Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1

Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1

by Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jen Bartel

The Undoing are coming. Long past the Age of Heroes, few of Diana Prince’s friends survive, and most of her sisters have passed as well. As an immortal goddess, this is her lot. But then, a threat appears that even the mighty Darkseid can’t handle-and it’s up to Wonder Woman to take on the battle! It’s big action and high fantasy at the end of time, courtesy of Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Becky Cloonan (By Chance or Providence, Gotham Academy) and her Doom Patrol co-writer Michael W. Conrad, with the popular artist Jen Bartel (Blackbird) making her interior art debut for DC.

Genres: Comics, Dc Comics, Wonder Woman, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction

46 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 19, 2021

About the author

Becky Cloonan is an American comic book creator, known for work published by Tokyopop and Vertigo. In 2012 she became the first female artist to draw the main Batman title for DC Comics.

Reviews

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yesss! This is what I'm looking for when I pick up DC comics. I love Wonder Woman so I was nervous about how she would appear in the Future State comics. This is definitely one of my favorite stories

Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman has two stories: one where Diana is coming to terms with the ending of the old world and her immortality and then a second story that focuses on Diana's twin sister Nubia. I knew that L.L. McKinney was doing the YA adaptation of Nubia; however, I had no idea that she was also going to be writing the story for Future State. Cloonan did an excellent job with Diana in this story and created a balance that readers needed to see. There are some amazing things about immortality; yet, here we see one of it's downfalls: those you love and care for will die right before your eyes and there isn't much you can do to change that. The powerful emotions and badass vibes we get from Diana serve the story well and it definitely made me excited to read the next issue. The art was beautiful with rich, deep hues that captured the very essence of the story.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of McKinney's writing. I've read some of her YA stuff and while it's okay, her style isn't what I would traditionally gravitate towards. However, I really liked what she did with Nubia. There could have been just a touch more plot. Because these Future State stories are so short, it's been really important for writers to hit the ground running. This stalled a little bit for me, but I definitely connected to the story in an important way. The ease that Nubia has interacting with the world around her is a nice touch. Also, there were a few jokes about edges that had me cackling. It has a great vibe and I'm excited to see how McKinney concludes the story. I also enjoyed the art in this story especially the panels in which we were able to get close ups of characters.

[James DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Wonder Woman story is excellent, both in art and story itself. Shows and sums up who Wonder Woman is. I'm SO excited for Becky Cloonan to tell her full Wonder Woman story after Future State. It's not easy mixing heartfelt, kind, and badass all in one. But she does it for Diana with ease. The Nubia storyline is just okay. I like her but the actual plot didn't grab me or anything. Guess we'll see if it gets better.

[Chelsea 🏳️‍🌈 · Rating 4 out of 5]

That first story is quite possibly my favorite of the Future State books so far! I really love the story, it's so heartfelt and beautiful! Diana's character really comes through and the emotional bond within the trinity is so well done! Everything is super clear and the art is drop dead gorgeous!. I knew Jen Bartel's work was amazing but in this book, it is truly breathtaking! I adored everything about this and I can't wait to read the next one!

I wish Nubia's story was a bit more engaging for me, honestly. I love the idea of her taking up the Wonder Woman mantle, but I thought it really odd to center her story in what felt like a really normal, human setting? There are what look like superhuman/meta human characters in the club but I felt like this was something you'd see in a CW show that couldn't afford to set the story in a place more fantastical because of budgetary reasons. Also, a huge chunk of the story just felt like exposition, which was strange because all of these Future State books have to set the scene for whatever alternate future their story is about, so it was just odd.

Anyway, this was really enjoyable for me!

[John Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great emotional storytelling by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad. Beautiful artwork by Jen Bartel. Also a fun little story with Nubia at the end. Also had a great character interaction with Batman where he says she was "the heart of the Justice League."

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely one of the better future state books I've read! Enjoyed the main story with Diana and the backup story with Nubia who should get her own mini or ongoing! Art as well was stellar across the board!

