Future State – Superman: Worlds of War #2: Gladiator

Writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson has done a number of interviews where he refers to this miniseries as his mission statement on Superman: what we think of him, and what he thinks of us. When I first heard that, I had a little difficulty making sense of how that would work considering the covers of the book feature Superman in a Hyborian Age appropriate gladiator costume but, you know what, I was all in to find out because Johnson never led me wrong in the past.

So I was expecting something cool, and I got it: a beautifully written meditation on what Superman means to the world followed by a brutal shock of reality as we realize that Clark is not dead, he is enslaved in the gladiator pits of Warworld. After that, I pretty much expected this issue to be a powerful one.

But you know what? I wasn’t ready.

We pick up with Sadie, our pov character from the first issue, as she departs the talk circle that had previously frustrated her. One other fellow leaves the circle too, and tags along at her side. To explain what Superman did that saved her life, she hands her companion an old newspaper – an article by Clark Kent called “A Life Well Lived.”

Cue me grabbing the tissues, guys.

In his article, Clark memorializes a homeless man named Edgar Watters who had recently passed away. Over the course of the article, printed here over images of Sadie exploring and Clark in the midst of a terrible battle, Clark strips away the stigma of Watters’ homelessness, revealing his hopes and struggles, the good he’d done and the losses he’d suffered. He humanizes Watters for people who may have never paused to say hello to him on the street, and in so doing reveals that every life is precious, is filled with ups and downs, and that landing in the mud is as often the cruelty of chance as anything else. He reminds us not to judge, to look beyond assumptions and stereotypes, because there are entire worlds inside people that you can’t see from the outside.

It’s a hell of a statement on Superman, but it’s also a hell of a statement on people. Which makes sense because, alien though he may be… Superman is nothing if not human.

Mikel Janin and Jordie Bellaire are doing stunning work here – Janin in particular is doing some of the best work of his career. The Smallville scenes float by at a leisurely pace – a few large panels per page, all colored in dreamy blues that match the quiet of a Kansas night. Then the page turns and suddenly there is Warworld, all red and heat with numerous small panels, and slanted or seemingly chaotic borders interspersed with wide-angle shots like scenes from a gladiator film.

It’s powerful stuff, and also, I’d really love to see Johnson and Janin collaborate on more in the future. There’s something about that team that just works. But for now,I just can’t wait to see what’s in line for Superman in the coming months.

Supporting Superman we have three backup features – two 10 pagers and a full length 20 pager.

Our first ten page feature, Mr. Miracle, picks up Shilo as he embarks on a new mission. Having been tipped off by Midnighter that trouble is brewing in Warworld, Shilo goes in search of a way to contact the Authority or the Justice League for assistance. To do this, he must make his way through dark and unfamiliar corridors, evading or battling guards as he goes in the hopes of sending that signal. Little does he know that even if he does reach his destination and accomplish his goal, an unforseen complication lurks that may make this situation even more dire than he’d realized.

Mr. Miracle is short, sweet and to the point, and there honestly isn’t much I can say about it without giving away the ending. So I’ll just say this: all of Warwold is in a much more difficult situation than they realize.

De Landro’s artwork and Louise’s colors continue to complement one another beautifully – De Landro brings an accessibility and humanity to Shilo that shines all the brighter for the rich palette Louise uses. If the main Superman feature has a bit of a fantastical vibe, while Midnighter and Black Racer both dance closer to science fiction, Mr. Miracle makes the extraordinary feel grounded. There is also a surprise appearance at the very end – a character we know and love, who has never looked better.

Next is Midnighter and before I say anything else, let me be straight with you: at the end of Part One, Midnighter had come face to face with a clearly evil Apollo and, while I had enjoyed the story until that point, as soon as I saw him there I had a horrible moment of Oh No Not This Again. I didn’t say that in the review because, frankly, it’s rude and also a personal bias, but after however many decades or years or centuries I’ve been following the Authority characters, I admittedly had come to my limit on arbitrary breakups for one of the only prominent gay couples in comics.

More fool I, my friends, more fool I.

I’m not going to give it away but Cloonan and Conrad just danced all over my rush to conclusions, and I’m not afraid to admit it. From there, a battle of muscle, machine and mind begins, with Midnighter at a disadvantage due to his malfunctioning computer. (It’s funny how often Midnighter’s internal computer malfunctions – my general feeling is that it’s a concept that fit very well in Wildstorm but DC doesn’t quite know what to do with it because it’s so broken.) At stake? The future of the human race, as Trojan Solutions intends to convert all of humanity into sentient robots, creating the perfect “lifeform.” An odd turn of phrase if you think about it, given that this perfect lifeform has no life.

Fortunately, while Midnighter doesn’t have his computer, he does have something else – the mysterious voice of an unknown individual who has been guiding him all this time. If you’re wondering whether his helper’s identity will be revealed in this chapter, the answer is yes… but it doesn’t really make things any less complicated!

I wasn’t terribly familiar with Cloonan and Conrad as a writing team before Future State, but I have to say… so far I’ve been loving their work. I don’t review Immortal Wonder Woman, but to say issue 2 was just stunning would be an understatement. So to see them go from such a delicate, painful story to something this bombastic and mind bending, and with such a different tone is really impressive to me. I couldn’t be more pleased to know they’ll be following up their Future State turns on these characters with Infinite Frontier runs as well.

The artist has changed between Chapters 1 and 2 – presumably because Gleb Melnikov was summoned to Gotham to draw Robin. In his stead they’ve brought in Michael Avon Oeming, and it works. While Oeming and Melnikov’s styles aren’t identical, they do retain a certain similarity in vibe – the gritty side of stylized art, or the look of a cartoon that is intent on punching you in the face.

Maybe the most interesting thing about the Midnighter story, though, is the fact that it continues past Future State, as a backup in the era of Infinite Frontier. Once you read the book, it will become clear why this is able to happen, but that makes it unique among all of the Future State stories I’ve seen thus far.

And, in our final 10 page backup, Black Racer, we rejoin Tanda as she discovers the extent of her new, mysteriously acquired abiltiies. As we know from last chapter, Tanda has come to Warworld looking to track down her friends, and confront Mongul!

Probably.

…honestly, her motivation is still a little vague and, because I am suspicious, that does make me wonder if the target of her grudge is someone other than Mongul. But, for now, what we do know is that her goal is Talla and revenge, both of which she believes she can find on the surface. So, Tanda begins her journey through the rings of Warworld, a small army of rebels at her back hoping to escape the lower levels.

Siya Oum’s artwork is slick and stylish, with the traditional medieval style of the original Black Racer giving way to an increasingly ornate science fiction-flavored suit of armor. The alien designs, particularly those on Ring Three, are fantastic and I never want to see whatever is on the diners’ plates again.

In general, Warworld has felt more real to me in these two issues of Superman: Worlds of War than it ever has before. And I have these great teams who really are trying to flesh it out and make it a real place to thank for that.

I am a little disappointed, though, that Tanda’s armor isn’t black. Black Racer! Come on!