Superman of Metropolis #1
DC Comics
Written by: Sean Lewis
Art by: John Timms
Colors by: Gabe Eltaeb
Letters by: Dave Sharp
Future State is finally upon us, giving readers two months worth of fresh new stories, fresh takes on characters, and even new faces in familiar costumes. Superman of Metropolis #1 is one such book in which the man wearing the cape isn’t old friend Clark Kent but rather his son Johnathan. While not a new character, it’s an interesting choice by DC — especially considering this is one of the first books they decided to showcase.
Superman is a very polarizing character, and because he has been around so long, it’s hard to re-imagine him without completely changing who he is. It would seem DC has a grasp of the path it wants the character to go down, which is why Sean Lewis is a great fit for this title.
Superman of Metropolis #1 paints a stark look at a future where technology rules and those trying to get their hands on it are willing to stop at nothing to obtain it. This theme is not unfamiliar territory for Lewis, who’s previous works have also dealt with the role technology plays in our lives, along with the suppressors who control it. Superman now finds himself having to choose a side. With Jonathan Kent still getting used to his new role, the decisions he makes — well thought out or not — have major implications on the citizens he’s sworn to protect.
Within the pages of Superman of Metropolis #1, Lewis — through the simple use of a dialog box — makes it very clear what DC has in store. While the events of Dark Nights: Death Metal have changed the very foundation of the DC Universe, Future State is here to take the reigns and move DC forward. New multiverses. New possibilities. New realities.
In addition to Superman of Metropolis #1, we get two short stories: “The Metropolis Menagerie” written by Brandon Easton and Art by Valentine DeLandro and “The Guardian in Future State” written by Sean Lewis and Art by Cullen Hamner and Michael Avon Oeming. While it appears that these stories tie into Superman of Metropolis, both “The Metropolis Menagerie Part 1” and “The Guardian in Future State Part 1” don’t feel as though they are needed in this book — especially “The Metropolis Menagerie.” The Guardian at least directly ties in to the main story, dealing with some of the aftermath of Jonathan’s decision toward the end of Superman of Metropolis #1. If this story was so important to tell, then it would have been better served as a one-off tie-in rather than a forced short story jammed in at the end of the issue.