[A Fan of Comics · Rating 4 out of 5]

If Lisa Frank were to draw a Wonder Woman comic, it might look close to this.

The art in this book is amazing! I love the colors and the feminine vibe. The story felt like a classic Wonder Woman tale and I did get a little worried when the cliff hanger came up, it wasn’t looking good for the heroes. This book was stressful but still fun and I’m pretty excited for the next issue.
It’s the end of everything and Wonder Woman is trying to stop it. We get to see Darksied and Swampthing!


THE SECOND STORY;

Wonder woman’s sister.

We meet Nubia! She is another Wonder Woman although she stays mostly by herself, she doesn’t reside on the Island. She goes to a club to get information from her aunt about a string of robberies. I really liked the art for this issue and the coloring while she is at the club was great! No idea where this story is headed...

[Gordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Immortal Wonder Woman: 4⭐
Nubia: 3⭐

Nubia needs something to stand out from Diana, as right now she just seems like a copy/paste character, coloured differently. She's just an Amazon with a Lasso... We've seen this, for 80 years. Add a new gimmick, change something, remove something. Make her a *NEW* character. Not just a Diana placeholder. Q

[Kastie Pavlik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana's story perfectly captures the air of despairing nostalgia that clings to hopeless hope. The passage of time stops for no one, whether you're a human dressed as a bat, an alien allergic to green crystal, an immortal warrior goddess, or the guardian of the green in between—and, given the ring around her neck, not for a cocky space cop/wingman, either. I love the tone and the art, the detail given to facial expressions and the way the panels speak without words.

I'm not familiar with Nubia. Her story is a stark contrast that takes place in a more modern setting in the World of Man. At the same time, she's got a glitzy, golden glam to her and the peek at the club speaks to a world seen more commonly with John Constantine (wouldn't that be a fun crossover?). I like her am interested in learning more.

Both of these woman embody Wonder Woman to me, which makes Yara Flor (not in this book) stands out even more. Just to cover the Wonder Woman bases, I'm having a lot of fun reading Yara's titles, too.

[Fay · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Jen's art work so much. The story is intriguing and I can't wait to see more.

[Clipsee · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Rating at the bottom for both stories and then an overall rating)

Our first story features Diana trying to pick up the pieces in the far far future most of her friends are gone and she is trying to defend the world with the few remaining heroes that are left. I enjoyed the intense monologue Diana was having and the sheer beauty of this issue. Becky clearly knows how to write Diana well . The batcave looked hollow and haunting. The conversation Diana had with Bruce’s hologram was heartbreaking and sad. The art of the skies and the surprise appearance of a classic DC villain makes for some beautiful sequences (Particularly flying sequences of the surprise character) Diana looked beautiful from Jen Bartel like the best she has looked in ages and I really appreciated the clarity given to the gray strand of hair to show passage of time. Another dynamic I liked was the disagreement Diana was having with her fellow Amazon sisters was interesting. Rating : 8.5 out of 10.

Nubia’s story: This is the first comic I’ve read that has had Nubia in it and my enjoyment of this book was all the better for it. I loved this book a lot. Alitha Martinez’s Nubia is amazing from her Wonder Woman design (that hair is gorgeous) Her club design was literally stunning so regal and yet chic. Since Nubia hasn’t been in any comics in a while I was really curious on what she would be like. I loved how down to earth and chill she seemed instead of the big gallant dialogue we are used to from Diana. She had some funny quips and facial expressions that were well written and drawn. Another surprise in this issue was Grail one of my favorite villians. Their little scrap was short yet fun and I loved how Grail looked here, particularly when insulting that museum security guard. The comment Nubia made about Grail’s edges genuinely made me LOL. My one issue with this book is that it didn’t really give us a new origin for Nubia and instead just kind of threw us in the middle of her time on Earth as a Wonder Woman. For example, I’m not sure if her Aunt Nancy is a new character or not because Nubia has been so obscure. I would’ve liked a few pages of her origin and family. The plot for this is fun as Nubia has to stop Grail’s version of collecting the infinity stones before it’s too late. Rating: 8.t5 out of 10.
Overall rating: 9 out of 10

