Future State: Superman/Wonder Woman #1 – Dan Watters, Writer; Leila Del Duca, Artist; Nick Filardi, Colorist
Ray – 8/10
Ray: This issue very much feels like a classic team-up comic—two heroes forced to put aside their personality differences to fend off a massive threat with ties to both of them—but the characters are very different. Jon Kent and Yara Flor don’t have the history of their counterparts, and their differences are much more serious. Jon here is a charismatic and optimistic hero, determined to be Metropolis’ favorite person. Yara is a more hands-on and ruthless savior, having no problem intimidating and threatening corrupt politicians. She’s written very differently here than she is in her other appearances—harsh, stern, almost menacing. Very different from her quirky characterization in Joelle Jones’ book. They don’t particularly get along—but when two suns appear in the sky at the same time, the crisis is big enough that they seek each other out for an awkward team-up to put the skies right.
When Yara debuted in her own title, we found out she got her powers from the sun god Kuat—but I wasn’t expecting to find him living in the countryside with his brother the moon, a casual part of her supporting cast. This brash, very human God soon winds up picking a fight with the rival sun—the evil powerhouse Solaris, making a return from the far future. There’s a distinct Silver Age vibe to this whole affair, with two suns doing battle and Superman eventually agreeing to a game of strength to settle his old rivalry with Solaris. Jon and Yara’s team-up is actually a relatively small part of the issue and doesn’t really feel like it affects the story too much. The two definitely don’t get along as well as they do in Justice League, which makes me wonder if this is an earlier team-up. It’s not one of the best Future State tie-ins of the week, but it has its high points especially in the stunning art from Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed artist Leila Del Duca.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
