Red Hood's hunt for Batman begins in Future State: Gotham #1 preview

(Image credit: Giannis Milonogiannis (DC))

DC's 'Future State' era returns this May with a new ongoing series titled Future State: Gotham following the former Robin Jason Todd hunting down Batman.

No, your eyes don't deceive you.

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Future State: Gotham #1 unlettered preview

Future State: Gotham #1 is written by Joshua Williamson and Dennis Culver, with black-and-white art by Giannis Milonogiannis. Set in the aftermath of the recent 'Future State' event which ran across the DC line in January and February, this series is set in a near-future where Gotham City is run by a private police force led by a shadowy figure known as the Magistrate. Under their laws, superheroes and vigilantes are forbidden - and Todd (as Red Hood) is working for them to hunting down costumed heroes like he used to be.

"Disaster strikes Gotham City and all evidence points to Tim Fox, The Next Batman! Jason Todd chooses justice over his family and allies when The Magistrate enlists him to bring in the new Batman, dead or alive!" reads DC's description of the new series. "Featuring the entire cast from the popular DC Future State Batman titles, Future State Gotham begins the next chapter in this inevitable world of tomorrow and does so with this dynamic, noirish format."

Milonogiannis' Akira-inspired linework has led, seemingly, to DC's decision to reprint a 1996 Batman story by Akira creator Katsuhiro Otomo as a back-up to Future State: Gotham's first issue.

Here's a preview:

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The Third Mask preview

Otomo's 'The Third Mask' originally appeared in 1996's Batman: Black and White #4 (which is collected in the anthology Batman: Black and White Volume 1). To date, it's Otomo's only original English-language work for any North American comic publisher.

Future State: Gotham #1 goes on sale on May 11.

Keep up to speed on everything Dark Knight-related with our always-updated list of the new Batman comics, graphic novels, and collections in 2021 and beyond.

Chris Arrant covered comic book news for Newsarama from 2003 to 2022 (and as editor/senior editor from 2015 to 2022) and has also written for USA Today, Life, Entertainment Weekly, Publisher's Weekly, Marvel Entertainment, TOKYOPOP, AdHouse Books, Cartoon Brew, Bleeding Cool, Comic Shop News, and CBR. He is the author of the book Modern: Masters Cliff Chiang, co-authored Art of Spider-Man Classic, and contributed to Dark Horse/Bedside Press' anthology Pros and (Comic) Cons. He has acted as a judge for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, the Harvey Awards, and the Stan Lee Awards. Chris is a member of the American Library Association's Graphic Novel & Comics Round Table. (He/him)