family team-up more than season two's Mayor Mayhem arc. Their absence undermines the ending's sentiment, which is a huge shame.

Overall, I felt season three was the strongest of the comic's seasons. While I was glad to revisit B:TAS with some of the talent behind it (and its tie-in comic), and there were some fun stories, art, and dialogue, I'm surprised that this series doesn't rank that high in my list of recent tie-in and continuation comics. It makes sense that it ended since the toy it was tying into has long been cancelled, but I wouldn't be surprised if DC changed its mind later. Alan Burnett teased that he and Paul Dini are working on something. Maybe it's a different project, maybe it's that Jason Todd/Deathstroke story they wanted to do. I guess we'll see.

 

[Ed Nygma]

This came out today? At least Toonzone [edit: is back] for the 'grand finale' of the DCAU... though as everyone else is indicating it seems like a bit of a wet fart. I'll have to read it.

Let me guess, Dini just has a bunch of Selina and Talia mugging for the camera, and no real ending right? I was probably insanely optimistic that it would somehow be a good send off with like an ending that synced up to Return of the Joker, or Out of the Past, something. I really came to resent how he threw his pet characters/Gotham Girls into EVERYTHING. None of these characters belong in a Ra's three parter and he just cannot help himself it seems. I'm glad he loves Harley so much but I was over her even before the first Adventures Continue mini series after her overuse in the 2017 DTV. Then she just kept on appearing in every issue...

Mod Note: Rude comment edited out.

 

[Frontier]

This came out today? At least Toonzone [edit: is back] for the 'grand finale' of the DCAU... though as everyone else is indicating it seems like a bit of a wet fart. I'll have to read it.

Let me guess, Dini just has a bunch of Selina and Talia mugging for the camera, and no real ending right? I was probably insanely optimistic that it would somehow be a good send off with like an ending that synced up to Return of the Joker, or Out of the Past, something. I really came to resent how he threw his pet characters/Gotham Girls into EVERYTHING. None of these characters belong in a Ra's three parter and he just cannot help himself it seems. I'm glad he loves Harley so much but I was over her even before the first Adventures Continue mini series after her overuse in the 2017 DTV. Then she just kept on appearing in every issue...

I wouldn't say it was any kind of "grand finale" to the DCAU and I think he definitely used Harley too much this season, but it was a solid conclusion to the story and Selina and Talia didn't hug the camera that much in my opinion.

 

[Yojimbo]

@James Harvey pointed out to me this was similar to "Destroyer" in format -Long-time big-bad who seemingly died last time returns, huge slugfest against disposable army, villains help, an unexpected romance is hinted at, baddie maybe dies while touching a Macguffin, the adventures continue as heroes go chase after a villain.

 

[Frontier]

@James Harvey pointed out to me this was similar to "Destroyer" in format -Long-time big-bad who seemingly died last time returns, huge slugfest against disposable army, villains help, an unexpected romance is hinted at, baddie maybe dies while touching a Macguffin, the adventures continue as heroes go chase after a villain.

I guess that's one word for it .

Actually kind of reminded me of that episode of The Batman with all the villains locked up, Batman and Robin, and Catwoman's sendoff.

 

[J'onn J'onzz]

It wasn’t a great finale. Having Ra’s “die” in a Lazarus pit leaves the door open for him to return, no matter how many times they say it’s the last time he could use it. I suppose even if this is the final BTAS comic, they could always use Ra’s again, in a STAS comic. After all, we have had revivals of BTAS and JLU but nothing Superman TAS related in decades.

 

[Spider-Man]

So that's it? The story on its own was fine enough but as a conclusion to BTAS and the BTAC comics it really didn't work. The book overall was fine but too many missed opportunities and off writing. It almost feels like this entire comic exists in its own vacuum. When it was over I felt like it was done in a way where nothing felt like it mattered in the end. And in the final arc when it tries to sell the notion of family I couldn't help but notice Nightwing's absence during all three seasons, so that made it ring hollow. All the new stuff introduced over the last three seasons seems like it really had no bearing on anything.

 

[Yojimbo]

The trade paperback for Season III is on sale starting today.

And it does include one page tributes to the late Kevin Conroy and Arleen Sorkin.