Future State: Gotham #2
Written by: Dennis Culver, Joshua Williamson
Art by: Giannis Milonogiannis
Tragedy has brought Gotham City to its knees. Countless people are dead, seemingly at the hands of the Next Batman. Gotham demands justice, and Red Hood has vowed to answer their call. Even if that means beating his way through Nightwing and the rest of the Bat-Family to do it.
The weekend is almost here! What geeky things will you all be doing? Sound off in the comments below! While you think about that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web to end your weekday as you wait for the weekend.
The Beat – A Year of Free Comics: Explore the world of SACRIMONY – Free comics!
The Beat – Underground cartoonist Nancy Burton donates originals to Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum – Very cool.
Review
CBR – Future State: Gotham #1
When it came to DC’s Future State two-month event, the Batman portion is the one that stood out the most. Gotham was now under the protection of a fascist police force called the Magistrate. “Masks” are now outlawed and hunted. Red Hood was now a bounty hunter, having shunned his friends, and now working for the Magistrate. Future State: Gotham #1 takes us back to this possible future and Red Hood’s mission.
Written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver, we head back to the future. Red Hood has gone solo doing what he can to stop the remaining Batman rogues. But, he’s now employed by the Magistrate. The creative team does a solid job of setting things up. Future State: Gotham #1 is a reminder for fans who read the previous releases but also acts as a great way for new readers to catch up with everything. The reveals are for those new readers while acting as a reminder for others. But, those reveals also takes things a bit further than we previously knew.
It’s a solid issue that takes us deeper into the world while also feeling like a continuation of what has already been released. There’s a solid mix of action, mystery, and a little bit of emotions. Williamson and Culver make Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, a little sympathetic in the issue. There are moments I genuinely felt bad for him.
The art by Giannis Milonogiannis is a bit surprising… it’s in black and white! With lettering by Troy Peteri, the comic delivers action with some great sense of motion. There’s something very interesting and different for the issue. It doesn’t feature color, that’s the most obvious, but the “pencils” brings a quality that feels like manga at times. That’s not a bad thing at all as it delivers dynamic moments full of action and excitement. The choice of black and white is interesting as the original Future State’s Gotham was highlighted by its neon colors that lit it up like a futuristic Vegas mixed with Tokyo. Without that, it takes away one of the “characters” that made the original so good.
The issue also features “The Third Mask” by Katsuhiro Otomo. Reprinting the classic story, it’s translated by Jo Duffy and is lettered by Bill Oakley. While there’s aspects I like of the story, it feels a bit choppy in its narrative. There’s some philosophical moments about it that’s really interesting and leaves readers to ponder. Tied into the main story, it makes complete sense as to why it was included. But, the story is 25 years old and its style doesn’t quite hold up. Also in black in white, it’s a compliment to the main story but a flawed one.
Future State: Gotham #1 is a nice start to the return to the future. It’s a world and story that I wanted to see more of. While it doesn’t have the colorful pop of its basis, it brings something new and different as well. It digs its roots into the manga that clearly influenced the previous stories and does it well. Here’s hoping we can get more than this one series exploring this world, there’s that much to dive in to.
Story: Joshua Williamson, Dennis Culver, Katsuhiro Otomo Art: Giannis Milonogiannis, Katsuhiro Otomo
Letterer: Troy Peteri, Bill Oakley Translation: Jo Duffy
Story: 8.15 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.2 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Amazon – Kindle – Zeus Comics – TFAW
Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Future State: Gotham #1 (DC Comics) – We loved Future State, especially the Batman tie-ins. We return to that world with this series focused on Red Hood who has shunned his friends to go undercover to take down the Magistrate.
Heroes Reborn #2, Heroes Reborn: Hyperion and the Imperial Guard #1, Heroes Reborn: Peter Parker, the Amazing Shutterbug #1 (Marvel) – The debut issue was a bit mixed in quality but we’re intrigued to see where this story goes.
The Joker #3 (DC Comics) – This series has surprised us and surpassed our expectations. With its focus on Jim Gordon and his mission and failures, this is more like a detective story with its flawed main character than the typical Batman action-focused comic.
Magic #2 (BOOM! Studios) – The first issue did a solid job of capturing the Magic: The Gathering world. With a focus on an assassination attempt, the comic keeps things familiar as far as the story. It’s a solid combination and smart direction for the series.
Maniac of New York #4 (AfterShock) – This series has been great with a nice twist on the slasher genre.
The Princess Who Saved Herself (BOOM! Studios) – We backed this when it was a Kickstarter and loved it then. A great all-ages graphic novel about a Princess who rocks and the classical guitarist down the road she annoys.
