Review: Future State - Wonder Woman #1

Never has the idea that certain creators suit certain characters been more correct than in this weeks Future State Wonder Woman, with a return to form for writer / artist Jóelle Jones and the introduction of one of the most anticipated characters from the slate of Future State books, Yara Flor.

Starting with a battle with a hydra (not that Hydra, the mythical one), we get to see the new Brazilian Wonder Woman in action. We also get to meet her small cast as she proceeds to give attitude throughout the opening pages whilst going some way to explain how there can be two Wonder Women, and it does make perfect sense, though the idea does leave itself open for further developments or introductions down the line. During the chaos you may miss a key point regarding the reasons for looking for Hades, but believe me, it’s in there. What follows is chippy dialogue to go with a chippy attitude and more than chippy actions.

I have been a fan of Jóelle Jones since The Lady Killers and Supergirl: Being Human. Granted the latter was written by Mariko Tamaki and the first series of The Lady Killers was co-written by Jamie S. Rich; the second volume of the former is all Jones. Recently Jones took on Catwoman and I had such high hopes for that book. Unfortunately, whether it was the setting or the timing of the book, tied as it was to the failed Bat Cat marriage, Jones never seemed to find her feet in either her writing or her art. With this book, previous mis-steps are readily forgotten. In Yara, Jones has given us a confident character that has touches of the sort of Amazon we expect, though with the removal of the Greek mythology, the story and the characters actions are more accessible. The banter between the character is easy going and fun, making the book an easy read.

Jones art on this book is, if you hadn’t seen her work on The Lady Killers, may come as a pleasurable surprise to those who looked at her Catwoman books. Here , there is no darkness, which allows the art to feel breezy; Yara’s actions thought the panels flow with purpose and doesn’t have the forced look that marred Catwoman. I also enjoyed the new costume which feels likes a return to the Wonder Woman suit prior to the greco touches that have become popular. It is a true tour de force from an excellent creator. Along with Jones, DC have utilised one of the best colorists n the business at the moment, Jordie Bellaire who utilises great schemes for the different environments that Yara finds herself in. Clayotn Cowles delivers yet another fantastic display of lettering, and touches to the dialogue; the ferry guard being probably the funniest.

When the idea of new characters replacing existing ones, I admit, i was pretty much against it. Bruce Wayne is my Batman; Diana is my Wonder Woman. However with Future State and the idea of both new and existing characters being around, I promised myself that I would keep an open mind. I am glad I did as this book has exceeded all of my previous expectations.

Writing – 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Written by; Jóelle Jones
Art by; Jóelle Jones
Colors by; Jordie Bellaire
Letters by; Clayton Cowles
Published by; DC Comics

Author Profile

Johnny "The Machine" Hughes

I am a long time comic book fan, being first introduced to Batman in the mid to late 70's. This led to a appreciation of classic artists like Neal Adams and Jim Aparo. Moving through the decades that followed, I have a working knowledge of a huge raft of characters with a fondness for old school characters like JSA and The Shadow

Currently reading a slew of Bat Books, enjoying a mini Marvel revival, and the host of The Definative Crusade and Outside the Panels whilst also appearing on No-Prize Podcast on the Undercover Capes Podcast Network