The multiverse has been saved from the brink of destruction! With victory comes new possibilities, as the triumph of our heroes shakes loose the very fabric of time and space. From the ashes of Death Metal comes new life for the multiverse — and a glimpse into the unwritten worlds of tomorrow…
Future State: Catwoman #2
Publisher: DC
Writer: Ram V
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Letterer: Tom Napolitano
A fast-paced, action-packed story caps off the short two-issue series focusing on Gotham’s favorite cat burglar turned vigilante. Ram V of course has a strong handle on Selina’s characterization, having written the character prior to Future State. He gets to push the boundaries of Selina a bit here, though, showing her more physically tough and strong, taking some beatings but giving back just the same. It’s her leadership skills and dedication in assembling an unlikely team of allies to help save a train full of kids that makes the future view of her character so compelling, however.
Schmidt provides all the art here (pencils, inks, and colors) providing a consistent vision of some fantastic action sequences as well as some subtle coloring to portray dark and cold landscapes outside the train. Despite a few downsides, including a rather uninspired villain (a commander of the Magistrate) and, mostly glaringly, a timeline that takes place after the events of Dark Detective, this is an entertaining story with enough cinematic action and deep characterization to offset the minor weak spots. 4/5 – MT
Future State: Green Lantern #2
Publisher: DC
Writer: Geoffrey Thorne; Josie Campbell; Robert Venditti
Artist: Tom Raney; Andie Tong; Dexter Soy
Colors: Mike Atiyeh; Wil Quintana; Alex Sinclair
Letters: Andworld Design; Dave Sharpe; Steve Wands
In this second and final installment of the Last Lanterns storyline, we open with our team still in peril and going through the loss of some comrades. We see John Stewart fighting like the total bad@$$ that he is, fending off countless enemies. Thorne writes a great story that will have you in all your feelings and the little details from the art team always add to the magic. I honestly would love for more of this storyline because it’s that sprocking good! 5/5
Also included in this book was Dead Space which is all about Teen Lantern, Keli Quintela, and Mogo, which is both a Green Lantern and a planet; this hilarious and confusing fact is pointed out in the story by Quintela. I absolutely love the humor in this, especially after the heartbreak in the previous story. Of course this plot isn’t all sunshine and rainbows as Campbell explores the reality of teens finding and believing in themselves… it just happens to be in space and involves some epic accessories in this case. The art team does an epic job of storytelling through just artistic detail, going from bright colors to less saturated and back as the story develops and Quintela goes through her ordeal. I honestly loved this story so much and would adore a standalone series of this little Teen Lantern. 5/5
The final story included here is Recon and was honestly a little disappointing after how much I loved the first two storylines. The focus here is on Green Lantern Hal Jordan, who you may remember from other Green Lantern comics or from the 2011 film. There’s so many cheesy lines and I honestly don’t know whether to love it or cringe… maybe a bit of both? The story is a bit loose but the plotline itself seems decent. It was interesting to include the Red Lanterns. I liked the surprise addition at the end too where we learn that maybe Hal isn’t the last lantern after all… Venditti does let us know at the end that this story will be continued in Green Lantern 2021 so hopefully he expands more on the loose details. 3/5 – AC
Future State: Nightwing #2
Publisher: DC
Writer: Andrew Constant
Artist: Nicola Scott
Colorist: Ivan Plascencia
Letters: Wes Abbott
Cover: Yasmine Putri
Constant shows quite clearly why Dick is the heir to the legacy of Batman, whether he carries the title or not. It’s a bit of an odd dynamic, seeing Nightwing working with a Batman whom he doesn’t really know and perhaps doesn’t quite trust, but over the course of the issue, they develop a mutual respect and understanding of each other which could have repercussions beyond this short two-issue series. The highlight of the issue is the appearance of other members of the Batman Family, including a (former?) villain who initially seemed somewhat out-of-place. There are also some interesting moments involving details on the Magistrate and the Peacekeepers, but this late in the Future State cycle it seems to be coming a little late. That aside, Nicola Scott’s gorgeous visuals with Constant’s portrayal of Dick as the leader he seems born to become, make this a great ending to another too-short Future State series. 4/5 – MT
Future State: Shazam #2
Publisher: DC
Writers: Tim Sherida
Artist: Eduardo Pansica
Inks: Julio Ferreira
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Letters: Rob Leigh
Cover: Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo
This can be considered the “Empire Strikes Back” edition of the Future State Shazam story, in that it doesn’t have an ending. While this is the second, and final, issue of this 2-issue series, there is no actual conclusion to the bleak goings-on unveiled in the first issue. The Billy and Shazam story has hopped across several different Future State titles, including Teen Titans and a Black Adam one-shot. That fracturing of the story does make following it more difficult than it needed to be. While Eduardo Pansica’s art, especially the dark and creepy hellscapes and the denizens therein, is excellent, and there are some surprising and fun cameos by lesser-used characters, the overall story is much darker than what one expects from Shazam. 3/5 – MT
Future State: The Next Batman #4
Publisher: DC
Writers: John Ridley, Vita Ayala, Paula Sevenbergen
Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino, Aneke, Laura Braga
Inks: Wade Von Grawbadger, Aneke, Laura Braga
Colorist: FCO Plascencia, John Kalisz, Trish Mulvihill, Arif Prianto
Letters: Clayton Cowles, Becca Carey
Cover: José Ladrönn
The main story spends most of its time with Jace Fox in a high-speed car chase attempting to deliver two fugitives to justice while also keep them alive during repeated attacks by the Magistrate’s troops. While the action scenes are well-done, the story does little to expand upon Jace’s characterization. The dynamics of the Fox family are some of the most interesting parts of this series so far, but given the short 4-issue series, it feels rushed and unfinished. 3/5
The second story involves the Batgirls and is much more successful. It mainly focuses on Stephanie Brown leading a prison riot to Cassandra Cain time to infiltrate the Magistrate’s base of operations, discovering yet a third Batgirl along the way. The Magistrate story arc has crossed throughout all of the Bat Family books, but it’s in this short story that true forward momentum happens. The three Batgirls are all given ample opportunity to showcase their differences in styles and how they complement each other. Hopefully we’ll see more of them operating as an independent team in the future. 5/5
The Gotham City Sirens are the focus of the third story in this oversized issue, and it’s a fun, chaotic romp through Gotham with three very different personalities that really don’t’ have anything in common, which is part of the charm. Lupacchino’s art is perfect for this style of story, which jumps from the Sirens relaxing at Ivy’s spa-like retreat to action-oriented scenes of car chases, shootouts, and super-heroics. There are some touching moments, too, between the three Sirens of Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and the android Dee-Dee, and it’s those kinds of moments that make this story more than just a fun diversion. 4/5 – MT
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Martin Thomas
martin@comicattack.net
Anna Copp
anna@comicattack.net
Finally got caught up on some of these but I’ll say that Green Lantern book was a huge surprise! I still need to grab Shazam but from what you two have to say about Catwoman I guess I should have read that one too.