REVIEW: ‘Future State: Wonder Woman,’ Issue #2

Future State: Wonder Woman #2 is published by DC Comics, written by Jöelle Jones, with art by Jöelle Jones, colors by Jordie Bellaire, and letters by Clayton Cowles. Having begun her descent into the underworld in search of her friend Potira, Yara confronts the fury of Cerberus. Yet, even if she overcomes this hurdle, what further challenges await with the land of the dead? And what will Yara do when she cannot rely on her gods’ given strength to triumph?

As I walked away from this series’ inaugural issue, I was left feeling a little let down by this new Wonder Woman. Granted, it was the first issue she’d ever appeared in, so it’s only fair to give Yara a little more time to prove herself to be more than the fists she throws. If you also left that book feeling similarly, then I have good news for you: Future State: Wonder Woman #2 shows that our titular character is indeed more than a pair of big guns and the eagerness to fire them.

Picking up immediately where the last issue left off, this story opens with Yara standing in the path of the ravenous Cerberus. With a playful smile adorning her lips, Yara is far from panicked at the threat of the underworld’s guardian. I love the play Yara makes to overcome the threat Cerberus brings. Writer Jones instantly begins widening who this Wonder Woman is with her quick thinking and cheeky solution.

Now safely across the River Styx, Yara comes face to face with the lord Hades himself. As is generally the case, Hades is in no mood to deal with an upstart who dares intrude upon his realm. It is only through the intervention of his wife, Persephone, that Yara is given the chance to locate her friend among the legions of the dead.

I won’t go any further into Future State: Wonder Woman #2’s story to avoid spoilers, but Jones’ choice of situation, and how Yara deals with it, is the perfect way to give the character the growth she needs to become interesting, without making her feel finished. This is clearly only the beginning of Yara’s tale, and I, for one, am on board.

For the most part, Jones’ art delivers the same solid performance it did in the previous issue. Most of what is seen here leans much more into the traditional styles of the Greek myths, and one place this is certainly the correct choice is in the styling of the Lord and Lady of the Dead. Hades and Persephone completely steal their scene. The visual design for these characters overwhelms everything around them. Hades, cloaked in darkness, is at his most intimidating here, while Persephone is depicted with a cold, fragile grace. She is beautiful, yet mournful. I feel the duel urge to stand back in awe, while also desperately wanting to give her a hug.

Bringing the art to its fullest is Bellaire’s strong performance on colors. Her work throughout the book brings everything that little extra flair that great colors always do.

Lastly, we have Cowles’ letters. The lettering here does a great job of establishing some of the unique voices present within the story. This is especially true of Hades. Couple this with some spot-on font choices to give emphasis at just the right moments and you have a top-notch lettering performance here.

When all is said and done, Future State: Wonder Woman #2 expands and elevates the world’s introduction to Yara Flor. While I don’t know what DC has planned for the newest Wonder Woman, I hope she gets another opportunity to shine her light in the comics world. Especially if they can keep Jones on to helm her story, as she seems to have a great sense for where this character needs to go.

Future State: Wonder Woman #2  is available on February 2nd wherever comics are sold.