Future State: Dark Detective #3
DC Comics
Written by: Mariko Tamaki
Art by: Dan Mora
Colors by: Jordie Bellaire
Letters by: Aditya Bidikar
Future State: Dark Detective, for lack of a better phrase, continues to be exceptional. It’s original, it looks beautiful, and it’s engaging. What Mariko Tamaki and Dan Mora have created here is something I would love to see expanded beyond its four-issue run.
There is so much room to explore a Bruce Wayne stripped of his wealth, his gadgets and of all the things that have made him so successful as Batman. Never has he been prone to missteps, yet now we see so much of that with Future State: Dark Detective. It’s a refreshing take.
Another great element to this story is the antagonist, the Magistrate. Little is known up to this point, but we are given a few more pieces of the puzzle in Future State: Dark Detective #3. While we don’t get the answer to who is pulling the strings, what we do get is a better understanding of how far the Magistrate is willing to go to keep tabs on Gotham’s citizens — even if that means taking a life.
Tamaki has done a stellar job of keeping readers engaged in the story without giving too much away. With there only being four issues in Future State: Dark Detective, this story has been perfectly paced, using the first three issues to set up what should be an epic finale.
Also, featured in Future State: Dark Detective #3 is Future Past part 2 by Matthew Rosenberg (writer), Carmine Di Giandmenico (illustrated by), Antonio Fabela (colors), Andworld Design (letters). This continues the story of Grifter, Huntress and Luke Fox. Future Past has been one of the better smaller stories featured within the Future State titles. Future Past part 2 is the end of this sub-story — and it closed with a few nice twists and some decent action.