Best Shots review - Future State: Aquaman #1 promising but frustrating

Jackson Hyde and Andy Curry face concepts of inheritance in Future State: Aquaman #1. The issue opens with Jackson Hyde escaping a prison on Neptune, an action that we soon learn has been replicated nearly 300 times. Jackson is recaptured and brought before the throne of Neptune and recounts his story and the story of Andy Curry, the daughter of Arthur Curry and Mera.

Future State: Aquaman #1 credits

Written by Brandon Thomas
Art by Daniel Sampere and Adriano Lucas
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Published by DC
'Rama Rating: 7 out of 10

Writer Brandon Thomas's use of flashbacks creates the tension in the narrative, as Hyde recounts how he and Andy discover some of her latent abilities and eventually find the Confluence - a cosmic joining of oceans across space and time. It's this concept that leads to Jackson and Andy's adventures in the rest of the book, as they wander the oceans together.

Daniel Sampere's line art highlights the ebb-and-flow of the mentor/mentee relationship between Hyde and Curry as they progress, and Adriano Lucas' saturated colors capture the beauty of the various marine environments.

Thomas' dialogue between Hyde and Curry emphasizes that neither is particularly happy with their current status. Hyde accepted the role of Aquaman, not realizing he'd have to mentor his predecessor's daughter, who is perhaps even less happy to have a teacher. As they journey together, though, Thomas builds a sense of familiarity, highlighting a few key moments to get the reader to buy into their relationship in only a few pages.

While the majority of the book focuses on Jackson's tale, the back half of the issue turns into another escape scene, and it's here that the comic stumbles.

While Sampere and Lucas create some amazing images of Jackson attacking his captors, this section lacked any of the surprises it felt like the tension the rest of the issue had been building towards. It's a frustrating way to end an issue that had been promising up to that point.

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Robert is a Los Angeles-based comics journalist and writer (formerly Omaha, Nebraska). He currently writes for Newsarama and Adventures in Poor Taste.