REVIEW: ‘Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman,’ Issue #1

Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 is published by DC Comics, written by Dan Watters, art by Leila Del Duca, colors by Nick Filardi, and letters by Tom Napolitano. Superman’s nemesis Solaris has returned to Earth to attempt once again to best his age-old foe. But before he can confront Superman, the sun god Kuat challenges the presence of a second sun in his sky. As the two begin to challenge each other, Earth quickly becomes collateral damage. Luckily, Superman and Wonder Woman are on the job.

One of the big pushes to DC’s current Future State event is showing off new versions and concepts for some of DC Comics’ most beloved characters. And while some characters, like the new Wonder Woman, Yara Flor, certainly deliver on this concept, Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1’s take on the Man of Steel suffers from an all too familiar problem. Namely, the omniscience and overwhelming power he wields.

As our story opens, a new day dawns on earth. And while it initially looks like it’ll be a radiant morning, it quickly dawns on Jon Kent that Metropolis looks a little too radiant. This is quickly discovered to be due to an extra sun appearing in the sky.  This solar occurrence begins to cause havoc all over the earth. As the Watchtower calls out to Superman, filling him in on various trouble spots scattered to the far reaches of the globe, Jon quickly and confidently calculates how many seconds it’ll take for him to resolve each crisis. He then jets off to take care of everything, with little worry.

Jon’s confidence serves to suck any sense of danger out of the unfolding situation. At least having the hero show concern on their face at the number of disasters looming would give the impression the situation is serious. Instead, the script forfeits any tension to elevate Superman to his most suffocating levels of power and confidence.

While Superman heads out to take care of the scattered crisis, Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 spends some time with the new Wonder Woman. While the story revels in Jon’s godlike nature, Yara is shown here in a space that feels much more down to earth, despite her being from a lineage of actual gods. Catching downed helicopters and confronting corrupt politicians, Yara comes across like a hero with a much more ground-level vision.

Once Wonder Woman discovers the second sun’s presence, the Mamaiuran sun god Kuat takes offense at its presence and goes off to confront the new interloper. The ensuing conflict between the two suns quickly amplifies the earth’s problems.

The art in Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 delivers these new characters true to their personalities. From Yara’s energy and righteous anger to Jon’s obnoxiously confident air, each character delivers their parts well, thanks to Duca’s art, even if the part’s presence is unfortunate.

The colors here also bring a lot to the reader’s experience. The colors are strong and vibrant. This is especially true for the scenes when the two suns are dueling. The flames that spill forth from the panels are given plenty of pop, thanks to Filardi’s excellent colors.

Lastly, we have some fine letter work on the part of Napolitano. As I have come to expect of him, the story is allowed to flow smoothly, as each dialogue bubble’s placement serves as a perfect stepping stone in the story. Following along is a breeze.

While I have some complaints with Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1, this story’s closing pages leave me hopeful that this issue’s shortcomings won’t linger for the entire story. We will have to wait and see.

Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 is available on January 12th, wherever comics are sold.