Tags
Batman, DC Comics, Denis Cluver, Future State, Future State Gotham #1, Future State Gotham #1 review, Giannis Milonogiannis, Gotham, Jason Todd, Joshua Williamson, Red Hood
Future State Gotham #1
Review by Paul Bowler.
Spinning out of the success of DC Comics Future State event comes Future State Gotham, an all-new ongoing series featuring former Robin Jason Todd: AKA the Red Hood. When a disaster strikes Gotham, all evidence points towards Tim Fox, The Next Batman, and Red Hood soon finds himself enlisted by the Magistrate’s totalitarian regime to hunt down this new Dark Knight.
Following the aftermath of events in Future State, Gotham is still run by a private Police force controlled by a mysterious figure known only as the Magistrate, and the law is enforced by his ruthless Peacekeepers. Written by Joshua Williamson and Denis Culver, with art by Giannis Milonogiannis, Future State Gotham #1 kicks off with an action-packed face-off between Red Hood and the Ventriloquist who has unleashed a gigantic robotic version of Scarface on Jason Todd’s neighbourhood.
Although costumed superheroes are outlawed in Gotham, Jason Todd has thrown in his lot with the Magistrate’s regime and works for them by hunting down the remaining heroes who dare defy the lockdown. Williamson delivers a fast paced issue, with Red Hood and Peacekeeper 3 teaming up to fight the Ventriloquist and Scarface, before a city-wide terrorist attack changes the landscape of Gotham forever. Jason is still reeling from the break-up with his on-off girlfriend, Ravager, there’s fraught clandestine meetings with former allies to contend with too, and a surprise promotion that finds him tasked with tracking down the new Batman as Peacekeeper Red!
Giannis Milonogiannis’ Akira inspired artwork impressively captures the Cyberpunk look of this near-future Gotham. The battle with Robo-Scarface, sweeping vistas of Gotham in the wake of an explosive attack, and the debut of Jason Todd’s new costume as Peacekeeper Red are just some of the many standout moments in this first issue. I really like black and white artwork in comics — I think it adds a whole new dimension to the characters and gives the story a very dramatic, noirish feel. I also expect Milonogiannis’ Akira style line-work led to DC Comics deciding to reprint a 1996 Batman story by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo as the back-up story for Future State Gotham #1 as well.
Joshua Williamson, Denis Culver and Giannis Milonogiannis look set to craft a bold new direction for Red Hood and a thrilling continuation of Future State with this new series. Creatively it’s also very different from the usual Bat-Books, which I find both refreshing and exciting. Future State Gotham blends a stylish noir vibe with compelling action and is certainly going to one to watch in the months to come.
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Publisher DC Comics
Writer Joshua Williamson and Denis Culver
Art Giannis Milonogiannis
Lettered by Alw’s Troy Peteri
Cover Yasmine Putri
Glad this worked for you but gotta say, I am NOT a fan of Jason Todd. I’d have been a happier camper if he had stayed dead 😦
I’ve never been a huge fan of Jason Todd, but I do think as a character Red Hood has evolved and matured in a far more positive way in recent years. Its that, along with the ‘possible’ future that Future State Gotham depicts, and the Akira style art that really excited me about this new series.
I think the black and white art is an ingenious touch that adds a noir flavor mixed with the future setting in the book. I look forward to seeing where the series will go.
I really liked the black and white artwork and Akira vibe. Very excited to see how Future State Gotham develops, and how Red Hood will carry out his mission.
I, for one, really enjoyed Future State and am glad they are continuing it.
I really enjoyed Future State as well. It was a great showcase for new ideas and creative talent. Glad that DC decided to continue the storyline with Future State Gotham. This was a great scene-setting first issue and the series has lots of potential.
Sounds interesting Paul, but I’m totally out of touch with Future State and with everything else I’m reluctant to take the dive…at least for now!
I ended up reading quite a few of the Future State books, I found it was a good showcase several new creative teams. I’m glad they’ve continued the story with Future State Gotham, this potential future of the DCU has a lot of potential still to offer.
Cool, I will have to check out some collected editions somewhere down the line,