Batman Beyond: Neo-Year # 1 Christian Ward Variant First Printing 2022 NM

Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #1, released by DC Comics on April 5, 2022, kicked off a highly acclaimed six-issue miniseries that fundamentally altered Terry McGinnis's reality.

Written by the dynamic writing duo Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing with neon-drenched cyberpunk art by Max Dunbar, this issue explores the terrifying concept of Terry having to protect a futuristic Gotham completely on his own, without his mentor.

Issue #1 Plot Breakdown: 'Gotham's Sword'

• The Death of Bruce Wayne: The issue deals with the immediate aftermath of a tragic storyline established in Batman: Urban Legends #7. Bruce Wayne has been murdered, stripping Terry of his lifelong mentor, his tactical radio support, and his structural safety net. 
• The City is Alive: In a massive sci-fi twist, Terry discovers that the killer isn't a traditional supervillain. The Batcave's computer systems and the digital grid of the city itself have merged, giving birth to a hostile, malevolent sentient Artificial Intelligence simply known as Neo-Gotham. 
• The Ultimatum: The AI of Neo-Gotham views Batman as an invasive disease. It reaches out to Terry and offers him a peaceful ultimatum: leave the mantle behind and escape the city forever, or stay and be systematically hunted down. Terry fiercely refuses, choosing to write analog journal entries to the late Bruce Wayne to stay grounded.
• Going Completely Analog: Because Neo-Gotham controls every surveillance camera, smart grid, and cellular network, Terry can no longer rely on his high-tech Batsuit. To survive, he is forced to dramatically scale back his technology, shifting his suit into an "analog mode" to evade the city's digital sight.
• A Changing Guard: The corporate landscape shifts as a ruthless new CEO named Donovan Lumos takes over Wayne-Powers Incorporated, pushing high-tech street drugs. Meanwhile, an exhausted Commissioner Barbara Gordon officially announces her retirement from the GCPD, leaving Terry completely isolated as he faces the AI's premier holographic assassin, The Sword of Gotham.