I really enjoyed this book both stories were really great. I was really worried about how this would compare to Yara’s book (because that was amazing) but it was great in its own way I’m so excited for Cloonan’s WW run, but Nubia is truly a star. I only hope the small criticism about an origin story is rectified in a Nubia ongoing comic in the current timeline. Every fan of a Wonder Woman characters should read this

[Aarthika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly a great start. This has some of the most beautiful art ever, the whole aesthetic and Diana's new look is amazing. I also liked seeing Nubia in this trying to figure out what Grail is up to. Very excited for more!

[Erika · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terse, fun, heartfelt, intriguing.

[Roman Colombo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best thing about both stories was the art. But the writing was pretty strong too. Both moved a little slowly but weren't bad.

[Amy Walker - Trans-Scribe Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whilst Yara Flor takes over as the new Wonder Woman in both Future State: Wonder Woman and Future State: Justice League, Diana and Nubia are given a chance to shine in two very different stories in Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman.

The first story, written by Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad with art by Jen Bartel, follows Diana in a distant future where most of the inhabitants of the world seem to have died out, and all but a few of the many DC heroes have fallen. It seems like Themyscira is the last place on Earth with living people that we see, with the last handful of Amazons defending an aged and dying Swamp Thing, who has transformed into a tree. If he falls, the Green dies with him, and all hope for Earth is lost forever.

Unfortunately, it looks like Earth may very well end up falling as Darkseid arrives, looking for one final battle in the face of unstoppable destruction that has already claimed Apokolips. taking the lives of Orion and Big Barda in the process. Now it's down to Diana, her Amazons, and an elderly Superman, to stand against this New God and the destruction of Earth.




This story is one of a couple in Future State that has been set in a very distant time period, where most of the world seems to have died out; the other being Future State: Swamp Thing. Whilst that book was a very grim, almost horror-like book this story takes a very different approach. Despite the world being on the brink of destruction and heroes we know and love dead it still feels like something of a hopeful story, one where there's a lot of beauty in the world still.

A lot of this is down to the quality of art from Jen Bartel, who manages to make every single panel of the story look beautiful. The art has a very gentle feel, and its pastel-like colours and clean lines makes it feel very peaceful, and displays a future full of beauty even in the face of the end of everything. This is even more apparent when the story moves across to Apokolips for a bit, and you see the stark contrast to the darkness of that world. But it's not just down to the art, it's also down to Diana, to her ability to love and see the goodness in all things that leads this hopeless future to still feel like a place worth fighting for, one worth caring about.

The second story, written by L.L. McKinney with art by Alitha E. Martinez and Mark Moralez, is set much closer to the present time of the DC Universe, and sees Nubia stepping up take on the mantle of Wonder Woman in Diana's stead. We see Grail, daughter of Darkseid, searching for artefacts across the world. These seemingly unconnected pieces are being taken from temples and museums, and it's up to Nubia to figure out what connects these things, and why Grail wants them.




This story is more what readers would probably expect from a Wonder Woman title, with our hero involved in magical and mythology based adventures that make her the perfect person to step up and stop the bad guy and save the day. There isn't a huge amount in this issue that you wouldn't expect Diana to do, but there are a few moments that show how Nubia isn't just a stand in, or a coy paste version of the character. We get to see how she differs from her sister, and why she's just as worthy to be Wonder Woman.

There's much more of this story given over to world building and story elements than the first, and we get some interesting backstory on the artefacts that Grail is after, and what she might be intending to use them for, and it doesn't feel as throw away as some of the Future State stories, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is stuff that we may see in some form once Future State is over and the main series books start again with new titles. 

Despite the stories being given the same amount of space it ended up feeling like we didn't spend as much time with Nubia as we did Diana, possibly because the first story seemed to be told so much from her point of view whilst the second had Nubia reacting a lot, rather than being more proactive. Hopefully this is something that will change in the next issue, as I really want to get to know her character better and spend some more time with her.

