Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1: There Are Some Bullets I Need to Take

The Future State is here! DC’s first big event of 2021 is in full swing as the first batch of Future State titles hit the shelves today. Among them is the phenomenal offering by Sean Lewis, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, and Dave Sharp. Superman of Metropolis. One thing that has intrigued me about the swarm of titles that make up Future State is the creative teams and their directions of some of DC’s most beloved characters. Readers around the globe sit with anticipation of these new titles with bated breath as their heroes get a makeover. I have yet to read the rest of the Future State books yet, however, if they are a fraction of the magnitude of Superman of Metropolis then readers have nothing to fret over.

Ripped from the pages of the mind-blowing finale of Dark Nights: Death Metal, readers are introduced to a drastically changed Metropolis. As an example, there is no Clark Kent that will be swooping out of the sky to save to good citizens of the city. His son Jonathan has taken up the mantle and he might have bitten off more than he can chew.

Superman of Metropolis gives us a radical direction for our heroes. Metropolis is in absolute shambles as Jonathan has all that he can handle as he steps into the role previously held by his dad. Folks familiar with Sean Lewis’ writing will automatically feel his mark as he takes his turn with the beloved tale of Superman and his surrounding world. Lewis does a fantastic job bringing Jonathan’s morality to the forefront and diving into our own consciousness therefore asking the same questions as Superman. Am I doing the right thing? Is this for the greater good? Going up against authoritarian rule is never easy, however, trying to decide if collateral damage is acceptable and if so, how much? Wrap all that up with Supergirl and the government thinking he’s unfit to be Superman, I guess it doesn’t help that he…well, for the sake of spoilers we’ll just stop there, however, Jonathan showcased his testicular fortitude and might pay for it later. There seems to be some issues with Kara and her thoughts along with what felt almost like Kryptonian eliteness of some sort and I wonder if Lewis will build on that later in his run or will it stay put in the first issue.

As massive as this story felt there are two others that come off the bench and perform beautifully. Brandon Easton, Valentine De Landro, and Dave Sharpe deliver the goods on The Metropolis Menagerie. Mister Miracle has the immense tasking of keeping citizens safe while trying to fend off the evil entities try to take over the city. This story does a great job of providing great action and character involvement that gets the reader excited and wanting more. Seeing Shilo interact with his Mother Box was a nice touch. Overall, it was a fun story set against a crisis that was in-play and needing all involved to perform and peak level.

Rounding out this magnificent offering from DC is The Guardian by Sean Lewis, Cully Hamner, Michael Avon Oeming, Laura Martin, & AndWorld Design. The Guardian finds himself enmeshed in a conspiracy involving a missing Jimmy Olsen. The story takes place after the “big spoiler not mentioned above” and with a bunch of pissed off Metropolis citizens. The Guardian’s dance card is all booked when he finds himself trying to prevent further destruction of the city while trying to track down Jimmy Olsen’s kidnapper.  Sean Lewis once shines with his brand of writing and incorporates some clever social commentary while keeping the story on par with the previous two. All in all, this book was a fabulous and super fun read.