Review: Future State: Gotham #2
 
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[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Dennis Culver, Joshua Williamson
Artist:Â Giannis Milonogiannis
Letters: ALW’s Troy Peteri Â
Reviewed by: Carl Bryan
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Summary
Following the events of Infinite Frontier #1, The Joker is the most wanted man in the world!
Positives
DC has a lot of balls in the air as Future State opened up a lot of questions. Currently we are in the events that lead up to the creation of the Magistrate and subsequently the Peace Keepers. So instead of letting things run the natural course in the current timeline, we get a very solid black and white rendering of the continuation of the Future State storyline.
Again, I am not sure if DC is patient with us as readers as someone there wants this story told and told soon. However, it is billed as “what could happen”, so this may be an alternate timeline. The story is solid and an Easter Egg or two is provided.Â
Trust me in that you want to buy this issue and the prior one as this starts connecting the entire Batman Future State saga.
Negatives
I am a bit disappointed in that we had the Black and White issues of Batman and we are even given a repeat story in this story arc that was introduced in Batman: Black & White. Apparently, this story arc needed the insertion and a little foreshadowing must have been warranted, but I don’t ever like “cash grabs” and repeat stories in new books.
The art seems rushed. There is a way to do a black and white comic, and there are frames that appear to be hot off the sketch board.Â
Negatives (more)
Okay…We have the regular timeline (or do we?) I mean now Bruce is arguably not as wealthy as he was dealing with the aftermath of Bane and Joker and the beginnings of The Magistrate. But then we have to buy into Future State again as that was promised as the future that could be…Charles Dickens anyone? We also have the Murphyverse which is pared down a bit in characters, but an entirely different Batman saga. The Detective? Yep…got that one? You should. Urban Legends? Yep…buy that too. But Batman is still brooding a bit in Justice League. Confused…yeah me too. But this story is good and seems to be well on its way to wrapping things up…. in this timeline at least.
Verdict
I enjoyed City of Bane, Joker War, and Future State. And now the prequel to Future State, but how can we “catch up” if the Future keeps coming at us. Ponder that as you read this comic. Is it good? Yeah…but it should have been in Black & White where it belongs. Â
