Science and myth end up becoming strange bedfellows to save the world in an action packed debut that feels like something’s just a bit missing.
Cover by Brad Anderson and Lee WeeksWritten by Dan Watters
Penciled by Leila Del Duca
Inked by Leila Del Duca
Colored by Nick Filardi
Lettered by Tom NapolitanoThe 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?
It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The sky is blue. The coffee is hot and strong. The suns burn high in the sky.
Wait. Suns?
One of those suns is the sun god Polaris, who wants a final showdown with Superman and on that pursuit, is leaving quite a bit of damage in his wake. Enter Yara Flor, who recognizes just what Polaris is (with a little help from fellow sun and moon gods Kuat and Iae) and just what the danger is. (It doesn’t help that Kuat decides to try to deal with the problem himself. In fact, he makes things worse.) Since a man of science and logic such as Superman does not comprehend of sun and moon gods, he’s going to need some convincing from Yara Flor, a woman whose life steeps itself in myth to try to convince him of the deeper gravity of this situation.
The stories run in parallel for the majority of this issue, which does well to emphasize just how different these two superheroes are in their approach to the world, and in turn, sets up the interpersonal conflict they will have to overcome alongside the larger threat. The problem is that they run in parallel for just a little too long, not bringing Jonathan and Yara together (and setting up their conflict) until the final pages. That interpersonal conflict is (per our solicit) going to be quite key to this series, as it appears to be the one that needs to be solved before tackling the problem of Polaris. There’s no easy solution to this, though – – it’s either pad the issue with more pages, or cut from the narrative. Of the two evils, perhaps the lesser is the latter. I could have done with less of the alpha-male posturing between Polaris and Kuat (perhaps because I have little to no tolerance for alpha male posturing), but that does its part in setting up one of the dual conflicts that will run through this series.
I also had a difficult time connecting with either character, though more with Jonathan Kent than with Yara Flor. That could well be because I didn’t end up reading last week’s “Future State: Superman of Metropolis” #1, thus leaving this issue as my introduction. It underscores the interconnectivity of ‘Future State’ titles, and while each of the series can be enjoyed on its own merits, there are some common threads. Yara does come across as the more interesting of the two and more well developed in terms of how myth and story shape her world view. And with only two issues in this miniseries, it’s going to be hard for Watters’s character development to catch up.
But perhaps I am reading too much into things and setting my own expectations high. This isn’t an ongoing series, so the writers have to make sure to get in, tell the story, and get out. It oozes classic hero-villain conflict with just enough Saturday morning cartoon and comic book silliness. The polar opposite characterization is decently done in that it sets up just how different these two are. And it’s still plenty full of fun, from kinetic action scenes to fun banter with our supporting characters. It’s also refreshing to see non-Western mythology take center stage in the presence of Kuat and Iae, Amazonian gods that underscore Yara Flor’s Brazilian and indigenous heritage.
Continued belowLeila Del Duca has fun with her artwork from first page to last, fitting the tone to the story beautifully. Her heroes are all about strength and power, and the villains are as comic book as they get. She doesn’t shy away from being just a bit ridiculous if the situation calls for it. Kuat the sun god, with his ripped open shirt and flowing hair would be right at home on the cover of a romance novel. Polaris is a comical cross between an eye and a coronavirus. There’s excellent command of perspective and panel layouts throughout. With a lot of action and a small page count, it’s very easy to crowd things in, but the art flows well with good command of pacing, especially in action scenes. The final pages of Yara and Jonathan’s conversations in the diner do get very text heavy, but I will lay that blame more at the feet of the script’s poor timing on setting up that conflict than any missteps in art. And Nick Filardi’s colors add another layer to that tone of fun, remaining bright and bold. The best execution of these comes during confrontations with Polaris, where he dials up the intensity of warmer tones that are already intense against the darkness of space.
You may have to dial down some of your expectations for this series, particularly after Yara Flor’s strong debut last week in “Future State: Wonder Woman,” but there’s plenty here still to enjoy.
Final Verdict: 6.8 – Classic comic storytelling and artwork make this series shine, but scripting missteps take it two steps back.
