So, announced this weekend at Baltimore Comic Con, the current Batman Beyond comic series being published by DC Comics looks to be turning into an ongoing.  Four months ago, I’d be doing backflips at this news.  But the first three issues of the current Batman Beyond mini series have left me so wildly conflicted, that I’m not sure how I feel about this news.  I love the Batman Beyond universe, and think that some of the best animated stories of Batman were told in the Beyond universe.

But the current Batman Beyond mini series has suffered from not having the right “feel” to it (discussed at length on Funnybooks).  The characters are there, the references are good…but the characters don’t sound like they should.  Terry McGinnis doesn’t feel like the Terry we were left with at the end of Return of the Joker (which the series takes place after).  Bruce Wayne (if it is him – he’s just referred to as “Mr. Wayne” in the comic, which is another thing that bugs me) doesn’t act like the Wayne we’ve gotten used to in that universe.

So, with the announcement of the ongoing, I hate to say it, but I think Adam Beechen may not be the right guy for the job.  I think the only reason sales on the mini are good is that fans have been dying for some Beyond goodness, and are willing to forgive the issues in writing for 6 issues, but won’t be so forgiving for an ongoing.  So how would DC make an ongoing Batman Beyond series a best seller?

• Pick a damn universe.  In Batman #600, we’re introduced to Terry McGinnis…under the tutelage of an elderly Damian Wayne, not Bruce Wayne.  I’m assuming the Wayne we’re seeing in the current Beyond miniseries is Bruce, given the references to Hush.
• Pick a solid creative team.  Every bone in my body wants to see a Batman Beyond book from Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen (who does covers for the current mini), but with Nguyen getting the job of doing Batgirl monthly, and who knows what going on with Paul Dini (again referenced in this last week’s Funnybooks), I’m hoping for consistency.  Lack of consistency will KILL a new series straight out of the gate.  Paul Levitz, who did such a great job on the Superman/Batman Annual featuring Batman Beyond, would be a great choice too.
• If you go with the Damian Wayne Batman Beyond universe, start fresh – don’t make references to the animated series.  If you go with the animated canon, then don’t try to make it intersect with the regular DC universe (like bringing Hush into it).
• Keep Dustin Ngueyn on covers … even if he’s not doing the interior art.
• Have back-ups/co-features done in the animated series style.  I get that the series itself won’t be done in the animated style (or else they’d be doing it on the mini), but people miss that style, and a co-feature would justify a $3.99 price point, and be a kick to see.  What are Rick Burchett and Terry Beatty doing nowadays?

What would you guys like to see in a Batman Beyond comic?