By Zack Quaintance — Future State - Gotham #1 is an interesting comic for a number of reasons that have nothing to do with the actual story of the book. First of all, this is a continuation to a two-month event that consumed DC Comics entire shared-universe publishing line earlier this year. That event — which put out a couple dozen titles — was set in a potential future, one that in the main continuity, the DC heroes are all uniformly on the edge of either causing or avoiding. While that’s happening, we now get this lone title set within the potential future.

This is interesting to me, because it opens a number of storytelling possibilities related to playing with the past and future, showing how they connect and how actions in the past might influence this potential future. Will the creators use this book to pull something like that off? After one issue, that remains to be seen, but the possibility is there, and it’s an interesting one.

The second reason I found this book so interesting is the deliberate aesthetic, which is a manga homage that delivers this book in black-and-white with some exaggerated visual choices and sound effects. It’s a good-looking book throughout. Not just any artist would be allowed to play with visuals in this way, and as such, we’re here in the very capable hands of Giannis Milonogiannis, who delivers this entire story at about 100 miles per hour.

Moreover, I thought the aesthetic choices made for this title were interesting because they speak to a larger boldness that is mostly lacking in mainstream Big 2 comics, especially within a line as slim and trim as DC Comics in 2021. DC recently turned over most of its editorial leadership, and this kind of bold move to me is a precursor to perhaps bolder moves moving forward. It’s refreshing. DC may be publishing primarily Batman comic books (likely due to corporate mandate given how much Bat-Comics sell compared to basically anything else), but its editorial leaders are determined to eke out variance within those comics. This book is example A.

None of it, however, would mean much if the story and the narrative itself here wasn’t so well done. I have jokingly said that there is only one kind of Jason Todd story: Jason Todd wants to shoot some guys with his guns, Batman would rather Jason Todd not shoot those guys (or any other guys) with said guns, and then in Act III someone gets hit with a crowbar and hallucinates The Joker. The End. But this book delves a little bit deeper into the viability of having a somewhat morally-compromised member of the Batman family, and it’s a great fit for this future timeline built around a morally-compromised city-state.

Ultimately, I found myself engrossed with this book for the choices it was and was not making, the way it put the premium on art, and the narrative possibilities it opens for itself moving forward. It’s just another excellent addition to what is quickly and quietly becoming the best all around era of Batman comic books we’ve had in some time.

Overall: Armed with the alternate timeline that is currently being straightened out in the past, as well as a daring aesthetic, what we ultimately get in Future State - Gotham #1 is a singular superhero comic, well-done in all regards. 9.0/10

REVIEW: Future State - Gotham #1

Future State: Gotham #1
Writers: Joshua Williamson and Denis Culver
Artist: Giannis Milonogiannis
Publisher: DC Comics
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!
Price: $3.99
Buy It Digitally: Future State - Gotham #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.