Batman Beyond doesn’t have the same classic edge that The Animated Series did in the ’90s, but I loved it nonetheless. I remember how I would rush home after school to catch the latest episode, and truth be told, I probably caught every one—or close to it. I loved TAS, but I couldn’t get enough of the thought that a brand new series was about to debut on my watch.

Batman Beyond

Bruce Wayne will always be the one and only Batman. With the post-RIP and Battle for the Cowl pandemonium going on right now in comics, it almost sounds hypocritical to say I disapprove of anyone else wearing the cape and cowl while holding such fond memories for Batman Beyond in my heart. On the show, Terry McGinnis’ father is murdered, and to seek revenge Terry steals the mantle of the Bat from the retired Batman, who later takes him under his wing. So why do I love it? Maybe because the series presents a literal new age of Gotham—a story set in a futuristic Gotham we only got a taste of in classic graphic novels like The Dark Knight Returns. Or maybe the way the new generation of Batman is handled stuck with me: Not by force, or claiming it through bloodshed, or by some eccentric avenger’s hands, but the passing on of the legacy the right way—even if Bruce never intended to burden a successor with his plight. Terry chose the suit for selfish reasons, but he continued to wear it for just ones—forcing Bruce to realize, or perhaps remember, that Batman is much more than his identity. It’s a symbol that helped Gotham, and can help it now, in a time of crisis.

Whatever your reasons for being a fan—maybe it was just the Kevin Conroy/Mark Hamill reunion in the movie version, Return of the Joker—you’ll find new ones and rekindle the old soon enough, because Dan Didio announced Terry’s brief but perhaps extended arrival next year:

There will be a Terry McGinnis mini-series early next year. We’ve heard the fans, we’ve heard everyone’s interest. And right now we’re planning to put out a Batman Beyond mini-series in 2010.

Fans shouldn’t count their bats before they’ve flown just yet, but who knows—a whole new season could launch if the return does well. As for me, I’d love to see Shriek or Spellbinder make a comeback.

Via GeekTyrant

UPDATE: Both Dan Didio for Newsarama and GeekTyrant, consequently, were vague on the subject, but Batman Beyond will be a comic book mini-series—not a television mini. Regardless, I’m picking this up, so expect to see some coverage here on the blog.