REVIEW: Future State: Justice League #1

Future State: Justice League #1 is here and we’re diving into the future iteration of the Justice League, which brings together several of the new heroes we’ve seen showcased in the other Future State titles.

There are three covers for Future State: Justice League #1. The standard cover is by Dan Mora, it features the current members of the Justice League, running heroically toward the reader. This cover is vibrant and eye catching, just as it should be and it’s great to see the new Justice League straight into action.

Then our first variant cover is by Kael Ngu and it is my personal favorite of the three. It showcases the team in lighting and posing that casts them in a truly epic shade. Each characters’ stance and pose is so powerful considering this is our first introduction to the new Justice League as a whole, they are certainly confident their roles.

Our last variant cover is a tie-in cover for Wonder Woman 1984! It shows a rendition of Wonder Woman’s “lightning swinging” segment from the movie. The cover is by the legendary Jim Lee himself, along with Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair, whose detailed line work, and dynamic shading really make this a beautiful piece. 

There are two stories in this issue, one featuring the main iteration of the Justice League and the other focusing on Justice League Dark.

The first story, by Joshua Williamson is a fun action-lite look at the current status quo and personal lives of the future Justice League, whose roster is now Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, The Flash, and Aquawoman. We get a brief look into the team’s origins, and then we are dropped into the present, where a new plot is forming by the new Legion of Doom. The Legion this time is led by T.O. Morrow, who is the only legacy villain in the group. 

I won’t spoil what happens, but let’s just say, things DO NOT go as expected, and the Justice League ends up facing some foes we haven’t seen in a very long time. Through dialogue, we learn more about what happened to the old Justice League, and how the dynamics of the current team differ drastically, possibly to the heroes detriment.

It’s a very well written and very interesting story. The art by Robson Rocha, Daniel Henriques and Romulo Fajardo Jr is just fantastic. The detail and the colors are perfect for a DC Comics story, and the quality gives the tale and air of importance.

The Justice League Dark story by Ram V, finds the magic users of the DC Universe in dire straights. The Wizard Merlin has returned and is attempting to reclaim all magic for himself, killing all who stand in his way. Zatana and Detective Chimp are on the run, and they need to find help, and fast.

I’m not a huge fan of the magic side of DC, so this story wasn’t for me. Despite that though, it was very well done, very interesting, and very well illustrated. Marcio Takara and Marcelo Maiolo’s shadowy art match the story and characters perfectly.

Future State: Justice League #1 sets up some very interesting teams, and world’s for them to play in, all heightened by the excellent artwork! The stories have some great set-ups and surprises that have us looking forward to the next chapter in this exciting DC Event.

Haven’t picked up Future State: Justice League #1 yet? You can get the standard cover by Dan Mora here (UK), or here (US). If you prefer the variant cover by Kael Ngu, you can get that here. Or if you prefer the variant cover by Jim Lee, you can get that here.

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