The Trip to the Future is Worth it as Future State Ends Strong for Superman

Journey into time…FOR THE FINAL(ish) TIME in our continued coverage of DC’s FUTURE STATE. We’re wrapping up with a walkthrough of last week’s Superman: Worlds of War #2 accompanied by House of El #1 wrapping up the take of the Man of Steels’ legacy. As Yes famously said there’s a time and the time is now and it’s right for me! Is it right…FOR YOU!!??

Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2 written by Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Brandon Easton, Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad and Jeremy Adams, art by Mikel Janin, Valentine De Landro, Michael Avon Oeming and Siya Oum, colors by Jordie Bellaire, Marissa Louise and Hi-Fi, and letters by Dave Sharpe, Travis Lanham and Gabriela Downi

Superman’s stand on Warworld comes to a much improved, but still frustrating conclusion in Future State: Superman: Worlds of War #2.

Still bookended by breezy, genuinely rousing backup stories starring again cult faves like Midnighter, Shilo “Mister Miracle” Norman, and the Black Racer, Worlds of War continues to hold a really strong narrative cohesion throughout its main and backup stories. Focused once more on Warworld (and a little bit Smallville too, but more about that in a second), Superman holds his ground against the crushing might of Mongul and a new striking narrative wrinkle that writer Philip Kennedy Johnson injects into the final pages of the main story. While in the backups, in their own disconnected (but cosmically interconnected) way, each hero works to free Superman from his bonds, allowing him to finally return home.

I said “much improved” above, and despite how down I was on the opening issue, I really do mean it! Johnson, supported by another game bench of creative talent in the backups, really hammers down a “Superman Ethos” that one can easily get behind. In the main story, we finally learn the reason behind our audience surrogate character’s assertion that Clark Kent was just as powerful as Superman in the form of an ongoing human interest piece penned by Clark before his exile from Earth.

As the narration continues, she and her companion work to find the “real Kent Farm” in Smallville, intercut with Superman’s constant battles, deaths, and resurrections in Mongul’s gladiatorial arena. It is stirring stuff, both on the terrestrial narrative planes and during the battles, both of which contain some wonderful, emotive work from Mikel Janin and the colorists. The narrative wrinkle that Clark has been KILLED several times and brought back to life only to continue the cycle of violence until “all chains on Warworld are broken” (as he never fights to kill, he only fights to break the chains of his fellow gladiators even if it kills him) also adds a darkly noble whimsy to the whole plot. 

It is ALL GREAT, and it’s further scaffolded by the back ups, all of which deliver their own takes on the “Superman ideal” in their own ways, either by showing the heroes self-sacrificion or selflessness in the face of overwhelming odds and circumstances.

BUT AGAIN, Phillip Kennedy Johnson’s pointed jingoism rears its face. Particularly in the ongoing narration in the main story; Clark’s editorial about, you guessed it, a venerated vetern of color who died penniless and alone after a lifetime of service to the state. It’s…very frustrating. Because again, as an idea, I get it! I understand the ethos that he is going for and in the moment it absolutely works. But also the quiet conservatism of the whole thing, along with the oddly pointed insistence to make sure we absolutely know for a FACT that Clark, as a person, “supports the troops” (also that this nebulous idea of “The Troops” is also unimpeachably great and important and you should just ACCEPT IT even though they kill foreigners in pursuit of a “freedom”).

It just continues to leave a bad taste in my mouth about the overall experience, even WITH all the other wonderful things happening throughout the rest of the story. It also could possibly lead to another Superman: Rebirth like situation, aiming squarely for the middle of the road and in doing so, alienating EVERYBODY while also offering up a stiff, painfully Americanized take on a character who shouldn’t JUST appeal to white (and right leaning) Americans and uphold the state.

Since the issue’s release last week, I have read a lot of reactions to the issue, most of which I agree with! And even more of which, having a completely different read on it than I did! Our own Cori McCreery, someone I very much hold up as a bonafide “Superman Expert”, even liked this! And I am truly glad they did. But until I can find a way to divorce myself from the oddly centrist-to-Right lean of this take on Superman, Superman: Worlds of War might just be a book I keep struggling with for the foreseeable future (state).

Future State: House of El #1 written by Philip Kennedy Johnson, art by Scott Godlewski, colors by Gabe Eltaeb and letter by Troy Peteri

Philip Kennedy Johnson FINALLY gets to the beating heart of Superman’s Never Ending Battle (sans jingoism) in the soaringly beautiful Future State: House of El #1.

Provided a blocky, but engaging look by artists Scott Godlewski and Gabe Eltaeb, House of El really makes great use of the “Future” in “Future State”. Opening thousands of years into the future (one the furthest points we have seen in “Future State” as of yet), the united descendants of Superman across various races (humans, Thanagarians and denizens of the now freed Warworld alike and MORE) stand against the hordes of “The Red King”. 

The King’s forces, made up of Doomsdays, Parademons and other unpleasantness, now turn toward Earth and the House of El is all that stand in their way. Making a tremendous use of the diverse cast, the “myth” of Superman, and the inherent goodness regardless of nationality or credence synonymous with Superman, writer Philip Kennedy Johnson more than makes up for the jingoistic missteps of the Worlds of War lead up here in House of El. By laser focusing on Superman, both as a strivant ideal and ethos all its own, Johnson finally gets to the heart of why Superman WORKS just in general; an idea he only slapped at and confabulated with patriotism back in Worlds of War. 

Better still, this brand new cast comes complete without the baggage of being “held” to the standard of any one nation. As Thanagarians, Earthlings and various other citizens of the nebulous “galaxies” of “Future State,” Johnson is allowed the room to just focus on the goodness and heroism of Superman. Going even further in the text by dropping the stock standard “American Way” from the “Truth and Justice” credo, allowing it to stand stronger as the battle cry of this new “generation” of Els. Goodness for the sake of goodness and protection of innocents alone, unfettered by the chains of a “higher service” and the lip service toward the veneration of state-based institutions.

Sweetening the pot is the grandiose and nearly mythic visual and narrative quality the House of El’s final stand delivers throughout this one-shot. Bracketed by heavy, pulse pounding artwork from Godlewski and Eltaeb and tersely epic narration from Johnson, the House of El’s assembly of heroes stand fast and hard against waves after waves of baddies, plinthed throughout eye-grabbing splash pages and sequence layouts akin to stained glass windows made of comic book art.

It all culminates in a star-shakingly emotional confrontation between The Red King (an evil Superman born from the machinations of Cere) and the original Superman, Clark Kent. He has returned like a real-deal, ding-dang messiah to give his blessing to his scions who don his symbol and extend a forgiveness to the wayward Superman, offering him his own “Never Ending Battle” to prove worthy of the S shield. 

It is TRULY, MADLY, DEEPLY stirring stuff and precisely the kind of thing I have been so desperately wanting from this new incoming crop of Superman books. AND EVEN COOLER, it’s just the cap on an already pretty tremendous overall Superman experience. Now I know, just objectively, that this doesn’t mean that everything else after this WILL be good, but I have to believe that Future State: House of El #1 proves that this new class of Superman creatives at least GET IT on some kind of level. Because they can produce something as beautiful as House of El #1. 

Ya gotta have hope, right? That’s what Superman is all about. And that’s what Future State: House of El #1 is all about too. Sometimes that’s all it takes. (Well, that and a bunch of amazing Superpeople in dope costumes).