Review: FUTURE STATE: SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #1
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Dan Watters
Artist: Leila Del Duca
Colours: Nick Filardi
Letters: Tom Napolitano
Reviewed By: Derek McNeil
Summary
Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1: The sun has set on the heroes of the past, and a new age is dawning! As two arrogant gods challenge one another to a contest of strength, Superman and Wonder Woman are forced to take action to save their cities from the chaos. Together, Jonathan Kent and Yara Flor, man of science and woman of myth, have the potential to become something powerful, but that’s only if they can learn to get along! Can the two fledgling heroes put their differences aside long enough to save the world they have sworn to protect?
Positives
Future State looks forward into the DCU’s future, giving us a glimpse at what might be coming up in the future. Many of the titles in this event present new heroes that have yet to appear, while others check in to see what has become of the heroes of today. Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 actually does a bit of both.
The titular Superman is none other than Jon Kent, son of the modern day Superman. While Jon is a relative newcomer to the DCU, he’s been around for 6 years, having first appeared in 2015’s Convergence event. However, Jon’s co-star is the new Wonder Woman, Yara Flor. Yara is brand new to readers, having only appeared in last week’s Future State: Wonder Woman #1 before now.
However, this issue takes place about 50 years in the future and 20 years after their solo books that premiered last week. So, while Jon is a familiar, there is a fair amount of unrevealed history that we have missed, so there’s a lot new to discover about him as well.
While we know what Jon’s connection to the original Superman is, it’s hard to say if there is a direct connection between Yara and the original Wonder Woman. She lives in Brazil, so I am guessing that she comes from the Amazons who left Themyscira and settled in South America.
Positives Cont.
Like Diana, Yara’s story seems rooted in mythology, but she is involved with an entirely different pantheon of deities. In this issue, we meet Kuat and Iae, the sun and moon gods (respectively) of native tribes in the Amazon area of Brazil. I find it interesting that Wonder Woman’s connection to their pantheon has caused people to believe in them again, giving them power. It makes me wonder if the same dynamic has been going on with Diana and the Greek gods. Diana’s origin story centres around her deriving her power from the Olympian gods. But does she return the favour by representing them to the wider world? This would be a fascinating issue for a future writer to explore.
Kuat in particular figures large in the story when he has an altercation with Solaris, a living sun. Interestingly enough, Solaris debuted during another DC future-based event, DC One Million. I find the idea of a science-based sun villain facing off against a literal sun god. And a hero standing between them who derives his powers from solar energy makes it even more intriguing. Even more fascinating, is that Jon experiences a unique situation: Kuat feeding his powers while Solaris simultaneously drains them.
However, this seems to put him in a precarious position, with his powers becoming unstable just before he is due to face Solaris in a “test of strength”.
Negatives
Dropping the reader into an unfamiliar time opens a lot of fascinating mysteries. However, there are also drawbacks to this approach. Maybe a bit of exposition listing a few important events from the intervening years might ease readers into the story a little better. However, the story is engaging enough and mostly stands on its own, even without this background information.
Also, I fear that the new Wonder Woman’s appearances in Future State will be too brief. I doubt they are going to allow enough room to delve into her as yet unknown past. However, there is a Wonder Girl TV series starring Yara Flor. in the works. So, I am guessing that we may be seeing a younger Yara appearing in the current day and adopting that name.
Verdict
Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 may not be as enticing as the event’s other titles. However it has an element of fun that the other titles seem to be missing. Many of the titles show a rather dystopian future. However, this title shows a future I might actually enjoy living in. Plus, I can’t deny that I love seeing Jon Kent having fully grown into the role of Superman.
