Deron Generally
Deron Generally
Future State The Next Batman #1
DC Comics
Written by John Ridley, Brandon Thomas and Paul Jenkins
Art by Nick Derington, Sumit Kumar and Jack Herbert
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain, Jordie Bellaire and Gabe Eltaeb
Letters by Clayton Cowles, Steve Wands and Rob Leigh
The Rundown: With a Gotham City under the control of a private army, a new Dark Knight takes to the streets.
There is a new law in Gotham and anyone wearing a mask is subject to being shot on sight. With the city still in upheaval, a new Batman takes to the streets to dispense justice. At the same time, the Fox family has some issues of its own to deal with as Luke pays a visit to his ailing sister and discovers his missing brother there as well. With the tension mounting in the streets, Batman goes out into the night to attempt to help two brothers being recruited by a gang.
With the Magistrate is charge of the city, those wishing to leave need help and Duke Thomas aka The Signal is there to answer the call. With Duke on the run with three people trying to leave the city, he finds himself being pursued by the Peacekeepers who want him badly enough to leave the boundaries to Gotham to take him down. What they didn’t count on was the intervention of Katana who has a lesson to teach them about the consequences of coming outside the city.
Astrid Arkham has returned and she leads a new team of Arkham Knights deep into the city to take on the forces of the Magistrate. Using Wayne Manor as a base and staging area, the Arkham Knights strike at the brutal control of the city with Astrid using her team as a means of taking back the city, attracting new recruits and treating the inmates of the asylum.
The Story: All three stories are bold, inventive and have a darkness to them that sets the perfect tone for both Gotham and the characters. Ridley adds some great personal and family drama to the story while keeping things mysterious with the main character. The Outsider story adds a great arc for both Katana and Black Lightning. The Arkham Knights story is well done and filled with great action.
The Art: The art is perfect for each story. Derington gives a great, gritty noir feel to the art in his story. Kumar pairs great action with style with his Outsiders story. Herbert delivers great drama and beautiful details to the Arkham Knights story.
Future State The Next Batman #1