Overall Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman proved to be an interesting issue, one that showed readers a new version of Diana that still felt true to her character, and may have introduced Nubia to some new readers who've never had the chance to experience her before. 

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[Mariah · Rating 5 out of 5]

DC Future State has been a hit or a miss. I'm happy to say that this issue kept my attention and it was exactly what I was looking for from a Wonder Woman story. I loved Jen Bartel's art throughout this. It felt like a true Wonder Woman comic. This was so good.

Diana goes into a tomb and mourns the loss of Batman. As Batman appears as a ghost? to inspire her. Diana takes Bruce's utility belt and goes to Swamp Thing who is living on Themyscira and is close to death. Diana sees an older Superman fighting Darkseid who has left his planet to come to Earth instead. Diana is seriously injured as Darkseid is choking Superman

[Leanne Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMAZING!!! The storyline perfectly captures Diana‘s heart, soul, strength. Her love for nature and man’s world really shines through. And can we just talk about the artwork for a minute? Mind blowing!! So beautiful!! Possibly my very favorite version of Diana! 🤩⭐️💫
The Nubia story is just so-so. It just comes out of nowhere. I wish the storyline was more developed so we could actually care about these characters and understand what they are up to. Or maybe I missed something along the way 🤷🏻‍♀️
But again, the artwork is stunning!

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this and #2. Ended up taking them apart and binding just the Future State storyline. The story wasn't that interesting, but it has a nice little essence of Wonder Woman in there, giving her the role of last living being in the universe and reflecting on that. But the big star of the show is Jen Bartel's art. Relatively understated for her, this has some great faces, cool effects, and fun action.

[Roland Baldwin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a glorious duo of stories. The first story deals with Diana at the end of everything as a stoic and solemn figure facing the end of creation.
Nubia comes back to the DCU with a bang. She is a rich character. This is well written and gives us a strong character defining reintroduction to the character long absent from the mythos. This is a flawless book. Well worth the price.

[Jon Allanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jen Bartel and Becky Cloonan writing Wonder Woman? And a Nubia story by L.L. McKinney? This book is great. The WW tale seems to be a follow up to events I haven't read, but it was well done. The Nubia story seems like the start of a the sort of tale that is right up my alley, and I am very interested to see where it goes.

[h · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pacing of the story felt a bit off to me, but I like what I think it is trying to set up. Also, I love this art. It’s so beautifully done, and I loved the character design. I usually wait to read something like this until the trade paperback comes out, but I couldn’t resist getting a sneak peek, and I’m excited to see where it goes.

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 Stars

4 stars for Immortal WW; well written by Becky Cloonan with lovely art from Jen Bartel.

1 star for Nubia. Nice clean lines destroyed by murky colours and a tedious, bland script that reads like it was written in a couple of hours.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was even better than I expected it to be. There were two stories, one featuring Diana, and one featuring Nubia. Both of the stories were good, and both had great artwork. This is one of the best first issues that I've read across the "Future State" initiative.

[Craig Schorling · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the Wonder Woman story. The emotions involved were well balanced and hit the mark. The artwork was also fantastic! Some of my favorite in Future State. The Nubia story was decent too, just not as good as the main one.

[PsionOverlord (Thomas Stedman) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of sad, great wonder woman design, I love the setting. The basic premise is Wonder Woman and the amazonians have outlasted time itself and Darkseid is finally destroying the universe, and you watch wonder woman react to that.

[Catherine Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Liked the Nubia storyline more, shockingly.

[Derrick Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's not to like about Darkseid giving the beats on everyone! Seeing Nubia in action and knowing that it was penned by LL McKinley is an extreme delight!

[Rockito · Rating 3 out of 5]

Best thing from Future State that I've read after Swamp Thing.

[AJ Zender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the opening to both of these stories; I'm especially excited to see where Nubia's half of the story goes.

[Ashlight Grayson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Check out my review of Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 on The StoryGraph https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews...

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pretty good end to the DCU that solves a nice continuation past DC One Million and before Destiny closing the book.