Metropolis is not in a great place as we find it in Future State: Superman of Metropolis #1. A man called Andrej Trojan has been turning people into nanotech. The army's rolled in town. And Superman isn't around, though he has left Jon in charge. He's trying to be like his father, while also learning exactly what that requires.
Written by Sean Lewis and Brandon Easton
Drawn by John Timms and Gabe Eltaeb; Cully Hamner, Michael Avon Oeming, Laura Martin; Brandon Easton, Valentine de Landro, Marissa Louise
Lettered by Dave Sharpe, AndWorld Design, and Dave Sharpe
Published by DC
'Rama Rating: 6 out of 10
The primary story here comes from Sean Lewis, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb, and Dave Sharpe and revolves around the drastic decision Jon makes in the hopes it will protect his city and the consequences that stem from that choice. Rather than contemplating this decision and grappling with the overall sense of legacy, they're quickly drowned out by the scale of the superhero conflict. While not grappled with fully, these choices (and consequences) are admittedly thematically appropriate for writing a story about the son of Superman.
Also in this issue – two back-ups. One about Guardian from Sean Lewis, Cully Hamner, Michael Avon Oeming, Laura Martin, and AndWorld Design. The other, about Shilo Norman/Mister Miracle, comes courtesy of Brandon Easton, Valentine de Landro, Marissa Louise, and Dave Sharpe. Both provide some extra information about Metropolis living under its current status quo and supplement the main story well.
Across these three tales, the art is the strongest component of each with de Landro and Louise producing some dynamic pages that stand out the most through the combination of minimalist linework and sharp coloring. It would certainly be interesting to see how they could render Metropolis on a larger story after 'Future State' comes to an end.
Check out Newsarama's list of the best Superman artists of all time.
