Posted in: Comics, Comics Publishers, DC Comics, Review | Tagged: andy curry, aquaman, comic book reviews, jackson hyde

Future State #1: Aquaman Review: Dire Straits

Published Fri, 29 Jan 2021 22:30:04 -0600

With an effective story structure and some solid ideas, Future State #1: Aquaman shows us the next protector of DC's seas in dire straits. With a legacy to care for and a problem to fix, he shows uncommon resolve but still treads water a bit more than necessary.

Future State #1: Aquaman Review: Dire Straits — Future State #1: Aquaman Cover. Credit: DC Comics

Jackson Hyde has faced a number of repetitive challenges. First, far into his adulthood, he's still battling against his father, Black Manta, who Arthur Curry failed to stop as well. Then, he's trying to mentor Andy Curry, the teenaged daughter of Arthur and Mera, who won't sidekick worth a darn as she continues to disobey and disregard his orders. Then, as he drifts into something new, he finds yet another repeated struggle to vex him.

Writer Brandon Easton frames this almost Sisyphean struggle smartly, using flashbacks and subtlety to let the story emerge as a wholly formed work that stands on its own but invites further interest. The deep-sea environments can easily be muddy or hard to read, but Daniel Sampere, Adriano Lucas, and Clayton Cowles make even the darkest depths crystal clear for the reader. That's not easy, so kudos for that.

The longer you sit with this, the less effective it is, but on first blush, this works in a similar (if less public) manner than the Future State of Superman, himself caught in a trap as well. Again, its largest challenges are the generational aspects: this is essentially caused by the failures of the heroes of today. The problems with most of these futures show that today's efforts are for naught, and that's a bitter pill to swallow if you're here for the long run.

If you can get past that and take it outside of the continuity, this is a standalone story of redemption that's got some really great narrative and visual elements. RATING: HONORABLE MENTION.

Future State #1: Aquaman
By Brandon Thomas, Daniel Sampere
When Jackson Hyde accepted the mantle of Aquaman, he didn't expect to also have to mentor Andy Curry, Arthur and Mera's teen daughter. Nor did he expect that he and Andy would get sucked into the Confluence — an interdimensional nexus that connects distant planets and galaxies through the One Great Ocean. And he certainly didn't expect to lose Andy in the process of trying to find their way back home. Now Jackson's not sure how long heâs been stuck in a prison on Neptune (five years?) or how many times he's tried to escape (200 at least!). But today Jackson saw something in the water that gave him hope for the first time in a long time — and his captors have no idea what he's got in store for them.

Future State Aquaman #1