One of the things that keeps amazing me about Future State is how some of these writers are getting me so invested in these characters and stories in just two issues. I think Future State: Wonder Woman might be one of the most impressive, however, as it's not just introducing me to a whole new Wonder Woman and her mythology, but getting me emotionally attached to her too.
This issue picks up where the last one left off, and sees Yara travelling into the underworld to try and rescue her friend, Potira, who died in battle on Themyscira. Despite the fact that Yara is travelling into the underworld, a dark and depressing place filled with horrors, there's a surprising amount of fun to be found in this story; something that's in pretty short supply across most of Future State. With so many of the stories having dark and depressing overtones, like the Gotham books being set in a police state, or Swamp Thing being about the literal end of humanity, it's nice to have a story where the hero is having a bit of fun, and even cracking some jokes.
This humour is one of the things that has really endeared me to Yara, and sets her apart as different from Diana. When she arrives in Tartatus and comes face to face with a creepy trio of demonic looking dudes she doesn't launch into an attack or a rousing speech like Diana would, she does a stupid magic trick to try and impress them. It's so bad I'm not even sure you could call it a magic trick. But the way she does it and the look on her face when she does made me genuinely laugh out loud and realise I wanted more from this character.
Despite this fun and silliness there's something really important at the heart of this issue, Yara having to learn that there are some things that she can't change. Sadly, it's a lesson that she learns in a heart breaking way as she manages to get Potira out of the sea of souls and begins to flee the underworld, only for a cave in to trap her friend. It's in this moment that Yara is forced to confront the fact that no matter how strong she is, no matter how much she can fight for something, sometimes you just can't win. The moments when she realises Potira is lost to her all over again is really, really sad, and touched me in a way that I wasn't expecting for a relationship I only discovered this very issue. That's just how damn good Joelle Jones' writing is, that she's able to elicit such emotions from me in such a short amount of time.
Jones isn't just the writer, however, but also produces the art on the book, alongside colourist Jordie Bellaire. The visuals in this book are downright amazing, and the way that the underworld is presented is one of the more unique visions I've seen. There's a strange sense of beauty to the whole thing, even when it's dark and depressing. Whether it's the field of flowers that transforms into dying plants as Yara approaches a winged reaper, the ethereal beauty of the boatman, or the sharp contrast in light and darkness in Hades and Persephone, everything about this place manages to evoke beauty in different ways.
I'm sad to be seeing this story coming to an end, but really enjoyed my time with it whilst I had it. Luckily, it's been announced that Yara will be returning in the regular timeline when things go back to normal after Future State, and that she will be taking on the mantle of Wonder Girl in her own ongoing series; a series that's going to be written and drawn by Jones. This is brilliant news, both because it means that we're going to get more from this character, but it also a fantastic creator.
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