There is a very interesting scene in this comic where Terry McGinnis attempts to convince his girlfriend, Dana, that he is committed to their relationship when she knows that she is promising more than he can give. It’s a scene that I found very personally relatable (even though I have never had to convince anyone that I wasn’t going to be Batman anymore) and I think it sets the tone for the rest of this storyline.
To try to convince Dana that he wants to be more serious about his relationship with her, Terry decides to put off his Batman responsibilities longer than he should have. It’s a moment that will loom large because Terry will always feel guilty for betraying his responsibilities as Batman. At the same time, Bruce will never forget that Terry willingly shirked his responsibilities when people need him. To overcompensate, Terry may choose to turn away from Dana and all of Dana’s doubts will be confirmed. A bell has been wrung that cannot be un-rung.
Moving forward, these three characters have decisions to make. While I think Terry will definitely choose being Batman over his personal life, I think Bruce and Dana’s decisions aren’t so clear. Bruce has to decide if he can trust Terry to do the role of Batman correctly. The issue starts with Bruce lamenting that he was always too hard on Terry. Does Bruce decide to ease off on the boy, or does he double down. Dana was convinced that Terry will always put being Batman before everything. Will she decide that she can live with that or will she move on without him.
Overall, there are a lot of interesting threads to follow in what some would think was just a tie in to a long cancelled children’s television show.