Proctor Valley Road #3 (BOOM! Studios) – The series has been a solid horror adventure full of mystery and questions. Add in the details of the time period added and you have a great story.
Project Patron #2 (AfterShock) – A twist on the superhero genre, a team of individuals work together to keep up the illusion that the world’s greatest hero is still alive.
The Recount #4 (Scout Comics) – We’re in love with this series which sees an uprising against those that supported a corrupt President. The level of detail is amazing and each issue delivers shocks. We have no idea what’s next and where this is going.
Scout’s Honor #5 (AfterShock) – The series wraps up and we couldn’t guess how. This has been a fantastic mix of apocalyptic world and exploration of societal ill.
Silver Coin #2 (Image Comics) – Anthologies are getting popular again and this one features a new creator with each issue but they’re all tied together by a cursed coin. The first one was fantastic, like a horror Twilight Zone.
Stake #3 (Scout Comics) – The series has been a nice update to the classic vampire slayer concept. The art is top-notch delivering a cool style that blends in social media. The second issue expanded the world and concept and we want to see where it goes from there.
Time Before Time #1 (Image Comics) – To escape the future, people turn to a criminal organization that will smuggle them back in time. Such a great idea.
X-Corp #1 (Marvel) – Monet St. Croix and Warren Worthington head up the business ventures of Krakoa.
Future State: Gotham #1
Written by: Dennis Culver, Joshua Williamson
Art by: Giannis Milonogiannis
The event that was DC Future State continues in its own ongoing title starring the Bat-Family, beginning with the epic story “Hunt the Batman.” Disaster strikes Gotham City, and all evidence points to the Next Batman! Red Hood must choose justice over his family and allies when the corrupt Magistrate enlists him to bring in the new Batman dead or alive! Featuring the entire cast from the popular Future State Batman titles, this new series kicks off the next chapter in this forbidding world of tomorrow, and does so in brilliant, monochromatic storytelling! This black-and-white series will showcase the brutal world that’s around the corner in Future State Gotham!
Although the DC Future State event was only during January and February, that doesn’t mean there aren’t more stories to tell about those possible futures of the DC Universe. And on May 11, fans will find out that the end of DC Future State was just the beginning, especially for Jason Todd, a.k.a. Red Hood.
Forsaking his friends, Red Hood is now a gun-for-hire for The Magistrate, using his role as a costumed vigilante to hunt down other heroes as part of Gotham City mayor Christopher Nakano’s “zero tolerance” policy on masked heroes. Red Hood continues his hero hunting at the top of the food chain, with Tim (Jace) Fox, The Next Batman, in his crosshairs!
Co-written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver, this new ongoing series features art by Giannis Milonogiannis, whose black and white artwork provides anime/noirish atmosphere to this series. For fans of both anime and DC, issue #1 includes a special treat: a bonus story, reprinting “The Third Mask,” written and drawn by Katsuhiro Otomo, legendary creator of the iconic manga and anime AKIRA. The story was originally released in issue #4 of Batman: Black and White, on July 10, 1996.
This May, Red Hood continues the his hunt for the Bat-family in Future State: Gotham. Currently playing out in Future State: Dark Detective, Jason Todd, aka Red Hood, has turned on his family. The former hero is now a bounty hunter for The Magistrate as part of their “zero tolerance” policy on masked vigilantes.
Set in the world of DC Future State, Future State: Gotham continues against the backdrop of a possible future Gotham City seen in other titles such as Future State: The Next Batman, Future State: Harley Quinn, Future State: Robin Eternal, and Future State Nightwing. Rendered in stark, black and white tones, Future State: Gotham will evoke the gritty, noir aesthetic that reinforces Gotham City as a living, breathing part of any Bat-family story.
“Hunt the Next Batman” kicks off the six-issue debut story arc co-written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver, with art by Giannis Milonogiannis.
Disaster strikes Gotham City and all evidence points to Tim Fox, The Next Batman! Jason Todd chooses justice over his family and allies when The Magistrate enlists him to bring in the new Batman, dead or alive! Featuring the entire cast from the popular DC Future State Batman titles, Future State Gotham begins the next chapter in this inevitable world of tomorrow and does so with this dynamic, noirish format.
The series debuts on Tuesday, May 11 in all comic book stores and participating digital retailers. Issue #1 features a main cover by Yasmine Putri, with a card stock variant cover by James Stokoe, available in comic book stores and participating digital retailers. Each 32-page issue sells for $3.99, with the card stock variant available for $4.99.
