Future State Wonder Woman #1
DC Comics
Words and Art by Jöelle Jones
Color by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Clayton Cowles
*Contains Spoilers for Dark Knight Death Metal #7.*
With the universe and all of time saved, the ramifications of Death Metal created a new reality with multiple universes and a new center. With the DC timeline and stories being restored, new stories and characters are being told. One of the more highly anticipated ones being Wonder Woman.
Yara Flor is the new incarnation of Wonder Woman and she is based off of Amazonian lore and myths. This change of mythology location is a nice nod to the nickname of the women of Themyscira as they are normally referred to as the Amazonian. This and other little nods to the past, allows the story to be intertwined in DC lore.
The series starts with Yara telling the origin of man and their relationship with fables and folklore of the Amazon. She interacts with hydras and Caipora as she tries to get to the underworld and confront Hades. Having a brash and headstrong attitude is a massive change from the calculating and patience of Diana.
Jöelle Jones takes on the dual task of writing and drawing the series. With many challenges of writing a new character but also drawing a new universe doesn’t show any hints of hesitation or second guess the finished product. The details in both the art and words gives Jones the ability to use either form to move and narrate the story. Very few who have taken on the tasks can find that balance as many tend to tip to one or the other.
Wonder Woman is a great read with few flaws. Many of the Amazonian gods that are referenced forces the reader to look them up as it is a new unfamiliar realm. This can distract the readers as they now have to know what a Caipora is and the other creatures mentioned. With Jones doing both writing and drawing, the art suffered a bit with a lack of backgrounds. The Amazon location is full of lush landscape and a unique appearance that it was a shame we could see more of it.
Future State Wonder Woman is one of the stronger titles from the Future State line so far. It feels the most complete as everything is simply explained and shown within the first few panels. This simplicity and break down of the mythos of Wonder Woman allows any and all to join in with little fears of getting lost.