They are an awful lot of Batman graphic novels out there. The character is so popular that DC have been churning out stories for decades and every once in a while they produce a very memorable story. Typically these happen when they break the usual formula of ‘Bruce Wayne out-thinks and punches everyone who might be responsible’, but not always. Future State: The Next Batman is an attempt to create a memorable Batman adventure from the incomprehensible mess that was the Dark Knights: Death Metal cross-over event. It is only partially successful.
The set-up is that Bruce Wayne is very much gone. Tim Fox (a relative of Lucius) has taken up the mantle in secret, and goes out every night fighting crime. The rest of the Bat Family are lead by Night Wing and consists of the usual suspects; Robin, Huntress, Batgirl and so on. They know nothing about the new Batman but still soldier on.
Of course, Gotham City PD has gone fully corrupt and a private army of soldiers called Peacekeepers have been brought in to hunt and kill anyone who looks like they’re acting like a vigilante. So basically it’s a narrative reset to Batman Year One still adventures, whilst keeping the existing cast of well loved Bat-Friends and villains.
This is not different enough from our usual narrative to make it that interesting, and Future State: The Next Batman is a messy mix of individually focused stories, resulting on a storyline that though clear, is quite run of the mill.
The art is very nice however; Nick Derington and Laura Braga bring something special to the table here, though again because of the spotty nature of the storytelling the art lacks a the sort of direction that would make it really memorable.
Overall Future State: The Next Batman is a swing and a miss at an attempt of creating a Bat-Classic, but we do hope DC will keep trying.
