As a part of DC’s “Dawn of DC” comic book lineup, Batman: The Brave and the Bold has made a triumphant return. This anthology of short comic stories tells the adventures of various DC heroes from Superman to the members of Stormwatch while keeping Batman at the center. Each of the stories continue onto the next month’s issue until that story comes to an end. All except for one, that is.

Each issue of Batman: The Brave and the Bold has featured a single, standalone black-and-white Batman story that doesn’t continue like the rest. For Batman: The Brave and the Bold #1, that story is ‘Heroes of Tomorrow,’ and if there’s any story that needs a continuation, it’s this.

‘Heroes of Tomorrow’ by Dan Mora takes place in a cyberpunk version of Gotham City and features a Batman in robot armor taking on mechanized Royal Flush Guardsmen to save two small boys named Richard and Jason (an obvious nod to the original two Robins). The Joker is in control of this cybernetic Royal Flush army, meaning he’s either their leader or the ruler of this entire city or even world. After an epic battle of Batman taking on these bots with the help of a robotic bat companion, Batman vows to help the boys find their younger brother who’s lost somewhere in this cyberpunk dystopia.

Somehow, in just a small handful of pages, Mora immerses readers in this unique version of Gotham with clever worldbuilding and introduces an absolutely brilliant premise. Batman, with the help of Richard, Jason, and a flying robo-bat, setting out into this dangerous tech-filled Gotham City in search of a young boy (Tim perhaps?) as they battle mechanized versions of the Royal Flush Gang and the Joker sounds like an absolute blast to experience.

With this story ending with their adventure beginning, it’s a shame that we won’t see the outcome. This seems like an epic journey for comic fans to enjoy, but it may never be revisited. It’s not the typical Batman story that people are used to, and it has nothing to do with the canon universe, but it’s sure to be an extremely entertaining ride. Plus, the artwork is truly incredible.

In Batman: The Brave and the Bold #2, the black-and-white standalone story is just Bruce Wayne thinking about the scars he’s gotten from his years of crime fighting. It does take an emotional turn when it leads to him pondering his emotional scars and how Alfred has always been there to help mend them. It doesn’t need to continue, nor is it as captivating as the previous issue’s story.

‘Heroes of Tomorrow’ may just be a one-and-done tale that sets up a grand adventure that fans will never get to see, but it’s so much fun that it’s worth reading. Hopefully, if there’s enough intrigue, DC will allow Mora to continue his story in some form. 

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