Starting January 2021 and continuing steadily through the year, DC Comics introduced a new comic event called DC Future State. Launching from the finale of Dark Nights: Death Metal, Future State is a glimpse at a possible near future for the entire DC universe. So far the story is a massive sprawl of 24 comics, split into three thematic groups. The groups are generally being referred to as the Batman Family, Superman Family, and Justice League family.
While no stranger to publishing ambitious comic events on top of their usual publishing schedule, DC paused all other publications during the first two months of the Future State event, a risky move that paid off well. Part of the success can be attributed to the cover artists that went above and beyond to create such a wide collection of visually appealing covers. DC didn't just stop at one cover per issue either. Most of the issues have at least one variant cover, giving readers a choice to pick their favorite or collect them all. While all of the covers are well executed, some stood out above the rest.
Future State: Legion of Superheroes #1, Variant Cover
A full team image is usually a great way to make an epic cover. For Ian MacDonald's Future State: Legion of Superheroes #1 cover, including such a spread of characters creates slight visual chaos that works fairly well in the image. The Legion is clearly charging into a fight and there is not much more chaotic than battle.
Each character is outlined in beautiful detail, be there isn't one main focal point to direct the eyes through the image. While this does lend to chaos in the cover, it can be a little much from a visual standpoint.
Future State: Green Lantern #2, Variant Cover
The original cover for Future State: Green Lantern #2 was a more traditional comic style, featuring Hal Jordan mid-crisis. The variant cover, while not as epic as some of the other covers, instead intentionally uses clean lines and contrasting colors to purposefully draw the eye from top to bottom.
The cover artist, Jamal Campbell, uses a more dimensional, realistic style on the featured characters, fading down to more vague figures below. The fade from detail to obscure helps to build tension in the image, drawing a curious reader in to discover how the story is going to play out.
Future State: Teen Titans #2
The first thing to notice about the cover of Future State: Teen Titans #2 is that upon initial glance, there is no central focal point. The eye is continually drawn to the black wisps that seem to be extending threateningly toward the heroes. Artist Rafa Sandoval cleverly uses the lack of a proper focus to make the reader feel as though they are in place of the villain looking down at the Teen Titans.
In art, the viewer will focus on what the characters are looking at, and on this cover, all the characters are looking straight at the viewer. It's a clever use of focus, if a bit frustrating to the mind's eye because it can't decipher a primary point to concentrate on.
Future State: Harley Quinn #1
Simone Di Meo's cover art for the first Future State: Harley Quinn captures the slightly unstable mischief that has always embodied Harley. The softer edges and playful colors blend well with the almost anime style of Harley Quinn's image as she battles in the streets of Gotham.
Her mismatched shoes and equipment highlight her resourcefulness even as the city collapses into chaos. The best part is the focal point of the image is her face, bringing the eyes directly to an impish grin that promises she is up to no good.
Future State: Dark Detective #3
The third cover of Future State: Dark Detective is a dynamic image that draws the eye first to Bruce in his Detective getup and next to the new Batman as he leaps down on his predecessor.
Artist Dan Mora uses the contrast between the dark fore image and the lighter background to add depth to the image, satisfying the mind's need for a central focus point. The purple and teal contrast colors provide a futuristic feel that allows the reader to suspended disbelief and sink into a dimension of heroes and villains yet to come.
Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1
The beauty in Jen Bartel's cover art for Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman, is its simplicity. The single image of Diana poised for battle with determination in her eyes is as compelling and beautiful as the princess herself is.
The cover also evokes questions. Why is she wearing Batman's belt? What has happened to dampen the lightness she usually embodies? Questions draw a reader in, make them want to know the answer. While the saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover," clearly with comics, well-done cover art can only help draw in more readers.
Future State: Justice League #1
Dan Mora's full team display on the cover of Future State: Justice League #1 inspires giddy anticipation of seeing the team truly come together for the first time. There is just something about the first dramatic shot of a newly assembled team that brings out child-like glee.
The brightness of the page reinforces that the group is so full of power and hope, believing they can take on the world. Individual characters are placed with well-calculated varying depths that lead the focus in a circuit around the image instead of in one overwhelming visual chunk. It's a strong cover that exudes hope for the future without an out-of-context display of drama.
Future State: The Next Batman #1
On the first cover for Future State: The Next Batman, artist Jose Ladronn depicts an image that actually elicits a physical response from the reader. Stare too long and the ground drops out from underfoot, stomach revolting in a freefall down into the depths of Gotham.
The subtle red lighting highlights the darkness in the image, capturing the grimness of the city's nightlife. Without getting too outlandish, Ladronn adds little details such as the drone in the bottom corner and the strange lit-up landing pads on the rooftops to truly give the image a futuristic feel.
Future State: Nightwing #2
Yasmine Putri evokes a bit of nostalgia in readers by featuring the Dynamic Duo working together once more on the cover of Future State: Nightwing #2. Even if it's not the right Batman, the image is a reminder of days past as they work together to protect the future. Nightwing's bright blue highlights make him the central focus of the image, drawing the eye to the intensity of his facial expression and body language.
Having done the art for at least fifteen other Nightwing covers, Putri is no stranger to capturing Dick Grayson in motion. She easily portrays the reckless abandon with which Dick throws himself into every situation. The image carries a feeling of impending doom with a shapeless shadow looming in the background, adding another layer of intensity. The cover stirs up several emotions in the reader, drawing them in to learn more of the story.
Future State: Gotham #1
Jason Todd has always been far more popular as Red Hood than he ever was as Robin. On the cover of Future State: Gotham #1, it is easy to see why. Todd went from a whiny Dick Grayson look-alike to a renegade anti-hero with some serious bad boy vibes. His costume gets an upgrade in the future, including an actual hood to go with his Red Hood moniker. Yasmine Putri clearly conveys the movement of Todd's stride with wanted posters fluttering around his feet as he looks just about to walk right off the page. The striking red and black theme draws the eye straight to the symbol on Hood's chest, then right up into the intense gaze of his mask.
For this cover, simple is better, easily conveying the police state Gotham has become, without cluttering the picture with unnecessary imagery. The clean contrast and projection of movement on the page, coupled with the cool factor of Red Hood easily makes this one of the best covers of the DC Future State Comic Event.